
Substance Painter is a powerful tool for texturing 3D models, and its cage feature is particularly useful for aligning textures accurately. However, there are times when you may need to turn off the cage to better visualize your work or to avoid interference during the painting process. Turning off the cage in Substance Painter is a straightforward task that can be accomplished in just a few steps, allowing you to focus on your texturing without distractions. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, understanding how to manage the cage feature efficiently can significantly enhance your workflow.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Method | Toggle Cage Display |
| Location | Viewport Options |
| Shortcut | F4 (Windows/Linux) or Fn + F4 (Mac) |
| Menu Path | View > Viewport Options > Cage |
| Alternative Method | Right-click in viewport > Viewport Options > Cage |
| Functionality | Toggles visibility of the cage (wireframe) around the model |
| Default State | On (visible) |
| Applicability | All versions of Substance Painter (latest verified in 2023) |
| Purpose | Helps in aligning textures and visualizing model structure |
| Impact on Performance | Minimal, as cage is lightweight |
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What You'll Learn
- Accessing Project Settings: Locate and open the project settings menu in Substance Painter
- Finding Cage Option: Navigate to the Display tab to find the cage toggle
- Disabling Cage Display: Uncheck the Cage option under display settings to turn it off
- Applying Changes: Confirm and apply changes to remove the cage from the viewport
- Verifying Results: Check the 3D viewport to ensure the cage is no longer visible

Accessing Project Settings: Locate and open the project settings menu in Substance Painter
In Substance Painter, the project settings menu is your gateway to customizing how your project behaves, including managing the cage display. To locate this menu, start by opening your project in Substance Painter. Once the interface loads, navigate to the top toolbar and look for the "Window" menu. This menu is often overlooked but houses critical settings that can significantly impact your workflow.
From the "Window" menu, select "Project Settings." This action will open a new panel or dialog box, depending on your version of Substance Painter. The project settings menu is divided into several tabs, each addressing different aspects of your project. For the purpose of turning off the cage, you’ll need to focus on the "Display" or "Viewport" tab, though the exact label may vary. This tab controls how elements are rendered in the 3D viewport, including the cage.
One practical tip is to familiarize yourself with the layout of the project settings menu. While the cage setting is your immediate goal, understanding other options can save time in the future. For instance, you can adjust anti-aliasing, shadow quality, and grid visibility here. These settings can enhance or streamline your viewport performance, depending on your hardware capabilities.
A common mistake is confusing the project settings with the application preferences. The latter, accessed via "Edit > Preferences," controls global settings for Substance Painter, not project-specific ones. Always ensure you’re in the correct menu to avoid frustration. Once you’ve located the cage setting, toggling it off is straightforward, but accessing the right menu is half the battle.
In conclusion, accessing the project settings menu in Substance Painter is a simple yet crucial step for customizing your viewport, including turning off the cage. By navigating to "Window > Project Settings" and focusing on the display-related tab, you gain control over how your 3D model is presented. This knowledge not only solves the immediate issue but also empowers you to optimize your workflow for future projects.
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Finding Cage Option: Navigate to the Display tab to find the cage toggle
The Display tab in Substance Painter is your gateway to controlling how your 3D model appears during the texturing process. Among its various options, the cage toggle holds a specific purpose: visualizing the underlying geometry of your model as a wireframe overlay. While incredibly useful for understanding form and structure, this cage can sometimes obstruct your view, especially when focusing on intricate details.
Fortunately, turning it off is a straightforward process.
Imagine you're meticulously painting a character's face, striving for realistic skin pores and subtle wrinkles. The cage, though helpful for overall form, becomes a distracting mesh, hindering your precision. This is where the Display tab comes to the rescue. Think of it as your control panel for visual clarity.
Within this tab, you'll find a dedicated toggle specifically for the cage. A simple click is all it takes to switch it on or off, instantly transforming your workspace.
This seemingly minor adjustment can significantly enhance your workflow. With the cage disabled, you gain unobstructed access to your model's surface, allowing for more precise brush strokes and a clearer view of your texturing progress. Remember, the cage is a tool, not a necessity. Utilize it when it aids your process, and don't hesitate to hide it when it becomes a hindrance.
Mastering this simple toggle within the Display tab empowers you to customize your Substance Painter experience, ensuring optimal visibility and control over your texturing projects. It's a small detail with a big impact on your overall efficiency and the quality of your final results.
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Disabling Cage Display: Uncheck the Cage option under display settings to turn it off
The cage in Substance Painter is a helpful tool for visualizing the UV layout of your model, but it can sometimes be a distraction during the painting process. Fortunately, turning it off is a straightforward task that can be accomplished in just a few clicks. To disable the cage display, navigate to the display settings, where you'll find a dedicated option for controlling its visibility. By unchecking this option, you can instantly remove the cage from your viewport, allowing you to focus solely on your texture painting.
From an analytical perspective, the process of disabling the cage display highlights the importance of user interface design in digital art software. Substance Painter's display settings are organized in a logical and intuitive manner, making it easy for artists to customize their workspace according to their needs. The "Cage" option, in particular, is strategically placed under the display settings, ensuring that users can quickly access and modify it without having to dig through multiple menus. This thoughtful design approach enables artists to work more efficiently, minimizing distractions and maximizing productivity.
To turn off the cage in Substance Painter, follow these simple steps: open the software and load your project, then locate the display settings panel, typically found in the top menu bar. Within this panel, look for the "Cage" option, which is usually listed under the "Display" or "View" section. Simply uncheck the box next to this option, and the cage will disappear from your viewport. It's worth noting that this change is temporary and can be easily reverted by re-checking the box, providing a high degree of flexibility for artists who may need to toggle the cage display on and off during their workflow.
