Should I buy the Quixel Suite?

kevingamerartist · Mar 2015

Hi all,
I have a quick question. So for Environment/Prop work, I've been starting to use Knald recently, and I really like the results that I have been getting. I have heard on these forums and read online that Quixel is software that does amazing work on texture files.

My question is should I go ahead and buy the Quixel Suite, and use both that and Knald? I have watched tutorials on Quixel, however some people have said that the software is mainly for people who know how they want their textures to come out. I just don't know if I should buy Quixel, or if I should just use Knald for now since I'm still working on my portfolio. This might sound like a silly question, but I don't know if I should invest in buying software that I might not need at the moment, or if it would greatly help my portfolio work.

Any feedback and advice on this is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Joost · Mar 2015

Why don't you test the trial version and see if you like it? I'd personally recommend it but it depends on what you need it for.

Count Vertsalot · Mar 2015

I think Quixel is good for look dev, but I prefer Substance for final stuff. Actually Substance is just as good at look dev too. I think it all boils down to how much you actually like working in Photoshop.

huffer · Mar 2015

I bought it but I find it too clunky and slow to use as intended (start to finish in ddo for example). ddo is awesome to quickly generate high quality masks, and ndo to add normal map details mostly in hard surface. I just get the generated masks and work from there in Photoshop. Maybe I'm not used to it yet. I still use knald for more complex normal maps from photos, like wood grain, rocks, etc, it's unbeatable.

Substance Designer and Painter look more interesting, but I don't think they are yet a full substitute for Photoshop.

GhosTDoG · Mar 2015

[FONT=&quot]I can definitely recommend NDO - it's one of the best 2D normal map generators. DDO is another story and from my point of view it's not production ready atm:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- it's a photoshop plug-in with all its limitations[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- extremely slow, sluggish and crashes like hell[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- you always have to wait for every tiny input you make[/FONT] concerning realt time rendering in the viewer
[FONT=&quot]- sluggish UI[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]- you can't paint on 3D mesh[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]For this purpose I would rather buy Substance Painter.[/FONT]

Add3r · Mar 2015

I also +1 to trying them out with their 30 day trial periods. That is more than enough time to really learn and use what you need to to determine if you want to go down either route. I personally am a fan of Substance Painter over dDo for start to finish texturing solution/aid. I really enjoy nDo though, and definitely recommend it for its speed and versatility in creating anything from text to normal stamp to be used as a decal or even a full map conversion on the fly. Sure the maps coming from the map conversion in nDo are not really comparable to a full baked out texture set, they are absolutely passable for prototyping and smaller assets.

I will also say that Painter still has a long way to go before I am 100% happy with it as a full replacement for OG photoshop texturing. It still crashes, has odd file directory setups that make installing and using on limited access work computers a hassle (ex. they install the brush presets and what not to be automatically loaded when opening substance in your user folder, for work computers that have that blocked, you have to reimport every single time), and there is definitely basic functionality that has yet to come through the pipe like viewport mesh isolation tools. You can isolate, but only if they are broken up in to different material groups when exporting the mesh from chosen 3D Suite.

IMO its definitely personal preference. I know many people who like one or the other.

Should I buy the Quixel Suite?

Replies