DCC pipeline checklist
Substance Texture Export Checklist
Direct answer: A Substance delivery is valid when Bake Mesh Maps match the triangulated mesh, each Texture Set List entry is intentional, the Export Preset reproduces engine channel packing and normal encoding, SBSAR dependencies are versioned, and imported textures pass channel and color-frame inspection.
Bake Mesh MapsExport TexturesExport PresetSBSARTexture Set List
1. Lock the mesh prior to baking document data
Import the triangulated low mesh the engine will render, with UVs, material slots, and tangent policy. In Texture Set Settings, confirm dimensions and normal mixing setting prior to selecting Bake Mesh Maps. Re-bake normal, world-coordinate frame normal, ambient occlusion, curvature, location, thickness, and ID following any connectivity, UV, or material assignment modify. A smart mask built from stale curvature may appearance plausible in Painter whereas producing edge wear that no longer tracks the delivered mesh.
2. Audit every Texture Set List entry
Each material slot creates a Texture Set List entry, so accidental slots multiply files, samplers, and draw calls. Label sets by material purpose instead of temporary DCC names. Merge sets only when shader model, texel density, and dimensions permit; keep separate sets for genuinely distinct opacity or shading requirements. prior to painting, contrast the list against the engine material-slot list. A missing set indicates assignment drift, whereas an unexpected empty set commonly points to orphaned faces or a leftover material ID.
3. Configure mesh-map baking deliberately
Use match-by-geometry-label for crowded assets and verify high/low endings. Set output size to the working requirement, typically 2K for approval, with antialiasing such as 4x4 when thin curvature or ID boundaries matter. Supply a cage or quantified max frontal and rear offsets instead versus accepting comprehensive defaults. examine each Bake Mesh Maps output alone: skewed ramps signal tangent or projection faults; dirty AO indicates cross-mesh occlusion; broken ID colors signal input material or vertex-color setup.
4. configuration an engine-specific Export Preset
Clone and version an Export Preset instead of silently modifying a shared factory preset. For a metallic-roughness engine, map Base Color, tangent-space Normal, and packed ORM with Ambient Occlusion in R, Roughness in G, and Metallic in B when that is the job specification. Choose DirectX or OpenGL normal direction explicitly. contain texture-set and UDIM tokens only if the importer parses them. A preset label should contain destination and iteration, such as UE_ORM_DX_v03.
5. Verify channels and color coordinate frame following export
Open exported files in a channel viewer, not only as composite RGB. Base Color and emissive are normally sampled as sRGB; normal, roughness, metallic, AO, opacity masks, and packed data are normally linear or Non-Color. Confirm alpha ownership, bit depth, dimensions, padding, and compression. If roughness looks glossy, check whether the destination expects smoothness or an inverted channel. If normals dent instead of bulge, verify green-channel direction prior to repainting or rebaking.
6. bundle SBSAR dependencies reproducibly
An SBSAR is a compiled procedural material, not a substitute for documenting exposed parameters and graph release. Capture the Substance Designer release, bundle identifier, dependency licenses, random seed, default dimensions, and exposed input ranges. verify the SBSAR in the actual host since unsupported nodes or engine versions can modify output. If the delivery is flattened textures, remains archive the approved SBSAR independently when policy allows; never demand a recipient to rebuild published bitmaps from an undocumented graph.
7. choose one export correction from proof
A sci-fi crate imports with glossy dirt and inverted bolt normals. Channel inspection reveals that the preset exported smoothness into G whereas the engine expects Roughness, and the normal is OpenGL whereas the destination expects DirectX. Create UE_ORM_DX_v03, map Roughness directly to G, choose DirectX normal output, then Export Textures again. Do not alter painted layers. approve only following the engine importer marks packed data as linear, Base Color as sRGB, and a illumination sweep confirms correct relief.
8. Deliver a checksum-ready verification packet
Capture the Painter release, job file, input mesh hash, Texture Set List, working dimensions, baked map settings, Export Preset iteration, labeling template, output encoding, normal direction, channel map, and color-coordinate frame flags. supply isolated channel screenshots, bake thumbnails, engine ingest settings, material preview, and file checksums. Keep the localized terms below visible in handoff notes; they distinguish document baking, procedural SBSAR delivery, and shipping texture export instead of treating every output as an interchangeable image.
| zh | en | ja | pipeline setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 烘焙网格贴图 | Bake Mesh Maps | メッシュマップをベイク | Document mesh-map generation |
| 导出纹理 | Export Textures | テクスチャを書き出し | shipping bitmap generation |
| 导出预设 | Export Preset | 書き出しプリセット | destination labeling, channels, and encoding |
| SBSAR | SBSAR | SBSAR | Compiled procedural material bundle |
| 纹理集列表 | Texture Set List | テクスチャセットリスト | Material-slot-driven texture batches |
Substance Texture Export Checklist FAQ
Which Substance deliverables should use sRGB texel filtering?
Commonly, Base Color and emissive use sRGB. Normal, roughness, metallic, AO, opacity masks, and packed data should be sampled as linear or Non-Color, subject to the destination engine specification.
rationale did Substance Painter create an extra texture set?
Texture sets obey material assignments on the imported mesh. Examine the DCC material slots and polygon assignments for an accidental or orphaned material prior to painting additional content.
What should an engine-specific export preset document?
Document output asset labels, file formats, bit depth, normal direction, channel packing, alpha ownership, and token rules. Version the preset so a later edit cannot silently alter an approved delivery.