Select a 3D text or shape layer that uses the Advanced 3D renderer.
Last updated on
Sep 9, 2026
Learn how to apply Substance materials to the front, side, back, and bevel of 3D text and shape layers in Adobe After Effects (Beta).
Use new beta features
Apply materials to 3D text and shapes is now available for testing and feedback. Try it now in After Effects (beta).
Materials on text and shapes let you give 3D text and shape layers more realistic or creative surfaces using Substance materials. Instead of being limited to the default legacy materials, you can apply materials such as wood, stone, brushed metal, or other stylized finishes directly to your text and shapes.
You can also control how the material appears on different parts of a layer. For example, you can apply different materials to the front, sides, back, and bevel, giving you more control over the final look. The workflow is the same as applying materials to parametric meshes and imported 3D models, so you can work with materials consistently across different types of 3D objects.
An example of how different materials are applied to the front, side, back, and bevel faces of this 3D text layer:
Front face
Side face
Back face
Bevel face (extruded edge)
The feature also supports layers as material sources. This means you aren't limited to Substance materials—you can use content from your composition as a material too. For example, you can apply animated precompositions, solids, images, or video to the surface of 3D text and shapes. Because these sources can be animated, you can create dynamic materials that change and move over time.
Before you begin
- Create a text or shape layer, then activate the 3D Layer switch to convert it to a 3D layer.
- Check if Advanced 3D is currently selected in the 3D Renderer dropdown menu in the Composition panel.
- Add SBSAR files to your project if you plan to use them as Substance materials.
Select the Material Assignment dropdown in the Timeline panel.
You can also use the Properties panel to select between the following filter options to show materials that you can add:
- Show Substance 3D materials
- Show pre-compositions
- Show footage
Select Add Override to select from the per-face options and apply separate materials to the front, side, back, or bevel.
Select a Substance material from the dropdown menu corresponding to the per-face options in the Timeline panel.
In the Properties panel, use the Material dropdown menu to select from the available materials.
Note
The material dropdown lists only SBSAR files already added to your project, plus layers if you've also enabled layers as material sources.
Adjust the placement, scale, rotation, tiling, and randomize offset controls to fine-tune how each material appears.
Your 3D text and shape layers now display the materials you chose on each face, while the text and shapes remain fully editable.
Note
Switching the renderer to Classic 3D or Cinema 4D reverts affected layers to their default legacy material. Projects saved in After Effects 25.x may also lose their assigned Substance materials when reopened in 27.x, and multi-selecting different 3D layer types together can trigger an error.
Join the conversation in our After Effects (Beta) community about 3D Materials on Text and Shapes.
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