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Incorrect image output | Substance 3D Designer

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  5. Substance graphs
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    4. Exposing a parameter
      1. Exposing a parameter
      2. Parameter presets
      3. Visible if: control visibility of inputs, outputs and parameters
    5. Graph parameters
    6. Inheritance in Substance graphs
    7. Output size
    8. Values in Substance graphs
    9. Publishing Substance 3D asset files (SBSAR)
    10. Exporting Bitmaps
    11. Exporting PSD files
    12. Sample Substance graphs
    13. Warnings in Substance graphs
    14. Nodes reference for Substance graphs
      1. Nodes reference for Substance graphs
      2. Atomic nodes
        1. Atomic nodes
        2. Bitmap
        3. Blend
          1. Blend
          2. Blending modes description
        4. Blur
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        26. Output
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      3. Node library
        1. Node library
        2. Texture Generators
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          2. Noises
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            2. 3D Perlin Noise
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            10. Blue Noise Fast
            11. BnW Spots 1
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            14. Cells 1
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            18. Clouds 1
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            21. Creased
            22. Crystal 1
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            24. Directional Noise 1
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            27. Directional Noise 4
            28. Directional Scratches
            29. Dirt 1
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            32. Dirt 4
            33. Dirt 5
            34. Dirt Gradient
            35. Fluid
            36. Fractal Sum 1
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            38. Fractal Sum 3
            39. Fractal Sum 4
            40. Fractal Sum Base
            41. Fur 1
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            44. Gaussian Noise
            45. Gaussian Spots 1
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            47. Grunge Concrete
            48. Grunge Damas
            49. Grunge Galvanic Large
            50. Grunge Galvanic Small
            51. Grunge Leaks
            52. Grunge Leaky Paint
            53. Grunge Map 001
            54. Grunge Map 002
            55. Grunge Map 003
            56. Grunge Map 004
            57. Grunge Map 005
            58. Grunge Map 006
            59. Grunge Map 007
            60. Grunge Map 008
            61. Grunge Map 009
            62. Grunge Map 010
            63. Grunge Map 011
            64. Grunge Map 012
            65. Grunge Map 013
            66. Grunge Map 014
            67. Grunge Map 015
            68. Grunge Rough Dirty
            69. Grunge Rust Fine
            70. Grunge Scratches Dirty
            71. Grunge Scratches Fine
            72. Grunge Scratches Rough
            73. Grunge Shavings
            74. Grunge Splashes Dusty
            75. Grunge Spots
            76. Grunge Spots Dirty
            77. Liquid
            78. Messy Fibers 1
            79. Messy Fibers 2
            80. Messy Fibers 3
            81. Microscope View
            82. Moisture Noise
            83. Perlin Noise
            84. Plasma
            85. Caustics
            86. Voronoi
            87. Voronoi Fractal
            88. Waveform 1
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            90. White Noise Fast
          3. Patterns
            1. Patterns
            2. 3D Linear Gradient
            3. 3D Volume Mask
            4. Alveolus
            5. Arc Pavement
            6. Brick 1
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            8. Brick Generator
            9. Checker 1
            10. Cube 3D
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            12. Fibers 1
            13. Fibers 2
            14. Gaussian 1
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            16. Gradient Axial
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            19. Gradient Linear 1
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            21. Gradient Linear 3
            22. Gradient Radial
            23. Height Extrude
            24. Mesh 1
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            26. Panorama Shape
            27. Polygon 1
            28. Polygon 2
            29. Scratches Generator
            30. Shape
            31. Shape Extrude
            32. Shape Mapper
            33. Shape Splatter
            34. Shape Splatter Blend
            35. Shape Splatter Data Extract
            36. Shape Splatter to Mask
            37. Splatter
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            39. Star
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            41. Stripes
            42. Tile Generator
            43. Tile Random
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            45. Tile Sampler
            46. Triangle Grid
            47. Weave 1
            48. Weave 2
            49. Weave Generator
        3. Filters
          1. Filters
          2. Adjustments
            1. Adjustments
