What's the Secret Behind Anchor Points?

Ever heard of Anchor Points in Substance Painter but not quite sure how they work? In this video, I’ll show you exactly how I use them to build up stylized scars with a non-destructive workflow.

We’ll start simple, just a painted black and white mask, and then use anchor points to add depth, colour, highlights, and all the juicy bits that make the detail pop. I’ll even explain it using smart objects in Photoshop to make the idea clearer, especially if this concept has ever felt a bit confusing.

You’ll see the full breakdown of how each layer connects, and hopefully take away a technique you can reuse in your own projects.

Let me know if this is something you’d like me to explore more, or if you have other Substance tricks you want me to cover!

Thanks for watching.

👇 Bonus:

If you’d rather sculpt your scars directly in ZBrush, I made a separate tutorial showing how to create your own stylized scar brush check that out here:    • Why so serious? let's make a custom scar b...  

Also, if you are wondering how I move so smoothly around the 3D space, here is a link to the 3DSpaceMouse pro gadget from 3DConnexion that I use: https://amzn.to/4lnADWa

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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Quick Summary
00:46 - Understanding Anchor Points
05:04 - Creating the Anchor Point
07:00 - How to Recall Anchor Points
11:14 - Adding More Complexity to the Scar Texture
15:51 - Layering More Detail by Referencing the Anchor Point
20:07 - Enhancing the Look of the Damaged Skin
26:07 - Repurposing by Creating a Smart Material
28:56 - Recap and Outro