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Substance Designer 2024

Stylized material creation.

The Parabox 3D and 3d production house

2024 update

In this course you will learn how the PBR workflow works and all the necessary fundamentals to create high materials and stylized textures in Substance Designer and how to use them in any rendering or video game engine.

We are going to see how the to navigate in the interfase and all the Substance Designer panels, we are going to see how to use the blending modes and the masks to blend images and create any type of texture variations and we are going to see the most important nodes available in the program.

Read more

2024 update

In this course you will learn how the PBR workflow works and all the necessary fundamentals to create high materials and stylized textures in Substance Designer and how to use them in any rendering or video game engine.

We are going to see how the to navigate in the interfase and all the Substance Designer panels, we are going to see how to use the blending modes and the masks to blend images and create any type of texture variations and we are going to see the most important nodes available in the program.

With the fundamentals clear we are going to apply this knowledge creating a first basic material to follow all the material creation workflow.

After the experience with the first material we continue to create one by one 6 stylized and more advanced materials with new methods, new concepts and using a great variety of techniques we can apply from the endless library of nodes that Substance Designer has.

We are going to see how to blend this materials between them to create new combination of materials.

In the last chapter we will see how can we render our materials to create an appealing and professional presentation for portfolio and how can we configure this materials to create terrains with them in Unreal Engine.

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What's inside

Syllabus

1. Introduction
1-1 Instructor presentation
1-2 Content of the course
2024 Big update
Read more
1-3 Downloadable resources
1-4 Important links of the course
Discord Group for students
2. Fundamentals
2-1 The PBR workflow
2-2 How Substance Designer works
2-3 Nodes and interfase
2-4 The graph editor
2-5 The 2D and the 3D view
2-6 The material creation workflow
2-7 The masks and the blending modes
3. Nodes and patterns
3-1 Preparing the graph
3-2 Simple patterns 1
3-3 Simple patterns 2
3-4 Curved patterns
3-5 Curved patterns with volume
3-6 Irregular patterns
3-7 Variations and deformations
3-8 Variations and deformations
3-9 Adding color
3-10 Adding the roughness
4. Material creation: Ground
4-1 Creating the base pattern
4-2 Adding the pebbles
4-3 Adding color
4-4 Final details and roughness
5. Material creation: Sand
5-1 Creating the base pattern
5-2 Fixing the cavities and adding detail
5-3 Adding the pebbles and the color
5-4 Final details and roughness
6. Material creation: Grass field
6-1 Creating the shape of the leaves
6-2 Tiling the leaves
6-3 Creating the flowers
6-4 Blending the flowers with the grass
6-5 Detailing the color
6-6 Adding roughness
7. Material creation: Snow
7-1 Creating the base pattern and the color
7-2 Adding the roughness
8. Material creation: Woodplanks
8-1 Creating the base pattern
8-2 Adding details and texture
8-3 Creating the nails
8-4 Adding color
8-5 Final details and roughness
9. Material creation: Cobblestone
9-1 Creating the base pattern
9-2 Adding texture and cracks
9-3 Adding color
9-4 Adding roughness
9-5 Variation 1
9-6 Variation 2
9-7 Variation 3
10. Blending materials
10-1 Blending cobblestone and snow
10-2 Blending cobblestone and sand
10-3 Exporting the materials
10-4 Rendering in Marmoset
10-5 Creating our materials in Unreal Engine 5
11. Final talk
Conclussions and recomendations

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Substance Designer 2024: Stylized material creation. with these activities:
Review PBR Workflow Fundamentals
Solidify your understanding of the PBR workflow to better grasp material creation in Substance Designer.
Show steps
  • Read articles and watch videos explaining the PBR workflow.
  • Identify the key components of a PBR material.
  • Explain the difference between specular and metallic workflows.
Read 'The PBR Guide' by Allegorithmic
Deepen your understanding of PBR principles with a comprehensive guide from the creators of Substance Designer.
View The PBR Guide on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'The PBR Guide' (available online).
  • Read the sections relevant to material properties and rendering.
  • Take notes on key concepts and terminology.
Experiment with Blending Modes
Practice using different blending modes in Substance Designer to create various effects and material variations.
Show steps
  • Create a new Substance Designer graph.
  • Experiment with different blending modes between two nodes.
  • Document the effects of each blending mode.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a Stylized Brick Wall Material
Apply the learned techniques to create a stylized brick wall material from scratch in Substance Designer.
Show steps
  • Gather reference images of stylized brick walls.
  • Create the base brick pattern using nodes and patterns.
  • Add details, cracks, and variations to the bricks.
  • Apply color and roughness to achieve a stylized look.
Document Material Creation Process
Create a blog post or video tutorial explaining your process for creating a specific stylized material in Substance Designer.
Show steps
  • Choose a material you created in Substance Designer.
  • Document each step of the creation process with screenshots.
  • Write clear and concise explanations for each step.
  • Publish your documentation on a blog or video platform.
Read 'Mastering Surface Detail with Substance Designer' by Jérémy Celeste
Explore advanced techniques for creating high-quality surface details in Substance Designer.
View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'Mastering Surface Detail with Substance Designer'.
  • Read the chapters on advanced node setups and procedural texturing.
  • Experiment with the techniques described in the book.
Contribute to Substance Designer Community Projects
Share your materials and techniques with the Substance Designer community and contribute to open-source projects.
Show steps
  • Find open-source Substance Designer projects on platforms like GitHub.
  • Contribute your own materials or techniques to the projects.
  • Provide feedback and support to other community members.

