Matelume or Substance 3D Sampler: which one do I need?
Both can turn an image into a PBR material. Choose Matelume if you are an interior designer working from flat images and you want guided, material-by-material choices for fabric, marble, wood veneer, wall art, wall paint and metal. Choose Adobe Substance 3D Sampler if you need 3D capture, HDR lights, macOS or Linux, or you already work in Adobe’s Substance apps.
Side by side
| Compared | Matelume 2.0 | Adobe Substance 3D Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A Windows app for interior designers: a flat image becomes a PBR material at real size. | Adobe’s app for making textured 3D meshes, seamless materials and HDR lights from real-world images (Adobe). |
| Main input | One flat image (JPG, PNG or TIFF) or a single colour. Not camera capture. | Images such as JPEG and PNG, and 3D capture from photos (Adobe). |
| How the maps are made | You choose the surface step by step. AI only enlarges the image and helps read it; the maps are computed. | Its Image to Material filter offers an AI Powered algorithm that uses machine learning, and a B2M algorithm (Adobe docs). |
| Real size | You set the width in centimetres. The .json records millimetres. | A physical size setting with a Measure tool; SBSAR exports carry the size as metadata (Adobe docs). |
| Export | Map sets for the programs you pick, with a .json and a how-to sheet. Six choices, including Other software for the standard eight maps. | SBS, SBSAR and per-channel bitmaps such as PNG, TIFF and EXR (Adobe docs), with presets that include Blender Cycles/Eevee, Corona Renderer, Redshift, Unity, Unreal Engine 4 and V-Ray Next (Adobe docs). |
| Into your 3D program | A Blender add-on that builds the material at real size, and the Matelume 3ds Max package. Other programs by hand. | Through its exported maps, or SBSAR in any application that supports Substance materials (Adobe docs). |
| Runs on | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. | Windows 11, macOS and Linux (Adobe docs). |
| PC needs | 16 GB of RAM recommended. An NVIDIA card is recommended, not required: without one, Matelume uses the processor, more slowly. | On Windows, at least 16 GB of RAM and 8 GB of graphics memory. Integrated graphics on Intel and AMD processors are not supported (Adobe docs). |
| Price | Pro US$15 a month or US$150 a year. 14-day free trial. | In the Substance 3D Collection plan, listed at US$59.99 a month on Adobe’s US page; prices vary by country. A free trial is offered (Adobe). |
Checked on each maker’s own pages on 31 October 2026. Prices and features change, so check the linked page before you decide.
Choose Matelume when
- Your job is an interior: cushions, upholstery, curtains, marble walls, veneer panels, wall art, paint and metal fittings.
- You want steps made for each material: what stands up, weave, 26 stitch types and constructions for fabric; a finish of their own for marble veins; veneer gloss in GU; framed wall art with raised paint.
- You work in Blender and want the material placed at real size on your own objects, with no node work.
- Your PC has no dedicated graphics card, and you accept that builds will take longer.
Choose Substance 3D Sampler when
- You need 3D capture, HDR lights or SBSAR materials.
- You work on macOS or Linux. Matelume runs only on Windows.
- You already pay for the Substance 3D Collection, or your studio’s pipeline runs on Adobe’s Substance apps.
- You want a general material app with layers and filters, not steps made for interiors.
What this page does not claim
We have not published a head-to-head render test here, and this page doesn’t say one tool’s results look better. Try both on your own image: Matelume has a 14-day free trial, and Adobe offers a free trial of its own.
Adobe, Substance 3D and Sampler are trademarks of Adobe. Matelume is not affiliated with or endorsed by Adobe.
Know the limits
- Matelume is made for flat images, not phone or camera photos. Perspective, folds, glare and uneven light get in the way.
- 3ds Max: For Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2025 or later, with V-Ray® or Corona. We don’t claim renderer-specific test results for V-Ray or for Corona, and we show no 3ds Max render as proof. Wood in 3ds Max has not been verified for this release.
- Matelume runs on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. It needs an account and an internet connection while you work. Your images and maps stay on your PC.
Related questions
What is the difference between Matelume and Substance 3D Sampler?
Matelume is a Windows app for interior designers, with guided steps for fabric, marble, wood veneer, wall art, wall paint and metal from a flat image. Adobe Substance 3D Sampler is a broader app for 3D capture, HDR lights and materials, on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Is Matelume cheaper than Substance 3D Sampler?
On the prices we could see on 31 October 2026, yes: Matelume Pro is US$15 a month, and Adobe’s US page lists Sampler in the Substance 3D Collection plan at US$59.99 a month. Adobe’s prices vary by country, and that plan also includes other Substance 3D apps.
Does Matelume do 3D capture like Sampler?
No. Matelume is for flat images. It is not a 3D scanner or a photogrammetry tool.
Try it with your own image
Matelume runs on Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. The 14-day free trial includes every Pro tool, full-size exports and no watermark, and it does not start a paid subscription. An account and an internet connection are required.