Introducing Adobe Substance 3D Stager and Dimension update!

[JMathews]

Hi everyone!  Jeanette here, lead product manager for Dimension.  It's been a little while since I've had an announcement for the community, but I'm very happy to be able to break the silence on some exciting news.

Today we launched a new application - Adobe Substance 3D Stager!  Stager is built by the same team that built Dimension with a shared foundation for some technology while also being a bit reimagined.  Where Dimension was a general purpose application that was intended for those new to 3D to learn, Stager is a dedicated scene staging application that is more powerful for professional 3D artists while retaining it's approachability for those learning 3D.

So what are some of the key differences between Dimension and Stager?

• Dimension was more general purpose where Stager is specifically part of the new Substance 3D Collection which offers multiple applications for an end-to-end 3D workflow including modeling, texturing, and staging.
• The rendering engine has been updated and reworked to the Adobe Mercury Rendering Engine.  This engine is multi-technique, including both real time and ray tracing in a single engine.  It is built with entire new infrastructure for modernizing techniques, improving performance and scaling to be available on more hardware.
• Stager's material system has been updated for a new version of the Adobe Standard Material definition with tons of new effects like displacement, subsurface scattering, dispersion, clear coat, sheen, anisotropy, and more.
• Stager includes a variety of general new staging features including collision based layout, multi-camera resolution outputs, physical lights, and much more.

What does this mean for Dimension?

• Dimension will continue to be available as part of Creative Cloud All Apps plans - there is no change to it's availability!  To see Dimension Creative Cloud desktop go to settings > apps > and enable "Show older apps" setting.
• Dimension doesn't have any major planned releases right now  - we'll be putting new features into Stager, but we will provide support updates for Dimension!
• You can open Dimension files in Stager to take advantage of all the new features - also try Stager out for a full 30 day free trial!

Want to learn more about everything?  Check out some of these resources:

• Adobe.com 3D & Augmented Reality page
• Adobe.com Substance 3D Stager page

We're really excited about the opportunity to build a new family of 3D applications that work seamlessly to provide an end-to-end experience for modeling, texturing, and staging 3D models and scenes and we hope you enjoy the new Substance 3D Stager app!

--

Edit: 8/17

Thank you all for the great conversation on Dimension and Stager.  It's clear there's a lot of passion and excitement for amazing staging apps, and I take my duty to the community seriously.  Please know that all of your concerns about pricing, confusion on the Dimension status, and Stager future, have been escalated to our leadership teams and we're working on some possible improvements!

Here's a round up of the latest information based on some questions and discussion that have happened in various threads:

Dimension

• Dimension is still part of Creative Cloud All Apps plan.
• Dimension is currently hidden by deafult on Creative Cloud Desktop.
• To see Dimension you must go to CCD > Preference > Apps > and enable "Show older apps"
• The "Show older apps" option may be disabled by administrators for education and enterprise organizations.
• We are actively working to REVERSE this so that Dimension is not hidden, as it is confusing and inaccurate.
• Update 8/19: This is now reversed!  Dimension is available by default and you no longer need to enable "Show older apps".
• Dimension is NOT end-of-lifed, but we are not working on new features for it (at this time).

Stager

• Stager is exclusive to the Substance 3D Collection plan. 
• There are currently not any single app plans for Substance apps - we are investigating this possibility!
• It is not currently planned that any Substance apps will be added to the CC All Apps plans.
• HOWEVER, the exception is that Substance 3D Collection is free for those with CC All Apps for Higher Education.
• HOWEVER, the limitation is that Substance 3D Collection for Higher Education is available for Shared Device Licensing (SDL) and Feature Restricted Licensing (FRL).  It is not yet available for Named User Licensing (NUL).
• We hope to work on Named User Licensing for Higher Edu support, but I don't have a clear timeline on that.  It's months at least.  Unfortunately there's little we can do to accellerate this.  Adobe licensing land is a bit complicated and we have people working on it!

