Using Substace 3D & Marmoset Toolbag to Make Ceramic Tiles Material

Introduction

Hello 80 Level readers! Some of you might remember me from my previous Brick Wall Material interview. Recently, out of nowhere, Gloria reached out and asked if I'd be interested in doing another interview this time about a new tile material I made. Of course, I couldn't say no, and I want to thank her for giving me the opportunity again.

For those who don't know me, my name is Eymen, and I'm a 3D Environment Artist based in Istanbul, Turkey, and I'm 23 years old. I didn't study art or attend any formal courses, I'm completely self-taught. I got into 3D art around the age of 19–20 as a hobby, and soon after, I started working in the game industry as a Game Artist.

During a one-year break between jobs, I locked myself in at home and focused on improving my portfolio. In fact, about 90% of what you currently see in my portfolio was created during that time. For the past year and a half, I've been working at Nokta Games as a 3D Environment Artist.

When Gloria asked if anything had changed in my career since my last article, I realized not much has changed professionally. But what truly changed was seeing people reach out to me after that interview, telling me it helped them or inspired them.

That kind of connection gives me far more joy than any career milestone. So I hope this article does the same, maybe it helps someone out there, or at least encourages them to open Substance 3D Designer and just start creating.

This project started out of pure boredom and curiosity. After a long break, I finally had some free time and just opened Substance 3D Designer to mess around a bit. There was no plan, no specific goal, I just wanted to have some fun and keep my hands busy.

So instead of going too technical, I went fully improvised, experimenting with random nodes and ideas. The result was simply a reflection of my mood at that moment. Honestly, I didn't even plan to add it to my portfolio, it was all about having fun and staying creative.

As you can see here, the material was inspired by some shapes I came across while browsing Pinterest. My goal wasn't to recreate these images one-to-one, they were just references to get the overall mood and form right.

Star Tile

My goal here was to create a star shape, since the first tile piece contains a star pattern. I rolled up my sleeves and (probably made things harder for myself) built the star using a few random nodes that came to mind (Shape Node + Transformation 2D). Of course, you can just start with the built-in Star node if you prefer.

Next, I used the Transformation 2D node to position the stars and added a bit of distortion to make the shape look more organic.

Here I'm using one of the simplest coloring methods you can imagine. I reused this same setup with small changes for the other tile pieces, too. The steps are:

1. Use a Gradient Map to set the base colors, then add some distortion.
2. Apply curvature alphas from the Normal Map to highlight the edges.
3. Finally, add subtle details with alphas from Normal to Grayscale Conversion.

Flower Tile

Here, the goal was to create a flower motif. When I looked at the shapes closely, they actually reminded me of teeth. So instead of starting with a typical flower petal, I decided to create a tooth-like shape first. I made it by bending and deforming a Disc-Shaped node.

Then, I connected this tooth shape to a Spiral node to get the flower-like pattern. Finally, I added a slightly distorted Disc Shape in the center, and tada!

Here, I simply duplicated the same coloring setup I used for the previous tile. I only changed the colors and made a few small adjustments.

Sun Tile

Here, we're making a sun shape. I'm not even sure what those outer parts of the sun are called. I'll just call them "leaves". As usual, I made things harder for myself by creating a leaf shape in the simplest but most manual way possible.

Then, using the same method as in the Flower Tile, I connected the leaves to a Spiral node to rotate and arrange them around the center. Finally, I placed a Disc Shape in the middle, and just like that, we have a sun!

I colored the sun using the same coloring method as before, only with a few small tone adjustments.

Spiral Tile

Now we've reached the spiral part. This one is pretty simple since it's made directly using the Spiral node. I added just a few extra nodes to create a bit of distribution so it wouldn't look too mechanical.

Then, I used the same coloring method as in the previous tiles. If you're wondering what the last two Tile Generator nodes are for, they're there to mask some areas and add a bit of color variation.

Hand Tile

Here, I needed to create a hand shape. I started with my favorite, the Shape/Disc node. Using a few Warp nodes, I shaped it into a palm form. For the fingers, I combined Simple Shape and Transformation 2D nodes to build a basic cubic hand.

Then, I applied several Bevel and Histogram Scan nodes to make the overall shape more rounded, something closer to a real hand silhouette. Finally, I used another Spiral node to place the shape right in the center of the palm.

For the coloring, I used the same nodes as before, just made a few small adjustments and tone tweaks.

Moon Tile

For the moon, yes, once again I started with the Shape node and selected a disc. Then, using Transformation nodes, I created a hole in the middle, basically cutting the shape to look like a crescent moon. After that, I rotated it slightly with a Spiral node and colored it using the same coloring method as before.

Base Tile

I started with a Tile Generator to create a 6x6 grid. Then I used Bevel to soften the edges and Histogram Scan nodes to give them a sharper, more distinct shape. I also used a Flood Fill node to generate extra masks for depth and later adjustments. These were useful for color and detail control in the following steps.

For the grout, I inverted the previous result using Levels (invert) to create a mask. To make the surface less sterile, I added a bit of Noise and a Slope Blur. I also gave some tiles small edge wear and subtle chipping for a more natural feel.

In this step, I deform the base tile to add a bit of variation. Then, I connect all previously created shapes (star, sun, hand, etc.) into another 6x6 Tile Generator. After that, I blend these shapes with the base tile output to make everything work together as one surface. This step helps the different motifs integrate naturally into the main tile.

Final Coloring

Here we move on to the coloring stage. Most of the work was already done earlier, since every shape was colored when it was created. Now, I connect all those shapes to the Tile Generator Color 6x6 node. From there, I use almost the same methods I used for coloring the individual shapes.

For the Grout parts, I use a mask to paint that area separately. Then, I add some detail colors using the outputs from Curvature and Grayscale Conversion taken from the Normal Map. Finally, I add a bit of dust and an AO (Ambient Occlusion) mask to finish it off. As you can see, it's a very basic but effective final coloring process.

Here, we start by creating a base using the Levels of our final grayscale output. Then, we add a grout mask and a few dust masks to shape the Roughness Map. In short, these masks help control the surface's Roughness and give it a more natural look.

Here you can see the Normal Map, AO (Ambient Occlusion), and Height Map outputs. I used a very standard setup for this part. The only small tweak is that the Normal Map is in DirectX format with a strength of +5. Other than that, it's just a classic, simple setup.

To be honest, this material doesn't have any exposed parameters. You can still tweak values directly on the nodes, but there are no preset sliders or custom inputs. The idea wasn't to make a technical showcase. I just wanted to create something quickly and freely without overthinking it. So yeah, it's a bit chaotic, but it works!

Conclusions

Honestly, this material only took a few hours to finish. As I mentioned before, I didn't go deep into technical details, so it was a quick and spontaneous process. Including rendering, it probably took less than a day. There weren't really any "main challenges". I just went with the flow, and that freedom reminded me how fun it can be to create without pressure or strict goals.

Sometimes the best results come when you stop overthinking and just make something for yourself. My advice would be this: If your goal is to master Substance 3D Designer on a technical level, this piece probably won't teach you much. But if you just want to enjoy the process, loosen up, and get your creativity going on again, projects like this are perfect.

Don't aim for perfection, just let it represent you. And of course, keep following other artists, we all learn and get inspired by each other. Finally, huge thanks to 80 Level and Gloria for reaching out, and to everyone reading this. I hope this small breakdown inspires you as well.

Eymen Akmaz, 3D Environment Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine