Priya Kapoor
While working on a project in Substance Painter, you may encounter situations where you need to replace or add a new mesh. This could be due to issues with topology, the need to separate objects for individual colouring, or the requirement to add additional details. To replace a mesh in Substance Painter, you can follow these general steps: first, select all the layers on the original mesh and group them together. Then, export your new mesh or start a new project with it, ensuring that you bake and apply the grouped layers as a smart material. This process will help retain your previous work and allow you to make changes to specific parts of your project. It is important to note that you cannot load two separate .fbx/.obj files into a single Substance Painter project, so combining related meshes into a single file before importing is crucial. Additionally, when dealing with complex objects, you may need to adjust your export settings and manage UV overlaps to ensure a smooth process.
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What You'll Learn
Group layers on the original mesh and create a smart material
To replace a mesh in Substance Painter, you must first export your original mesh with your new mesh as a single OBJ/FBX file. You can then go to Edit > Project Configuration and reimport from there, and Substance Painter will keep all your paint work from before and apply it to the new mesh.
Now, to group layers on the original mesh and create a smart material, follow these steps:
- Select all your layers on the original mesh and group them: To do this, make sure that everything is inside a Layer Group.
- Create a smart material: Right-click on the Layer Group and choose "Create Smart Material".
- Apply the smart material: Import your new mesh and start a new project, bake it, and then apply the smart material. This should recover most of your previous work.
Smart Materials are unique to Substance 3D Painter and allow for more control and mesh-specific details. They are presets for a whole layer stack, saved and reusable, and contain effects and layers that work on every mesh. However, they can only be opened and modified within Painter.
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Export your scene with the new mesh added
When replacing a mesh in Substance Painter, you must first export your scene with the new mesh added. This process involves using a 3D application such as Maya or 3DS Max to re-export your entire scene, including the new object or mesh. It is recommended to export the scene as a single FBX or OBJ file, as Substance Painter does not support loading two separate FBX or OBJ files into the same project.
Once you have exported your scene with the new mesh, you can proceed to the next steps of replacing the mesh in Substance Painter. It is important to note that you cannot add new meshes to an existing project in Substance Painter. However, by exporting your original mesh and the new mesh together, you can preserve your previous paint work and apply it to the new mesh.
To export your scene with the new mesh, follow these steps:
- Open your 3D application (Maya, 3DS Max, etc.): Go back to the application where you originally created or edited your 3D scene.
- Add the new object or mesh: In your 3D application, add the new object or mesh that you want to include in your scene. Position and adjust the new mesh as needed.
- Export the entire scene: With the new mesh in place, re-export your entire scene as a single FBX or OBJ file. Make sure to export the file in a format compatible with Substance Painter, such as FBX.
- Save the exported file: Save the exported file in a location where you can easily access it for the next steps in Substance Painter.
- Prepare for import in Substance Painter: After exporting, you will need to go back to Substance Painter and prepare for importing the new project mesh. This typically involves going to “Edit” and then “Project Configuration” in the Substance Painter menu.
By following these steps, you will successfully export your scene with the new mesh added, setting the foundation for replacing the mesh in Substance Painter while retaining your previous work. Remember to consider the file format and ensure that your new mesh is properly integrated into the scene before exporting.
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Use mesh fill/UV island fill to set a mask and separate mesh parts
When working on a project in Substance Painter, you may encounter a situation where you need to paint a specific area of the mesh that is hidden or covered by another object, such as painting a body that is hidden beneath a layer of clothes. In such cases, you can use mesh fill/UV island fill to create a mask and separate the mesh parts.
To achieve this, follow these steps:
- Use mesh fill/UV island fill: Select the area you want to work on by using the mesh fill or UV island fill tool. This will allow you to create a mask that isolates the specific mesh parts you want to work on. By using mesh fill, you can select the desired mesh elements, while UV island fill lets you choose specific UV islands to define the masked area.
- Set a mask: Once you have selected the desired area with mesh fill or UV island fill, create a mask to separate the mesh parts. This mask will ensure that any changes or painting you do will only affect the selected area.
- Add an opacity fill: If there are other objects or mesh parts covering the area you want to work on, you can temporarily hide them by adding an opacity fill. This will make the selected area visible, allowing you to paint or make adjustments without affecting the rest of the scene. Remember to choose a shader that supports alpha channels for the opacity fill to work correctly.
