Sébastien Deguy is a prominent figure in the field of 3D Computer Graphics and Immersive technology. He founded Allegorithmic in 2003, building upon his doctoral thesis which he had completed at the turn of 2002. Under his leadership, Allegorithmic developed the Substance tool suite and became a market leader in the production workflows for various industries, including Video Games, Film, TV, Industrial Design, and Marketing. In January 2019, when Allegorithmic was acquired by Adobe, Deguy assumed the role of Vice President of 3D & Immersive at Adobe. His work has significantly influenced the development and application of 3D technology across multiple sectors, and he has been awarded a Scientific and Technical Achievement Award by the Academy in 2023 for his contribution to the art and science of movie making.

• Part I Preamble and IntroductionPart II 1996 - 1998Chapter 01 Key meetingsChapter 02 DEA, FemisPart III 1998 - 2001Chapter 03 PhD ThesisChapter 04 TeachingChapter 05 ConvergencePart IV 2002 - 2003Chapter 06 IncubationChapter 07 TAON 2, TAON3Chapter 08 ConferencesPart V 2003 - 2007Chapter 09 BeginningsChapter 10 Special Effects and ProjectsChapter 11 Presence in AmericaChapter 12 Luxology and ImagesythChapter 13 Dave Taylor, RoboBlitz, and ProFXChapter 14 Technical DemosChapter 15 Autodesk: first contactsChapter 16 NVIDIA and PachinkoChapter 17 Summary of Progress up to mid-2007, and conclusion of this periodPart VI 2007 - 2011Chapter 18 Investment from Dassault SystèmesChapter 19 The team grows, new officesChapter 20 Prospection in Asia, and ReduxChapter 21 Demos, products, and conferencesChapter 22 Autodesk againChapter 23 A second round of investmentChapter 24 UnityChapter 25 Summary of progress up to mid-2011, and conclusion of this periodPart VII 2011 - 2015Chapter 26 PBR and Substance DesignerChapter 27 Naughty Dog, alpha-site for Substance DesignerChapter 28 PremisesChapter 29 Substance PainterChapter 30 Demos, games, and productsChapter 31 Contests,Chapter 32 Conferences and commercial prospectionChapter 33 New marketsChapter 34 Summary of progress up to mid-2015, and conclusion of this periodPart VIII 2015 - 2019Chapter 35 Structure and CultureChapter 36 Our ProductsChapter 37 The Meet MAT ContestChapter 38 Conferences and Substance DaysChapter 39 Investment in Adone, in 2017Chapter 40 Global GatheringsChapter 41 X-TAON: the Allegorithmic concept car, and the contestChapter 42 Sale to AdobeChapter 43 Summary of progress up to the beginning of 2019, and conclusion of thisperiodPart IX Conclusion and PostfaceReferencesIndex

"This is a story of a bold vision and an even bolder set of leaders that ultimately established 3D design as we know it. More remarkable than the accolades, Emmy and Academy Awards this team has earned, is the story of how a small and passionate team transformed the world of gaming, entertainment, and digital experiences. Seb has penned a book with many lessons and inspirations for us all." - Scott Belsky, Founder, Behance, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Design & Emerging Products, Adobe"A page-turning allegory of deep humanity and intrigue for both right-brained and left-brained creators, artists, and entrepreneurs. A stunning account of the people who made Allegorithmic, from its deep technical roots in Clermont-Ferrand pondering fractal generation and free will, through an intimate first-hand view of the emerging 3D industry, and ultimately, the acquisition by Adobe."- Joshua St. John, Director of Product Management, HP"Within every success story lies a real passion and a visionary man. Sebastien Deguy is one the few people who master technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. This book tells his story and how he created tools that are widely recognized in the video game, animation and VFX industries."- Xavier Bec, Head of R&D, Illumination Studios Paris"Similarly to “NVIDIAns”, the individuals at Allegorithmic have always been putting customers first. Sébastien's unique combination of art and technology skills but also his capability to attract and keep talents around him and to lead them, helped turning a small French startup into the team driving Adobe's 3D future."- Guillaume Polaillon, Product Line Manager at NVIDIA“While working at Autodesk and Epic Games, I had the privilege of observing Sébastien and his team's rise to industry leadership, transforming Allegorithmic and later Adobe into critical players in 3D content creation. It's a story worth reading!”- Marc Petit, 35 years in Computer Graphics, Ex Machina, TDI, Softimage, Discreet Logic (then Autodesk M&E), Fabric Engine and Epic Games, now supporting the community to create an open and fair foundation for the next iteration of the internet as it embraces real time 3D and gaming technologies"Trusting your gut feelings, surrounding yourself with the right people, and relentlessly pursuing your beliefs are key themes in this book. Creating real value for customers and engaging them in the process demands time and effort but yields long-term rewards. Building a company is a journey, a way of life fueled by honest passion rather than a quick route to wealth. When faced with decisions like selling your company to a major player, trusting your instincts remains crucial. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering starting a tech company in the 3D space or those who have witnessed this industry's evolution firsthand, as I have."- Martin Enthed, Innovation Manager at IKEA | Khronos Vice President | Keynote Speaker on 3D and Spatial Computing"Sébastien had a vision that combined both of his passions for art and science, in service of solving a creative problem. With Allegorithmic over the years, Sébastien and his team stuck with that vision, it is still at the core of the Substance product today. For all the companies that are trying to harness the power of AI or any new tech – read this book and start with passion and a problem that you want to solve, don’t start with just an exciting technology."- Rick Stringfellow, Fellow, Head of Visual Content, Electronic Arts"My profession and passion only exist thanks to all the extraordinary individuals who contributed to the story of Allegorithmic. In this book, Sébastien shares the incredible and deeply human adventure that led to the creation of industry defining products. Substance changed the life of many artists, me included."- Kelly Recco, Material Artist, DON'T NOD Montréal"Substance has long revolutionized material art, demonstrating the power of aligning principles, architecture, and community. Even now, it excites me more than any other software when I think about future pipelines. I firmly believe the best is yet to come as workflows fully harness the deterministic power of the engine and ecosystem."- Bradford Smith, Senior Technical, Materials, & Environment Artist at Crystal Dynamics - previously at Epic Games, Naughty Dog, EA

