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4.7 star rating
0
What is the best alternative to Substance Bitmap2Material?
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Quixel Mixer
All
3
Experiences
Pros
1
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Free
Its freaking free.
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Con
Seems to still be in beta
Many features missing, like layer deletion.
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Top
Con
Free version is technically non-commercial only
But, uh, "exporting" is as easy as opening up the file locations.
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Free / paid
44
4
Cinema 4D
All
9
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Easy to learn
Cinema 4D is heralded for its approachability. New users are not hindered by lack of familiarity with similar tools.
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Con
Expensive
Starts at $995.00 with the complete version costing $3,695.00.
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Pro
Clean UI
Customizable floating palettes and configurable view panels let screen space be dedicated to the artwork, not the interface.
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Con
Doesn't make true Booleans like most other 3D Softwares.
It works in a parent and child structure, so when you subtract one object, from another, it remains there invisible, and can be moved around.
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Pro
Great modeling and animation Software.
It's super easy to learn, and there are lots of tutorials online. What really ticks me off, is that it's always rated below Blender, by Blender fanboys. Sure Blender's UI is way better now, after it's 2.8 release but not better than C4D's. Blender is open source, and has really good 3rd party plugins, and is always being updated which is great.. But it's not better than C4D. Just because Blender is "FREE" doesn't make it a better Software, while again I repeat it is a good Software. C4D is also capable of the same things, and possibly even more. C4d is really underrated. And I don't understand why there wasn't a "YES" under the (3D) section on the list for C4D.
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Pro
Rendering
Is simple for making good rendering
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Pro
Includes great tools for animation and motion graphics
Mograph is a set of tools in C4d that speeds up the process of making animations and motion graphics.
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Pro
Useful content browser
Cinema 4D comes fully-loaded with an extensive library of preset objects, materials and scenes that make it easy to get started with your 3D project. Use this outstanding resource to quickly develop concepts without spending time modeling (or wasting money buying models), or dissect complete scenes created by top C4D artists to develop your own skills. These highly curated libraries are custom-tailored to specific markets, with a wide variety of assets including models, materials and customizable presets.
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Pro
Sketch & toon
Very flexible toon rendering solution helps you to create amazing 2D cartoon style renders.
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Experiences
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40
9
Blender
All
25
Experiences
Pros
16
Cons
8
Specs
Top
Pro
Free and open source
Blender is licensed under the GPL. Some Blender modules such as the Cycles rendering engine are licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.
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Con
Too many possibilities, no unified workflow
The operations are not optimized enough for specific tasks.
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Pro
Wide import and export format support
Support lots of modern 3D formats including DAE and FBX - ideal for game developers.
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Con
The physics engine is a bit lagging behind, especially the destruction physics
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Pro
Has a powerful rendering engine
Blender runs the Cycles path tracing engine under the hood. Cycles is a very powerful rendering engine capable of full path tracing (light fall off, caustics, volumetrics). It is mostly compatible with OpenCL and CUDA rendering, and is implementing mycropolygon displacement features. The upcoming release has a viewport engine called EEVEE whereby you can see and interact with your work in render mode in real time!
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Con
Difficult learning curve
Blender has a history of being unintuitive, but the 2.8 overhaul made the program far easier for beginners to pick up, and changes continue to be made to further improve the experience. However, there is still a learning curve.
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Pro
Python extensibility
Blender embeds Python 3, which can be used to write add-ons, tools, extend the interface, rig characters and automate tasks.
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Con
Not good for Industrial Design because it uses average vertex normals
You can not create a hard surface with a radius continuity degree along a surface using a specific radius value.
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Pro
Powerful animation suite
Blender provides a full rigging system, and automates animation by interpolating between keyframe positions.
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Con
Vertex normal issues on edges after boolean operations.
After creating a simple boolean operation the vertex normals are broken. A lot of work to fix the issue and you loos surface continuity.
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Pro
Supports both low-poly and hi-poly modeling
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Con
Bad vertex normal after boolean operations
Does not handle well polygon intersections. And need tweaking by hand points or adding average vertex normals via modifiers.
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Pro
Regular release schedule
Releases are made every ~3 months.
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Con
Does not handle NURBs
Is not capable of real hard surface for industrial design because is not able to reproduce surface continuity degree as a NURBs does and average vertex normal destroy surface radius.
