Automotive Materials: Exterior 2

Carbon Composites

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is both light and hard-wearing. Low-volume manufacturers use it for high-end performance models – primarily for body panels – due to its superior strength and lower weight.

Carbon fiber draws its strength from the direction of the weave of its strands: in a load-bearing direction. We’ve reproduced carbon composite materials of the most common weaving patterns: twill, plain, and satin.

These materials come with dedicated parameters for the tightness, size, and orientation of the weaving, as well as the color and roughness of the resin.

Complex Paint Structures

In this new batch of car paint assets, you can use materials combining paints to stamp patterns and grilles. These materials, which complement the basic paints, can help avoid the modeling of complex patterns on some body parts, such as scoops, air intakes, and fenders.

The basic parameters remain similar to the other, simpler, paints; however, you’ll also be able to modify the size, depth, and shape of the patterns.

Rims

In addition to last week’s steel rim and cover, we’ve created a selection of aluminum rim generators, with several different patterns each.

From a single asset, you’ll be able to generate countless variations of forms and finishes by varying the number of spokes, their shape, the type of bolts used, and more.

Create a photorealistic wheel representation from minimum geometry: only a simple plane mesh and displacement is required. You can change designs without having to remodel anything and provide many customizable assets.

Today, the rim design process still relies on sketching in 2D drawings. This process is time-consuming and lacks flexibility. This results in a lot of unnecessary back and forth between designers and 3D modelers.

Industrial designers who build rim materials using Substance Designer will be able to multiply their creative potential by making countless design pre-concepts: they simply need to play with the materials’ parameters! Modeling remains a critical stage for the validation of their design intentions.

Brake Rotors

The same is true of brake rotors. Here is a collection of discs made of cast iron and composites, such as reinforced carbon or ceramic matrix composites.

Holes or slots are cut through the disc for better heat dissipation, mass reduction, or for marketing cosmetics. Choose your preferred pattern, for either conventional or racing vehicles.

Metals

Waffled metal panels with gloss matte effects will fit rugged truck parts – or, used more artfully, can provide decoration for chromed linings, or even for staging elements.

Need to contribute to a greener world? There’s material for this on Substance Source! Switch to full electric with solar-powered propulsion.

Rubbers

We’ve also updated the tire section with more than 40 new rubber materials. These can be used in a vast variety of ways – to create everything from simple materials used in texturing seals and vehicle ”grey zones,” to tire treads.

Again, each asset comes with specific parameters aiming to reproduce the wear on rubber due to road driving. Moreover, you’ll also be able to adapt tire materials to climate conditions (rain or snow) as well as to different types of terrain (muddy paths, for instance).

Sensors and Reflectors

Design by Takumi Yamamoto, 3D modeling by Frederic Gasson, CGI by Guillaume Meyer

Increasingly, cars provide a wealth of sensor data to their drivers to ensure safe transportation. Though radars and lidars are often hidden, we’ve created regular camera lenses for you to play with, helping to design the next augmented driving experience. You can now blend sensors, lighting elements, and a few extra reflector materials into smart headlight blocks.

Design by Takumi Yamamoto, 3D modeling by Frederic Gasson, CGI by Guillaume Meyer