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Substance Material Library Kits Overview

Everything you need to customize and apply high-quality procedural materials

Elaine Deveney avatar
Written by Elaine Deveney
Updated today

Every Material Kit is built in-house by our team of material artists and technical specialists. Just like our World Kits, each Kit is designed around a specific genre (sci-fi, military, cyberpunk, etc.) so you can create cohesive looks across your projects.

What Software/Hardware do I need to use Material Kits?

Technical recommendations to get the most out of your Material Kits

Software Compatibility

Substance Source (.sbs)

Substance Source files can only be opened and edited in Adobe Substance 3D Designer. These are the editable source files.

Substance Archive (.sbsar)
Substance Archive files are compiled and ready-to-use with adjustable parameters. They are supported in a wide range of major 3D applications through plugins and Adobe Substance Player.

PBR Textures
Static PBR textures can be imported directly from Cargo into all supported DCCs. These are universally compatible but are not parameterized.

Hardware Recommendations

Material Kits themselves do not require specialized hardware. Instead, the requirements depend on the 3D software you are using to open them.

For users working with Substance Source (.sbs) files, the following are the recommended system requirements published by Adobe Substance 3D Designer:

Minimum

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5

  • RAM: 16 GB

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super (8 GB VRAM) or equivalent

  • Storage: SSD with at least 30 GB free space

Recommended

  • CPU: Intel Core i7 / AMD Ryzen 7

  • RAM: 32 GB

  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3080 (16 GB VRAM) or equivalent

  • Storage: SSD with at least 50 GB free space

Note: Requirements for using Substance Archive (.sbsar) files or static PBR textures will depend on the 3D application you are working in.
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Please check your software’s documentation for details.

What Comes with a Material Kit?

File Formats Included

Each Material Kit includes:

Substance Source (.sbs)
Editable source files you can open in Substance Designer to make deep customizations.

Substance Archive (.sbsar)
​Compiled, ready-to-use materials with adjustable parameters. These work in a wide range of 3D applications.

PBR texture maps
​Exported maps for universal use (Base Color, Roughness, Metalness, Normal, Height, etc.).
​These are available through direct imports in Cargo.

What’s Inside a Kit?

Each Material Kit is designed to give you everything you need to work at different levels of depth.
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Every kit includes both Substance Source (.sbs) and Substance Archive (.sbsar) files, along with static PBR textures.

Substance Source (.sbs)

  • Editable Designer graphs for full customization.

  • Organized with clean nodes, grouped sections, and a dedicated control node to make edits intuitive.

  • Ideal for technical artists or anyone looking to create highly stylized or unique variations.

Substance Archive (.sbsar)

  • Compiled, ready-to-use versions of the same materials, with a curated set of parameters exposed (color, roughness, normal intensity, etc.).

  • These are designed for quick iteration inside supported DCCs without needing Substance Designer.

PBR textures

  • Exported static maps accessible through Cargo for when you need a fast “base material” with no parameterization.

This combination means you can choose the right workflow for your project:

  • Start fast with .sbsar,

  • Go deeper with .sbs, or

  • Use PBR textures for quick one-off needs.

How Are Materials Organized?

Materials are grouped into Kits, similar to how World Kits are organized by genre.
This ensures each collection feels cohesive and production-ready.
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Delivery Options

Your materials are available both for direct download on kitbash3d.com and in Cargo, our asset browser.


You can choose the method that works best for your workflow.
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FAQs

Do I need Substance Designer to use these?

Yes. Substance Source (.sbs) files require Substance Designer to open and edit.

Can I customize static textures?

Static PBR textures are not parameterized.
If you need flexibility, use the Substance Archive (.sbsar) files in compatible software.

How do I purchase Substance Material Library Kits?

If you have an active KitBash3D Unlimited subscription, access to all Substance Material Kits is included with your subscription.

Perpetual Licenses to Substance Material Library Kits can be purchased at kitbash3d.com/substance-materials

For more information on Licensing, check out our collection of help articles here

Troubleshooting

Why can't I edit parameters in my material?

  • .sbs vs .sbsar limitations

  • Software-specific parameter access

  1. "Open" doesn’t open the substance material

    1. To open the Substance Source (.sbs) option you need Substance Designer

    2. To open the Substance Archive (.sbsar) option you need Substance Player or another program capable of opening .sbsar.

      1. Substance Player

      2. Substance Designer

      3. Substance Painter

      4. These DCCs can also import .sbsar files directly with a plugin:
        ⁠adobe.com/ca/products/substance3d/plugins.html

    3. If you already have an appropriate program and it still can’t open the option you selected.

      1. This means the program isn’t set as the default to open that given file extension.

      2. On Windows:

        1. Automated pop up

          1. Windows will ask you to select a program to open this file with, if it’s not on the list, please use the Choose an app on your PC option
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    4. Manual Process

      1. Press Win + I to open Settings.

      2. Go to Apps > Default apps.

      3. Scroll down and click on "Choose defaults by file type".

      4. Wait for the list to load (can take a moment).

      5. Search in the “Set a default for a file type or link type” for .sbs or .sbsar
        ​

      6. Click the icon or current app next to it and choose a new app from the list.

      1. On Mac:

        1. It will pop finder for you to select an application you want to open the file with.
          ​

  1. If it doesn’t show you the option you want, click on Show Options bottom left and change the Enable: setting to All Applications

Learn more about using Material Kits in your Software

How do I use Material Kits in my Software

Related Articles
What comes with a Kit?
What are the tech specs of your Kits? PolyCount? PBR Materials? Real-Time?
Cargo Changelog
How Do I Use Material Kits in My Software?
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