Default shader

This setting lets you select the shader which should be used by default when starting a new 3D View.

Default: physically_metallic_roughness.glslfx

Default environment map

This setting lets you select the texture which should be applied by default to the Environment when starting a new 3D View.

Default: panorama_map.hdr

Default state file

The 3D View Scene State file includes a number of settings for the 3D View, such as camera position, environment exposure and mesh. It is used to store the state of the 3D View so you can quickly load a scene which is tailored to your needs. Scene State files use the *.sbsscn extension.

This setting lets you select the 3D View Scene State file which should be used when starting a new 3D View.

Default: Empty (in this case, a preset scene state is used)

Default lighting state

This setting lets you select which of the predefined available lights should be enabled when starting a new 3D View, if no file is set in the Default State File field.

Default: Ambient Light only

Default resource name

This setting lets you set a default naming template which will be used for the output image files. The aliases available in the baking window can also be used here (i.e. $(mesh), $(bakername), $(udim), $(custom)).

Default: $(mesh)_$(bakername)

Default preset

When opening the the baking window, you can have it already configured with specific bakers and settings by using this option to point to a presets JSON file. This file can be exported from the baking window once it has been set up according to your needs.

Default: None

Resource name macros  

Instead of the $(bakername) alias, you can use your own character strings for each baker.
When the $(custom) alias is used in the output image name for any baker, it will be replaced by the character string matching that baker in the list. If a cell of the list corresponding to a baker is left blank, the $(custom) alias will not be replaced for this baker.

Example: The 'c-mesh' value assigned to the 'Curvature Map From Mesh' baker will automatically rename t_mymesh_$(custom) into t_mymesh_c-mesh for the output of the Curvature From Mesh baker only.

Default: None

Sub-meshes name filter  

When using the Match By Name option in the bakers, the parts of the low and high definition versions of a mesh are matched if the name of those parts before the defined suffixes is identical. This setting lets you set your own suffixes to suit your specific workflow.
Matching parts of meshes can make rays ignore undesired geometry in baking operations.

Example: the body-torso_low object in the body.fbx mesh would be matched to the body-torso_high object in body_high.fbx, if these objects exist in these meshes.

Default: _low (Low Poly Mesh) / _high (High Poly Mesh)

Similarly, backfaces can be selectively ignored for the parts of a mesh which name include the defined suffix, for specific bakers which include the Ignore Backface option.

Default: _ignorebf

Substance templates

When creating a new graph, you are prompted to start working off of a template which can have a number of settings and content pre-configured, such as outputs (e.g. PBR (Metallic/Roughness)).

This setting lets you point Designer to directories where you can store your own SBS files to use as templates. Your custom templates will then be added to the list when creating a new graph.

Default: None

3D scenes

By default, Designer uses the MikkT tangent space in the 3D View. MikkT is widely used and is the default in programs such as Unity, Unreal Engine 4, Blender and xNormal.

You can use your own tangent space for the 3D View, which you provide to Designer in the form of a DLL file input in this setting.
The label is auto-detected from the DLL file, and you can edit the description for the plugin.

Default: mikktspace.dll

Always recompute tangent frames.

Default: Unchecked

Normal and Tangent Smoothing Angle.

Default: 180.0°

Misc

Normal maps can be generated or processed using either the DirectX or OpenGL format. This setting sets the value for this format in several places, such as material properties in the 3D View and the Normal filter node parameters.

Default: DirectX

Regarding the Normal filter node, you can set the default value for the Alpha Channel Content parameter. You can either choose to force the alpha to 1 in all cases, or fill it with information from its input.

Default: Force Alpha to 1

Image formats

This lets you specify the default format settings for exported images.

Default: Default (BMP) / Piz-based wavelet, unchecked, unchecked (EXR) / Unchecked, unchecked, 75 (JPG) / Best Speed, unchecked (PNG) / Default (TGA) / LZW (TIF) / Unchecked, 75 (WEBP)

Dependencies paths

SBS packages generally have dependencies, i.e. reliance on external resources such as other SBS packages, bitmaps or vector files. These dependencies, which are listed in the Dependency Manager, are stored and referenced in the SBS package with a path which points to these resources.

For dependencies which include the same path as the SBS package (i.e. they are located in the same locations or sub-folder(s) from that location), the reference path is written relative to the SBS package location.

Example: for a SBS package myproject/mypackage.sbs, an image myproject/myfolder/myimage.png will be referenced to the myfolder/myimage.png path in mypackage.sbs).

For dependencies which do not include the same path as the SBS package (i.e. they are located in a different location altogether from the SBS package), you can choose how the path is written.

If it is set to relative paths, the resource will be referenced in the same way as described above.

Example: for a SBS package myparentfolder/ myproject/mypackage.sbs, an image myparentfolder/myotherfolder/myimage.png will be referenced to the ../myotherfolder/myimage.png path in mypackage.sbs.

If it is set to absolute paths, the resource will be referenced by its full system path (i.e. its filename).

Example: for a SBS package myparentfolder/mymyproject/mypackage.sbs, an image myparentfolder/myotherfolder/myimage.png will be referenced to this same full path in mypackage.sbs.

Default: ...relative paths.

Actions

Designer has pre-configured callbacks triggers, which will execute the script you provide using the interpreter set up in the Interpreters list described below.

The included callbacks are the following:

• onBeforeFileLoaded – executes the script before a SBS package is loaded
• onAfterFileLoaded – executes the script after a SBS package is loaded
• onBeforeFileSaved – executes the script before a SBS package is saved
• onAfterFileSaved – executes the script after a SBS package is saved
• getGraphExportOptions – executes the script when the Export Outputs options are called

A Python script is included in the installation files, with the functions triggered by each callback already set up and ready to use. You can use it as a starting point and add functionality according to your needs. This script is functions.py, located in the tools > scripting folder of the installation files.

Default: None

Interpreters

In this list, you can provide specific interpreters Designer should use to execute the scripts set up in the Actions list described above. Interpreters are identified using a custom alias you can edit in the text field of each entry of the list.

A Python 3.6 interpreter is bundled with the installation files of Designer. You can find it in the plugins > pythonsdk folder of the installation files.

Default: None