Recently, I worked on two Substance Painter projects, Project A and Project B, each containing the same 3D object, which I’ll call object C. The only difference was that object C was positioned differently in 3D space in each project. Otherwise, the object was identical and shared the same UV map.

To save time and avoid having to recreate textures from scratch, I looked for a way to transfer the layers of object C’s texture set from Project A to Project B. This would allow me to make small adjustments or variations later without duplicating my efforts.

The texture set of the eye outlines should be transferred to the other object.

If no changes or variations were needed, I could have simply used one texture in Maya and assigned it to object C in both positions. However, that option wasn’t suitable in my scenario.

The Problem: Layers & Texture Sets in Substance Painter

I discovered that Substance Painter offers no direct way to copy layers or entire texture sets between different projects. My workaround was to convert object C’s layers in Project A into a Smart Material, then apply it to the same object (C) in Project B. Since a Smart Material in Substance Painter acts as a “container” for all layers and effects, I expected this to preserve all my texturing work.

Initial Tests & Difficulties

Unfortunately, this didn’t work as anticipated. While the Smart Material was applied to object C in Project B and the layer structure appeared intact, certain details (such as hand-drawn lines) were missing.

Object with apparently shifted layers

To pinpoint the cause, I conducted several tests:

  1. Same Project Test In a fresh Substance Painter project (using the original 3D model), I converted the texture set into a Smart Material and applied it to the same mesh within that same project. This worked perfectly.
  2. Changed Position Test I then slightly changed the position of the mesh in the original project, reloaded it into Substance Painter, and applied the same Smart Material. This time, the same missing details reappeared—certain elements were lost or misaligned.

The Realization: Position Affects Texturing

After multiple attempts, it became clear that an object’s position in 3D space affects how Substance Painter interprets painted or projected details. Even though object C’s UV layout remained unchanged, moving it in 3D space caused Substance Painter to misinterpret the texture details that had been applied earlier.

Previously, I assumed all painted or projected details were referenced solely through UV coordinates. However, this experience showed that Substance Painter also factors in the object’s spatial position. Consequently, a Smart Material cannot be applied to the “same” model if it has been relocated in 3D space without risking the loss or misalignment of certain details.

Possible Workarounds & Suggestions

As of now, there’s no built-in method to copy entire texture sets between projects and apply them seamlessly to objects that differ only by position. One workaround is to export the texture from Project A and then use it in Project B via a Fill Layer. However, this loses the layer structure, limiting your ability to make further edits or variations.

It would be extremely beneficial if Substance Painter provided a feature to transfer texture layers purely based on UV coordinates, ignoring the object’s position in 3D space. Such a feature would greatly simplify reusing texture sets across different projects.

Your Feedback is Welcome!

If anyone has discovered a clever workaround for transferring layers based on UVs alone—or has tips, tricks, or related experiences—please let me know! Your insights could help me and others facing the same challenge.

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