By focusing on Metal/Rough exclusively,  we can provide a mainstream pipeline that is not only easier for you to submit your work, but also provides better export formats for customers that will work in modern DCC applications, game engines, and real time online viewers.

For those accustomed to working in Specular/Gloss, a simple way of thinking about this adjustment is to take the Diffuse, Specular, and Glossiness map, and exchange them for a Base Color, Metallic, and Roughness map. Besides this, everything else stays the same! The rest of the textures should all feel familiar to you.

Still, there are many applications and renderers that don’t yet support a PBR workflow. That’s quickly changing, but for the moment, we still need to rely on a traditional Spec/Gloss workflow if we’re using certain apps. This is why a true StemCell requires both workflows. It’s the only way a piece of content can be exported to so many different outputs.

When setting up your textures, here’s a few spec points to keep in mind.

• Texture file names must be prefixed using the name of the material they are applied to, contain a descriptor, and be suffixed to include the channel name as defined in the table below. material_descriptor_channel.png (i.e. chrome_rusty_bcolor.png)
• Textures must be in the correct color space, also defined in the table below.
• Descriptive names – where possible the texture name should reflect the name of the geometry it is attached to. Eg “table_top_wood_bcolor” is more favorable than “table_02_bcolor”.

Here is a breakdown of current supported texture maps, their proper gamma contribution settings, and the proper suffix for each.