Lena Rivera
Substance Painter has become the industry-standard tool for creating textures for games and films. However, its integration with Maya is not always straightforward. To apply Substance Painter textures to Maya models, you can use the Substance plugin, which allows you to load a Substance material directly into Maya. This plugin will create a Maya material and feed the Substance textures into the material channels. You can then make changes to the substance parameters, and the textures will automatically update. Alternatively, you can follow a manual process by preparing your model in Maya, setting your materials, exporting, procedurally creating the texture in Substance Painter, and then bringing it back into Maya for rendering.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Substance Painter's industry standard use | Creating textures for games and films |
| Maya's default shaders | Lambert, Phong, etc. |
| Maya's newer shaders | Stingray PBS shader |
| Substance Painter to Maya workflow | Prepare model in Maya, set materials, export, create texture in Substance Painter, bring back to Maya |
| Substance plugin | Allows loading of Substance material in Maya |
| Substance plugin use | Open Hypershade, right-click and swipe up in the Node Editor, choose Create Node, search for Substance node, choose Substance Texture, select Substance node, load Substance file |
| Common issues | Padding outside UVs visible and deforming asset |
| Solutions to common issues | Add proper holding edges, apply permanent smooth, disconnect displacement map |
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What You'll Learn
Using the Substance plugin to load Substance materials into Maya
The Substance plugin is a valuable tool for artists working in Maya, allowing them to load and apply Substance materials directly within the software. This integration enhances productivity and streamlines the texturing process. Here is a step-by-step guide on using the Substance plugin to load Substance materials into Maya:
Installing the Substance Plugin
First, ensure you have the Substance plugin installed for Maya. This plugin is not automatically loaded with Maya, so you must manually install it. Once installed, you should find a new shelf in Maya named 'Substance'.
Loading Substance Materials
To load a Substance material, open the Hypershade window in Maya. In the Node Editor, right-click and select 'Create Node' from the marking menu. This opens the Create Node window, where you can search for and select the Substance node. Alternatively, you can hit the 'Tab' key in the node editor, type 'Substance', and choose the Substance Texture option.
Applying the Substance Material
After selecting the Substance node, the Property Editor will allow you to load a Substance (.sbsar) file. Choose the desired file, and if the Substance contains multiple graphs, the Selected Graph drop-down will populate accordingly.
Next, in the Property Editor, click on the WIDTH drop-down menu and adjust the resolution to your desired level, such as 4096 for cinematic-quality textures. Then, under WORKFLOWS, select the appropriate option for your renderer, such as Standard Surface, Arnold, or Renderman. If you are unsure, Standard Surface is a safe choice. Click Create Network, and after a brief pause, nodes will appear in the graph, along with a preview of the material in the "Texture Viewer."
Working with Substance Parameters
With the Substance material loaded, you can now make changes to its parameters. Substance parameters offer a unique advantage: real-time texture updates directly within the Maya viewport. This means that any adjustments you make to the substance parameters will automatically update the textures, providing an efficient workflow.
Additional Considerations
When working with Substance materials in Maya, it is important to consider the shader compatibility between the two applications. Maya's default shaders, such as Lambert and Phong, are older and may not be designed for PBR. Newer versions of Maya include a stingray PBS shader that can be more suitable. Ensure your Substance painter export settings match the shader requirements in Maya.
Additionally, the Substance plugin provides access to an extensive library of high-quality, tweakable, and export-ready 4K materials. This library is a valuable resource for artists, offering a wide range of customizable materials for various projects, including fashion, sportswear, interiors, and costume design for film and games.
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Ensuring export settings match
When exporting textures from Substance Painter to Maya, it's important to ensure that your export settings match to avoid any issues with texture application and rendering. Here are some detailed instructions and considerations to help you through the process:
First, understand the default settings of Maya's shaders. Maya's default shaders like Lambert and Phong are older and not designed for physically-based rendering (PBR). However, newer versions of Maya include a stingray PBS shader that can be used for PBR textures. Check which shader version you're working with to ensure compatibility with Substance Painter's export settings.
Next, set up your Substance Painter export settings to match Maya's requirements. This includes considerations such as texture size, format, and compression. Ensure that the texture maps you export are compatible with Maya's texture coordinate system, UVs, and that they align with your model's UV layout in Maya. This step is crucial to ensure that your textures apply accurately to your model without any deformations or misalignments.
Additionally, pay attention to the file format of your exported textures. Maya supports various file formats, including .sbsar files. Ensure that your export settings in Substance Painter match the file format that Maya can recognize and import seamlessly.
You can also utilize the Substance plugin for Maya. This plugin simplifies the process by allowing you to load Substance materials directly into Maya. It automatically feeds the substance textures into the material channels, and you can make adjustments to the substance parameters within Maya. The plugin creates a seamless connection between the two software, making it easier to manage and update your textures.
Finally, don't hesitate to seek additional resources and tutorials. There are numerous online resources, such as forums, video tutorials, and classes, that offer step-by-step guidance on matching export settings and integrating Substance Painter textures into Maya. These resources can provide you with specific instructions and troubleshooting tips to ensure a smooth workflow between the two software applications.
