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Game Development · head to head

O3DE vs Substance 3D Painter

O3DE logo

O3DE

Game Development

Open 3D Engine - Professional game engine

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Game Development

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only O3DE has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: O3DE minimum hardware is a quad-core 2.5 GHz x86 CPU with SSE 4.1, 16 GB RAM and a DirectX 12 or Vulkan GPU with 2 GB VRAM and Shader Model 6.2; 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: O3DE covers 3D graphics rendering, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which O3DE and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where O3DE and Substance 3D Painter differ
AttributeO3DESubstance 3D Painter
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Playstation, XboxWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded20211982

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 O3DE

  • 3D graphics rendering
  • Modular architecture
  • Physics engine
  • Audio system
  • Animation tools
  • Particle effects
  • Material system
  • Lighting system

Only in Substance 3D Painter

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

Both cover

  • Windows support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

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

O3DE

  • Building 3D games and simulations on an open source Apache-licensed enginenot Substance 3D Painter
  • Robotics and industrial simulation using O3DE Gemsnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Projects that need full engine source access with no royaltynot Substance 3D Painter

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot O3DE
  • Film assetsnot O3DE
  • Product visualizationnot O3DE

Where each one falls short

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

O3DE

  • Minimum hardware is a quad-core 2.5 GHz x86 CPU with SSE 4.1, 16 GB RAM and a DirectX 12 or Vulkan GPU with 2 GB VRAM and Shader Model 6.2
  • Raytracing features require Shader Model 6.3
  • Disk space required is 40 GB using the prebuilt installer and 100 GB or more when building from source
  • Building the engine from source needs 2 GB of RAM per build thread on top of normal system requirements
  • On Windows the editor requires Windows 10 version 20H2 or later plus Visual Studio 2019 16.11.x, 2022 17.3.x or 2026 18.0.x with the Game development with C++ workload
  • The only primary Linux distribution for the editor is Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, and Ubuntu on 64-bit ARMv8 is experimental
  • Linux builds need CMake 3.30.0 or later, which is newer than the 3.22 shipped by default with Ubuntu 22.04
  • Wayland support is experimental, requires building from source, and is limited to the Game Launcher with no editor support until O3DE moves to Qt6
  • Linux requires a long list of additional apt library packages to be installed before building

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

O3DE

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full engine
    • Modular architecture
    • Cross-platform

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 O3DE if

  • You need 3d graphics rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Playstation, Xbox.
  • You also want modular architecture.
O3DE 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 O3DE or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. O3DE 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, O3DE or Substance 3D Painter?
O3DE has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for O3DE and $29/month for Substance 3D Painter.
Does O3DE or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
O3DE runs on Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android, Playstation, Xbox. Substance 3D Painter runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
Can I use O3DE for free?
Yes. O3DE has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Substance 3D Painter starts at $29/month.
What is O3DE best used for?
O3DE is most often used for building 3d games and simulations on an open source apache-licensed engine, robotics and industrial simulation using o3de gems, projects that need full engine source access with no royalty. Of those, building 3d games and simulations on an open source apache-licensed engine and robotics and industrial simulation using o3de gems are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
What can O3DE do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
O3DE covers 3D graphics rendering, Modular architecture, Physics engine, Audio system. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. Both handle Windows support, Linux support.
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