Sébastien Deguy is a prominent figure in the field of 3D Computer Graphics and Immersive technology. He founded Allegorithmic in 2003, building upon his doctoral thesis which he had completed at the turn of 2002. Under his leadership, Allegorithmic developed the Substance tool suite and became a market leader in the production workflows for various industries, including Video Games, Film, TV, Industrial Design, and Marketing. In January 2019, when Allegorithmic was acquired by Adobe, Deguy assumed the role of Vice President of 3D & Immersive at Adobe. His work has significantly influenced the development and application of 3D technology across multiple sectors, and he has been awarded a Scientific and Technical Achievement Award by the Academy in 2023 for his contribution to the art and science of movie making.

• Part I Preamble and IntroductionPart II 1996 - 1998Chapter 01 Key meetingsChapter 02 DEA, FemisPart III 1998 - 2001Chapter 03 PhD ThesisChapter 04 TeachingChapter 05 ConvergencePart IV 2002 - 2003Chapter 06 IncubationChapter 07 TAON 2, TAON3Chapter 08 ConferencesPart V 2003 - 2007Chapter 09 BeginningsChapter 10 Special Effects and ProjectsChapter 11 Presence in AmericaChapter 12 Luxology and ImagesythChapter 13 Dave Taylor, RoboBlitz, and ProFXChapter 14 Technical DemosChapter 15 Autodesk: first contactsChapter 16 NVIDIA and PachinkoChapter 17 Summary of Progress up to mid-2007, and conclusion of this periodPart VI 2007 - 2011Chapter 18 Investment from Dassault SystèmesChapter 19 The team grows, new officesChapter 20 Prospection in Asia, and ReduxChapter 21 Demos, products, and conferencesChapter 22 Autodesk againChapter 23 A second round of investmentChapter 24 UnityChapter 25 Summary of progress up to mid-2011, and conclusion of this periodPart VII 2011 - 2015Chapter 26 PBR and Substance DesignerChapter 27 Naughty Dog, alpha-site for Substance DesignerChapter 28 PremisesChapter 29 Substance PainterChapter 30 Demos, games, and productsChapter 31 Contests,Chapter 32 Conferences and commercial prospectionChapter 33 New marketsChapter 34 Summary of progress up to mid-2015, and conclusion of this periodPart VIII 2015 - 2019Chapter 35 Structure and CultureChapter 36 Our ProductsChapter 37 The Meet MAT ContestChapter 38 Conferences and Substance DaysChapter 39 Investment in Adone, in 2017Chapter 40 Global GatheringsChapter 41 X-TAON: the Allegorithmic concept car, and the contestChapter 42 Sale to AdobeChapter 43 Summary of progress up to the beginning of 2019, and conclusion of thisperiodPart IX Conclusion and PostfaceReferencesIndex

