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Frank_0725
Participant
September 15, 2026
Open for Voting

Can we have an option to use imported resources as a link?

Currently, all imported resources are embedded in the project files.

In many cases, artists may use the same images/textures across multiple project files. As a result, these resources are unnecessarily stored in each project file, taking up a lot of space and making the project files larger. Using linked resources would prevent this duplication.

At the very least, having an option that allows users to choose how they want to store their resources would be very welcome.

Each option has its own use case. This is why this should available for users. 

    2 replies

    Cyril Dellenbach
    Community Manager
    Cyril DellenbachCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 15, 2026

    Hello Frank and thank you for the suggestion.

     

    I understand the need, especially considering how Painter’s projects can quickly become quite large.

     

    However, this was Painter’s mentality since the beginning to embed all used resources in the project’s file. This allow artist to easily share their projects and never bother about the file’s location or paths constraints.

     

    I’m not saying we’re never gonna make linked resources, but it is not a current focus.

     

    Best regards,

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    Cyril Dellenbach (Micro) | Product Manager | Substance Painter
    Frank_0725Author
    Participant
    September 28, 2026

    > I’m not saying we’re never gonna make linked resources, but it is not a current focus

    OK, from what you’re saying, it’s probably never going to happen.

    Here’s the situation: if I want to make multiple backups containing tons of large resources, is my only option to save the same file over and over, literally duplicating everything used in the project for each backup? It sounds like “yes”. This seems far from optimal and is a huge waste of space.

    I honestly find it rather difficult to understand why it’s useful to stick to only one approach. Embedding all resources in a single file does have its own use cases, but so does having linked external resources.

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