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Pro
Sculpting and 3D painting features
Although Blender's 3d painting and sculpting tools (mostly painting) are not at par with specialized software like Substance Painter, ZBrush, or Mari, it is more than capable of getting most jobs done if the user takes the time to learn and understand it.
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Con
Poor particle system
The Blender particle system can at times be a little limiting and finicky (and buggy) to get working. Even if it can get most straight forward jobs done, it is far from the most advanced system, and could benefit largely from advancements.
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Pro
Includes video editing & compositing tools
Blender's node-based compositor has comprehensive video sequencing and post-processing features.
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Pro
Node based modeling support
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Pro
Keyboard shortcuts
Good keyboard shortcuts for everything. Keep your left hand on the keyboard and your right hand on the mouse.
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Pro
Very useful for a freelancer
It offers a round solution (it covers many areas and professional fields) for a freelancer, for free, constantly updated, very polished, and allowing high quality results that clients do require. After some learning, it becomes very useful for professional work.
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Pro
Has a large community
There's a huge community to help you get started immediately.
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Pro
Coherent and streamlined workflow / internal use logic
The trick with Blender is to get used to its usage philosophy, as it keeps consistent through all the application. Once you get it, every feature or addition is learnt naturally, almost effortlessly.
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Pro
Very versatile
You don't have to switch between software when you want to do different things. Because modeling, sculpting, composting, video editing etc can all be done in blender.
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Pro
Generative geometry using nodes
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD
Technology:
C, Python
3D:
Yes
2D:
Yes (as of 2.8)
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Experiences
Free
663
95
Material Maker
All
13
Experiences
Pros
6
Cons
6
Specs
Top
Pro
One-click PBR material export to pupular game engines
Material Maker allows exporting materials ready to use in Unreal, Unity, Unity HDRP and Godot instantly.
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Top
Con
No proper funding and development
Maintained by author rodzill4 as a hobby, the project doesn't have any serious structure or long-term funding whatsoever.
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Pro
Full GPU acceleration
All the nodes are actually shaders, so Material Maker works as fast as your GPU. For complex operations like blurring a buffer is used, but you can add a buffer node yourself to further optimize the texture generation.
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Top
Con
UI needs work
Using the node editor with a very complex graph gets difficult - using node groups is recommended to mitigate this problem.
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Pro
Free as in Freedom
Open-source and completely free to use.
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Con
Export to
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Pro
Powerful nodes
Material Maker has a lot of interesting nodes that together allow artists to create amazing materials. You'll find many nodes similar to what Substance Designer offers.
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Top
Con
Should aim at a more professional goal
The project should consider becoming serious, and aim for not just indie but more professional users because that's the only thing can keep a project prevail.
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Pro
Easy to create new nodes
All nodes are made in GLSL and are editable.
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Con
Lack of learning resources
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Pro
Inputs are functions
This means that nodes can use sub input graphs as part of their behavior to make complex stuff like raymarching or fractals.
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Con
Lack of course or training
Given different workflow from Substance, there should be courses on different aspects.
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Specs
Platforms:
Linux, Windows, MacOS
License:
MIT License
3D:
Yes
Graphics:
OpenGL 3
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Experiences
FREE
36
1
ShaderMap 4
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Node-driven map generation
Shadermap specializes in generating multiple maps using nodes. Changes to one node can then be propagated to other nodes.
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Top
Con
Expensive compared to similar software
While the software is great at what it does, it comes at a higher cost than most software that does similar things when it comes to generating normal maps.
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Pro
Bake texture maps from 3d models
This program can bake texture maps from 3d models from a high poly to low poly. Not many similar software has this feature.
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$49.00
5
0
Neo Textures
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
3
Top
Con
No longer being developed
Neo Textures is no longer being developed. The project seems to be abandoned.
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Top
Pro
Powerful control on procedural nodes
Can easily modify all of the multipliers and alligorithm values of procedural generation.
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Top
Con
Doesn't support PBR
Neo Textures was created before PBR was a thing, and it's based on the deprecated Diffuse/Specular rendering pipeline, which is no longer used.
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Top
Pro
Faster than Substance Designer
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Con
Lot of bugs
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Top
Pro
Open-source
Neo Textures editor is a free and open source project available on SourceForge.
