The camouflage collection on Substance Source isn’t only about patterns. Our objective is to deliver materials that are both ready to use and photorealistic, which implies close consideration of these various applications. Therefore, we focus first on the base material structures and surfaces on which the patterns will be applied, printed, or painted.

https://video.tv.adobe.com/v/3420772?autoplay=true

We designed 9 parametric base materials for this collection, ranging from technical textiles to rugged polymer and paint, to create a toolkit that will help you texture tactical gear and trekking equipment from head to toe.

Performance fabrics are designed with built-in parameters enabling users to tweak the visual properties of the textile independently from the printed pattern. In addition to color and roughness, we also focused on visually simulating the wear and tear of the different fibers.

https://video.tv.adobe.com/v/3420781?autoplay=true

Damage parameters will act on the wearing properties of the fabric, simulating the abrasion of the yarns due to heavy friction. Cut sliders will randomly apply and rotate tears and cuts over the entire surface of the textile. The dedicated length and width of the cut will give you the freedom to design the cuts exactly as you want them: clean cuts, wear holes, wide tears and even bullet holes.

And if we don’t have the base material you are looking for? Make your own. Just dig into the Substance Source .sbs files, and extract the effect you need to customize your own creation.

Here are the types of fabrics in the collection (and a few ideas about how you can apply them on performance outfits).

https://video.tv.adobe.com/v/3420774?autoplay=true

Spacer mesh, also known as 3D mesh or sandwich mesh, is essentially composed of 3 separate layers of fabric knitted together — a face and a back connected by a monofilament yarn to produce a binding cushion. Applications for spacer mesh are diverse and include uses in personal safety (harnesses), clothing, automotive, aerospace, outdoor accessories, and health applications. The end product is similar to laminated neoprene, but with superior durability, breathability and affordability.

Cordura is not a fabric but a textile fiber, like aramid (Kevlar). The difference is that Cordura, an invention of the DuPont company, is a synthetic fiber. Cordura is primarily resistant to abrasion: its physical properties make it less likely to be damaged by repeated rubbing. The fabric will lose less material than a single fabric (three times the strength of standard nylon) making it an ideal candidate for any application in extreme conditions.

Ripstop is a fabric designed with a lattice structure that ensure a strong resistance to tears. Ripstop fabrics are used in yacht sails, parachutes, camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags), flags, banners and in all other applications that require a fabric that is both strong and light. The warp and weft threads in its structure are designed to ensure its resistance and avoid the extension of any possible tears. The fabric, composed of polyurethane and PVC coatings, is waterproof (that’s especially needed for bags and jackets), and has great resistance and protection against staining.

Nylon Webbing, used in a wide range of applications and industries such as in military equipment, hiking and camping equipment like harnesses, and automotive safety devices like seat belts. Nylon is a textile fiber from the polyamide family. It’s light, flexible and extremely resistant, and its low absorbency allows it to dry quickly.

Camo net has a covering power that imitates tree foliage perfectly. Nets replace curtains and veils, limiting the view of observers and offering protection from the sun. They have become very trendy for the decoration of home interiors, as well as for terraces and gardens.

Tactical mesh is a light ‘see-through’ gauze with a fine but very resistant structure. It can be used for clothing items like scarves, or even for tarpaulin. You can combine it with foliage atlases from Substance Source to build custom-made ghillie suits.

MOLLE system stands for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is composed of rows of heavy-duty nylon webbing stitched onto the equipment to allow for the attachment of various pouches and accessories. Overlaid on top of another base material, it will add detail to vests and backpacks, and save a lot of modeling time.

But wait — there’s more! Wear and tear is only a subset of the torture that fabrics can go through in extreme conditions! Crawling through muddy waters and desert storms collects a lot of grime in the fibers. We designed a whole set of parameters dedicated to getting your trousers dirty (so you don’t have to do it yourselves).

We came up with two types of dirtying parameters:

https://video.tv.adobe.com/v/3420780?autoplay=true

The dirt sliders simulate the type of smear that will accumulate in between the fibers. Tweaking the color of the dirt will define the nature of the soiling like sand, mud, or even greenery, whilst the roughness and the roughness variation will make it dry or moist. These parameters will take care of the stains on the fabric to visually reproduce oil, sweat and even blood.

Animate these parameters and you get materials that dynamically wear and tear according to your needs; this sort of process would be particularly useful for projects such as video games based around war, or combat. Imagine an outfit that gets dirty according to its environment — and, if need be… bloody!

https://video.tv.adobe.com/v/3420777?autoplay=true

In addition to the fabrics, we’ve created two other types of procedural material: a reinforced grained plastic grip and a painted version of the camouflages. The use of these materials is obvious for applying patterns on rigid objects whether by printing process, by hydro transfer, or simply by painting them on.

In each case, the parameters included in the Substance material allow you to vary the scale of the plastic gain, to add gripping grooves or conversely make it completely slick. We’ve added a scratch setting to simulate wear as well. As for the paint, parameters will let you vary the application effects such as the addition of drips, brushes and drops to add to the realism of the material.