Breakdown: Stylized Glass Tiles Made in Substance 3D Designer

Introduction

Hello, I am Seo-Won Lee, a 3D environment artist based in South Korea. I have always liked playing games, since I was little, which prompted my interest in game production. Later, I studied a variety of game production aspects and chose my career in this field as I found it joyful. 3D environment art is appealing to me as I get to work with different materials; it requires harmonizing different things. I am still striving to be better at what I do, not forgetting the fun I used to have.  

I was captivated by the intuitiveness of Substance 3D Designer, as you can experiment in various ways within one tool and see results right away. When I first used the tool, I practiced many tutorials repeatedly online. Over time, I got used to certain nodes, which enabled me to utilize them in more creative ways.  

I am currently working on a project called “Overkill,” a 3D action RPG with a Dungeon & Fighter IP at the Neople headquartered on Jeju Island in South Korea. 

Stylized Glass Tile

I had to go through numerous experiments as I had little experience with glossy materials. The intuitive nature of Substance 3D Designer allowed me to learn from countless attempts and failures. As a result, I was able to achieve satisfactory results. One of the strengths of the tool is that you can create textures from various attempts within the software.  

I usually create pieces with a matte finish and wanted to try different things. That is why I decided to work with glass materials. Since glass is processed with natural minerals, I looked for both glass and mineral references. 

In my understanding, glass is a smooth and translucent solid material, which enables it to reflect things in the opposite direction. The challenge was to create a unique refractive shape of glass. After many attempts, I was able to achieve the shape of refraction that I aimed for.  

Here is how to do this:

1. Create six different patterns based on the references.

2. Randomly place them with a Tile Sampler Grayscale node, followed by using a Blur node to create smoothness of glass. 

3. Set the direction of the light with a Light node using a Normal node from the previous step. 

4. Make a base color with a Gradient Map node and mix colors to avoid repetitiveness.

5. With a Vector Warp Grayscale node, give the unique refractive touch of glass. 

By using Levels and Blend nodes, I achieved the contrast and color that I wanted. 

Rendering

I used Marmoset Toolbag for rendering. I first set the shading and direction of light in diffuse textures and reduced brightness. Then, I maximized the level of brightness under a sky light and increased the brightness of the rendered image to the desired level.  

I wanted to avoid monotony in the final rendered image by adding color to the light.

Conclusion

It took me about six hours to complete the project. I focused on creating darkness rather than brightness to accentuate the gloss. I enjoyed creating shades with colors after forming shapes the most.  

I learned the importance of balance once again. As you cannot tell brightness without darkness, I believe balanced shading is essential to achieve a stable result.

Here is some advice for novice Substance 3D Designer users. 

1. Experience various trials and errors. From my experience, when you are not certain about results, being infallibly wrong is helpful. Keep getting things wrong, and you will get closer to the results that you want. 

2. Try to look at references from different perspectives. Analyse references and contemplate why you collected them. You will gain some insight from this process and then create your original work.  

3. Be consistent with using Substance 3D Designer, even if you do it for a short period of time. If you keep practicing with the tool, you will eventually be familiar with the nodes. Then, you can apply multiple nodes in various ways.  

4. If you continue to get stuck with certain things, work on a different task for a bit to refresh yourself. Then, go back to where you struggled. Sometimes, you can have a breakthrough with experience gained from doing another task.  

I hope you find the interview helpful. Thank you.

Seo-Won Lee, Environment Artist

Interview conducted by Amber Rutherford