Activating Background Lighting In Substance Painter

how do i turn on background lighting substance painter

Adobe Substance 3D Stager provides environment lights that can help light your 3D scenes. The Display Settings control the lighting in the viewport. You can add an Emissive channel in the document settings window and paint emissive on the maps to create glowing elements. To view the base colour applied to the material with no lighting, change the drop-down in the upper right of the 3D view to base colour.

Characteristics Values
Remove light from Substance Painter Click on the dropdown in the upper right of the 3D view and change it to "base color"
Press "B" on the keyboard to cycle through base channels
Press "C" on the keyboard to cycle through material channels
Press "M" on the keyboard to switch back to lit material view
Create light in Substance Painter Add an Emissive channel in the document settings window and paint emissive on this map to create glowing elements
Adjust environment lighting Use the Environment Lighting tool in the toolbar
Click and drag in the viewport to rotate the light
Rotate the environment light around your scene
Adjust the intensity or brightness of the environment light

cypaint

Use the Environment Lighting tool to adjust scene lighting

The Environment Lighting tool in Substance 3D Stager allows you to adjust the lighting of your 3D scene. Once you have set up your scene, you can use the tool to fine-tune your environment lights and achieve the desired rendering.

To use the Environment Lighting tool, first, switch to it in the toolbar. You can then click and drag in the viewport to rotate the light. The tool offers several options to adjust the lighting:

  • Rotation: Rotate the environment light around your scene to achieve the desired angle and lighting direction.
  • Intensity: Adjust the intensity or brightness of the environment light to increase or decrease the lighting effect.
  • Rotation Constraints: Choose between free rotation, which allows both horizontal and vertical movement, or constrain the rotation to either horizontal or vertical directions only.

By utilising these options, you can customise the environment lighting to suit your specific needs and achieve the perfect lighting setup for your 3D scene.

cypaint

Add an Emissive channel to create glowing elements

To add an Emissive channel to create glowing elements in Substance Painter, you can follow these steps:

  • Start by texturing your model as you normally would. You can partially texture your model or complete the texturing process before adding the Emissive channel.
  • Once you're ready to add the glowing elements, go to the layers and change from the base color to the emissive option.
  • Now, adjust the blending mode. Disable the blending mode for all elements that are not related to the emissive effect.
  • Ensure that shadows are turned on in the render settings. This step is crucial to properly see and appreciate the effects of the Emissive channel.
  • Fine-tune the emissive effect by adjusting the glow settings. This includes settings such as Glow Amount, Clear Amount, Glow Size, and Glow Color. The Glow Amount controls the global opacity of the glow, while the Clear Amount determines when the glow effect should be cut off. The Glow Size controls the reach of the glow effect, and the Glow Color sets the color of the glow.
  • Remember that the Emissive channel is intended for use with binary, black and white masks. If you're working with images that have Alpha Channels, consider using the Shape Glow option instead.

By following these steps, you can successfully add an Emissive channel to create glowing elements in your Substance Painter project. This technique will allow you to add captivating glow effects to your textured models, enhancing the visual appeal of your creations.

cypaint

Use Display Settings to control lighting in the viewport

To control lighting in the viewport in Substance Painter, you can make use of the Display Settings feature. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Accessing Display Settings

To access the Display Settings, go to "Painter" in the menu bar, then select "Interface", and finally, choose "Display Settings". This will open up a range of options that you can use to control the lighting in your viewport.

Environment Settings

Within the Display Settings, you'll find "Environment Settings". This section is dedicated to controlling the lighting in the viewport. Here, you can adjust various lighting options to achieve the desired effect. Play around with these settings to see how they impact the lighting on your 3D models.

Grid Settings

Another useful feature within the Display Settings is the "Grid Settings". This allows you to control the display and drawing of a 3D grid inside the 3D viewport. The grid divisions automatically adjust based on the current camera level of zoom and angle. You can use this grid as a reference to place and manipulate your lighting more precisely.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Additionally, remember that you can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly cycle through different lighting options. Press "B" to cycle through base channels, "C" to cycle through material channels, and "M" to switch back to the lit material view. These shortcuts can be handy when you want to quickly compare different lighting setups.

By utilizing the Display Settings and the various options within it, you can take control of the lighting in your viewport and create the desired lighting effects for your 3D models in Substance Painter.

cypaint

Press 'B' to cycle through base channels

To turn on background lighting in Substance Painter, you can adjust the display settings in the Environment Settings section. This will allow you to control the lighting in the viewport.

Now, to cycle through the base channels in Substance Painter, you can simply press the 'B' key on your keyboard. This will allow you to switch between different base channels, such as Base Color, Roughness, and Metallic. The Base Color channel displays the colour of an object without any lighting or shadow information. The Roughness channel defines how reflective or dull the surface of an object is, with a grayscale value ranging from white to black. The Metallic channel indicates whether a surface is metal or not, with metallic textures appearing in black or white values.

Additionally, you can also press 'C' to cycle through the material channels and 'M' to switch back to the lit material view. This provides a quick way to navigate between different channels and view the impact of lighting on your project.

By utilising these keyboard shortcuts and understanding the various channels, you can efficiently work with different base and material channels in Substance Painter, allowing you to create and adjust your desired lighting effects.

cypaint

Use Substance 3D Stager to render photorealistic scenes

Adobe Substance 3D Stager is a powerful design tool for building and rendering 3D scenes. It offers a range of features that can help you create photorealistic scenes, including:

Real-Time and Ray Tracing Rendering

Stager combines real-time and ray tracing rendering techniques. Real-time rendering is the default setting, optimised for speed and interactivity, making it ideal for general staging work. Ray tracing, on the other hand, is a more advanced technique that shoots light rays through the scene, mimicking how light interacts with objects and materials in the real world. This results in more realistic shadows, reflections, and translucency. You can switch between these two rendering methods without changing your scene setup, allowing for greater flexibility during the creative process.

Lighting and Virtual Photography

With Stager, you can set up lighting to create stunning virtual photographs. The lighting options allow you to experiment with different lighting conditions and see how they affect the mood and atmosphere of your scene. This is crucial for achieving photorealism, as lighting plays a significant role in creating believable and visually appealing images.

Customisable Render Engines

The render engines in Stager offer flexible control over speed and quality. You can customise these engines to ensure consistent results across different Adobe Substance apps, allowing you to maintain a specific look or style throughout your project.

Multiple Camera Support

Stager's render mode allows you to select multiple cameras to capture your scene from different angles or focal points. This feature is particularly useful for virtual photography, as it enables you to create a variety of shots and compositions to showcase your products or designs.

Augmented Reality Integration

You can export your scene data to Adobe Aero to build interactive augmented reality experiences. This feature expands the possibilities for presenting your work, allowing others to engage with your creations in a more immersive and dynamic way.

By utilising these features and experimenting with the various tools within Substance 3D Stager, you can create photorealistic scenes that showcase your 3D assets, lighting setups, and virtual photography skills.

Frequently asked questions

To turn on background lighting in Substance Painter, you need to adjust the display settings. Go to Painter > Interface > Display Settings and control the lighting in the viewport.

You can adjust the lighting in the viewport by using the Environment Lighting tool. This will allow you to rotate, adjust the intensity, and determine the rotation type of the environment light.

No, you cannot create light sources in Substance Painter. However, you can add an Emissive channel in the document settings window and paint emissive maps to create glowing elements.

To view your model without lighting, hit the dropdown in the upper right of the 3D view and change it to "base color". Alternatively, you can press "B" on your keyboard to cycle through the base channels.

Written by
Reviewed by

Explore related products

Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment