Meet Mat 4

thumbnails:: screencapture-therookies (13).jpg

Meet Mat 4 - The 3D texturing contest

Meet Meat
Once again, the rules are simple: texture MAT in Substance 3D Painter and compete with fellow artists in front of a world-class jury for a trove of amazing prizes. There’s a new take on the contest this year, though: with the addition of a new feature to import Adobe Illustrator files you can add some real pop to MAT with funky graphics.

The contest runs for 3 weeks:

Entries Open: September 28, 2024, 09:00 AM UTC
Entries Close: October 28, 2024, 09:00 AM UTC
Finalists Announced: November 7, 2024, 09:00 AM UTC
Winners Announced: November 14, 2024, 09:00 AM UTC

A few simple steps:

Get Substance 3D Painter. You can download the free education license here. Or get a 30 day free trial.
Get MAT. The ‘MeetMat’ model is included as a sample project in Substance 3D Painter File > Open Sample. If you’re using a previous version of the software, get the model here.
Texture MAT with Substance 3D Painter. There’s no theme, just have fun!
Do your magic and hit ‘render’.
Submit your work by October 28th.

The rules:

Texturing must be done in Substance 3D Painter. You may import resources (such as textures, alphas, filters or other assets into Substance 3D Painter) as long as the creative texturing work is done in Substance Painter. You cannot simply import and apply final textures that have been created in another tool.
You may not modify any aspect of the mesh template. Displacement within Substance 3D Painter is allowed, to add some interesting details, as long as it does not break the ‘Meet MAT’ identity.
Regular Updates: Provide a minimum of three work-in-progress updates on your entry page to document different stages of your creative process. Date timestamps are automatically added to your entry page for each official update that is shared.
Final submission must include two renders using the cameras included in the ‘MeetMat’ project. Use cameras 'C1_Front' and 'C7_3quarterRFup' from the MeetMAT scene. Ideal rendering resolution: 4096 x 2160 pixels. minimum resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels. Additional renders can be included as well.

Intellectual Property Restrictions. Entries must not incorporate or replicate any well-known intellectual property (IP) or brands. This includes, but is not limited to, using trademarks, logos, or characters from companies like Nike, Marvel, or any other recognizable brand or IP. Any entry found in violation of these restrictions will be immediately removed from the contest.
AI-Generated Artwork. All entries must be the original work of the entrant, created without the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms.
You are limited to 2 submissions per artist.

Read ALL the rules here.

Resources:

Here’s a list of what is available to help you win this contest!

Substance 3D Painter. The software is free for the duration of the contest. If you’ve used up your free trial, contact us and we’ll make sure you can access Substance 3D Painter. Everyone gets a chance.

The ‘MeetMat’ 3D Model. The model is integrated in the latest version of Substance 3D Painter, so we recommend you use that version. In case you’d prefer to use an older version of Substance, you can download for free the newer ‘MeetMat’ model here. Do not use the older ‘MeetMat’ version!

Mat Masterclass: 4 x video training lessons will be released on our Youtube Channel so you can follow along with a Pablo the pro. The lessons will teach you the skills and techniques needed to create a winning entry using Adobe Substance 3D Painter.

Live Feedback session: Our judges will go select random entries each week and provide feedback to help improve - Discord server

Join the conversation!

Show your WIPs, tips and tricks, cool ideas, and help others grow, on our Discord server. Look for the Meet-Mat-4 channel

Share your art: meetmat4 madewithsubstance substance3Dpainter therookiesco

FAQS

I've never used Substance 3D Painter before can I still enter?
Absolutely! Check out the Substance 3D Painter beginners training on our YouTube channel by the great Pablo Munoz to get you started.

Is it necessary for me to buy a license for Substance Painter in order to only participate in the Meet Mat 3 Contest?
No, if you're eligible download a free student license, or download a 30 day free trial.

Do I have to texture Meet Mat in Substance 3D Painter?
Yes, that's the core of the contest.

Where do I find the Meet Mat model?
It's a sample model in Substance 3D Painter, you can access it under the File menu > Open Sample.

Can I use other software to render versions of Meet Mat?
Yes, but you must include must include two renders using the cameras included in the ‘MeetMat’ sample project 'C1_Front' and 'C7_3quarterRFup'. Model and cameras are saved here.

How do I add an update to my entry page?
Check out this helpdesk article for full instructions.

How many updates do I have to do?
This is up to you but a good reference point is to look at the winning entries from last year to get an idea.

