Substance Painter

Term from Animation industry explained for recruiters

Substance Painter is a popular software tool used by artists to add colors, textures, and realistic details to 3D models - think of it as digital painting for 3D objects. It's like Photoshop but specially designed for 3D models used in video games, movies, and product visualization. Artists use it to make 3D objects look realistic by adding properties like roughness, shininess, or wear and tear. It's part of the Substance suite of tools (now owned by Adobe) and is widely used in gaming, film, and design industries.

Examples in Resumes

Created realistic material textures for game characters using Substance Painter

Developed high-quality textures for film assets using Substance Painter and Substance Designer

Led texture artist team working with Substance Painter for AAA game project

Typical job title: "Texture Artists"

Also try searching for:

3D Texture Artist Materials Artist 3D Artist Game Artist Digital Artist Character Artist Environment Artist Look Development Artist

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you set up a material workflow for a large team?

Expected Answer: Should discuss creating standardized material libraries, establishing naming conventions, setting up efficient file organization, and managing texture resolution for optimal performance.

Q: How do you approach optimization of textures for different platforms?

Expected Answer: Should explain methods for creating scalable textures that work across high-end and mobile platforms, including texture size management and efficient use of texture maps.

Mid Level Questions

Q: Can you explain your process for creating realistic materials?

Expected Answer: Should describe the steps from reference gathering to final texture, including how they layer different maps and use procedural tools to create believable surfaces.

Q: How do you handle technical requirements while maintaining artistic quality?

Expected Answer: Should discuss balancing visual quality with technical constraints like texture resolution limits and performance requirements.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What are the basic maps used in texturing?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain basic concepts like color maps, normal maps, roughness maps, and metallic maps in simple terms.

Q: How do you approach texturing a simple 3D object?

Expected Answer: Should describe basic workflow from UV unwrapping to basic material application and detail addition.

Experience Level Indicators

Junior (0-2 years)

  • Basic texturing and material creation
  • Understanding of PBR materials
  • Basic color theory
  • Simple material layering

Mid (2-4 years)

  • Advanced material creation
  • Efficient UV layout skills
  • Custom brush and material creation
  • Technical problem-solving

Senior (4+ years)

  • Complex material system design
  • Team workflow optimization
  • Advanced optimization techniques
  • Project planning and team leadership

Red Flags to Watch For

  • No portfolio showing textured 3D models
  • Lack of knowledge about PBR (Physically Based Rendering) basics
  • No understanding of optimization techniques
  • Unfamiliarity with common 3D software like Maya or Blender