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free
11
1
Filter Forge
All
7
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Not only a Photoshop plugin, has a lot of other hosts
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Top
Con
Slow development cycle
New versions come fast enough, but for example, the beta version of 7 doesn't have a lot that 4 didn't have.
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Top
Pro
Several filters
Filter Forge includes a lot of filters and each of them has several presets. Filters are grouped into different categories (Organic, Patterns, Creative, Distortions, Photo, etc...) so it's easy to locate them.
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Top
Con
No free tier
Filter Forge is not free. The basic edition (cheapest one) is $149. It does go on sale regularly though for around $30.
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Top
Pro
Large online library of filters
The website has thousands of filters available for download. This is the only thing that makes the basic edition feasible.
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Top
Con
Hefty price tag
Its $399 for the professional version, whereas a big competitor used by large studios is only $149.
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Top
Pro
Standalone application or PhotoShop plugin
Filter Forge can be used as both a standalone application and as a plugin for PhotoShop.
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Experiences
150$
16
2
Awesome Bump
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Feature complete
Supports great features, such as the addition of grunge maps, supports tessellation, and has a beautiful 3d view port.
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Top
Con
Confusing
The first few times using the software, you may have a hard time getting what you want. That is mostly due to the slew of features, and slightly confusing interface.
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Top
Pro
Free and open-source
Being open source, along with the price of nothing makes this software very compelling to use.
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Top
Con
Doesn't run on MacOS
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Pro
Cross platform
This software is cross platform, so you can integrate it into your work flow without worrying to much about your operating system (Linux, Mac, and Windows).
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Con
Requires open GL 3.30 or higher
Although the pbr view port looks great, it does come with the drawback that you will have to have support for open GL 3.30 or higher, and set it up before hand (if its not already set up on your computer).
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FREE
204
15
Njob
All
5
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Simple
Relatively clutter free, simple, one purpose oriented interface.
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Top
Con
No image scalling
This may not seem like much, but if your screen resolution is smaller than your picture, then you will only see a small part of the picture. And although you can move around the picture, it is impossible to zoom in and out.
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Top
Pro
Free
Njob is a free application.
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Con
Slugish single core CPU performance
No multi core, and only single core cpu usage, means that the software does not perform tasks at smooth speeds when textures get anywhere over 512x512 (depending on the cpu in use).
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Con
Abandoned
This software has not been updated in years.
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here
22
3
VECTARY
All
13
Experiences
Pros
10
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
You have to be online
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Pro
Free
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Top
Con
Subject to frequent change
As this tool is rather new, it tends to change often, it may confuse sometimes, but generally the change makes it better
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Top
Pro
Simple UI
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Pro
Visually stunning
The feel of this app is really good and the beautiful design helps the overall experience.
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Top
Pro
Fast-evolving
This tool is progressing very nicely and often brings out new cool features.
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Top
Pro
Any operating system
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Top
Pro
Browser based - no install required
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Top
Pro
Easy-to-learn
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Pro
3D printing ready
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Pro
Free online support
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Pro
Great for educational use
Since there's no need to install any application, VECTARY can be a great tool for teaching 3D modelling in schools as well. Students only need to make an account and they can use the same software both in their school labs and their own PCs.
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Specs
Supported platforms:
Windows, Mac, Unix, Chrome OS
Service integrations:
Figma, Sketch
Exports:
More than 60 file formats, including USDZ, GLTF, FBX
Import:
3D and 2D formats
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Experiences
Free
26
4
Substance Painter
All
4
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Allows you to paint in full 3D
Since Substance Painter allows users to paint in full 3D, it can be used not only to paint full textures, but can also paint masks which can then be used in other tools (like Substance Designer) for material filter generators (like the ones used to make edge wear and dirt)
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Con
Expensive and impossible to run without an expensive graphics card
The free trial is the only thing free. You'll have to pay a lot of money for the full version, and even if you do get it, you will have to pay for an expensive graphics card to use it, which means a lot more money flying out of your wallet and/or bank account.
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Top
Pro
Painting and procedural editing of textures
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Con
Cannot export in a procedural format
You can not export substance (sbsar) files in Painter.
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20$/m
113
16
MapZone
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Con
Discontinued
MapZone is a discontinued procedural texture creator for windows. (Web page is discontinued but you can download from Dropbox or Google Drive.)