            2. Auto Levels
            3. Channel Mixer
            4. Chrominance Extract
            5. Clamp
            6. Color Match
            7. Color To Mask
            8. Contrast/Luminosity
            9. Convert To Linear
            10. Convert to sRGB
            11. Grayscale Conversion Advanced
            12. Hald CLUT
            13. HDR Range Viewer
            14. Height Map Frequencies Mapper
            15. Highpass
            16. Histogram Range
            17. Histogram Scan
            18. Histogram Scan Non-Uniform
            19. Histogram Select
            20. Histogram Shift
            21. Invert
            22. Lighting Cancel High Frequencies
            23. Lighting Cancel Low Frequencies
            24. Luminance Highpass
            25. Min Max
            26. Pow
            27. Quantize
            28. Replace Color
            29. Replace Color Range
            30. Threshold
          3. Blending
            1. Blending
            2. Color (Blend Node)
            3. Color Burn
            4. Color Dodge
            5. Difference
            6. Dissolve
            7. Linear Burn
            8. Luminosity (Blend Node)
            9. Multi Switch
            10. Switch
          4. Blurs
            1. Blurs
            2. Anisotropic Blur
            3. Blur HQ
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            5. Radial Blur
            6. Slope Blur
          5. Channels
            1. Channels
            2. RGBA Merge
            3. RGBA Split
            4. Alpha Merge
            5. Alpha Split
            6. Pre-Multiplied to Straight
            7. Straight to Pre-multiplied
          6. Effects
            1. Effects
            2. 3D Texture Position
            3. 3D Texture SDF
            4. 3D Texture Surface Render
            5. 3D Texture Volume Render
            6. Ambient Occlusion (HBAO) (Filter Node)
            7. Ambient Occlusion (RTAO)
            8. Bevel (Filter Node)
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            10. Curvature (Filter Node)
            11. Curvature Smooth
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            13. Diffusion Color
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            16. Edge Detect
            17. Emboss With Gloss
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            20. Flood Fill Mapper
            21. Flood Fill to BBox Size
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            28. FXAA
            29. Glow
            30. Mosaic
            31. Multi Directional Warp
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            33. Reaction Diffusion Fast
            34. RT Irradiance
            35. RT Shadow
            36. Shadows (Filter Node)
            37. Shape Drop Shadow
            38. Shape Glow
            39. Shape Stroke
            40. Summed Area Table
            41. Swirl
            42. Uber Emboss
            43. Vector Morph
            44. Vector Warp
          7. Normal Map
            1. Normal Map
            2. Bent Normal
            3. Facing Normal
            4. Height Normal Blender
            5. Height to Normal World Units
            6. Normal Blend
            7. Normal Combine
            8. Normal Invert
            9. Normal Normalize
            10. Normal Sobel
            11. Normal to Height
            12. Normal To Height HQ
            13. Normal Transform
            14. Normal Vector Rotation
          8. Tiling
            1. Tiling
            2. Make It Tile Patch
            3. Make It Tile Photo
          9. Transforms
            1. Transforms
            2. 3D Texture Offset
            3. Auto Crop
            4. Cartesian To Polar
            5. Clone (Filter Node)
            6. Mirror (Filter Node)
            7. Noise Upscale 1
            8. Noise Upscale 2
            9. Noise Upscale 3
            10. Non-Square Transform
            11. Non-Uniform Rotation
            12. Polar to Cartesian
            13. Quad Transform
            14. Safe Transform
            15. Skew
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            17. Symmetry Slice
            18. Trapezoid Transform
        4. Material Filters
          1. Material Filters
          2. 1-Click
            1. 1-Click
            2. Bitmap to Material Light
          3. Effects (Material)
            1. Effects (Material)
            2. Height Blend
            3. Material Height Blend
            4. Season Filter
            5. Snow Cover
            6. Water Level
          4. Transforms (Material)
            1. Transforms (Material)
            2. Material Transform
          5. Blending (Material)
            1. Blending (Material)
            2. Material Adjustment Blend
            3. Material Blend
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          6. PBR Utilities
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            2. BaseColor / Metallic / Roughness converter
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            5. PBR BaseColor / Metallic Validate
            6. PBR Dielectric F0
            7. PBR Metal Reflectance
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          7. Scan Processing
            1. Scan Processing
            2. AO Cancellation
            3. Atlas Scatter
            4. Atlas Splitter
            5. Clone Patch
            6. Color Equalizer
            7. Crop
            8. Material Clone Patch
