Adobe has released Substance 3D Modeler 1.1, the latest version of the VR sculpting app.

The update moves the software for the OpenXR framework, making it possible to use it with a wider range of virtual reality headsets, initially including the Valve Index.

New features include Array Copy, for duplicating objects in linear arrays; a new Boolean operation, Split, for using one object to cut into another; and experimental support for UDIMs when exporting models.

Sculpt organic and hard-surface models in VR using a virtual clay workflow
Released earlier this year, Substance 3D Modeler lets users sculpt both organic and hard-surface models in virtual reality, or in desktop mode using a mouse and keyboard.

Like its precursor, Medium, which Adobe acquired in 2019, it uses Signed Distance Fields to represent 3D space, rather than treating 3D geometry as a polygonal mesh.

As a result, workflow combines elements of digital sculpting and Boolean modelling, with users able to build up forms with virtual clay, then join them or cut into them with Boolean operations.

You can find more details about its key toolsets in this story on Substance 3D Modeler 1.0.

New in version 1.1: support for OpenXR-compatible VR headets like the Valve Index
The biggest change in Substance 3D Modeler 1.1 is that the software has been moved to OpenXR, the open framework for accessing virtual reality and augmented reality hardware.

That means that the software – previously only compatible with Meta’s Rift and Quest headsets – now has “basic support” for much wider range of VR hardware.

Adobe has tested it on Valve’s Index headset, and other OpenXR-compatible headsets may also work.

 
New Array Copy tool, Split operation and experimental UDIM export
New features include Array Copy, which creates multiple duplicates of an objects in an even linear array.

There is also a new Boolean operation, Split, which lets you use one object on another as a virtual cookie cutter: you can see it used in the video above to cut eye sockets out of a simple head model.

In addition, there is “experimental support” for UDIMs, the tiled UV layout format supported in a range of other DCC applications, with the option to generate UDIMs for a model automatically on export.

Pricing, release dates and system requirements
Substance 3D Modeler 1.1 is available for Windows 10 only. See a list of supported VR headsets here.

The software is subscription-only, and is available through Adobe’s Substance 3D Collection subscriptions, which cost $49.99/month or $549.88/year.

 
Read a full list of new features in Substance 3D Modeler 1.1 in the online documentation

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