Importing texture balls is a three-step process: drag the file into Substance Painter, place it in your project folder, or use the Shelf panel to load it directly

A texture ball (or matball) is a pre-rendered sphere that shows how a material will look under standard lighting. Substance Painter stores these as image files, usually in PNG or TGA format. You can import them three ways: by dragging files into the viewport, by placing them in Substance Painter's texture folder, or by loading them through the Shelf panel on the right side of the interface.

The fastest method depends on whether you already have the texture ball file and where you want to store it. If you're working with files you downloaded or created, dragging them in is quickest. If you want to organize them for future projects, adding them to your Shelf is more efficient.

Key Takeaways

  • Texture balls are PNG or TGA image files that preview how materials look under standard lighting conditions.
  • You can import texture balls by dragging them directly into the Substance Painter viewport, which adds them to your current project.
  • The Shelf panel stores texture balls for reuse across projects, and you can add new ones by dragging files into the Shelf's texture folder.
  • Substance Painter looks for texture balls in your user library folder, typically located at Documents\Allegorithmic\Substance Painter\shelves\textures on Windows or Library/Application Support/Allegorithmic/Substance Painter/shelves/textures on Mac.

Dragging texture balls directly into your project

The simplest way to import a texture ball is to open your file explorer (Windows Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac) and locate the texture ball image file. Click and hold the file, then drag it into the Substance Painter viewport. The texture ball will appear in your scene immediately.

This method works for any PNG or TGA file, not just official Substance Painter texture balls. The file stays in its original location—Substance Painter does not copy it into your project folder. If you move or delete the original file later, the texture ball will no longer display in that project.

Adding texture balls to the Shelf for future use

The Shelf panel on the right side of Substance Painter stores materials, brushes, and textures that you want to reuse across multiple projects. To add a texture ball to your Shelf, open the Shelf panel and navigate to the Textures tab. Then drag your texture ball file directly into the Textures section.

Substance Painter will copy the file into its shelves folder. From that point on, you can click the texture ball in the Shelf to add it to any project. This is useful if you have a set of matballs you use regularly for client presentations or internal reviews.

Locating and organizing the Shelf texture folder

If you prefer to add texture balls manually without dragging, you can place them directly in Substance Painter's texture folder. On Windows, navigate to Documents\Allegorithmic\Substance Painter\shelves\textures. On Mac, go to Library/Application Support/Allegorithmic/Substance Painter/shelves/textures. Copy your texture ball files into this folder.

After you add files to this folder, restart Substance Painter or refresh the Shelf panel to see them appear. You can create subfolders within the textures folder to organize matballs by type—for example, a "Metals" folder or "Fabrics" folder—and Substance Painter will display them as categories in the Shelf.

Using texture balls to preview materials during work

Once a texture ball is in your scene, you can move it, scale it, or rotate it like any other object. Right-click the texture ball in the viewport to access options for deleting it or adjusting its properties. The texture ball itself does not affect your painted model—it exists only as a reference in the viewport.

Texture balls are most useful when you want to see how a material will look under consistent lighting before you apply it to your actual model. You can paint on the texture ball to test brushes and colors, or you can keep it separate and use it purely as a visual reference while you work on your main mesh.

Troubleshooting texture balls that do not appear

If a texture ball you dragged into the viewport does not show up, check that the file format is PNG or TGA. Substance Painter does not support JPG or other formats for texture balls. Also verify that the file is not corrupted by opening it in an image viewer first.

If a texture ball you added to the Shelf does not appear after restarting Substance Painter, check that you placed it in the correct folder path for your operating system. On Windows, the path is case-sensitive in some versions, so verify the folder names match exactly. If you still see nothing, try moving the file to the main textures folder rather than a subfolder.

Creating your own texture balls

You can create custom texture balls by rendering a sphere in any 3D software (Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D) with your material applied, then exporting it as a PNG or TGA file. The sphere should be lit with neutral, even lighting so the material properties are clear. Save the rendered image at a resolution of at least 512 × 512 pixels for good detail.

Once you have the rendered image, treat it like any other texture ball: drag it into Substance Painter or add it to your Shelf. Custom matballs are useful for showing clients how a material will look, or for keeping a visual library of materials you have created for past projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a regular image as a texture ball?

Yes, any PNG or TGA image can be used as a texture ball in Substance Painter. The image does not have to be a sphere—you can use flat images, photographs, or any other visual reference. Substance Painter will display it as a flat plane in the viewport unless you model it as a sphere in advance.

What happens to texture balls when I save my project?

Texture balls you dragged into the viewport are stored as references in your Substance Painter project file, but the actual image files remain in their original location. If you move the project to another computer, the texture balls will not appear unless you also copy the image files to the same relative path on the new machine.

Can I paint on a texture ball the same way I paint on my model?

Yes, you can select a texture ball and paint on it using any of Substance Painter's brushes and tools. However, the painted changes exist only in that project file. If you want to save the painted texture ball as a new file, you must export it separately using File > Export Texture Set.

How do I remove a texture ball from my project?

Right-click the texture ball in the viewport and select Delete, or click it once to select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard. This removes it from the current project only and does not affect the original file or any copies in your Shelf.

Do texture balls affect rendering or baking in Substance Painter?

No, texture balls are viewport-only objects and do not appear in renders, bakes, or exports. They exist purely as visual references while you work. When you export your painted model or bake textures, only your main mesh and painted layers are included.