Blog 7
Why 3D modeling software?
It only takes a quick scroll of my instagram profile to see that I am drawn to the visual splendor of food.
I was brought up in a family who’s major expression of love was through food. So I’ve been fascinated by the ritual surrounding it for as long as I can remember. In particular, I’m interested in the link between food and the spaces in which it takes form. From our kitchens and dining tables to hole in the wall mom and pops to fine dining experiences, I see the beauty and the universal language of gathering over a meal transcend through each of these environments.
We all have a romanticized version of a dream job in our heads. I am no different. I’ve always dreamed of working as a designer within the food industry, whether that is packaging design and branding for food brands, or styling editorial shots for food magazines like Bon Appetit. I’m aware that both generative tools and 3D rendering software have entered into this sector, so I wanted to look into two software options.
Adobe Substance 3D Modeler and Blender offer powerful 3D modeling capabilities, but have key differences when it comes to ease of use, cost, creative features, and industry applicability.
Pros and Cons
Substance 3D Modeler features an intuitive interface making it relatively easy for beginners to start constructing 3D assets. Its smart brushes, meshes and selection tools speed up organic and hard surface modeling with just a mouse. Being able to quickly conceptualize ideas or model variants has advantages for us designers. However, Blender offers a free open-source option which could be more cost-effective for students or hobbyists not needing advanced texturing for commercial projects. Its hotkeys and denser UI mean a steeper learning curve though.
Creatively, Substance leverages “Physically Based Rendering” materials to achieve photorealistic rendering in concept models with accurate lighting behavior. This helps showcase designs impressively from early ideation. However, Blender has vastly broader modeling capabilities for animation, rigging, simulations and game asset creation. While Substance streamlines model creation, Blender provides more customization over topology for specialized 3D projects.
For food stylists and product designers aiming to build commercial design portfolios, choosing a tool aligned to industry needs makes sense. Substance models can be deployed across Adobe software and game engines for greater versatility, while Blenders game/VR strengths suit interactive projects. Simplicity versus full creative control presents the core choice.
With the massive growth in 3D visualization adoption since 2020 in ecommerce and augmented reality, 3D skills greatly boost designer employability. Being able to quickly mock up photorealistic lifestyle scenes and product variations or prototype food arrangements in 3D gives creatives a competitive advantage. Learning either tool is wise, but those focused specifically on modeling for UX/UI, AR or graphic design may favor Substance for its efficient, visually-oriented workflow. In tandem with Adobe suite proficiency, it equips designers for the increasingly 3D-native future.
No additional purchase necessary for SCCA as Substance is already part of my Adobe subscription, and Blender is a crowd-sourced and free application!