            9. Material Crop
            10. Multi-Angle to Albedo
            11. Multi-Angle to Normal
            12. Multi Clone Patch
            13. Multi Color Equalizer
            14. Multi Crop
            15. Smart Auto Tile
        5. Mesh Based Generators
          1. Mesh Based Generators
          2. Mask Generators
            1. Mask Generators
            2. Bottom To Top
            3. Cloth Wear
            4. Dirt
            5. Dripping Rust
            6. Dust
            7. Edge Blur
            8. Edge Damages
            9. Edge Dirt
            10. Edge Notch
            11. Edge Select
            12. Edge Speckle
            13. Edge Wear
            14. Fiber Glass Edge Wear
            15. Grease
            16. Ground Dirt
            17. Leaks
            18. Leather Wear
            19. Light
            20. Mask Builder
            21. Metal Edge Wear
            22. Paint Wear
            23. Selective Dirt
            24. Sun Bleach
            25. Surface Brush
          3. Weathering
            1. Weathering
            2. Cracks Weathering
            3. Fabric Weathering
            4. Leather Weathering
            5. Metal Weathering
            6. Moss Weathering
            7. Rock Weathering
            8. Rust Weathering
          4. Utilities (Mesh Based Generators)
            1. Utilities (Mesh Based Generators)
            2. 3D Planar Projection
            3. Material Mesh Data Blender
            4. Material Selector
            5. Mesh Data Combiner
            6. Tri Planar
        6. 3D View (Library)
          1. 3D View (Library)
          2. HDRI Tools
            1. HDRI Tools
            2. Blackbody
            3. Color Temperature Adjustment
            4. Exposure
            5. Exposure Preview
            6. HDR Merge
            7. Nadir Extract
            8. Nadir Patch
            9. Panorama 3D Position
            10. Panorama Rotation
            11. Gradient 2 Points
            12. Gradient Linear (HDRI)
            13. Line Light
            14. Physical Sun/Sky
            15. Plane Light
            16. Shape Light
            17. Sphere Light
            18. Straighten Horizon
      4. Graph items
  6. Substance function graphs
    1. Substance function graphs
    2. What is a Substance function graph?
    3. Create and edit a Substance function graph
    4. The Substance function graph
    5. Variables
      1. Variables
      2. System variables
      3. Get a variable value
      4. Create a variable
    6. FX-Maps
      1. FX-Maps
      2. How it works
      3. The Iterate Node
      4. The Quadrant Node
      5. Using Substance function graphs in FX-Maps
        1. Using Substance function graphs
          in FX-Maps
        2. Iterate and $number variable
        3. Using the Sampler nodes
        4. Using the Set/Sequence nodes
    7. Warnings in Substance function graphs
    8. Sample Substance function graphs
    9. Nodes reference for Substance function graphs
      1. Nodes reference for Substance function graphs
      2. Function Nodes Overview
      3. Constant Nodes
      4. Vector and Swizzle nodes
      5. Get Nodes
      6. Sampler nodes
      7. Cast nodes
      8. Operator nodes
      9. Logical nodes
      10. Comparison nodes
      11. Function nodes
      12. Control nodes
  7. MDL graphs
    1. MDL graphs
    2. Main MDL graph concepts
    3. Creating an MDL graph
    4. MDL library
    5. Exposing parameters in MDL graphs
    6. Substance graphs and MDL materials
    7. Exporting MDL content
    8. Warnings in MDL graphs
    9. MDL learning resources
  8. Bakers
    1. Bakers
    2. Bakers Legacy Interface
  9. Best Practices
    1. Best Practices
    2. Filesize Reduction Guidelines
    3. Graph Creation Etiquette
    4. Performance optimization guidelines
  10. Pipeline and Project Configuration
    1. Pipeline and Project Configuration
    2. Project Configuration Files - SBSPRJ
    3. Configuration List - SBSCFG
    4. User Preferences - Automating Setup
    5. Retrieving the installation path
    6. Installation via Command Line
    7. Environment variables
  11. Color Management
    1. Color Management
    2. Spot Colors (Pantone)
  12. Package Metadata
  13. Scripting
    1. Scripting
    2. Plugin basics
    3. Plugin search paths
    4. Plugins packages
    5. Plugin Manager
    6. Python Editor
    7. Accessing graphs and selections
    8. Nodes and properties
    9. Undo and redo
    10. Application callbacks
    11. Creating user interface elements
    12. Adding actions to the Explorer toolbar
    13. Using color management
    14. Using spot colors
    15. Logging
    16. Using threads
    17. Debugging plugins using Visual Studio Code
    18. Porting previous plugins
    19. Packaging plugins
    20. Scripting API reference
  14. Technical issues
    1. Technical issues
    2. Warnings and errors
    3. Cannot create/load a project
    4. Application does not start
    5. Crash when rendering graphs
    6. Parameters not working as expected
    7. Incorrect image output
    8. 3D View issues
    9. User interface issues
  15. Release Notes
    1. Release Notes
    2. All Changes
    3. Version 12.4
    4. Version 12.3
    5. Version 12.2
    6. Version 12.1
    7. Version 11.3
    8. Version 11.2
    9. Version 2021.1 (11.1)
    10. Old versions
      1. Old Versions
      2. Version 2020.2 (10.2)
      3. Version 2020.1 (10.1)
      4. Version 2019.3 (9.3)
      5. Version 2019.2 (9.2)
      6. Version 2019.1 (9.1)

