Adobe has released Substance 3D Sampler 4.0, a major update to its material authoring software, previously known as Substance Alchemist.
The update shifts Substance 3D Sampler towards being a more general-purpose 3D capture tool, adding an AI-assisted photogrammetry toolset for generating textured 3D models of real-world objects from photos.
New ‘best-in-class’ AI-assisted photogrammetry-based 3D scanning toolset
When it previewed the new photogrammetry toolset last year, Adobe described it as providing “fast, best-in-class reconstruction” and, crucially, a highly automated, artist-friendly workflow.
Users import a series of photos of a real-world object, with the option to have Substance 3D Sampler automatically generate masks isolating the object from the background, using an AI model.
Sampler then generates a preview of the 3D scan as a sparse point cloud, including all of the reconstructed camera positions, with users able to select which region of the scanned volume to reconstruct in detail.
As well as the point cloud and high-resolution scan – which can contain “millions of polygons” and have up to 16K textures – users can generate a decimated, lower-poly model.
The software automatically bakes diffuse, normal, height and ambient occlusion maps from the high-res geometry, UV unwraps the decimated mesh, and applies the maps to the lower-resolution model.
The mesh can then be exported in USD, USDZ, glTF, GLB, OBJ, FBX or STL formats.
The workflow is non-destructive, with users able to go back and change the decimation and other post-processing settings used.
Other changes: material export options and workflow improvements
Other changes include the option to choose whether to export Substance materials in the general-purpose SBSAR format, for use in a range of software, or in SBS format, for use in Substance 3D Designer.
Workflow improvements include the option to swap, resize or stack 2D and 3D viewports.
Pricing and system requirements
Substance 3D Sampler 4.0 is available for Windows 10+, CentOS 7.0+/Ubuntu 20.04+ Linux and macOS 11.0+.
New perpetual licences, available via Steam, cost $149.99.
The Windows and macOS editions are also available via Adobe’s Substance 3D Texturing subscriptions, for $19.99/month or $219.88/year; or Substance 3D Collection subscriptions, for $49.99/month or $549.88/year.
The Linux edition is available via Creative Cloud for Teams, priced at $1,199.88/year.
Read a full list of features in Substance 3D Sampler 4.0 in the online changelog
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