For remarkably realistic 3D assets, Megascans is the best choice, repeatedly praised for its quality by AAA game studios and VFX studios. However, for complete control over texturing, layering, and painting, paired with an industry-renowned reputation, choose Substance.
Key Differences Between Megascans and Substance
- Megascans is the largest, fastest-growing 3D scan library, offering professionally scanned, real-world PBR-calibrated assets with standardized attributes. Substance brings comprehensive tools for creating, texturing, and painting 3D models.
- Megascans is rendered in Unreal Engine 5, making its assets widely used in gaming, VFX, AR/VR, and beyond. Substance targets a wider user base like game developers, VFX artists, and motion graphic designers with its 3D collection.
- Megascans has a flexible licensing model with limited exemptions. Substance, now under Adobe, brings the benefits and pricing structure of Adobe’s licensing model. However, indie developers have called out for more affordable pricing.
- Megascans provides its users access to Twinmotion Library. Substance integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud, giving subscribers access to Adobe’s extensive 3D asset library.
| Comparison | Megascans | Adobe Substance 3D Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Variety and Quality of Assets | Largest, fastest-growing 3D scan library, rendered in Unreal Engine 5. Assets include surfaces, vegetation, imperfections, decals etc, used by gaming, VFX, ArchViz, and beyond. | New suite includes Substance 3D Designer, Substance 3D Painter, Substance 3D Sampler and Substance 3D Stager. Offers smart materials, masks, integrated bakers, real-time viewports for artists, designers, engineers, developers for 3D model texturing. |
| Asset Formation | Standardized assets: optimized topology, consistent scale, resolution, and real-world PBR calibration. Scanning expeditions capture assets from whole biomes, ecoregions. | Substance Designer for creating meshes/materials, Substance Painter for texturing, layering, painting said materials. Substance Painter offers automatic UV unwrapping, smart materials/masks. Substance Designer provides wide-ranging assets, node-based system. |
| Pricing | Unreal Engine users given unlimited points for license. Licensing exemptions observed when adding 50{66f7997927a862c9f57ec7dffc6a2fe6d405caee7001dff533b976d48fe118b1} of personal value to texture. | Critiqued for being costly for indie developers. Substance 3D Texturing subscriptions cost $19.99/month or $219.88/year. Full Substance 3D Collection subscription: $49.99/month or $549.88/year. |
| User Perception | Praised by multiple gaming studios such as 4A Games, EA DICE, and Capcom; VFX studios including Technicolor, Bungie, Unity Demo Team. Oscar-winning quality appreciated by MPC Film. | Substance tools have been critical in game development (Uncharted 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Apex Legends) and visual effects (Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zombieland 2, Game of Thrones). |
| Support and Community | Twinmotion Library provides free access to Megascans library. Some forum users confused about licensing, use of Megascans. | Engages with users via community platforms like Steam, Blender Artists, answering licensing, pricing queries. Offers standalone versions, commercial upgrades, discounts to early beta users. |
What Is Megascans and Who’s It For?
Megascans is the world’s fastest-growing 3D scan library, extensively used in gaming, VFX, and ArchViz industries. This standardised asset powerhouse renders in Unreal Engine 5, boasting Oscar-winning quality, consistently scanned and PBR calibrated resources, and a wide catalogue ranging from surfaces to vegetation. Meant for AAA and VFX studios, 3D and 2D asset consumers, along with mobile, VR, and AR application developers, the assets are diverse and detailed.
Pros of Megascans
- Huge, diverse asset library
- Oscar-winning quality resources
- Uniformly scanned, scaled, and PBR calibrated assets
Cons of Megascans
- Limited to 2K resolution in Twinmotion
- Forum users confused about licensing
- Non-game dev users unsure of utility in static renders, model sales
What Is Adobe Substance 3D Collection and Who’s It For?
Adobe Substance 3D Collection is a comprehensive overhaul of the old Substance Suite, targeting a wider user base encompassing game developers, VFX artists, motion graphic designers, artists, designers, engineers, and more. Renaming and expanding the product list, it now includes Substance 3D Stager for scene layout and a private beta of the VR sculpting app – Substance Modeler. It caters to individual artists, and commercial or non-commercial developers who need affordable, full-feature 3D texturing and modelling tools.
Pros of Adobe Substance 3D Collection
- Wide variety of products fitting various 3D needs
- Integration with Adobe Bridge for extensive asset library access
- Used in high-profile game and film productions
Cons of Adobe Substance 3D Collection
- Pricing scheme criticized as costly for indie developers
- Concerns around limits on non-commercial versions
- Indie developers’ struggle for affordable tools and non-marketplace commercial use
So, Megascans or Substance – What’s Your Pick?
The technologies sing different tunes, equally symphonic but refined for different ears. To sift through the tonal complexities, we’re breaking down our verdict into distinctive audience segments.
AAA Game Developers and VFX Artists
Megascans is your troupe of choice. High-quality 3D and 2D assets, optimized topology and Unreal Engine 5 rendering feed into the creative frenzy of AAA game development and high-end VFX projects. With Oscar-winning MPC Film in its fan base, Megascans offers unmatched artistic resource.
- Proven performance in AAA gaming and VFX studios.
- Continuous updates with new assets weekly.
- Unreal Engine 5 rendering for breathtaking visuals.
Mobile, AR/VR Application Creators
Depending on your focus, both Megascans and Substance could come out tops. For voluminous variety of assets optimised for mobile and AR/VR applications, Megascans should be your pick. However, if creating custom 3D model texturing is your game, opt for Substance and its smart materials and masks.
Indie Game Developers
Substance has you covered for creating, painting and texturing meshes. Its integrated bakers and real-time viewports augment your developer toolkit. However, watch out for synchronising with your budget – some find Substance’s pricing a hurdle.
- Substance Designer and Painter for mesh creation and texturing.
- The flexibility of a node-based system.
- Inherent high cost
When you cross swords between Megascans and Substance, the battle’s outcome hinges on your choice of arena. High-end, AAA game development swings toward Megascans. However, flexible and custom 3D model texturing might find a comrade in Substance. Choose wisely!
