Adobe has announced new innovations across its Substance 3D tools, empowering creators and brands with an end-to-end solution capable of creating standalone 3D content and metaverse-ready immersive experiences.

The full Substance 3D portfolio caters to the needs of both experienced 3D creators and 2D creatives looking to add a new dimension to their work, Adobe states.

Additionally, Adobe announced that it will bring Substance 3D tools to Meta’s Quest platform to build and share immersive 3D content while Meta will equip its users with Adobe’s 3D creation tools.

Substance 3D Sampler has been enhanced with an all-new 3D Capture capability, using photogrammetry technology to produce 3D models directly from real-life images - a significant time-saver for creatives interested in creating compelling 3D content.

Substance 3D Modeler, which is designed to make sculpting 3D objects and scenes easy and intuitive, is now generally available to users. Adobe also debuted a new Substance 3D Sustainability Calculator to reduce the carbon emissions and resources consumed by traditional product photoshoots.

Enhancements to the Substance 3D Collection include:

• Create in 3D with Adobe Substance 3D Modeler: A gesture-based 3D asset creation tool, Substance 3D Modeler enables artists and product designers to switch between using desktop computers and VR headsets with handheld controllers. Modeler accelerates and simplifies the process of sharing ideas in 3D, using a 'hands-on' approach to avoid the steep learning curve that has traditionally limited the accessibility of 3D modelling technologies, Adobe states.
• Recreate real-world surface textures in 3D with Adobe Substance 3D Sampler: Now available in beta, Adobe’s new 3D Capture feature enables creators to turn physical objects into digital assets. Thanks to AI and photogrammetry technologies, anyone can use a camera or an existing set of images to capture a real-world object, then leverage Adobe Substance 3D Sampler to generate a textured 3D model. Even first-time 3D designers can use 3D Capture to produce 3D models and base textures without having to learn traditional technical modelling workflows.
• Experience improved speed and stability with Apple Silicon: Substance 3D tools now take advantage of Apple Silicon (including M1- and M2-series) chips, providing speed and stability improvements to Mac users.
• Utilise faster access to AR content with Adobe Aero’s iOS App Clips integration: Adobe Aero-powered experiences on iOS devices can now use App Clips, speeding the display of AR experiences without requiring viewers to download apps, the company states. App Clips support makes Aero one of the fastest ways for artists to create and deliver immersive AR content on iPhone.

In addition, Adobe and Meta are collaborating to integrate Substance 3D Modeler and a forthcoming collaborative review app directly into Meta’s Quest platform, enabling everyone to build and share immersive 3D content and experiences while using Meta Quest virtual reality headsets.

Bringing Substance 3D Modeler to Meta Quest Pro and Quest 2 devices will kick off a multi-year commitment to bring more of Adobe Substance 3D’s technology to Meta Quest owners including new document productivity workflows in virtual reality, the company states.

As brands across industries boost their investments in 3D content to become metaverse-ready, the 3D industry is expected to reach over $200 billion by 2026. Adobe Creative Cloud and Substance tools are powering immersive experiences across entertainment, automotive, retail and other industries, the company states.

Fuelling this transformation with education and tools, Adobe has partnered with schools on 3D and immersive curricula, including the ArtCenter College of Design in California, and the RUBIKA DESIGN Valenciennes Design School in France.

In addition, Adobe is set to preview a collection of cutting-edge 3D and immersive tools currently under development, including:

• Project Artistic Scenes: Allows creators to turn a 2D image into an immersive, artistic 3D scene mimicking the colours and brushstroke styles of famous artists.
• Project Beyond the Seen: Quickly creates immersive 3D VR experiences from a single image, including creator-adjustable 3D depth maps.
• Project Vector Edge: Enables designers to visualise and edit their designs in real-world environments by compositing 2D images or vectors into 3D spaces created from as little as a single reference image.

Sebastien Deguy, Vice President and Head of 3D and Metaverse at Adobe, says, “Brand investments in 3D and immersive content creation capabilities have skyrocketed over the past year.

"At Adobe, our mission is to support creatives and brands as they transition into new mediums, including immersive experiences, and the new features we’re delivering today make creating 3D content easier and more accessible than ever.”