A New Phase for 3D Texture Creation
3D texture creation is the process of designing, painting, and managing detailed surface materials for 3D models, using PBR workflows, GPU-accelerated rendering, and both desktop and web-based 3D tools to deliver believable results across games, VFX, and design work. Right now, that process is shifting from slow, siloed software towards faster, more open, and more portable solutions. Adobe, Foundry, and Mixos are not just shipping routine updates; they are openly pushing standards and accessibility. Substance 3D Sampler gains OpenPBR as its default shading model, Mari expands its node graph in a meaningful way, and Mixos brings browser-based PBR painting to anyone with a recent GPU. Taken together, these moves are a clear signal: serious texturing is no longer locked to one workstation or one ecosystem.
Substance 3D Sampler: OpenPBR and Faster Material Authoring
Adobe has released Substance 3D Sampler 6.0 as its latest material authoring and 3D capture tool, followed by the bugfix update 6.02. The headline change is support for the OpenPBR standard, which now powers the default material-creation preset and export channels. This is not a minor tweak: aligning Sampler with OpenPBR, and letting users convert old Adobe Standard Material content to the new model, pushes production pipelines toward a common, open language for shading. Sampler also adds material-creation presets for common physical types—transparent, translucent, coated, fuzzy, anisotropic—designed to streamline recreating “real” surfaces. Workflow updates such as a redesigned Property panel with per-channel filters and dynamic versions of Auto Tiling and Content Aware Fill further cut the friction of day-to-day PBR material authoring. For many artists, this is the first practical taste of an OpenPBR-driven pipeline.
These changes arrive somewhat under the radar: version 6.0 shipped in April but saw little coverage outside Adobe’s own channels. That low-key release does not match the impact. By supporting OpenPBR and extending export options to USD, USDA and USDZ for materials as well as geometry, Sampler signals how PBR asset libraries will move between DCC apps in the next few years. One quotable detail that matters for independent artists is that Substance 3D Texturing subscriptions cost USD 24.99 (approx. RM115) per month or USD 249.99 (approx. RM1,150) per year, while the Substance 3D Collection is USD 59.99 (approx. RM275) per month or USD 599.99 (approx. RM2,760) per year. Pricing at that level means Sampler must justify itself with speed and interoperability—and OpenPBR plus better presets are a strong way to do it.
Mari 8.0: Hex Tiling and A/B Comparisons for Deep Lookdev
Foundry’s Mari has long aimed at the upper end of 3D texture painting, and the 8.0 open beta keeps that focus but with a sharper toolset. The release brings over 50 new nodes to the Node Graph, including extensive math operations and three standouts: Hex Tile, Compare, and Color Remap. Hex Tile tackles a classic pain point by minimizing visible repeats through hexagonal tiling and blending, matching similar support already found in Houdini, Redshift, and RenderMan. Compare introduces A/B wipe comparisons between different node streams, making it far easier to iterate on a material or build subtle variants without cluttering the graph. Color Remap consolidates hue, saturation, exposure, and gamma controls into a single, central node. This is exactly the kind of focused tooling that matters when you are balancing dozens of texture sets for hero assets.
Mari 8.0’s workflow updates are modest but targeted. Trackball-style camera navigation offers an alternative to the usual Orbit tool, which can feel more natural for some artists. Archived projects now display a clear visual indicator on thumbnails, a small but welcome improvement for large libraries. Under the hood, Mari moves to the CY2025 spec for the VFX Reference Platform, which nudges pipelines forward without forcing bleeding-edge changes. The software is in open beta, with a stable release expected roughly three to six months from now based on earlier update cycles. On the business side, individual subscriptions have a standard price of USD 86 (approx. RM395) per month or USD 689 (approx. RM3,165) per year, and team subscriptions cost USD 1,289 (approx. RM5,925) per year, up USD 60 (approx. RM275) since Mari 7.5. Those numbers underline that Mari is still aimed squarely at studios and high-end freelancers.
Mixos: WebGPU-Powered PBR Painting in the Browser
Mixos takes a different route: instead of a heavyweight offline application, it uses WebGPU to bring 4K PBR texture creation directly into the browser. Users can import FBX, OBJ, and glTF/GLB models and paint onto them in real time with brush modes, stamps, stencils, and projection painting. Standard PBR texture maps—albedo, normal, roughness, metallic, height, opacity—are supported, and you can bake geometry-driven maps like ambient occlusion and curvature. Crucially, Mixos includes a built-in library of about 2,600 CC0 materials sourced mainly from ambientCG and Poly Haven, which can be blended through a layer system. That CC0 focus quietly changes how newcomers build material libraries: instead of hoarding textures, they remix open assets. The same material-mixing features are even offered as a separate web app, Strata.
Mixos also leans into optional AI workflows. You can generate complete PBR materials, or individual textures, masks, alphas, and decals from text prompts, and an Auto-Texture feature can automatically texture an imported 3D model and create test renders from multiple angles. AI access is credit-based, with Pro accounts at USD 9 (approx. RM40) per month or USD 84 (approx. RM385) per year including 100 credits monthly, and Studio accounts at USD 19 (approx. RM85) per month or USD 180 (approx. RM825) per year including 400 credits. Hardware demands are deliberately low: any desktop browser among Chrome, Edge, and Safari 18+ is supported, and the only real requirement is a GPU less than six years old. For artists who often work remotely, Mixos offers a practical way to do texture work on the move or make quick material edits away from a main workstation.
Desktop Power Meets Browser Flexibility
Taken together, these updates show a clear trend: PBR material authoring is stretching to cover both deep, node-based pipelines and lightweight, browser-based workflows. Substance 3D Sampler’s OpenPBR shift and new presets commit Adobe’s ecosystem to open shading and faster capture of real-world materials. Mari 8.0 continues to refine high-end painting with tools like Hex Tile and A/B Compare aimed squarely at serious lookdev. Mixos, by contrast, proves that WebGPU and web-based 3D tools are now capable of meaningful 4K texturing and CC0 material remixing inside a tab. The timing is notable: Sampler 6.0 quietly arrived in April with little coverage, while Mari’s open beta and Mixos’ release land in quick succession. This is not a single product story but a broader shift in how texture artists can work across devices, budgets, and pipelines.
The practical impact is already visible. Sampler’s material templates reduce setup time for common surfaces, Mari’s workflow tweaks help artists move through complex node graphs with fewer clicks, and Mixos offers a credible way to stay productive when traveling or away from a main machine. Serious studios will still rely on heavyweight desktop tools for the largest projects, but ignoring browser-based solutions now looks short-sighted. The smarter posture is hybrid: let desktop tools own the dense, high-risk work, and use web-based apps for quick look tests, asset variations, and collaborative tweaks. As GPU-accelerated rendering in browsers matures and open standards like OpenPBR spread, texture artists will gain more freedom in where—and how—they create their materials. That is the real story behind these product updates: not features in isolation, but a more flexible future for 3D texture creation.