As always I try to be as transparent as possible with the community, but there's limits to what I can say on a public forum.  Everything is subject to change, and I will do my best to communicate as we move forward!

[Ciellchan]

I understand there is just one team to work on both and I can see you are giving your best, I can thank you enough for this.
I just want to say I think it is not fair to use all of the feedback gathered from Dimension to roll updates on Stager leaving the original customers stuck with a software that has no update planned. I'm not happy with Adobe's course of action lately, I will not lie. This a very poor execution of user's feedback and still this was Adobe's path.
I hope Dimension get an update this year, one with our feedback or at least we get Stager on the CC. I just think the current state of the situation is not okay. 

[DallasParr]

I read what your saying and like all the others we see nothing you say is correct. It would be great if you backed up what you say with actions please to just don't say them. It embarrassing for Adobe not to mention it shows a lack of profession. The following as of this date is STILL incorrect:

• Dimension is still part of Creative Cloud All Apps plan.
• Dimension is currently hidden by deafult on Creative Cloud Desktop.
• To see Dimension you must go to CCD > Preference > Apps > and enable "Show older apps"
• The "Show older apps" option may be disabled by administrators for education and enterprise organizations.

I have been a loyal fan and user of Adobe for many years and teh idea of a subscription which was Adobes selling points when they moved to subscription was that you get all teh Adobe suit for one "simple" subscription cost. The fact you have decided to change that and make anyone who wants to do some 3D pay more is just wrong in so many ways. In today's environment you just don't get 3D uses only using 3D applications and visa versa. We incorporate all the adobe suit into our design. Does Adobe want to loose its loyal following and want to see us drop out by the droves as they are other companies gaining good footage and it might just be more economical to use teh yearly subscription to purchase their software. 

Please Stop trying to screw more blood from your loyal supporters and actually show us why we should keep on paying for a monthly subscription. That would be a good goal for Adobe.

[tim bell]

Hi Jeanette,

I'm following up on your above post (Aug 17, 2021) and am curious where the Adobe team working on including Stager with the EDU AllApps suite. In this post you indicate it will take "It's months at least" before it will be ready. Can you share an update now (3 months later) on an anticipated date for implementation? As with dani.jankovska, I have course prep to do among other tasks and if it's Stager or a different platform that my students can afford (Cinema 4D is about $5 for 6 months for students and educators), I will need to get started with my own learning curve is a new program, etc.

Using a no-longer supported Dimension is not an option as I don't want to teach a program that may very well be discontinued in the near future. Seriously, would Adobe support both programs?

I'm excited about Stager and being able to use all the assets accumulated over the past few years (objects, materials, etc.) is the best option for my students and myself. However, I'm getting to where I have to make a decision on the path forward soon.

Thank you,

Tim Bell

[Ussnorway]

Blender is free, open source & not going anywhere... As I'm sure your students are well aware

[Ian Dack]

Having sent in files and timings which showed Substance to be working about 20 times slower that Dimension and receiving no acknowledgement, help or solutions, my trial copy has now expired. I have started to look at Blender. A file which Substance took 40 minutes to render took a matter of seconds. Poor service from Adobe, especially considering I have the all apps plan.

[dani.norvik]

Yes, that is true. A good alterrrnative, though the ability to move files between different CC apps is efficient. 

[Ussnorway]

Yes, that is true. A good alterrrnative, though the ability to move files between different CC apps is efficient. 

By @dani.norvik

Make 3D files in Photoshop... but Adobe just pulled it

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem/photoshop-3d-features-are-being-removed/td-p/1232...

[Ian Dack]

Adobe must not want its customers any more.

[Ian Dack]

3D isn't used by everyone, but you could say that about any of the other applications so it's a poor excuse. The All Apps plan should include all apps.

