Adding Normal Details with Anchor Points | Substance Painter

Anchor points allow you to add normal detail from one layer to another, enabling complex and realistic texture work. In this tutorial, we will go step-by-step on how to use anchor points to add normal detail to your textures.

Step 1: Setup Your Project

1. Open Substance Painter and load your 3D model and texture maps.
2. Make sure you have a normal map already baked into your project or generated.
3. If you do not have a Curvature map, make sure to bake one for this tutorial.
4. Go to the Texture Set Settings to ensure you have all the necessary channels enabled (including the Normal map). Make sure you place your already baked Texture Maps into their proper channel fields.

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Step 2: Create a New Layer for Detail

1. In the Layers panel, click on the New Fill Layer button to create a new layer.
   1. This new layer will act as the base for the normal detail you want to add.
2. Apply a material to the fill layer if you want to base your detail off of an existing material or texture (e.g., a rough metal or rock texture).

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Step 3: Add Anchor Points for Normal Detail

Now, we’re going to add the normal detail using anchor points.

1. Create or Import Normal Detail:
   1. To add normal detail, you need a separate normal map that contains the fine detail you want to incorporate into your current layer. This could be a normal map from a high-poly model or a simple normal map texture.
2. Create a New Layer for Detail:
   1. Click on the New Layer button in the Layers panel.
   1. Name it something like “Normal Detail” to keep track of your layers.
   1. Make sure under the Brush Outline Cursor option, you have the “Full Preview Cursor” option selected. This will allow you to see the Preview of your Brush in the Viewport.
3. Apply the Normal Detail to the Layer:
   1. In the new layer, you can apply a normal map texture or use brushes to paint normal details.
   1. In the Properties Panel, deselect all of the materials maps except Normal since this is the only map we need for this layer.
   1. In the Textures Panel, locate a Normal Texture Map and drag it onto the Normal field in the Properties Panel.
   1. You can use the Normal Brush to paint the detail onto the model in real time.
   1. Using ALT and SHIFT allows you to view the 3D model in Orthographic mode which will allow you to more easily apply the Normal Texture Map.
   1. To increase or decrease the size of the Brush, you can use CTRL and the RMB and move the mouse horizontally.
   1. To soften or harden the Brush, use CTRL and the RMB and move the mouse vertically.
   1. To change the opacity of the Brush, use CTRL and the LMB and move the mouse horizontally.
   1. To rotate the Brush, use CTRL and the LMB and move the mouse vertically.
   1. Once you have the Brush Properties set correctly, use the LMB and click once to place the Normal Texture Map on your 3D model.

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Step 4: Use the Anchor Point

To better show why the Anchor Point is so powerful, add a new material to the top of the Layer Stack. Add a Black Mask to the new Material Layer.

Add a Generator to the Black Mask and choose “Metal Edge Wear”.

Notice that the Generator ignores the normal map details we added.

Now, we’ll add the anchor point to apply the normal detail to the current layer.

1. Select the Layer that Needs the Detail:
   1. Make sure you are working on the layer that you want to add the normal detail to.
2. Right-click on the Layer you want to anchor to.
3. From the context menu, select Add Anchor Point. This will allow you to link the normal detail from the source layer to this layer.
4. We want to use the Generator as the Reference. To add the Generator as the Reference, select the Generator and in the Properties Panel, scroll down until you see “Micro Normal”.
5. Select the Micro Normal field and then select the Anchor Points tab. Under this Anchor Points tab, select the Anchor Point you just made.
6. You also need to change the Reference Channel to the Normal channel since this is the Channel we are using to apply the Normal Texture Maps to.
7. In the Properties Panel, find the Micro Details section. Twirl the Micro Details section open and change the Micro Normal to “True”.