‘Meet MAT’ Contest Yields Unprecedented Response

3D software company Allegorithmic says the digital painting contest received over 1,200 entries, prompting a rules adjustment to allow more winners.

'Mat by Vincent' by Gabriel D’Orazio

CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE -- With hundreds of entries from professionals and amateurs around the world, Allegorithmic, maker of 3D material authoring software Substance, has announced the results of their overwhelmingly popular “Meet MAT” contest.

The contest received over 1,200 entries (nearly 400 from students), saw 4,500 MAT Model downloads on Substance Share and 19,000 material downloads from Substance Source. The competition’s unprecedented success prompted Allegorithmic to adjust its rules and recognize more winners.

'Antique MAT' by Liu Zinan

“Meet MAT“ challenged experienced and new users to come up with their most creative take on Allegorithmic’s toy mascot, MAT. Entry themes ranged from sci-fi to sports, to recreations of famous painters, with winners awarded thousands of dollars in prizes. Contestants could use Substance Painter’s texturing tools and a selection of free materials from the Substance Source material library. A jury of video game, VFX, industrial design and architecture industry experts selected 30 winners from 16 different countries.

“This was an opportunity to challenge Substance users new and old to display their creativity and passion in a fun way,” said Allegorithmic Founder and CEO Sébastien Deguy. “We were expecting some impressive entries, but we were still blown away by the incredible response we received.”

'Material Ball Vending Machine' by Andrii Mykhailov

The top three winners received prize packages that included an art toy from Artoyz‘s special collection, NVIDIA hardware and a Wacom tablet. New Substance Painter users also automatically received three months of Sketchfab PRO. Thirty participants in total received bonus prizes to thank them for their amazing, creative entries.

“I was amazed by the consistent quality and diversity of the entries, many of which took advantage of the wide range of Substance’s material possibilities in clever ways,” said 3D Character Artist and “Meet MAT” contest judge Blair Armitage. “The student category was particularly impressive, with some MATs definitely reaching a professional level.”

'El Muerto' by Rogelio Olguin

Although the contest has concluded, Substance Painter and Substance Designer are both available for a free 30-day trial. Substance Source is available as part of Allegorithmic’s monthly plan.

To see the full winner gallery, please visit the Allegorithmic website.