"This is a story of a bold vision and an even bolder set of leaders that ultimately established 3D design as we know it. More remarkable than the accolades, Emmy and Academy Awards this team has earned, is the story of how a small and passionate team transformed the world of gaming, entertainment, and digital experiences. Seb has penned a book with many lessons and inspirations for us all." - Scott Belsky, Founder, Behance, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Design & Emerging Products, Adobe"A page-turning allegory of deep humanity and intrigue for both right-brained and left-brained creators, artists, and entrepreneurs. A stunning account of the people who made Allegorithmic, from its deep technical roots in Clermont-Ferrand pondering fractal generation and free will, through an intimate first-hand view of the emerging 3D industry, and ultimately, the acquisition by Adobe."- Joshua St. John, Director of Product Management, HP"Within every success story lies a real passion and a visionary man. Sebastien Deguy is one the few people who master technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. This book tells his story and how he created tools that are widely recognized in the video game, animation and VFX industries."- Xavier Bec, Head of R&D, Illumination Studios Paris"Similarly to “NVIDIAns”, the individuals at Allegorithmic have always been putting customers first. Sébastien's unique combination of art and technology skills but also his capability to attract and keep talents around him and to lead them, helped turning a small French startup into the team driving Adobe's 3D future."- Guillaume Polaillon, Product Line Manager at NVIDIA“While working at Autodesk and Epic Games, I had the privilege of observing Sébastien and his team's rise to industry leadership, transforming Allegorithmic and later Adobe into critical players in 3D content creation. It's a story worth reading!”- Marc Petit, 35 years in Computer Graphics, Ex Machina, TDI, Softimage, Discreet Logic (then Autodesk M&E), Fabric Engine and Epic Games, now supporting the community to create an open and fair foundation for the next iteration of the internet as it embraces real time 3D and gaming technologies"Trusting your gut feelings, surrounding yourself with the right people, and relentlessly pursuing your beliefs are key themes in this book. Creating real value for customers and engaging them in the process demands time and effort but yields long-term rewards. Building a company is a journey, a way of life fueled by honest passion rather than a quick route to wealth. When faced with decisions like selling your company to a major player, trusting your instincts remains crucial. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering starting a tech company in the 3D space or those who have witnessed this industry's evolution firsthand, as I have."- Martin Enthed, Innovation Manager at IKEA | Khronos Vice President | Keynote Speaker on 3D and Spatial Computing"Sébastien had a vision that combined both of his passions for art and science, in service of solving a creative problem. With Allegorithmic over the years, Sébastien and his team stuck with that vision, it is still at the core of the Substance product today. For all the companies that are trying to harness the power of AI or any new tech – read this book and start with passion and a problem that you want to solve, don’t start with just an exciting technology."- Rick Stringfellow, Fellow, Head of Visual Content, Electronic Arts"My profession and passion only exist thanks to all the extraordinary individuals who contributed to the story of Allegorithmic. In this book, Sébastien shares the incredible and deeply human adventure that led to the creation of industry defining products. Substance changed the life of many artists, me included."- Kelly Recco, Material Artist, DON'T NOD Montréal"Substance has long revolutionized material art, demonstrating the power of aligning principles, architecture, and community. Even now, it excites me more than any other software when I think about future pipelines. I firmly believe the best is yet to come as workflows fully harness the deterministic power of the engine and ecosystem."- Bradford Smith, Senior Technical, Materials, & Environment Artist at Crystal Dynamics - previously at Epic Games, Naughty Dog, EA

Sébastien Deguy is a prominent figure in the field of 3D Computer Graphics and Immersive technology. He founded Allegorithmic in 2003, building upon his doctoral thesis which he had completed at the turn of 2002. Under his leadership, Allegorithmic developed the Substance tool suite and became a market leader in the production workflows for various industries, including Video Games, Film, TV, Industrial Design, and Marketing. In January 2019, when Allegorithmic was acquired by Adobe, Deguy assumed the role of Vice President of 3D & Immersive at Adobe. His work has significantly influenced the development and application of 3D technology across multiple sectors, and he has been awarded a Scientific and Technical Achievement Award by the Academy in 2023 for his contribution to the art and science of movie making.