Career center

Learners who complete Substance Designer 2024: Stylized material creation. will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Material Artist
A Material Artist focuses on creating the surfaces and substances that define the look and feel of 3D objects. This course provides a strong foundation in creating stylized materials using Substance Designer. As a Material Artist, you'll need to understand how to create a wide range of textures and materials, and this course covers creating materials like ground, sand, grass, snow, wood planks, and cobblestone. In this course, you can learn how to create new material combinations. In short, this course equips aspiring Material Artists with the skills to design and implement visually stunning and believable materials.
See salaries and explore the career path for Material Artist
Texture Artist
A Texture Artist creates the visual surfaces of 3D models in video games, films, and other media. This course on stylized material creation in Substance Designer directly aligns with the responsibilities of a Texture Artist, as it provides hands-on training in generating high quality and stylized textures. The course also teaches the PBR workflow, which is fundamental to creating realistic and visually appealing textures. Students will learn how to navigate the Substance Designer interface, use blending modes and masks, and master essential nodes, all of which are vital for a Texture Artist to excel. Creating appealing and professional presentations for portfolios is also taught, which would benefit those looking to be hired as a Texture Artist.
See salaries and explore the career path for Texture Artist
Surface Designer
A Surface Designer specializes in designing the surfaces of products, environments, or virtual assets. The course provides a detailed exploration of Substance Designer, teaching the fundamentals of PBR workflow and the creation of stylized textures. As a Surface Designer, you will learn how to create a variety of materials like ground, sand, grass, snow, wood planks, and cobblestone. The course also teaches how to blend materials and render them for professional presentations, skills directly applicable to showcasing surface designs.
See salaries and explore the career path for Surface Designer
Game Artist
A Game Artist creates visual assets for video games, including characters, environments, and props. This course is directly relevant to the work of a Game Artist, as it focuses on creating high quality and stylized textures and materials using Substance Designer. Game Artists need to be proficient in creating a wide range of textures and materials, and this course covers essential topics such as blending modes, masks, PBR workflow and various nodes in Substance Designer. This course will provide a Game Artist the skills needed to create visually appealing and immersive game worlds.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Artist
Prop Artist
A Prop Artist specializes in creating 3D models and textures for props used in games, film, and animation. This course directly applies to the work of a Prop Artist, as it focuses on creating high quality and stylized textures and materials using Substance Designer. Prop Artists need to be skilled in creating a variety of materials to make their props look realistic and detailed, and this course covers topics such as blending modes, masks, PBR workflow and various nodes in Substance Designer. The course will provide a Prop Artist the skills needed to create visually appealing and immersive game worlds.
See salaries and explore the career path for Prop Artist
Environment Artist
An Environment Artist is responsible for creating the immersive and believable environments in video games and films. This course may be useful because the ability to generate a wide range of realistic and stylized materials is essential for an environment artist. As an Environment Artist, one must use software such as Substance Designer. This course covers the Substance Designer interface, the PBR workflow, blending modes, and essential nodes. The course covers creating materials such as ground, sand, grass, snow, wood planks, and cobblestone, all of which are very useful to Environment Artists. The course also enhances an Environment Artist's ability to create stunning and immersive game worlds.
See salaries and explore the career path for Environment Artist
Architectural Visualization Artist
An Architectural Visualization Artist creates photorealistic renderings and animations of architectural designs. Often this requires an advanced degree. This course is useful for an Architectural Visualization Artist, as the ability to create realistic and high-quality materials and textures is essential for producing convincing visualizations. Architects can use Substance Designer, as taught in this course, to create custom building materials, such as brick, concrete, and wood. Also, concepts such as blending modes and masks enable artists to create realistic variations and imperfections in their materials, enhancing the overall realism of their visualizations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Architectural Visualization Artist
Shader Artist
Shader Artists create shaders, which are programs that define how light interacts with surfaces in 3D environments. While this course focuses on creating materials and textures in Substance Designer rather than writing shaders directly, it can still be beneficial. Understanding the properties of different materials, such as roughness, color, and reflectivity, is crucial for creating realistic shaders. This course helps artists learn about the PBR workflow and gain a deep understanding of material properties, which can inform their shader creation process.
See salaries and explore the career path for Shader Artist
3D Modeler
