Relying on feedback from the community and building on successive improvements to the Substance Designer engine, Allegorithmic was able to identify and address a handful of ways to improve workflows. Updates include:
Accessing the Node List Through Tab/Spacebar - A frequently requested addition that allows users to access the node list within a graph, through a single keystroke.
Flow Highlight - After selecting a node, all connected parent nodes can also be revealed and highlighted; “Select parent node” functionality has also been improved.
Badges - In graph mode, artists can now identify which nodes are displayed in 2D, 3D and Properties view; badges can also identify function errors in nodes.
Overhauled Graph Search Tool - Users can now search by labels, tags and function variables, as well as a node’s UID in order to isolate and identify node error messages.
Graph Tabs - Graph tab control buttons are now on the tab itself; graph controls can also be undocked.
Breadcrumbs - All elements, visible and editable, are now visible in a single, smoother system without opening a new tab.
Along with the UX improvements, the new PBR Render node grants users the ability to render PBR materials – including base color, metallic texture and roughness – at a level comparable to Iray. Designers can simply drop in a PBR material and an HDR map, and they will be able to fully simulate all material lighting within a single map.
“As we continue to add new features and improvements to Substance Designer, we rely more and more on our community to help us identify the areas that are costing designers time,” said Allegorithmic founder and CEO Sebastien Deguy. “With their help, we’ve made some changes that will improve their overall workflow, and in the process, we also managed to prepare Substance Designer for the future.”
Following the introduction of Python API editing earlier this year, the Substance Designer Fall Update also adds the ability to create and edit data. Designers can now generate limitless iterations of a preselection node and introspect node properties without having to create that node. Additional updates to the Python are coming soon.
Finally, in response to the improvements made to real-time ray tracing highlighted by NVIDIA’s RTX announcement, Allegorithmic made significant changes to the architecture of its bakers in order to accommodate this new technology. RTX users will see an immediate speed boost, with baking times dropping from minutes to seconds. The architectural changes also broaden the range of supported hardware and prepare Substance Designer for future enhancements and speed boosts.
Pricing/Availability
The new update to Substance Designer is available today at no cost to current subscribers. Following the trial period, individual users will be able to subscribe to the Indie or Pro plans. Subscriptions to Substance Indie cost $19.90/month; Pro plans cost $99.90/month. Substance Designer is also available for individual-license purchase, which includes 12 months of maintenance. Enterprise and education pricing is available upon request. Students and teachers can request a license at no cost.
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