Adobe has announced the release of Substance 3D Sampler 4.2, the latest version of its powerful 3D material creation and editing tool. The update includes two new AI-powered features - an improved Image to Material converter and an AI Upscale tool - along with more control over layer resolutions.
The Image to Material feature now uses AI to generate material channels like base color, roughness and normals from a single image. Adobe says the AI model has been trained on a wider range of materials like fabric, plastic and wood to improve results across material types. Users can also select the specific material category to help Image to Material optimize channel generation.
Joining it is a new AI Upscale layer that can double or quadruple the resolution of materials and images to increase quality and detail. Adobe recommends using original resolution source files for best upscaling results.
Finally, the update enables explicit control over the resolution of each layer in a Substance project. This allows users to balance quality and performance by adjusting layer resolutions individually.
According to Adobe, these new AI capabilities complement Sampler's existing procedural workflows. They provide users with more flexibility and power to quickly create high-fidelity 3D materials for assets in 3D tools like Blender and Maya.
The Substance 3D Sampler 4.2 update is available now for all Sampler users. Adobe has been aggressively integrating AI into its content creation tools over the past year. This release reflects its strategy of leveraging AI to automate complex workflows for artists and designers.