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Vector graphics (SVG) resource | Substance 3D Designer

Vector graphics (SVG) resource

Substance 3D Designer supports a limited form of Vector Graphics, through the Scalable Vector graphics format. SVG files can be brought in as resources in different ways, to be used as resources for your graphs.

SVG files can be created or edited through the atomic SVG node, they can also be created by the UV to SVG baker.

Note:

Adobe Illustrator (.ai) files are not currently supported.

In this page


SVG storage

SVG storage depends on if they are Linked, or imported. Imported SVG files are embedded into the SBS file, requiring no external files like Bitmaps, and can be edited using the Vector editing tools.


SVG attributes

SVG Resources in a package have a number of attributes that you can customize. Most attributes don't have a major purpose and are for library filters, but a minority affects rendering quality.

Attribute name

Purpose

Identifier

Used for referencing the SVG resource in a package, must be unique.

File path

The path on disk of the SVG file referenced by the resource.

Description

The description displayed in the Explorer and Library tooltips for this resource.

Category

Label

Author

Author URL

Tags

User data

Optional extra data, not used on vector graphics.

Show in Library

Determines if the SVG resource should be hidden in the Library view.

Vector graphics quality

Affects rendering quality. The range is not linear and best quality is achieved at 0.5.


SVG authoring

Because only a limited set of functionality is supported, authoring SVG's is constrained.

In general the following is true:

  • Only simple primitive shapes and paths are guaranteed to draw correctly;
  • Stroke is supported but only results in a 1 pixel wide stroke and stroke styling is ignored;
  • Dashed line styles will definitely break;
  • Text needs to be converted to paths/outline to be rendered;
  • Compound paths are not supported;
  • Advanced features like gradients are not supported;
  • Style Elements for CSS properties are not supported.

Recommended export options

Export options are slightly different for each applications:

Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator allows the most control over your SVG exports if you pay attention to the following options.

  • Use only Save As, not Export As!
  • SVG Profile does not matter much, though the Tiny profile will (mostly) default to settings that are definitely correct;
  • Fonts must be set to Convert to Outline to work;
  • CSS Properties should not be set to Style Elements, all other options will work;
  • Uncheck Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities;
  • Uncheck Responsive;
  • Strokes will not work well, use Object > Path > Outline Stroke to get them to show up.

The image on the right demonstrates the recommended export options, click on it to display it in full size.

Caution:

Artboards can affect the result of the SVG file generated. Some Illustrator file templates introduce multiple Artboards.
Try to have only one, properly cropped artboard, and have it selected in the Artboard window when saving as SVG.

Illustrator SVG export options

Inkscape

Inkscape saves natively as SVG, but with less control over the file format. Inkscape files will mostly work natively in the application, but with some limitations:

  • Strokes only show as 1px wide in Substance 3D Designer, use Path > Stroke to Path to get them to work,
  • Text will not work, use Path > Object to Path to get text to work.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop has a very limited SVG exporter (File > Export >Export As..) that is currently unable to produce correct results for Substance 3D Designer. You can get your shape and path information, but Style is always saved as Elements, which is incompatible.

It can be used for simple black and white shape masks, where a solution is to extract the Alpha from the SVG using Alpha Split.

Alternatively a Photoshop-exported SVG can be Imported, which lets you then edit the style information natively inside the application.

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