Merging Biology With Technology To Craft Unique Substance 3D Designer Materials

To mark the unrestricted release of Substance 3D Assets for all Substance 3D users, freelance 3D Environment & Material Artist Anna Koroleva collaborated with Substance 3D to create her Signature Collection, Beyond the Event Horizon, which features materials that merge futuristic and organic elements with an eerie touch.

Anna shared that, with a bachelor's degree in molecular biology, she is a completely self-taught artist. She got her skills in 3D modeling and texturing through YouTube, ArtStation, and online courses and quickly grew fond of Substance 3D Designer, appreciating its intuitive and user-friendly design.

Beyond the Event Horizon was inspired by artists like H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski, sci-fi games, and biological imagery. Anna aimed to create organic yet architectural materials made of stone, metal, or other non-organic matter. The process involved extensive experimentation in Substance Designer, using "sketches" to explore nodes and patterns. Here are some height maps and patterns from the "sketches" file that were not used in the collection:

During the project, Anna developed several techniques to blend organic and architectural patterns. She used a vertebra-like shape with a Scatter on Spline node to create spine-like elements for floor trims and a "gold-infused wall" material. By adjusting the number of duplicates, she created unique and intriguing patterns from a single input.

She also used Non-uniform Blur, Non-uniform Directional Warp, and Flood Fill Mapper to create randomized, organic, and metallic patterns.

Anna is especially proud of the Abyssal Stalagmite Wall material and the Abyssal Pipes and Column trim, which were the most complex but also her favorite creations. She also loves the coral-like material, which emerged by chance while experimenting with the Gold-infused Abyssal Wall preset by adjusting exposed parameters.

See more of Beyond the Event Horizon below and read the original article here:

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