How do you export Substance Designer textures for offline renderers like V-Ray or Arnold?

1 Step 1: Set up your graph

Before you export your textures, you need to set up your graph in Substance Designer to match the output format and resolution of your target renderer. You can use the output size node to control the resolution, and the output format node to choose between PNG, TIFF, JPEG, or EXR formats. You can also use the output template node to define the naming convention and the output directory of your textures.

2 Step 2: Choose your maps

Depending on the shading model and the material properties of your target renderer, you will need to export different maps from Substance Designer. For example, V-Ray uses a diffuse map, a reflection map, a glossiness map, and a normal map for its standard material, while Arnold uses a base color map, a specular map, a roughness map, and a normal map for its standard surface material. You can use the output node to create and assign maps to your graph outputs, and use the usage dropdown menu to select the appropriate map type.

3 Step 3: Adjust your values

Some map values may need to be adjusted or inverted before exporting them for offline renderers. For example, some renderers use a linear color space, while others use a gamma-corrected color space. You can use the levels node or the histogram scan node to adjust the contrast, brightness, or gamma of your maps. You can also use the invert grayscale node or the invert color node to invert the values of your maps if needed.

4 Step 4: Preview your maps

Before you export your textures, you may want to preview how they look in your target renderer. You can use the 3D view in Substance Designer to switch between different rendering modes and presets, such as PBR Metal Rough, PBR Spec Gloss, or V-Ray. You can also use the material picker to select a material from the library and apply it to your mesh. You can adjust the lighting, the camera, and the environment settings to get a realistic preview of your textures.

5 Step 5: Export your maps

Once you are satisfied with your maps, you can export them from Substance Designer to your output directory. You can use the export outputs node to export all your maps at once, or use the export output node to export a single map. You can also use the export outputs as bitmaps option from the file menu to export your maps as individual files. You can choose the output format, the output size, and the output template from the export dialog box.

6 Step 6: Import your maps

The final step is to import your textures into your offline renderer and apply them to your material. The exact procedure may vary depending on the renderer and the software you are using, but generally you will need to create a new material, load your maps into the corresponding slots, and assign the material to your mesh. You may also need to adjust some settings, such as the color space, the UV mapping, or the bump scale, to match your textures.