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Project Articles

Substance Designer project blog post
Substance Designer author photo
  • Marc Aubanel
  • maubanel@cct.lsu.edu
  • Director of LSU Digital Media Arts &amp; Engineering

Substance Designer

April 24, 2024

Louisiana State University


Substance Designer Course

This is the first year that we have taught a course on Substance Designer. It was nice to see students adapt to a procedural non-destructive workflow so handily. Rebecca Hutto created it for her final project. Enjoy her work using two materials that are blended between a darker and lighter bone texture using a UV layer set.

Skull created in Blender and Substance Designer

Here is a breakdown of the skeleton textures created in Designer.

Skull textures created in Substance Designer

"Growth From Decay" is a digital sculpture representing the duel nature of life and death, with one always leading to the other in an endless cycle. The fox, while a clever creature, can never escape its fate. The amanita mushroom, while deadly itself, is a fresh sign of life starting anew. The ruby, though uncut and in its natural state, has long been seen as a symbol of protection, and so, this balance of nature must be protected.

All of the models were sculpted in Blender, and the materials were created in Substance 3D Designer using fully procedural design techniques. Special thanks to Poly Haven for providing the background HDRI.

Skull scene created in Blender and Substance Designer


Mushroom stalk textures: Skull scene created in Blender and Substance Designer


Mushroom cap textures: Skull scene created in Blender and Substance Designer

Skull created in Blender and Substance Designer


Ground Textures: Skull created in Blender and Substance Designer