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Gravity Sketch vs Substance 3D Painter

Gravity Sketch logo

Gravity Sketch

Software

VR 3D design tool

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Software

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Gravity Sketch has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gravity Sketch free plan limited to 150MB cloud storage and 3 simultaneous users per room; Substance 3D Painter the Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.
  • They diverge on capability: Gravity Sketch covers VR design, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gravity Sketch and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where Gravity Sketch and Substance 3D Painter differ
AttributeGravity SketchSubstance 3D Painter
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsVR (Meta Quest, Steam, Web)Windows, MacOS, Linux
Founded20141982

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Gravity Sketch

  • VR design
  • Desktop app
  • Surface modeling
  • Collaboration
  • Import/export
  • Presentation mode
  • Rhino
  • Alias

Only in Substance 3D Painter

  • 3D painting
  • Smart materials
  • Generators
  • PBR workflow
  • Baking
  • Export presets
  • Scripting
  • Maya

Both cover

  • Blender
  • Unity
  • Windows support
  • MacOS support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Gravity Sketch

  • Spatial 3D design and conceptualisation in VRnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Collaborative product design sessionsnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Conceptual model generationnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Engineering and design team collaboration in immersive environmentnot Substance 3D Painter

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot Gravity Sketch
  • Film assetsnot Gravity Sketch
  • Product visualizationnot Gravity Sketch

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Gravity Sketch

  • Free plan limited to 150MB cloud storage and 3 simultaneous users per room
  • File format support limited to OBJ and STL on free plan; other formats require paid plan
  • Evaluation tools (surface contours, viewpoints, section tool) not available on free tier
  • VR access requires Meta Quest, Steam, or web app; limited to specific platforms
  • Data localisation only available on Enterprise plan

Substance 3D Painter

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gravity Sketch

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Gravity Sketch review.

Substance 3D Painter

$29/month
  • Substance 3D Texturing$19.99/month
    • Painter + Sampler
  • Substance 3D Collection$49.99/month
    • All Substance apps

Which should you pick?

Choose Gravity Sketch if

  • You need vr design.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on VR (Meta Quest, Steam, Web).
  • You also want desktop app.
Gravity Sketch review

Choose Substance 3D Painter if

  • You need 3d painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want smart materials.
Substance 3D Painter review

Questions people ask

Is Gravity Sketch or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. Gravity Sketch starts at Free and Substance 3D Painter at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gravity Sketch or Substance 3D Painter?
Gravity Sketch has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Gravity Sketch and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
Does Gravity Sketch or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
Gravity Sketch runs on VR (Meta Quest, Steam, Web). Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use Gravity Sketch for free?
Yes. Gravity Sketch has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
What is Gravity Sketch best used for?
Gravity Sketch is most often used for spatial 3d design and conceptualisation in vr, collaborative product design sessions, conceptual model generation, engineering and design team collaboration in immersive environment. Of those, spatial 3d design and conceptualisation in vr and collaborative product design sessions are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
What can Gravity Sketch do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
Gravity Sketch covers VR design, Desktop app, Surface modeling, Collaboration. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. Both handle Blender, Unity, Windows support, MacOS support.
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