One practical tip for artists working in Substance Painter is to create custom display presets that include or exclude the cage, depending on their specific needs. This can be achieved by adjusting the display settings to your preferred configuration, then saving the preset using the "Save Preset" option. By doing so, you can quickly switch between different display modes, including one with the cage turned off, without having to manually adjust the settings each time. This feature is particularly useful for artists who work on multiple projects with varying requirements, as it allows for a more streamlined and efficient workflow.
In comparison to other digital art software, Substance Painter's approach to disabling the cage display is notably user-friendly and accessible. While some programs may require users to navigate through complex menus or modify configuration files, Substance Painter provides a simple and intuitive solution that caters to artists of all skill levels. By prioritizing ease of use and customization, the software enables users to focus on their creative work, rather than getting bogged down by technical details. As a result, disabling the cage display in Substance Painter is a hassle-free process that can be mastered in a matter of seconds, making it an excellent choice for artists seeking a seamless and efficient texture painting experience.
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Applying Changes: Confirm and apply changes to remove the cage from the viewport
In Substance Painter, the cage is a wireframe representation of your model, often used during the baking process. While it’s essential for certain tasks, it can clutter the viewport and hinder your ability to focus on texturing. Removing it requires a deliberate action, as the software doesn’t automatically hide it after baking. The process involves navigating to specific settings and confirming changes to ensure the cage is no longer visible. This step is straightforward but often overlooked, leading to unnecessary visual distractions during the painting process.
To begin, locate the Display menu in the top toolbar. This menu controls various viewport settings, including the visibility of the cage. Once you’ve opened the Display menu, look for the Cage option, typically found under the Mesh Display section. By default, this option is toggled on, making the cage visible. Clicking on it will immediately hide the cage from the viewport, providing a cleaner workspace. However, this change is temporary unless you confirm and apply it through the proper channels.
The next step involves confirming the change to ensure it persists across sessions. Navigate to the Edit menu and select Preferences. Within the Preferences window, find the Viewport tab. Here, you’ll see an option to Save Viewport Settings. Enabling this ensures that your current viewport configuration, including the hidden cage, is saved and applied every time you open the project. Without this step, the cage may reappear upon restarting the software, forcing you to repeat the process.
A practical tip to streamline this process is to create a custom workspace layout. Substance Painter allows you to save custom layouts, which include viewport settings like cage visibility. To do this, arrange your interface as desired, hide the cage, and then go to the Window menu. Select Workspace and choose Save Current Layout. Name your layout and save it. This way, you can quickly switch to a cage-free workspace with a single click, eliminating the need to manually adjust settings each time.
In summary, removing the cage from the viewport in Substance Painter is a two-fold process: toggling its visibility in the Display menu and confirming the change via Preferences or a custom workspace layout. While the initial toggle is immediate, saving the setting ensures long-term convenience. By mastering this process, you can maintain a clutter-free viewport, allowing for more focused and efficient texturing work. This small adjustment can significantly enhance your workflow, especially when dealing with complex models.
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Verifying Results: Check the 3D viewport to ensure the cage is no longer visible
After successfully navigating the interface to turn off the cage in Substance Painter, the critical next step is to verify that your changes have taken effect. This is where the 3D viewport becomes your most valuable tool. The 3D viewport is the canvas where your model comes to life, and it’s the first place to look to confirm that the cage is no longer visible. Simply rotate, pan, and zoom around your model to inspect it from all angles. If the cage was a wireframe or bounding box that previously cluttered your view, its absence should now allow for a cleaner, more focused assessment of your textures and details.
One practical tip is to toggle the cage on and off repeatedly while observing the 3D viewport. This back-and-forth comparison highlights the difference between the two states, ensuring you’re not missing any residual elements. Pay particular attention to areas where the cage might have intersected with complex geometry, such as joints or edges, as these are common spots where artifacts can linger. If you’re working on a high-poly model, consider reducing the viewport’s level of detail temporarily to isolate the cage’s visibility without distraction.
For users new to Substance Painter, it’s worth noting that the 3D viewport’s lighting and shading settings can sometimes obscure subtle changes. Adjust the lighting to a flat or neutral setting to eliminate shadows or reflections that might mask the cage’s presence. Additionally, switching to a wireframe or shaded view mode can provide a clearer picture of whether the cage has been fully disabled. These small adjustments can make a significant difference in accuracy.
If the cage remains visible despite your efforts, double-check the layer or settings you modified. Sometimes, the issue lies in a related but separate function, such as a hidden bounding box or a parented object. In such cases, revisiting the steps to turn off the cage and ensuring each action is correctly executed can resolve the problem. Persistence and attention to detail are key here, as even experienced users can overlook a minor setting.
In conclusion, verifying the results in the 3D viewport is not just a final check—it’s an essential part of the process. By carefully inspecting your model and leveraging the viewport’s tools, you can confidently confirm that the cage is no longer visible. This step ensures your workflow remains uninterrupted and your focus stays on creating high-quality textures, free from unnecessary distractions.
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Frequently asked questions
To turn off the cage in Substance Painter, go to the Viewport menu at the top, hover over Cage, and uncheck the Display Cage option.
The cage display option is located in the Viewport menu at the top of the interface. Hover over Cage and toggle the Display Cage checkbox to turn it off.
Yes, you can temporarily hide the cage by pressing the Alt + C shortcut key. Press it again to re-enable the cage display.
No, turning off the cage does not affect the painting or baking process. It only hides the visual representation of the cage in the viewport.
There is no built-in option to permanently disable the cage by default. However, you can turn it off each time you open a project or use the Alt + C shortcut to hide it quickly.





































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