We have a new course on the horizon, and in true Learn Squared fashion it is a substantially epic one. Substance Designer is our upcoming training series by games industry legend Daniel Thiger.

Daniel is a senior environment artist at Bungie who’s also a self-proclaimed Substance Designer Enthusiast. All you need to do is take one look at his ArtStation to see the extent of this enthusiasm. Not only will Daniel’s course leave you with juicy assets and a final image or two at your disposal, you’ll also discover how to build a robust and structured project that is perfectly suited to the film and games industry.

Available August 19, Daniel’s course possesses so much more than how to author 3D materials. It has the ability to be a game-changer for many disciplines across the industry and here are 5 reasons why you should want to learn Substance Designer.

1. The Future of Materials

Substance Designer uses something called PBR (no, not the beer), otherwise known as physically-based rendering. Designing shaders and materials with PBR, you can be certain that your materials will look physically accurate and consistent across artworks, all while being easier to author. It also contains tools which make photogrammetry a breeze – this means you’ll be able to use real-world photos to create lifelike materials for your projects.

Quickly create variation in your artwork on the fly.
2. Be Your Own Artist

Stop relying on other artists’ textures. Learn to create unique materials which can be tailored to a specific project, or serve as a template ready to be tweaked to spec. Daniel will show you exactly how to set up your scenes whilst maintaining a strong workflow.

3. Procedural Goodness

Substance Designer is a 3D material authoring package though it’s procedural workflow is one which is a powerful tool that allows you to quickly and easily experiment, produce multiple iterations, and spend your valuable time perfecting the really important parts of your project.

Some of the materials you’ll learn to create in our newest course.
4. Easy Collaboration

With its node-based workflow, Substance Designer allows you to tweak your designs to your liking in a totally non-destructive way. This can be incredibly useful if your art director is looking for changes or the project moves in a different direction. 

5. Change Up Your Workflow

Considering all of the above, this all sounds pretty great if you’re a 3D artist. But what if you’re not? What could this course offer to other disciplines? Let’s take the case of a Concept Artist for example and see how. Whether you need an alien landscape, a stylized corridor or just want to adorn your spaceship with some exotic metals, Substance Designer can be your perfect tool. You’ll be able to create a library of materials – save time and iterate designs on the simplest of meshes to photobash with.

As 3D becomes more ingrained into many artistic disciplines, it makes sense to diversify your toolbox with game-changing tools like Substance Designer. Don’t get left in the dust, and take this opportunity to learn directly from Daniel Thiger, one of the games industry’s leading artists, starting on August 19.


Substance Designer will be available August 19.

Available August 19!