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affectionate_Galaxy5C40
Participant
October 9, 2026
Open for Voting

Substance 3D materials (.sbsar) render incorrectly on 3D models in After Effects 26.5.0 on macOS. The model turns solid red or disappears at Full preview resolution, while default materials work correctly.

Software: Adobe After Effects 2026, version 26.5.0 (Build 89)
Operating system: macOS
3D renderer: Advanced 3D

Issue description:

I am experiencing a rendering issue when applying Substance 3D materials (.sbsar) to imported 3D models.

The model (GhostMaiden) displays correctly with its default material, including all geometry and surface details. However, when I apply a Substance 3D material, such as red_metal.sbsar or solid-magma-rock-02.sbsar, the model renders incorrectly.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Import a 3D model (OBJ or GLB) into After Effects.

  2. Add it to a composition using the Advanced 3D renderer.

  3. Import a Substance 3D material (.sbsar).

  4. Assign the material to the 3D model through Material Assignment.

  5. Observe the rendering issue.

Actual results:

  • The model becomes almost entirely solid red, losing its surface details.

  • Sometimes the material appears correctly for a fraction of a second before rendering incorrectly.

  • When changing preview resolution from Quarter to Full, the model may disappear completely.

  • The default material renders correctly.

  • I also noticed differences in the available material slots compared with tutorials, including a missing second material slot.

Expected results:

The Substance 3D material should render correctly on the model, preserving its geometry, lighting, surface details, and texture appearance at all preview resolutions.

Troubleshooting already attempted:

  • Restarting After Effects.

  • Reimporting the 3D model.

  • Testing OBJ and GLB formats.

  • Changing preview resolution.

  • Testing different Substance 3D materials.

None of these steps resolved the issue.

Could you please investigate whether this is a rendering bug in After Effects 26.5.0 on macOS or a compatibility issue with Substance 3D materials and the Advanced 3D renderer?

    4 replies

    David.Arbor
    Community Manager
    David.ArborCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 9, 2026

    Ah, thanks for the screenshot. That error tells us what’s going on. The model needs the .mtl file for the material information (the OBJ is just the geometry). You either didn’t have them right next to each other, or don’t have the file at all.
    Does CGTrader have a GLB version you can download instead? If not, and the YT Tutorial used a OBJ, just make sure you keep all the files together. 

    Once the model imports to AE successfully, you should be able to follow the tutorial.

    -David, After Effects Engineering Team 

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    David.Arbor
    Community Manager
    David.ArborCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    October 9, 2026

    Hi ​@affectionate_Galaxy5C40 , sorry to hear you had some issues.
    Could you please send me the exact model and SBSARs you had an issue with? Screenshots or a screen recording showing the rendering issues would be great, too.

     

    Thanks,

    -David, After Effects Engineering Team

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    affectionate_Galaxy5C40Author
    Participant
    October 9, 2026

    Hi David,

    Thank you for your response!

    I was following a YouTube tutorial and downloaded the same 3D model and materials as shown in the video. I followed the exact same steps, and everything worked correctly for the person in the tutorial, but I kept experiencing rendering issues.

    The model I used is called Ghost Maiden, downloaded from CGTrader. I tried importing it in different formats, including OBJ and GLB.

    When importing the OBJ file, After Effects also displayed this warning:

    “3D model dependency not found: GhostMaiden.mtl”

    I also experienced issues with Substance 3D materials (.sbsar). The model would turn red, display strange colors, or render incorrectly. In some cases, the material appeared to stay in place while the model moved.

    Eventually, I found a workaround using Blender. I imported the model into Blender, worked with its materials and UV layout, and exported it again as a GLB file. After importing the new file into After Effects, I was able to get it working.

    I’m attaching a screenshot of the warning I received. I can also share additional screenshots if needed.

    Thank you for looking into this!

     

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    affectionate_Galaxy5C40Author
    Participant
    October 9, 2026

    Update: I managed to find a workaround using Blender!

    I was able to resolve the issue by editing the 3D model in Blender and re-exporting it as a GLB file.

    Here's what I did:

    1. Imported the original 3D model into Blender.

    2. Opened Material Properties and added a second material slot.

    3. Switched to the UV Editing workspace.

    4. Entered Edit Mode, selected the model's geometry, and worked with its UV layout in the left panel.

    5. Exported the model using File → Export → glTF 2.0, selecting glTF Binary (.glb) and enabling Selected Objects.

    This allowed me to continue working with the model in After Effects.

    It's a workaround rather than a direct fix for the Substance 3D rendering issue, but I hope it helps others experiencing similar problems with 3D materials in After Effects 2026 on macOS.

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