Upgrade your Graphic Designs with Substance 3D Assets

BOOKS

Digital tools have for some time been a major part of the product design process. 2D graphic design tools, such as Adobe Illustrator, are of course established tools to facilitate the creation of layouts. Here, however, we’ll examine how 3D tools can complement 2D designs, facilitating workflows and boosting efficiency when developing an entire range of products – for designers, communication teams, and even publishers.

3D tools can complement 2D designs, in that texturing and digital visualization provide enormous potential for efficient development and iteration around a complete lineup of books and editions. A designer of a visual lineup can share creations with a 3D artist directly, greatly facilitating the creation of visuals for an e-commerce or retail platform.

Video From Painter to Illustrator: create a layout on Illustrator, export the files to Painter, and variate the finishes.

This process enabled us to design the book in 3D, finalize material specifications, texture the models, and produce the visuals in a very short amount of time.

Check out the Charcoal on Paper material on Substance 3D Assets

Using the Substance toolset, we were able to test out a much simpler workflow. We avoided the endless iterative loops of a real-scale layout of the product line, work that would have been required to verify and validate the layout and finishes on a book. Details such as the position of a composition; whether or not it is printed, recessed, or embossed; whether elements are glossy or matte, and so on.

Of course, this collection of materials is even more striking with the models released on the platform. Check out a selection of the edition and book meshes available right now on the platform.

You can work on micro-details with the creation of your book, you can add as many details as you like. Having a precise micro-level of detail in your binding with incredible fidelity guarantees that your visual storytelling is on point, and leaves you with more freedom for your camera placement.

On Substance 3D Assets, you will find a wide range of ready-to-use papers for all purposes and styles.

Apply the materials to the models, then adapt and tweak until you get the result you want. If you’ve applied a parametric material from the Substance 3D asset library, you can simply create design variations directly within Substance 3D Painter. Changing color, patterns, or finish is as easy as moving a parameter slider. Don’t be afraid to get really close to the textures, the materials are designed to look great on closeups. All the details are there, and customizable: colors, glossiness, and many micro-details.

CARDBOARD

Creating a complete 3D scene requires several steps. First, the artist will build the models. After this, they will create and apply textures to the objects’ surfaces. Then, they will merge the objects into a final scene where the shots are composed, the scene and the images rendered.

What about customization? This collection’s best part: it’ll adapt to your needs! That is, after all, one of the pillars of our work; we want to make sure that artists don’t have to compromise between time and creativity.

Corrugated Cardboard on Substance 3D Assets.

3D models come ready to texture: the UVs are already unwrapped. It’s almost too easy! We prepared them so that the only work that remains is to pick up your materials or your brushes and paint away to add your personal touch.

Thanks to 3D you can add weathering effects in 3D in a believable way. To offer new creative possibilities to adapt and add details like scribbles, damaged tape, or rip.

3D tools enable you to have total freedom to place, rotate and scale the details and effects exactly where and how you want them. Better, you can go back and modify or create as many variations as you need.

STICKERS

Stickers have a unique shape size and strength each time; the diversity of nature is infinite, as are the possible variations of each of the procedural decals. And they are all fully parametric! This means, no need to find a trick to hide the repetition.

Star Sticker on Substance 3D Assets.

As always, there are a lot of options to help you customize the materials. For instance, you can play with the peeling parameters:

VISIT CARD

Shapes are important in packaging, but so is branding. Designers most often have to work with variations of a graphic identity across wide product portfolios. Visualize effortlessly how your graphic designs play out with a specific printing technique. Color, roughness, metallicity, patterns, and surface relief are variables that you can adapt to your project needs.

Paper Chevron Strokes Print on Substance 3D Assets.

POSTER

Substance 3D Assets Library is a place to choose your materials, models and more. They can be used to create your artwork.

3D artists of the team use the content to create the artwork on the communication release. The aim of this project was to only use the graphic design materials available on Substance 3D Assets. We came up with an idea of a simple layout with graphic materials and models which opened possibilities to use a wide range of visuals and explore creative ways to highlight the scene.

Dry Marker Strokes on Substance 3D Assets.

Again, don’t be afraid to get really close to the textures; this is all designed to look great on close-ups!

Acrylic Paint, Metallic Paint, Gouache, Watercolor, Ink …. Many materials reproduce the quality and high details of the painted tools and texture.

By applying the materials to the models, you will be able to adapt and tweak until you get exactly the result you want, with the possibility to tweak the drops of paint to make your artwork.

You have full control over how pleated you want your paper to be. We paid attention to all the details.

Regular Folded Paper on Substance 3D Assets.

POSTER STREET

Give an effortless grunge look and bring that extra touch of realism to your composition.

Glued Paper on Substance 3D Assets.

Indeed, imagine texturing parts of a scene with a single material that repeats across large surfaces. The result might feel a little bit too neat and dull. As seamless materials are the solution as a base coat of the texturing process, decals come as the patina.

Decals bring uniqueness and realism to the scene with the overlay of localized details. The applications of this technique are broad: the fine cracks that spread across pavements; leaks on a wall; graphic elements damp on the base of a wall. And these are just examples of the infinity of details possible.