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Top
Pro
Resolution independent
All maps will be resolution independent because of procedural techniques which MapZone uses. So you can work at a decent resolution, resize when done and you have a higher resolution texture immediately.
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Pro
Map focused
MapZone focuses on maps which are the core components of any texture. Your diffuse and normal maps created with it match perfectly. And because it's not linear and all are related to each other, if the diffuse is modified then all the other maps will sync automatically.
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here
4
1
Materialize
All
7
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
4
Top
Pro
Presets
A few simple presets available, that generally do a good job if you want a quick and dirty generation.
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Con
Maps are derivative of one another
... Meaning you will always lose some quality. You can test this for yourself in real time by generating a height map from a normal, then clearing the normal and generating a new one based on height, then clearing the previous height map and generating a new one based on the new normal. Obviously, no one would do that, but it effectively demonstrates that Materialize, by its nature, sacrifices the accuracy that other programs can guarantee you.
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Pro
Integrated mask feature
You can create up to two masks to define metalness or any area you want the software to look at a little differently.
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Top
Con
Slow image preview in file browser
Although the texture generation and preview is butter smooth, other GUI things, like image previews in the file browser cause huge slowdowns and jittering.
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Pro
Clear interface
A nice clean and clear interface, where it is much easier to know what you are doing.
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Con
Not Standalone
You need Unity.
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Con
While the filters are nice, you are limited to two colors
This is easily Materialize's biggest limitation. Even the most basic diffuse maps have more than two tones, so for the third tone and beyond, the height map generator just takes over the wheel and drives over a cliff. This drawback means the program is only really helpful for basic, one- or two-tone materials like stone impressions, brick walls, simple fabric patterns, etc. It also means the gloss/roughness generator is operating in completely the wrong frame of mind. If you have a material like tire rubber with sections that are muddy, wet, snow-crusted, blood splattered, etc. Materialize is only going to let you select two tones to make glossy or rough, and the other twelve are anybody's guess as to how reflective or absorbent they'll be.
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Experiences
$0
29
8
MindTex 2
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Many tweak controls
You can fine tune the result to achieve the desired look that you need.
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Top
Con
Buy Upfront No Trial
As soon as I downloaded this for the first time and opened the file (which by the way was the free trial version) it said my trial was expired. So expect to pay upfront when downloading this app.
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Top
Pro
Generates more then just a normal map
While this tool can generate normal maps, you can also create maps such as Height, Ambient Occlusion, Specular, and more. You can also input your own maps instead for preview.
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Con
Expensire
Costs around $20.
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Pro
3d View
You can preview your normal map using the built-in 3d viewer and get an idea what you're getting.
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$19.99
8
4
Makers Empire 3D
All
7
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
2
Specs
Top
Con
This is not a voxel editor. Shouldn't be in this list.
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Pro
Works on many platforms
Supports iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
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Con
Limited exporting formats
You can only export files as STL.
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Pro
Gamification
While only simple at this stage when you create and participate in sharing and commenting or even uploading you can unlock various, useful, purpose built items to create more detailed 3D printable models. The characters and avatars which you unlock are very cute like Japanese inspired anime.
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Pro
Easy to use navigation
Icons are easy to understand and so simple that children (as young as 4) can use it.
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Pro
Easy to use with touch controls
It is touch optimized, making for an easy touch controlled experience.
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Specs
Makes Empire 3D Solutions for Schools:
Request quote
Custom Solutions for education departments and districts:
Request quote
Makers Empire 3D software:
FREE for individuals
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Experiences
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here
20
13
Substance Designer
All
4
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Native integration with many game engines
It has the ability to export sbsar files, these can be put into most game engines allowing in engine tweaking of procedural content.
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Top
Con
Expensive
The pricing starts at $20 for the indie license and $100 for the pro license.
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Top
Pro
Ability to create custom substance files
Substance designer allows users to create custom substance files, it offers a lot of power with a mix of workflow of working with procedural textures and bitmaps.
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Con
Not good for painting textures
Substance designer is not very powerful when it comes to painting textures, while there are 2D painting tools, they are not very good.
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here
11
9
Built By the Slant team
Find the best product instantly.
4.7 star rating
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Add to Edge
Add to Firefox
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