Adobe releases Substance 3D Painter 10.0
Adobe has released Substance 3D Painter 10.0, the latest major version of the 3D texture painting software.
The update adds a new Text resource, making it much simpler to work with text inside the software, and the option to import vector graphics in .ai format from Illustrator.
There are also workflow improvements to painting normal maps and the transform manipulators, plus the option to browse the Substance 3D Assets library inside Painter.
Since the previous release, the price of the Steam edition has risen by $50.
New Text resource simplifies workflow when adding text to textures
The biggest new feature in Substance 3D Painter 10.0 is the Text resource, which provides a new – and much more straightforward – workflow for working with text.
One key change is that fonts can now be imported directly, rather than having to create a .sbsar file with the font embedded, which requires Substance 3D Designer.
Fonts can now be browsed in the Assets window, and dragged and dropped directly onto the surface of a 3D model, where they are applied as a Fill projection.
It is then possible to reposition text directly in the viewport, and to adjust properties like size, color, alignment and spacing from the projection settings.
Fonts can also be used as brushes, or as input in Substance filters.
Import vector graphics in Illustrator as well as SVG format
Designers and visualization professionals also get the option to import vector graphics in Adobe Illustrator’s .ai format.
The workflow is handled in a similar way to the existing SVG import, with the additional option to select between artboards in a .ai file.
Fixes and improvements to normal map painting and the transform manipulators
The update also fixes several longstanding issues with normal map painting and the transform gizmos.
With normal maps, epeatedly painting over an area in the normal channel should no longer create artefacts, undoing a brush stroke no longer breaks previous strokes, and brush stamps will an alpha will now display correctly when the alpha is at zero.
With the transform manipulators, dragging decals around on a surface is now more stable, and scale intensity is now based on the scale of the object being manipulated, not scene size.
It is also now posible to hold [Ctrl] while dragging on a manipulator to enter precision mode, making it possible to position content more precisely.
Other changes: new Substance 3D Assets window, updates to Python scripting
Other changes include a new Substance 3D Assets window, making it possible to browse the online Substance 3D Assets library directly inside Painter.
The Python API gets a new layer stack module, described as “opening the door to … advanced layer stack plugins”, and a work-in-progress color management module.
Price and system requirements
Substance 3D Painter 10.0 is available for Windows 10+, CentOS 7.0/Ubuntu 20.04+ Linux and macOS 11.0+.
Perpetual licences are available via Steam and cost $199.99, up $50 since the release of Substance 3D Painter 9.1.
The software is also available via Adobe’s Substance 3D subscriptions.
Substance 3D Texturing subscriptions cost $19.99/month or $219.88/year; Substance 3D Collection subscriptions cost $49.99/month or $549.88/year.
Subscriptions to the Linux edition require a Creative Cloud Plan for Teams.
Read a list of new features in Substance 3D Painter 10.0 in the online release notes
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