Tools

Substance 3D Modeler has various tools that help you create without limit. You can access tools from the toolbar in the Palette or with their dedicated keyboard shortcuts.

Some tools can only be accessed from within a Tool group. Tool groups are collections of related tools. For example, the Elastic tool is available in the Warp tool group.

With Modeler in VR mode, each tool has a companion tool. Often it's useful to switch between a tool and the companion tool regularly. For example, the Clay tool's companion tool is the Erase tool. By switching between the Clay and Erase tools, you can quickly build up shapes. The companion button helps speed up the switching process. To access companion tools, use the bottom button on the tool hand.

Use the Select tool to select and organize objects, and to navigate the scene hierarchy. The Select tool has tons of functionality and is the only tool that doesn't edit clay directly within layers.

💻 Press V to switch to the Select tool.

🥽 The Select tool doesn't have a companion tool in VR.

The main function of the Select tool is to select objects. An object is a layer or group of layers in your scene. The table below shows the basic methods to create a selection:

Once you have selected one or more objects, it's possible to perform further actions on them. 

The actions available in the Action menu are covered in the Interface Overview. There are also shortcuts for some actions. A full list of shortcuts is available in the documentation.

The Clay tool is Modeler's default tool when you create a scene. The Clay tool is the only tool that can create clay from nothing, so it's often useful for blocking out shapes.

💻 Press C to access the Clay tool on desktop.

🥽 The Erase tool acts as the Clay tool's companion tool in VR.

The Clay tool doesn't work across multiple layers since Modeler must know which layer clay is being added to. If you're not scoped into a single layer when you select the Clay tool, Modeler will create a layer for you to place clay into.

The Erase tool is very similar to the Clay tool, except it removes instead of adding clay. 

💻 Press E to access the Erase tool on desktop.

🥽 The Clay tool acts as the Erase tool's companion tool in VR.

The Erase tool includes two additional subtools. While the erase tool is selected, you can access the Split and Crop tools in the Palette:

• The Split tool lets you break existing clay into separate layers.
• The Crop tool lets you quickly remove clay outside the brush. The Crop tool behaves like the inverse of the Erase tool. While the Erase tool removes clay inside the brush, the Crop tool removes clay outside the brush.

The Warp tool allows you to stretch and distort clay. In VR you can combine the Warp tool with full 6dof movement so rotate, scale, and move clay in a single stroke.

💻 Press W to access the Warp tool on desktop.

🥽 The companion tool button switches between the Warp and Elastic tools.

While the Warp tool is selected, you can access the Elastic tool from the Palette.

The Elastic tool works similarly to the Warp tool but trys to maintain volume. Adjust the Compressibility parameter to adjust how much the Elastic tool tries to preserve clay volume.

Use the Buildup tool to add clay to the surface of existing volumes. While the Clay tool is useful for blocking out forms, the Buildup tool is useful to make more subtle changes.

💻 Press B to access the Warp tool on desktop.

🥽 The companion tool button switches between additive and subtractive modes.

With the Buildup tool selected, you can access the Crease tool from the Palette. The Crease tool is useful for carving gouges in clay. Like the Buildup tool, the companion button switches between additive and subtractive modes for the Crease tool.

The Smooth tool is great for removing imperfections or smoothing out a surface to add more detail. 

💻 Press Shift to access the Smooth tool temporarily. 

🥽 The Smooth tool doesn't have a companion tool. 

The Smooth tool has three modes that you can select in the Palette. By default, the Smooth tool removes bumps and fills depressions, but you can also limit the Smooth tool to just do one or the other.

The Inflate tool is similar to the Buildup tool, you can use it to add clay to existing surfaces. The Inflate and Buildup tools work in a technically different way which results in a different appearance of strokes.

💻 The Inflate tool doesn't have a shortcut.

🥽 The companion tool button switches between additive and subtractive modes.

The Paint tool lets you add color to your clay. Depending on your export settings, it's possible to export painted colors from Modeler as vertex colors. Find out more about export settings.

💻 The Paint tool doesn't have a shortcut.

🥽 The Paint tool doesn't have a companion tool.

The Paint tool works closely with the Color picker. You can learn more about the Color picker and other interface elements with the Interface Overview.

Related Topics

• Brushes
• Scope and Hierarchy

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