We are excited to be back to GDC!
GDC Festival of Gaming, the Game Developers Conference returns to San Francisco on March 9-13, and Substance 3D is thrilled to be part of the event to connect with the gaming community.
We’ll host Substance Days, a full day of presentations from industry experts, and exciting news about the Substance ecosystem. Save the date – March 9 – to enjoy some inspiring sessions of the industry’s best-rated games.
Meet the Substance experts at the Summit Connect Meeting Pod #SC07, West Hall, Level 2 for technical demos and portfolio reviews. Get tips and tricks on how to use Substance 3D, learn the latest features in the Substance suite, and present your work during a portfolio review session. Make sure to book your 20 minutes slot.
SUBSTANCE DAYS
MARCH 9 | 10:10AM - 6:00PM | MOSCONE CENTER, WEST HALL, Room #3001/3003
10:10AM-11:10AM | Adobe Substance 3D Keynote
Stay up to date with the latest innovations across the Adobe Substance 3D ecosystem. Dive into the latest product updates and releases, including a focused look at OpenPBR and how it’s shaping the future of material standards. The Substance 3D team will also tease upcoming features, with an exclusive live demo in Substance 3D Painter led by Lucrezia Romeo, Character Artist specializing in video games, offering a firsthand look at what's coming next.
Finally, the team will share a preview of ongoing and upcoming research projects, providing a glimpse into the future direction of the Substance 3D tools and technology.
As an added bonus, the first 350 attendees will get a bag with a custom design by Nikie Monteleone (limited edition – don't miss it!).
SPEAKERS:
Wes McDermott, Principal Director, Creative 3D Evangelist & Community Advocate, Adobe
Jérémie Noguer, Product Director, Substance 3D, Adobe
Lucrezia Romeo, Character Artist
11:30AM-12:30PM | Building the Dark Fantasy Materials of DOOM: The Dark Ages
Explore the material creation pipeline behind DOOM: The Dark Ages as Kat Tamburello guides you through the procedural systems and artistic strategies that enabled a small team to build a dark fantasy world. This session examines how the team built an extensive library of tiling materials using Substance-based workflows to support the dynamic damage reveal system, rapid iteration on multiple biomes, and the massive scale of the Dragon and Atlan map. Attendees will gain insight into how these techniques streamlined production, ensured visual consistency, and empowered the team to meet the ambitious scope and complexity demanded by the world of DOOM: The Dark Ages.
SPEAKER:
Kat Tamburello, Senior Material Artist, id Software
12:45PM-1:45PM | Four Artists Use Substance 3D to Texture Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive’s Lead Character Artist Alan Reynaud and Environment Artist Mathieu Costat will share how they approached texturing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with only a small, predominantly junior team. They will explain how they managed to texture a large number of assets, from main characters to a wide range of environment props, in a short amount of time, all while ensuring consistent artistic direction. They will also present a live demo showing how simple tips and fluid collaboration across departments can save time and elevate a project’s overall quality. Finally, they will provide insights into the studio’s workflows used for the game and take a look at the game’s latest update.
SPEAKERS:Mathieu Costat, Environment Artist, Sandfall Interactive
Alan Reynaud, Lead Technical Artist, Sandfall Interactive
2:50PM-3:20PM | Reusable Material Systems: Vinyl Flooring for Scalable Environments
Explore the process of creating a convincing vinyl flooring material with Substance 3D Designer from start to finish. Vincent Dérozier will walk through his workflow, starting from a clean, simple base surface, and progressing toward worn and aged variations suitable for games He will demonstrate how to leverage the power of Substance 3D Designer to build versatile textures that can be easily reused and adapted across multiple projects.
SPEAKER:
Vincent Dérozier, Senior Lead Content
3:40PM-4:40PM | Through the Looking Glass: The Art of South of Midnight
Paulette Richardson and Chad Emond from Compulsion Games will share insights into the handcrafted art style behind the environments and characters of South of Midnight. Paulette will talk about the texturing process for props and environments using Substance 3D Designer and Substance 3D Painter. Chad will follow with a look at the characters of South of Midnight, taking you through the team’s character pipeline and showcasing how Substance 3D Painter was used during the texturing process.
SPEAKERS:
Paulette Richardson, Principle Environment Artist, Compulsion Games
5:00PM-6:00PM | To be Announced Soon!
SUBSTANCE DAYS AFTER PARTY
MARCH 9 | 7:00PM-9:30PM | 111 MINNA GALLERY
Come chat with the Substance 3D team and our special guests while enjoying free drinks, appetizers, swags and good vibes. Join us to connect and have some fun together on the first evening of GDC 2026!
The afterparty is free and open to attendees of Substance Days at GDC. Capacity is limited, so make sure you register!
The afterparty is free and open to attendees of Substance Days at GDC. Capacity is limited, so make sure you register!
Portfolio Review Artists Include:
Wes McDermott
Wes McDermott: Principal Director, Creative 3D Evangelist & Community Advocate, Adobe | Lucrezia Romeo: Character Artist | Vincent Dérozier: Senior Lead Content | Ian Robinson: Master ZBrush Senior Trainer, Maxon Software
Ask the Artists:
Ian Robinson, Master ZBrush Trainer
Wes McDermott,
Ian Robinson: Master ZBrush Senior Trainer, Maxon Software | Wes McDermott: Principal Director, Creative 3D Evangelist & Community Advocate, Adobe | Lucrezia Romeo: Character Artist
*Photos shown in portfolio review section