Game Development · head to head
Lumberyard vs Substance 3D Painter

Lumberyard
Game Development
Build AAA games with a free, cross-platform engine
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Substance 3D Painter
Game Development
3D texture painting software
- From
- $29/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Lumberyard has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Lumberyard aws.amazon.com/lumberyard now redirects to the AWS homepage; Amazon Lumberyard is no longer offered as an AWS product; 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: Lumberyard covers CryEngine foundation, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lumberyard and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.
| Attribute | Lumberyard | Substance 3D Painter |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $29/month |
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux | Windows, MacOS, Linux |
| Founded | 2006 | 1982 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Game Development).
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 Lumberyard
- CryEngine foundation
- Lua scripting
- Flowgraph editor
- Advanced graphics
- Physics simulation
- AWS GameLift integration
- Multiplayer support
- VR capabilities
Only in Substance 3D Painter
- 3D painting
- Smart materials
- Generators
- PBR workflow
- Baking
- Export presets
- Scripting
- Maya
Both cover
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lumberyard
- Building 3D games with an AWS-integrated enginenot Substance 3D Painter
- Cloud-connected multiplayer game backendsnot Substance 3D Painter
- Twitch integration for streamed gameplay featuresnot Substance 3D Painter
Substance 3D Painter
- Game texturingnot Lumberyard
- Film assetsnot Lumberyard
- Product visualizationnot Lumberyard
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lumberyard
- aws.amazon.com/lumberyard now redirects to the AWS homepage; Amazon Lumberyard is no longer offered as an AWS product
- The engine's successor is the Open 3D Engine, governed by the Open 3D Foundation rather than AWS, so migration means moving to a differently governed project
- No Lumberyard-branded documentation, download or support commitment remains at the original AWS product URL
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
Lumberyard
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine source
- AWS integration
- Lua scripting
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 Lumberyard if
- You need cryengine foundation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux.
- You also want lua scripting.
Choose Substance 3D Painter if
- You need 3d painting.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want smart materials.
Questions people ask
- Is Lumberyard or Substance 3D Painter better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lumberyard 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, Lumberyard or Substance 3D Painter?
- Lumberyard has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Lumberyard and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
- Does Lumberyard or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
- Lumberyard runs on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux. Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- Can I use Lumberyard for free?
- Yes. Lumberyard has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
- What is Lumberyard best used for?
- Lumberyard is most often used for building 3d games with an aws-integrated engine, cloud-connected multiplayer game backends, twitch integration for streamed gameplay features. Of those, building 3d games with an aws-integrated engine and cloud-connected multiplayer game backends are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
- What can Lumberyard do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
- Lumberyard covers CryEngine foundation, Lua scripting, Flowgraph editor, Advanced graphics. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. Both handle Windows support.
Related pages
More on Substance 3D Painter
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- Substance 3D Painter vs Godot Engine
- Substance 3D Painter vs Cascadeur
- Substance 3D Painter vs Construct 3
- Substance 3D Painter vs GameMaker Studio 2
- Substance 3D Painter vs Mixamo
- Substance 3D Painter vs Pico-8
- Substance 3D Painter vs Adventure Game Studio
- Substance 3D Painter vs AppGameKit
- Substance 3D Painter vs Armory3D
- Substance 3D Painter vs Bevy
- Substance 3D Painter vs Buildbox
- Substance 3D Painter vs Clickteam Fusion
- Substance 3D Painter vs Cocos2d-x
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