A 3D Modeler creates three-dimensional models of objects and environments. While 3D Modelers primarily focus on the shape and form of models, understanding materials and textures is crucial for creating realistic and visually appealing assets. This course may be useful because it provides skills in creating high quality textures and materials using Substance Designer. Understanding the PBR workflow, blending modes, masks, and various nodes in Substance Designer, covered in this course, allows a 3D Modeler to enhance the realism and visual fidelity of their models. The course's emphasis on stylized materials also opens up creative possibilities for modelers working on projects with unique artistic styles.
See salaries and explore the career path for 3D Modeler
Technical Artist
A Technical Artist bridges the gap between art and programming, developing tools and workflows to improve the art creation pipeline. This course may be useful because a Technical Artist needs to understand the technical aspects of material creation, including the PBR workflow and the use of software like Substance Designer. This course provides a strong foundation in these areas, covering blending modes, masks, essential nodes, and techniques for creating various material types. Furthermore, the course's focus on rendering materials and configuring them for use in Unreal Engine 5 aligns with the responsibilities of a Technical Artist to optimize art assets for game engines.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Artist
Digital Artist
A Digital Artist creates art using digital tools and software. This course is useful for a Digital Artist who wants to expand their skills in creating textures and materials for 3D models or digital paintings. This course can help a digital artist gain proficiency in the use of Substance Designer, and it also covers fundamental concepts such as the PBR workflow, blending modes, masks, and essential nodes. This knowledge is important as a Digital Artist, as it opens up new creative possibilities and improve the quality of their artwork.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Artist
Visual Development Artist
A Visual Development Artist helps define the visual style and look of a project, often in animation or film. This course may be useful because understanding material creation and texture design is valuable for a Visual Development Artist. This course helps one explore the creation of stylized materials using Substance Designer. The skills learned in this course can enhance a Visual Development Artist's ability to communicate their vision effectively and contribute to the overall aesthetic of a project.
See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Development Artist
FX Artist
An FX Artist creates visual effects for games, film, and television. While this course focuses on material creation, the skills and knowledge learned can be valuable for creating certain types of effects. For example, an FX Artist might use custom textures to simulate fire, water, or smoke. This course provides that ability, as it teaches one to create textures using Substance Designer. The course covers blending modes, masks, and other techniques useful for creating complex visual effects. The course will enhance an FX Artist's ability to create stunning special effects.
See salaries and explore the career path for FX Artist
Animator
An Animator brings characters and objects to life through movement. This course would be helpful for an Animator, as the knowledge of materials and textures can enhance the visual appeal and realism of their animations. An animator can use the Substance Designer skills taught in this course to create custom textures for characters, props, and environments. The course's coverage of the PBR workflow, blending modes, and masks can help an Animator achieve a high level of visual fidelity in their work. This is especially welcome in professional portfolios.
See salaries and explore the career path for Animator
Level Designer
Level Designers create and implement the levels within a video game. While Level Designers do not directly create textures and materials, understanding how these elements contribute to the overall look and feel of a level can be beneficial. This course may be helpful because it exposes Level Designers to the process of creating stylized materials and textures, giving one a better appreciation for the work of texture and material artists. This understanding can lead to better collaboration and communication between Level Designers and artists, resulting in more visually cohesive and immersive game environments.
See salaries and explore the career path for Level Designer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Substance Designer 2024: Stylized material creation..
The PBR Guide
Save
This book, created by Allegorithmic (the makers of Substance Designer), is an excellent resource for understanding PBR principles. It provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practical application of PBR in various rendering engines. It serves as a valuable reference for understanding the underlying concepts behind material creation in Substance Designer. adds depth to the course by providing a more detailed explanation of the PBR workflow.
The PBR Guide
Paperback
Check
The PBR Guide
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Putting Knowledge to Work
Save
Provides advanced techniques for creating high-quality surface details in Substance Designer. It covers topics such as micro-details, procedural texturing, and advanced node setups. It is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference. This book adds more depth to the course by exploring advanced techniques for creating realistic and stylized materials.
Putting Knowledge to Work
Paperback
Check
Putting Knowledge to Work
Kindle Edition
Check

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Effort
7 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructors
The Parabox 3D
3d production house
Language
English
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