In this tutorial, we’ll cover how to create a worn, aged pottery material with cracks, chips, and dirt build-up that will give the impression of being used over time. We’ll break the process down step by step.
1. Setup Your Project in Substance Painter
- Open Substance Painter and create a new project.
- Import the pottery model you wish to texture. Choose a PBR Metal Rough template (as this is the most common for materials).
- Under the Texture Setting tab, make sure to bake your Texture Maps.
2. Base Material: Pottery Surface
Start with a basic pottery material:
- Create a Fill layer.
- This layer will serve as the base of your pottery material.
- Name it Base.
- Set Base Color:
- In the Properties panel, under the Base Color section, turn off all the maps except Color and Roughness.
- Choose a neutral earthy color like a light brown or beige (this will be the typical color of the pottery). [c77633]
- Add Roughness:
- Pottery often has a slightly rough, matte surface, so set the Roughness value to something around 0.6 to 0.75 (depending on your desired finish).
- This will make the material look more natural and non-reflective.
- Add Texture:
- Pottery often has a slightly textured surface.
- Duplicate the Base layer and rename it. Right-click and add a Black Mask to the Base Color. Then add a Fill to the Black Mask.
- Activate the Height Map and add a Texture to the Fill of the Black Mask. Adjust the Height Properties.
- Change the Color to a slightly darker tint.
- This will make the material look like it has a texture.
3. Adding Wear and Aging Effects
Pottery doesn’t stay pristine for long, so adding wear is crucial. Let’s add cracks, chips, and dirt to make it look aged.
3.1. Imperfections
- Duplicate the Base layer and rename it. In the Properties panel, turn on the Height Texture map. This layer will be used to simulate the slight surface imperfections that pottery might have.
- Change the Color of this layer to a darker version of the Base Color.
- Add a Black Mask to the new layer and add a new Fill to the Black Mask.
- Search for a Texture to use for this layer to add some imperfections to the clay pot. You can adjust the Properties of the Texture.
- Select the Color for the new layer and turn on the Height Map. Adjusting the Height Map will allow you to add imperfections to the clay pot.
- To show the original Base Color, change the Blend Mode of the new layer to ‘Screen’.
3.2. Cracks and Chips
- Create a New Layer for Cracks:
- Duplicate the Base layer. In the Properties panel, turn on the Height Texture map.
- Name this layer Cracks. This layer will be used to simulate cracks on the clay pot.
- In the Base Color property, use a grunge map or a crack map to create cracks on the surface.
- To apply, drag your grunge/crack texture into the Base Color slot Height Map and adjust Properties.
- Add Chips:
- Duplicate the Cracks layer and rename it.
- Use a different Texture for the Height Map and change the Properties to add chips.
3.3. Dirt and Stains
- Create a New Layer for Dirt:
- Duplicate the Base layer and rename it to ‘Dirt’. Add a Black Mask with a Fill.
- Use a Dirt Texture:
- For the new layer Black Mask Fill, use a dirt or grime texture. This texture should be darker and have a bit of a rough, speckled appearance to simulate dirt and dust buildup.
- Adjust the dirt layer’s Properties. You can also change the Blend Mode to something like ‘Overlay’.
- Add a Curvature Map for Subtle Dirt Accumulation:
- Duplicate the Base layer and change the color to a lighter tint.
- Add a Black Mask and add a Curve Generator.
- Change the ‘Use Texture’ for the Curvature to ‘True’. Add a Grunge map to the dirt layer. You can adjust the Properties as needed.
4. Saving the Smart Material
- Saving the material:
- Add a new folder and name it appropriately.
- Move all the layers into the new folder.
- Right-click on the folder and choose ‘Create Smart Material’.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you’ll be able to create a realistic old pottery material in Substance Painter. Whether you’re aiming for a heavily worn vase or a cracked, weathered mug, the key is to focus on the subtle imperfections and variations that make pottery feel authentic.