PBR Reference Guide

Introduction

As of release 3.8.0, the FS2 Open engine supports Physically-Based Rendering. Along with it comes many new hurdles for asset creators, and the need for a guide on the matter. This article is designed mostly as a reference guide that can serve as a basis for workflows and as a refresher if needed.

Tools

There are many tools available to modders that can assist in the creation of assets.

Substance Painter

Substance Painter is a 3D painting software created by Allegorithmic. It can be purchased under a multitude of plans (including a perpetual license), although an educational license is available.

Quixel Suite

Quixel Suite is a 3D painting tool created by Quixel that integrates with Adobe Photoshop CS4/5/6 and Creative Cloud. It is available under a perpetual license, with an educational discount available.

Quixel Suite's biggest feature is the Quixel Megascans material library, which provides thousands of scanned PBR materials, with several hundred being included with the suite and a large variety of packs available for purchase. The included materials provide everything you need to get started, but some of the Megascans materials and masks are incredibly useful.

QS provides the simplest transfer to FSO, as it features an export preset that produces textures compatible with the engine by default.

The Workflow

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