Can my final render be an animation?
You are allowed to include supporting renders and animation turntables of your final character design. No rigging and animating MAT.

Can I add details to the base mesh?
No tweaks to the mesh template. Displacement is fine, as long as it maintains the 'Meet MAT' vibe. Baking from a custom high-poly mesh is allowed.

Is Fanart allowed?
Absolutely! Bring on the fan art. However, entries must not incorporate or replicate any well-known intellectual property (IP) or brands. This includes, but is not limited to, using trademarks, logos, or characters from companies like Nike, Marvel, or any other recognizable brand or IP. Any entry found in violation of these restrictions will be immediately removed from the contest.

Can I pose the character, or move it around?
No. Mat must not be moved.

What's the minimum age to enter?
Participants must be 18 years or older.

Can I import alphas, textures, or other assets into Substance 3D Painter?
Yes, but final textures from another tool are a no-go.

Can I share my work on social media?
Please do! We encourage it. Make sure to use meetmat4 so our team can share your work.

Can you change the scene background?
Yes, you can do anything you want with the background. However, this will not influence the judges scoring. Mat is the hero asset.

Can I create alphas in ZBrush and use as a displacement map in Substance 3D Painter?
Yes.

The Meet Mat 4 - Adobe Substance 3D Contest (“the Contest”) is hosted by The Tasman Theory Pty Ltd (“the Organiser”).

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST.

HOW TO ENTER

The Artist must submit an entry directly from a category page for the Meet Mat 4. Only entries that are submitted here will be reviewed by our judging panel and considered an official entry. Submissions uploaded to the Projects section of the website will not be considered.

IMPORTANT DATES

Entries Open: September 28, 2024 (09:00 UTC)
Entries Close: October 28, 2024 (09:00 UTC)
Finalists Announced: November 7, 2024 (09:00 UTC)
Winners Announced: November 14, 2024 (09:00 UTC)

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to young creatives who meet the following eligibility criteria:

Minimum Age:

Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or older.

Maximum Industry Experience:

Entrants must have no more than one year of professional industry experience at the time of the contest’s closing date, which is June 1, 2024, working in the fields of 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Concept Art, Game Development, Visual Effects, Architectural Visualisation, Motion Graphics, Immersive Media, Product Design or Virtual Fashion.

Definition of Professional Industry Experience: Professional industry experience is defined as experience gained by working in a professional environment, such as a studio or agency, as a paid employee or independent contractor, or experience gained by working on projects for clients or customers.

Related Industry Experience: Entrants with a maximum of 3 years of professional experience in industries that are similar or related to the contest categories may be considered for eligibility at the discretion of the Rookie Awards team. Related industries are those that involve skills or techniques that are transferable or applicable to the fields of 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Concept Art, Game Development, Visual Effects, Architectural Visualization, Motion Graphics, Immersive Media, Product Design, or Virtual Fashion.

Example: A professional Graphic Designer with 3 years of experience, but has no 3D Animation industry experience, may be considered for eligibility if our team determines that their skills and experience do not give them an unfair advantage over other entrants.

Exclusion of Internships and Work Experience:

Internships and work experience do not count towards the total experience.

Verification of Experience:

All finalists must be prepared to verify their experience to confirm eligibility to participate in the competition. Verification may include providing evidence of prior employment, such as a signed letter from an employer or a copy of a contract.

Misrepresentation of Experience:

Entrants who are found to have misrepresented their experience or provided false information during the verification process will be disqualified from the competition.

Deliverables

2 x Renders: Submission must include two renders using the cameras included in the ‘MeetMat’ project. You have to use the cameras ‘C1_Front’ and ‘C7_3quarterRFup’ from the MeetMAT scene. Ideal rendering resolution: 4096 x 2160 pixels. Minimum resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels. Additional renders can be included as well.
Regular Updates: Provide a minimum of three work-in-progress updates on your entry page to document different stages of your creative process. Date timestamps are automatically added to your entry page for each official update that is shared.

