The release of Substance 3D Stager 3.0.2 has occurred

Substance 3D Stager, released in 2021, is an application for layout and rendering. The software is designed for both designers and 3D professionals and aims to provide an intuitive workflow for creating photorealistic brand visualizations and product mockups. Users can compose scenes using physics-based tools for object placement and choose from libraries of ready-made materials and "environment stages" that simulate real studio lighting.

The main new feature of Substance 3D Stager 3.0.2 is Generative Background, which is a new system for adding a background to the scene without the need to search for stock images. It is powered by Firefly, Adobe's set of tools for generative artificial intelligence, allowing users to create a background image for the scene by entering simple text descriptions. The result can be adjusted using the "Openness" controller, which changes the amount of empty space in the image, as well as presets for color and tone, lighting, and composition.

The Stager Match Image system automatically matches the perspective of the camera to that of the image and adjusts the lighting to match the image. Stager automatically attaches Adobe Content Credentials to assets created using Firefly, indicating in the metadata that they are generated by artificial intelligence.
Additionally, the update introduces interactive desaturation of the render when editing the scene in Design mode, allowing for quicker visualization of high-quality previews of screen views. The real-time rendering engine now also handles transparency better, displaying refractions when rendering objects such as glass, plastic, and liquids.

Among other new features are tools for creating 3D text and physical lighting. Updates to existing features include a redesigned Select Tool with a "screen-oriented design bounding box for more convenient compositing at low angles." Additionally, there's now the ability to group cameras and save custom scenes as templates.

Substance 3D Stager 3.0.2 is compatible with Windows 10 and above and macOS 12.0 and above. The software is now only available through subscription, as earlier this year Adobe discontinued the old perpetual Steam license. It is available as part of the Adobe Substance 3D Collection subscription, priced at $49.99 per month or $549.88 per year for individuals; $1,198.88 per year for studios.