# Substance 3D Painter

Application: Adobe

Also called substance painter, allegorithmic painter

Adobe, Creative

3D texture painting Adobe bought from Allegorithmic. Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe is the process. It is not Photoshop.

## What you need to know

Substance Painter paints 3D textures. Photoshop paints 2D pixels.

Adobe bought Allegorithmic. Painter.exe in the Substance folder is a mesh painter. Photoshop.exe is a 2D compositor.

- **What is it?**: 3D texture painting

  **Still current?**: Yes, see Current status

  **Official download?**: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe is the process, that is 3D texture painting, not Photoshop. I would not hunt Photoshop.exe to explain a missing texture set.

## What is Substance 3D Painter?

Substance 3D Painter is a 3D texture painting application. The Windows executable is Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe.

## If you have never used it

Substance 3D Painter paints textures on a 3D mesh. Adobe bought Allegorithmic. Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe is the process. It is not Photoshop. A PSD is 2D pixels. A Painter project is mesh plus texture sets. Install from Creative Cloud or a Substance plan.

## What is it used for?

**Mesh texture sets**

Paint on UV sets. Photoshop can paint a flat map. This app is the 3D viewport.

**Smart materials**

Allegorithmic materials. Those are not Photoshop layer styles.

**Export maps**

Normal, roughness, and base color for a game engine. A PSD flatten is the wrong export.

## Who is it for?

- Game artists who bake textures
- People who still say Allegorithmic
- Anyone who opened Photoshop to paint a 3D model

## Current status

Substance 3D Painter (2014) is a current 3d texture painting from Adobe. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html.

## How old is it?

Allegorithmic shipped Painter around 2014. Adobe bought the Substance suite in 2019. Photoshop (1990) remains the 2D editor. Current Painter is an Adobe Substance 3D app.

## Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows build

## System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

### Minimum

| Operating system | A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| RAM              | 8 GB class plus a GPU Adobe lists for Substance 3D Painter           |

## Resource profile

- **CPU demand**: Follows what you open inside the app

  **RAM demand**: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

## Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

| Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe | Main Windows executable |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------- |

## Startup components

Painter does not need to start with Windows. Creative Cloud may sit in the tray.

## File locations

| Typical install | C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Painter\\ |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |

## File formats

SPP, SBSAR, PNG maps, EXR

## Common problems

### Opened Photoshop to paint a character

Export maps from Painter. A flat PSD is not a texture set.

### GPU feature level too low

Adobe documents GPU floors for Painter. This is not a Photoshop scratch disk.

## Getting unstuck

### Confirm Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe

Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Substance 3D Painter is the app. Photoshop.exe is the 2D editor.

### Install from Creative Cloud

A random Substance crack is junk.

### Update the GPU driver first

Painter is viewport-heavy. Adobe lists the GPU bar.

## Alternatives

Blender texture paint and Mari overlap. Photoshop does not replace a Painter project.

## Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

| Download      | [www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html ](https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html)Official installer or vendor page |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Help          | [helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-painter.html ](https://helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-painter.html)Vendor support                                |
| Official site | [www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html ](https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html)Start here, not a random exe host |

## Related hardware

A GPU with enough VRAM matters more than a famous CPU name. Adobe lists current Windows 10 or 11 64-bit.

## Technical details

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

## Related

These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link.

[Adobe Photoshop: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/adobe-photoshop)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager)

## Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research).

- [Substance 3D Painter official site ](https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html)· Vendor product page
- [Substance 3D Painter help ](https://helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-painter.html)· Vendor support
- [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

## Was this article useful?

A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note.

Quick facts

The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article.

- **Developer**: Adobe

  **Category**: 3D texture painting

  **Process**: Adobe Substance 3D Painter.exe

  **License**: Substance 3D or Creative Cloud plan, per Adobe

  **First released**: 2014

  **Official site**: [adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter](https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d-painter.html)

  **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole

Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026

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