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Setting non-colour textures to RAW
When applying Substance Painter textures to Maya models, you will need to use the Substance plugin. This plugin allows you to load a Substance material created in Substance Designer directly into Maya. You can then make changes to the substance parameters, and the textures will automatically update.
To set up the Substance plugin, open the Hypershade and, in the Node Editor, right-click and swipe up in the marking menu to choose Create Node. This opens the Create Node window, where you can search for the Substance node. Alternatively, you can hit Tab in the Node Editor and type "substance" in the text field to filter the options to Substance options. From the options, choose Substance Texture.
Select the Substance node and, in the Property Editor, browse to load a Substance (.sbsar) file. The Selected Graph drop-down will populate if the Substance contains multiple graphs.
For the material, go to "Arnold -> Shader -> Surface -> aiStandardSurface". Plug the textures accordingly, ensuring that you set non-colour textures (such as roughness and normal maps) to RAW and enable "Alpha is Luminance".
It is important to note that Maya's default shaders (Lambert, Phong, etc.) are not designed for PBR. However, newer versions of Maya include a stingray PBS shader that you can use. Ensure that your Substance Painter export settings match the shader's requirements. You can also create your own preset in Substance Painter to pack textures for Unreal Engine or other game engines.
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Using Maya's default shaders
When applying Substance Painter textures to Maya models, it's important to note that Maya's default shaders, such as Lambert and Phong, are quite old and may not be suitable for modern needs. However, you can still utilise them effectively by following these steps:
Firstly, ensure that your Substance Painter export settings match the way Maya's default shaders want to take textures. You can also create your own preset in Substance Painter, which is quite flexible.
Before importing your Maya assets into Substance Painter, it's crucial to assign a unique material to each mesh. Substance Painter differentiates objects based on their materials. If your model has multiple materials for different meshes, assign the shaders accordingly before bringing it into Substance Painter. If all the geometry uses the same default material, Substance Painter will treat it as a single object.
When you're done texturing in Substance Painter, export only the textures and then assign them to your Maya model. If you've used the Substance plugin, you can press "Substance" in the menu bar, apply the workflow to maps, select your maps, and the plugin will automatically plug in the right textures to create an aiStandardSurface.
When using Maya's default shaders, pay attention to the specific settings. For example, if you've applied roughness to the roughness input, make sure to tick "Alpha is Luminance" and set the Color Space to "Raw". Similarly, for Metalness, ensure that "Alpha is Luminance" is enabled.
Additionally, when working with normal maps, set the Bump2D node to Tangent Space Normals and uncheck the "Flip Red and Green channels" option in the Arnold dropdown. Keep in mind that Maya's default tangent space differs from Substance Painter, so ensure you export your tangents with the model to ensure the normal map displays correctly in Maya.
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Baking texture maps and exporting to Maya
Baking texture maps and exporting them to Maya from Substance Painter can be done in several ways, depending on the specific requirements of your project. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Baking Texture Maps:
Firstly, baking texture maps in Substance Designer requires two 3D models: a high-poly mesh and a low-poly mesh. The low-poly mesh must have UV coordinates and an assigned material. You can import these models from Maya into Substance Designer using the File > Import Resources menu. Once imported, create a new substance graph and drag and drop the low-poly mesh into the 3D view.
Exporting to Maya:
When exporting textures from Substance Painter to Maya, ensure your export settings match Maya's requirements. For example, if you're using newer versions of Maya, consider using the stingray PBS shader, which is designed for PBR. You can also create your own preset in Substance Painter for flexibility.
When exporting a model from Maya to Substance Painter, you will get a texture set for each Maya material. However, when exporting from Substance Painter to Maya, you may need to export all the maps for each texture set and then manually assign those maps to each material in Maya. This can be a tedious process, especially if you want a single set of maps for your model.
To achieve a single set of maps, apply a single material in Maya and then export, ensuring your model has a single texture set in Substance Painter. You can then paint each part of your model on the same texture set, even creating an ID mask to simplify this process.
Additionally, utilize the skew correction feature in Substance Designer to fix distorted UVs and improve baking quality. The curvature map can also be used to create edge wear and dirt effects on your material.
When working with Substance Painter and Maya, remember that they have different shaders. You may need to adjust your settings, such as setting non-color textures to RAW and enabling "Alpha is Luminance."
Lastly, the Substance plugin for Maya allows you to load Substance materials directly into Maya, automatically updating textures when changes are made to substance parameters.
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Frequently asked questions
You can apply textures from Substance Painter to Maya models by using the Substance plugin. This allows you to load a Substance material directly into Maya.
Open the Hypershade and in the Node Editor, right-click and choose 'Create Node'. From there, search for the Substance node, and choose Substance Texture. Select the Substance node and load a Substance file.
You can make your own preset in Substance Painter. You will need to ensure your export settings match Maya's default shaders, such as Lambert or Phong, or the stingray PBS shader for newer versions.
Try adding proper holding edges and if that doesn't work, apply a permanent smooth.
You can use the Arnold shader to plug in textures. Go to "Arnold -> Shader -> Surface -> aiStandardSurface" and plug in your textures, setting non-colour textures to RAW and enabling "Alpha is Luminance".
