SurfaceMentor

When you need to add realistic wear, rust, or dirt that automatically adapts to the shape of your model, masks and generators in Adobe Substance 3D Painter are your secret weapons.

These tools let you control where materials appear — procedurally, non-destructively, and with incredible detail. Instead of manually painting every scratch or stain, you can let Painter’s generators use baked data like curvature and ambient occlusion to do the heavy lifting for you.

👉 Try it hands-on with a free trial of the Adobe Substance 3D Collection and follow along as we build layered, believable textures from scratch.

🧱 Step 1: Prepare Your 3D Model and Bake Maps

Before using masks and generators, you need your baked maps — these provide curvature, edge, and lighting data that drive the realism.

1. Open your project in Substance 3D Painter.
2. Go to Texture Set Settings → Bake Mesh Maps.
3. Choose the maps you want: Curvature, Ambient Occlusion, World Space Normal, Position, Thickness.
4. Set your Output Size (2K–4K recommended).
5. Click Bake Selected Textures.

💡 Tip: If your generator effects don’t appear, double-check that your baked maps exist and are properly linked.

🎭 Step 2: Add a Black or White Mask

Masks are grayscale layers that hide or reveal parts of a material.

• White areas = visible
• Black areas = hidden

Here’s how to apply one:

1. In the Layers panel, right-click your material layer → Add Black Mask (hides everything).
2. Alternatively, choose Add White Mask if you want to hide only specific areas.
3. You’ll see a small mask thumbnail next to your layer — click it to edit.

Now the fun begins.

⚙️ Step 3: Add a Generator to the Mask

Generators apply procedural effects based on your model’s geometry and baked maps.

1. Right-click your mask thumbnail → Add Generator.
2. Choose one like:
   • Metal Edge Wear – adds edge chipping for paint and metals
   • Dirt – simulates grime buildup in crevices
   • Dripping Rust – adds directional oxidation
   • Curvature – highlights or darkens curved regions
3. Adjust generator parameters in the Properties panel:
   • Wear Level (controls intensity)
   • Contrast (sharp vs. soft edges)
   • Grunge Amount (texture variation)
   • Balance (where the effect applies most)

🎯 Pro Tip: Combine multiple generators in a single mask for layered, realistic effects — like dirt + edge wear.

🖌️ Step 4: Paint Over the Mask for Manual Control

Generators give you a strong base, but the best results come from artistic refinement.

1. Select the Paint tool (hit B).
2. Make sure the mask thumbnail is active.
3. Use black and white brushes to manually erase or add to the generated effect.

This combination of procedural precision and painterly input lets you achieve hyper-realistic textures with total control.

🧩 Step 5: Stack Masks and Blend Effects

You can stack masks for even more complexity.

• Add a Fill Layer, then apply a Black Mask and a different generator.
• Change the Blend Mode to Overlay, Multiply, or Add for different visual effects.
• Adjust the layer’s opacity to mix subtle variations.

This approach mimics real-world material layering — think of how paint, rust, and dirt interact on a weathered object.

💾 Step 6: Export Textures with Masks Applied

Once you’re happy with your textured surface:

1. Go to File → Export Textures.
2. Choose an export preset like PBR Metallic Roughness or Unreal Engine 5.
3. Set resolution (up to 8K for hero assets).
4. Click Export.

Your baked and masked materials are now ready for rendering in Stager, Blender, or your favorite 3D engine.

🚀 Conclusion

Masks and generators are what make Substance 3D Painter the industry standard for texture artists. They bridge the gap between automation and artistry — helping you achieve cinematic realism while saving hours of manual work.

👉 Take your texturing to the next level with a free trial of the Adobe Substance 3D Collection and explore the full toolkit — Painter, Designer, Sampler, Modeler, and Stager — all working together.