Guarantee of the Artist

The Artist guarantees to The Organiser that:

You are limited to 2 submission per artist.
Your contest submission must not have been shared publicly prior to the contest.
You must share minimum of three work-in-progress updates on your entry page. Each update should include a timestamp to document different stages of your creative process.
Texturing must be done in Substance Painter. You may import resources (such as textures, alphas, filters, or other assets into Substance Painter) as long as the creative texturing work is done in Substance Painter. You cannot simply import and apply final textures that have been created in another tool.
You may not modify any aspect of the mesh template. Displacement within Substance Painter is allowed to add some interesting details, as long as it does not break the ‘Meet MAT’ identity. Baking from a custom high-poly mesh** is** allowed.
Submission must include two renders using the camera included in the ‘MeetMAT’ project. You have to make the cameras C1_Front’ and ‘C7_3quarterRFup from the MeetMAT scene. Ideal rendering resolution: 4096 x 2160 pixels. minimum resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels. Additional renders can be included as well. Make sure to have a look at the rendering guideline section to get the best results.
No third-party models/assets can be used

Ownership

The Artists will maintain ownership of all ideas and materials/images uploaded to the website, and any utilization beyond promotional purposes for this Creative Challenge will only occur with the artist’s consent.
The Artist can only enter work that has been created by The Artist and that you have the right or authority to enter and publish.
The Organiser will not support or promote spec work of any kind and will not monetize submissions in any way.

Intellectual Property Restrictions

Entries must not incorporate or replicate any well-known intellectual property (IP) or brands. This includes, but is not limited to, using trademarks, logos, or characters from companies like Nike, Marvel, or any other recognizable brand or IP. Any entry found in violation of these restrictions will be immediately removed from the contest.

Third-Party Content

Entrants may include third-party content such as concept art, or other media that is not owned by them in their entries, but they must disclose who owns it and how they used it in their entry.
Entries that include third-party content must not infringe on any copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights of the third-party content owner.

AI-Generated Artwork

All entries must be the original work of the entrant, created without the use of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms.
The contest organizers reserve the right to request additional information or documentation from entrants regarding the creation of their entries, including proof that no artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms were used.

Judging Criteria

The Process - we want to see your process from start to finish. This contest uses the Play by Play project builder which means you can share every little update similar to a forum.
The judges will be looking for entrants that show great technical and creative skills. The judges will also be looking for entries that share regular updates and get involved in the community.
We are looking for attention to detail, execution, and (most importantly) a ‘WOW! That is friggin cute’ factor that leaves us speechless.
Feedback sessions will be available on The Rookies Discord server and occasionally a judge may live stream to the server providing real time feedback.

Prizes are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded. No cash or other substitution may be made. The Contest Sponsors will send prizes directly to winners in a timely manner at the completion of the Contest.

Embargoed Countries: Prizes will not be awarded to individuals or entities located in embargoed countries, including but not limited to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, the Crimea region of Ukraine, or any country to which the United States embargoes goods.

Disqualification

Any content submitted by teams, third-party vendors, educational facilities, studios or non-amateur artists (anyone with more than 12 months professional employment) will be immediately removed from the Contest. The Organiser reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend any related content on the site.

The Organiser reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend an Artist if they believe they have too much professional experience (No more than 12 monhts) in any field that puts them at an unfair advantage to other Artists.

The Organiser reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest should virus, bugs, unauthorised human intervention, technical failures or any other factor beyond or

The Organiser’ reasonable control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper operation of the awards.

Any media content deemed to contain content that depicts explicit acts that are overtly violent, sexual, cruel or brutal will be disqualified. Such entries may, at The Organiser’ sole discretion, be closed at any time during the event.

Employees of Contest Sponsors and The Organiser are not eligible to enter this event.

Winner Notification

Each Winner will be notified by email at the completion of the Contest.

The entrant is responsible for entering their correct email address at the time of submission and prizes may be forfeited if the entrant cannot be contacted or their identity cannot be verified.

Once notified of winning, the Winner will have three weeks in which to claim your prize. Failure to respond within this time period will result in forfeiture of the prize although The Organiser will make reasonable efforts to contact the winner to ensure this does not happen.

The Organiser reserves the right to forfeit a prize if not claimed.

Acceptance

Participation constitutes the Entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and our Terms & Conditions. By participating in the Contest, The Artist is representing and warranting that he/she has read and understood, and agrees to be bound by, these rules. Including the guides and rules referred to herein, these Official Rules constitute the entire agreement between The Artist and The Organiser in relation to the Contest. They govern the Entrant’s participation and supersede any prior or other agreements between The Artist and The Organiser and relating to the Contest.

In no event will The Organiser, and or their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and related companies, their advertising or promotion agencies or their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents, be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising from access to, or use of, this web site, electronic or computer malfunctions, or entrant participation in this contest, even if The Organiser has been advised of the possibility of such damages.