- Paint or make adjustments: With the mask and opacity fill in place, you can now paint or make any desired adjustments to the selected mesh parts. This way, you can work on specific areas of your mesh without affecting the rest of the object or scene.
- Delete the mask and opacity fill: Once you have completed your work on the selected mesh parts, remember to delete the mask and opacity fill. This ensures that your scene remains clean and organised, and you can continue working on other areas of the mesh or project.
It's important to note that you cannot load two separate .fbx/.obj files into a Substance Painter project. If you have multiple objects or mesh parts, ensure they are exported together as a single fbx/obj file before importing them into Substance Painter. Additionally, always keep your original mesh and project files backed up in case you need to revert any changes or start over.
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Import your new project mesh
When it comes to importing a new project mesh in Substance Painter, there are a few key considerations and steps to keep in mind. Firstly, it's important to understand that you cannot add new meshes to an existing project by simply loading two separate .fbx/.obj files. If you have a character model and its clothing exported as separate files, for instance, you won't be able to import them individually into Substance Painter. Instead, you need to ensure that both the body and the clothes are in the same scene in your 3D application, and then export them together as a single .fbx or .obj file. This will allow you to work on both simultaneously in Substance Painter.
Now, let's delve into the process of importing your new project mesh:
- Start by opening your 3D application (such as Maya, 3DS Max, or Blender): Go back to your original 3D application and re-export your entire scene, this time including the new object or mesh you want to add. It is recommended to export in the FBX format whenever possible.
- Head to "Edit" and then "Project Configuration" in Substance Painter: Once you have your updated scene exported, open Substance Painter. Navigate to the "Edit" menu, and from there, select "Project Configuration". This is where you will be able to import your new project mesh.
- Import your new project mesh: With "Project Configuration" open, you can now import your updated scene with the new mesh. Substance Painter will retain all your previous paint work and apply it to the same TextureSet of the newly imported mesh, as long as you haven't moved any parts of the original mesh.
- Understand TextureSets: If your new mesh shares the same UVs and/or textures as the original mesh, it will use the same TextureSet. However, if the UVs or textures are different, a new TextureSet will be created in the list.
- Group layers and create a smart material (optional): If you want to preserve your work on the original mesh, select all the layers on it, group them, and create a smart material. This will help you apply your previous work to the new mesh.
- Bake and apply: After importing your new mesh, you may need to bake it and then apply the smart material you created. This will help recover your previous work on the original mesh.
By following these steps, you'll be able to successfully import your new project mesh into Substance Painter, ensuring that your previous work is retained and applied to the new mesh where possible.
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Apply the smart material to the new mesh
To apply the smart material to the new mesh, follow these steps:
- Select all the layers on the original mesh and group them together.
- Turn this group into a smart material.
- Import the new mesh into the same project.
- Bake the new mesh.
- Apply the smart material to the new mesh.
This process will allow you to retain most of your previous work on the original mesh.
It is important to note that smart materials are unique to Substance 3D Painter and cannot be retrieved once added to the layer stack. They are created by baking maps from your mesh, which generates mesh-specific details that are automatically adapted to your mesh. Smart materials are presets for a whole layer stack and can be added by drag-and-dropping or by clicking the Smart Material button to open a mini-shelf.
Additionally, when working with smart materials, it is recommended to stick to layers and effects that work with baked maps, such as generators or filters, rather than using painting as it may not look correct when applied to other meshes.
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Frequently asked questions
To replace a mesh in Substance Painter, you need to import a new mesh or start a new project with the new mesh. You can do this by selecting all your layers on the original mesh, grouping them, and turning them into a smart material. Then, import the new mesh and apply the smart material.
No, you cannot add a new mesh to an existing project. You will need to export your original mesh with your new mesh as one OBJ/FBX file.
First, go back to your 3D application (e.g. Maya, 3DS Max) and re-export your whole scene with the new object added. Then, in Substance Painter, go to Edit -> Project Configuration and import your new project mesh.
If you have a complex object with overlapping UVs, you can separate the meshes and use different materials for each object. In your baking settings, set Matching to "By mesh name" to treat each part separately.
If you encounter an error related to mesh scaling, try applying the scaling option in Blender to all objects in your scene and check your export settings before importing again.