[marvink95111214]

I think it would be more efficient to use a subscription system which varies the price based on how much you earn with those programs. Like the licensing system of Substance. So let's say if you just need an Indie license and are not able to earn more money than 100.000€ per year, a price between 20€ to 30€ would be fair. However, if you make more money there should be a Pro license which costs between 60€ to 80€. With a system like that you could also integrate those 3D programs into Adobe CC, without making big losses.

On the other side is the question, are you willing to create a better licensing system for the users? Or is the current split-system only for generating money without caring about the users?

In my personal opinion Adobe Stager looks like an update of Adobe Dimension, so it's not okay to only change the name and the logo and sell it in a new licensing system, like a new program (which it is not).

It would be the least to add Adobe Stager to the Creative Cloud. Because it started there with Project Felix.

[clarkevanmeurs]

Dimension certainly doesn't seem to be available anymore. It's completely dissapeared from my Creative Cloud and i just get recommendations to try Stager.

[Ares Hovhannesyan]

Its available in All apps. Try to Check Updates or resign into your account. May be that can help.

[JMathews]

In your Creative Cloud desktop app open the preferences and enable "Show older apps"

[Jamain5E58]

Dimensions has been removed from my plan for no reason, spoke to customer services all they did was send me an older broken verion of Dimensions that doens't open on my laptop.

[JMathews]

Inside of Creative Cloud desktop app, please open the preferences and turn on the "Show older apps" option.

[crwilley_AEL]

JMathews - THANK YOU for sharing how to get Dimension to show up.  Phew! 
Can you suggest they include Dimension without including these steps?  But put the sys requirements of non-M1 compatible upfront? 

[DW-FP]

Thank you. I contacted support and they told me that Dimension was discontinued --but they didn't show me this alternate method of downloading it. ("Show older apps") 

[Ciellchan]

All of the apps falls into the category of not being use by everyone. Adobe AR, XD, Premiere, Fresco, Acrobat, even Dimension isn't used by everyone yet included. 
I was really excited about Substance apps but I won't pay 2 plans to have all apps, specially with such a high price. 
The whole idea of the Creative Cloud plan was to be able to have ALL apps, including new releases. This is not okey. I'm sorry but it should be included or the name of the plan should be changed as it does not includes all apps. 

If increasing the price it's the problem then let people chose which apps they want on their CC plan, I don't use half of the apps, I wouldn't mind to change them for Substance. 

[samuraiwill]

 Are you trolling? It's 2021, every digital artist uses 3d. Charging more for less is getting ridiculous.

[nickh25960560]

Your claim that dimention is still available is only partly true. By default it is not accessable and tech support staff are telling customers that it is no longer supported. You are claiming dimentions availability to cover for the fact that this is not included, to somewhat soften the blow i imagine? Thing is this crnival mentality of lying until you can run out of town doesnt work here, dimension is not supported anymore, it will quickly stop working on up-to-date machines leaving customers with no option but to give you more money. 

We pay for "all apps" give them to us

[ahazen1419]

Thank you! Lay it on them because this is the only way to expose the truth.

[Alex Fernandes Garcia]

That's an unbelievable excuse. You've just fragmented the updated version of Dimension that everybody wanted, into separate plants, outside all apps subscription, just to profit more. To pay more for that, you are competing with all the other options we have beyond adobe, paid, or non-paid apps. People are clearly not satisfied with this decision and you must review that.

[nickh25960560]

You couldn’t be more right! This is based entirely on money, it is a cash
grab.

We pay for “all apps” not most
--
Many thanks, Nick Helliwell [PII removed by moderator]

[ahazen1419]

Wow! Some great support and insight from all the folks who pay Adobe’s bills: they need to pay attention to that.

Sent from my iPhone

[defaultgqh2w3tcpenu]

Dimension remains available as part of Creative Cloud All Apps for continued use!

No! No, no, no.

Sadly thats kind of a lie. I just installed the cloud and no Dimension app in sight. If I click on it on the Adobe website theres a page similar to a 404 error page. So, Dimensions is no longer part of the Cloud apps.