• Part I Preamble and IntroductionPart II 1996 - 1998Chapter 01 Key meetingsChapter 02 DEA, FemisPart III 1998 - 2001Chapter 03 PhD ThesisChapter 04 TeachingChapter 05 ConvergencePart IV 2002 - 2003Chapter 06 IncubationChapter 07 TAON 2, TAON3Chapter 08 ConferencesPart V 2003 - 2007Chapter 09 BeginningsChapter 10 Special Effects and ProjectsChapter 11 Presence in AmericaChapter 12 Luxology and ImagesythChapter 13 Dave Taylor, RoboBlitz, and ProFXChapter 14 Technical DemosChapter 15 Autodesk: first contactsChapter 16 NVIDIA and PachinkoChapter 17 Summary of Progress up to mid-2007, and conclusion of this periodPart VI 2007 - 2011Chapter 18 Investment from Dassault SystèmesChapter 19 The team grows, new officesChapter 20 Prospection in Asia, and ReduxChapter 21 Demos, products, and conferencesChapter 22 Autodesk againChapter 23 A second round of investmentChapter 24 UnityChapter 25 Summary of progress up to mid-2011, and conclusion of this periodPart VII 2011 - 2015Chapter 26 PBR and Substance DesignerChapter 27 Naughty Dog, alpha-site for Substance DesignerChapter 28 PremisesChapter 29 Substance PainterChapter 30 Demos, games, and productsChapter 31 Contests,Chapter 32 Conferences and commercial prospectionChapter 33 New marketsChapter 34 Summary of progress up to mid-2015, and conclusion of this periodPart VIII 2015 - 2019Chapter 35 Structure and CultureChapter 36 Our ProductsChapter 37 The Meet MAT ContestChapter 38 Conferences and Substance DaysChapter 39 Investment in Adone, in 2017Chapter 40 Global GatheringsChapter 41 X-TAON: the Allegorithmic concept car, and the contestChapter 42 Sale to AdobeChapter 43 Summary of progress up to the beginning of 2019, and conclusion of thisperiodPart IX Conclusion and PostfaceReferencesIndex

"This is a story of a bold vision and an even bolder set of leaders that ultimately established 3D design as we know it. More remarkable than the accolades, Emmy and Academy Awards this team has earned, is the story of how a small and passionate team transformed the world of gaming, entertainment, and digital experiences. Seb has penned a book with many lessons and inspirations for us all." - Scott Belsky, Founder, Behance, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, Design & Emerging Products, Adobe"A page-turning allegory of deep humanity and intrigue for both right-brained and left-brained creators, artists, and entrepreneurs. A stunning account of the people who made Allegorithmic, from its deep technical roots in Clermont-Ferrand pondering fractal generation and free will, through an intimate first-hand view of the emerging 3D industry, and ultimately, the acquisition by Adobe."- Joshua St. John, Director of Product Management, HP"Within every success story lies a real passion and a visionary man. Sebastien Deguy is one the few people who master technology, creativity, and entrepreneurship. This book tells his story and how he created tools that are widely recognized in the video game, animation and VFX industries."- Xavier Bec, Head of R&D, Illumination Studios Paris"Similarly to “NVIDIAns”, the individuals at Allegorithmic have always been putting customers first. Sébastien's unique combination of art and technology skills but also his capability to attract and keep talents around him and to lead them, helped turning a small French startup into the team driving Adobe's 3D future."- Guillaume Polaillon, Product Line Manager at NVIDIA“While working at Autodesk and Epic Games, I had the privilege of observing Sébastien and his team's rise to industry leadership, transforming Allegorithmic and later Adobe into critical players in 3D content creation. It's a story worth reading!”- Marc Petit, 35 years in Computer Graphics, Ex Machina, TDI, Softimage, Discreet Logic (then Autodesk M&E), Fabric Engine and Epic Games, now supporting the community to create an open and fair foundation for the next iteration of the internet as it embraces real time 3D and gaming technologies"Trusting your gut feelings, surrounding yourself with the right people, and relentlessly pursuing your beliefs are key themes in this book. Creating real value for customers and engaging them in the process demands time and effort but yields long-term rewards. Building a company is a journey, a way of life fueled by honest passion rather than a quick route to wealth. When faced with decisions like selling your company to a major player, trusting your instincts remains crucial. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering starting a tech company in the 3D space or those who have witnessed this industry's evolution firsthand, as I have."- Martin Enthed, Innovation Manager at IKEA | Khronos Vice President | Keynote Speaker on 3D and Spatial Computing"Sébastien had a vision that combined both of his passions for art and science, in service of solving a creative problem. With Allegorithmic over the years, Sébastien and his team stuck with that vision, it is still at the core of the Substance product today. For all the companies that are trying to harness the power of AI or any new tech – read this book and start with passion and a problem that you want to solve, don’t start with just an exciting technology."- Rick Stringfellow, Fellow, Head of Visual Content, Electronic Arts"My profession and passion only exist thanks to all the extraordinary individuals who contributed to the story of Allegorithmic. In this book, Sébastien shares the incredible and deeply human adventure that led to the creation of industry defining products. Substance changed the life of many artists, me included."- Kelly Recco, Material Artist, DON'T NOD Montréal"Substance has long revolutionized material art, demonstrating the power of aligning principles, architecture, and community. Even now, it excites me more than any other software when I think about future pipelines. I firmly believe the best is yet to come as workflows fully harness the deterministic power of the engine and ecosystem."- Bradford Smith, Senior Technical, Materials, & Environment Artist at Crystal Dynamics - previously at Epic Games, Naughty Dog, EA