In this tutorial, I want to show you a simple use of the Blur filter in Substance Painter by applying it, in this case, to a couple of layer masks. Specifically, I will use the filter to blur the areas (and therefore the application intensity) of two different materials applied to a single geometry.
Video Transcript
Hello everyone! In this tutorial, I want to show you a simple use of the Blur filter in Substance Painter by applying it, in this case, to a couple of layer masks. Specifically, I will use the filter to blur the areas (and therefore the application intensity) of two different materials applied to a single geometry.
The 3D model I am using consists of a single geometry with a UV layout (that is, the unwrapped surface of the entire model) that shows a clear seam. This seam is used to separate, so to speak, the "top" and the "bottom" of the dolphin, with the intention of assigning different Textures to them, lighter on the lower part.
The result is meant to be stylized rather than photorealistic, so we can safely use a "Resin Epoxy" material for both the upper and lower sections. In this case, I am using the RGB color 0.339, 0.328, 0.353 for the upper part and the RGB color 0.431, 0.409, 0.431 for the lower part. However, there is a fairly obvious problem: the separation between the two sections is far too sharp!
There are, of course, several ways to solve a problem like this, so what I am about to show is certainly not the only way or the best method for this type of situation, but it can be useful in similar cases. The idea is to blur the masks of the two layers so that they extend beyond the boundaries of their assigned geometry, while applying the effect with a gradient created by the mask blur.
We know that a layer mask applies its layer at 100% intensity in white areas and does not apply it at all in black areas, while gray values apply it proportionally. We also know that masks created with the UV Chunk Fill method, which I described in a previous video tutorial on my channel, fill the selected UV islands with pure white. This means we can affect the neighboring areas on the geometry by blurring the borders of those regions.
Okay, let's move on to the practical part. Select the layer mask of the first material, right-click it (be careful here: click on the mask, not on the material!) and choose "Add Filter" from the menu that appears. Then click on "Filter" in the Properties – Filter panel, which refers to the newly created filter, currently displayed as "Filter (empty)" because it has not yet been assigned, and choose Blur.
At this point, all that remains is to adjust the Blur Intensity parameter to define the strength of the blur, in other words, how far the mask should extend beyond its original boundaries. However, for a better result, the filter should also be applied to the neighboring material so that it extends as well, creating a smoother blend between the two.
The effect of the Blur filter on layer masks can be observed directly by choosing the "Mask" view mode from the channel menu in either a 2D or 3D view, after selecting a material's layer mask. Pay particular attention to how the gradient along the material boundaries changes as the Blur Intensity value is adjusted.
The practical example shown in this tutorial is very simple, but it can also be useful in other contexts, especially when defining organic materials, as in this case, though certainly not limited to them.
That's all for this short tutorial! See you next time!