Adobe adds 2 new AI-backed features to Substance 3D design app. Here’s how they work

Adobe is harnessing the power of Firefly AI to add two new generative AI capabilities to its Substance 3D design software. The San Jose, California-based company said the new features, unveiled at the Game Developers Conference on Monday, are designed to give artists new ways to realise their vision without leaving the Substance app.

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The first feature, called ‘Text to Texture’ for Substance 3D Sampler, allows users to create photorealistic or stylised aesthetics for their projects using a simple text prompt. After entering the prompt, creators will receive multiple variations of a texture, which can be refined according to their needs by making changes to the prompt.

In the demonstration video shared by Adobe, the artist uses the Text to Texture feature to generate the required material for his woven fabric or wooden object, and later makes the necessary changes using the Substance 3D application to achieve the final result.

The second feature – Generative Background – for the Substance 3D Stager application allows creators to design a background for an object using only text prompts. In illustrations shared by Adobe, artists were able to generate backgrounds such as “a sunlit poolside table at dusk” or “a modern bamboo table in a serene spa setting” and use the Stager application to make certain changes such as aspect ratio, tone, lighting, colour and composition.

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According to a report in The Verge, these two features don’t actually create 3D models, but use 2D imaging technology and apply it in such a way that the final product looks like a 3D image.

Explaining the need for the new features, Adobe’s Senior director of 3D Product Marketing wrote in a blogpost, “Generative tools are at their best when they blend seamlessly into established creative workflows. That’s the philosophy driving Substance 3D’s approach to generative capabilities in Substance apps — powerful acceleration without disruption,”