Incorrect image output

This page lists technical issues in Substance 3D Designer resulting in an image output which is incorrect of unexpected , and offers troubleshooting steps for each.

Visible stepping/banding

(error) Issue

Gradients in the image output are stepped instead of smooth. The stepping is caused by the value range used by the image being too narrow.
This means there are not enough values to smoothly transition from one step of a gradient to the next.

Luminance/RGBA values can be encoded using integer or floating point values, impacting their precision:

  • Integer offers 8-bit precision (0-255, so 256 possible values) and 16-bit precision (0-65535 so 65536 possible values) to store a value in the 0-1 range.
  • Floating point offers 16-bit (HDR 16F) and 32-bit (HDR 32F) precision, with the ability to store values outside of the 0-1 range including negative values. This lets you work with high dynamic range (HDR) images, where the luminance value may go far above 1.0.

If you do not specifically need to work with HDR images, then most of your nodes will likely output value in the 0-1 range encoded using integers. If the Output format of the image is 8-bit, then the image can only use 256 values which will often result in visible stepping on gradients. This can particularly impact the output of Normal nodes.

(tick) Recommended steps

Check the Output format (i.e. bitdepth) of the node and all nodes upstream and make sure these node use at least 16-bit Integer precision.

The Output format parameter is often set to the Relative to input inheritance method, which can propagate the low precision throughout the graph. Ideally, by going upstream in the graph you will find the root cause of the issue.

You can quickly identify the precision of a node's output by taking a look at the text information displayed below the node:

  • L/C refer to the image being Grayscale (i.e. Luminance) or Color
  • 8/16 means integer encoding
  • 16F/32F means floating point encoding

For instance:

  • L8: grayscale 8-bit integer
  • C16: color 16-bit integer
  • C32F: color 32-bit floating point (HDR)

Quality loss in published Substance 3D asset file (SBSAR)

(error) Issue

The quality of the images output by a Substance 3D asset (SBSAR) is noticeably lower than the Substance 3D file's graph it is published from, as shown in the image on the right.
The output appears low resolution.

(tick) Recommended steps

Make sure the Output size property of all Bitmap nodes are set to the Absolute inheritance method.

If that is not the case, their referenced Bitmap resource will be saved at the default 256*256 resolution in the published Substance 3D asset file, which will impact the quality of one or more outputs.

Image is slightly blurred

(error) Issue

Shapes are slightly blurred after using some nodes, such as Transformation 2D or Blend.

(tick) Recommended steps

When rearranging pixels in an image, e.g. when resizing a shape or changing the resolution of an image, there are two ways to determine how pixels from the source should be mapped to the destination:

  • Nearest: The pixel will be mapped to the target as-is at the matching coordinate. If the target is of lower resolution the pixel may be entirely ignored. If the target is of higher resolution; it will be mapped to all pixels covering its span. The output is crisper and will look slightly aliased.
  • Bilinear filtering: A filtering process is applied to the source image so its pixels are mapped to the target resolution in a way that smooths out the transitions between pixels. The output is smoother and will look slightly blurred.

The Transformation 2D node provide a Filtering method option to select which of these two mapping methods should be used.

Most nodes - e.g. Blend - default to bilinear filtering when sampling an input texture of different resolution, which may introduce undesired blurring.
Because the Transformation 2D node is atomic - thus very lightweight - it may be used even if no transformations are needed to change a texture resolution using its Output size property before sending the texture to another node, so you can control the impact of this resizing.

In the Pixel processor node's function graph, the Sample nodes include the same option to control how the sampled texture should be mapped to the node's resolution.

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