From experiments by creative hobbyists to the aerospace industry, going through character artists, game or VFX exploring new creative universes, additive manufacturing is leaving its (3D) print on our conception of modern product design as the fundamental brick to the industry 4.0.

This winter, Substance Source expands with more than 50 tweakable materials dedicated to 3D printing.

We have mimicked the visual characteristics of 10 additive manufacturing technologies to help artists previsualize the results of 3D printing in photorealistic ways.

Like any process of material transformation, the tools used for 3D printing leave a mark on the surface of the material. We believe that materials incorporating these effects are more necessary than ever – both for creating exciting previews, and from a purely tactile, aesthetic point of view.

With these materials, we want to give designers and artists the opportunity to create new tactile experiences using these "process-driven" textures.

Each material is built with a specific set of modifiable parameters that vary the visual attributes. The possible variations range from color and roughness to slice shape and regularity, as well as random printer nozzle micro-spills of material amount and distribution.