Surface Labs vs Trumble

Surface Labs is a node-based application for building procedural textures and materials by connecting operations in a graph. Its node library includes generators, filters, blends, transforms, normals, channel operations, and math nodes. A GLSL editor supports custom nodes that compile to the native Rust engine; the maker says most nodes render in under 2 ms. Desktop authoring supports up to 8192 × 8192 in 32-bit float, while iPadOS and Android are capped at 4096 × 4096. A headless command-line tool can evaluate graphs and export textures for batch work and CI. The built-in MCP server lets compatible assistants inspect and edit projects, render nodes, and export textures. It is opt-in, binds to loopback, requires a generated token, and rejects non-local Origins, but file arguments can access files available to the user account rather than staying within a project directory. A portable project file bundles materials, subgraphs, images, fonts, a preview model, and export settings. Surface Labs is free while in early access; its iPad build is distributed through TestFlight, where builds expire on the usual 90-day cycle.

Trumble is a browser-based creative suite for game developers and artists working on texturing and painting. Its Texture tool paints PBR textures directly onto meshes in a 3D viewport, while Paint handles 2D work on alphas, masks and channels. Bake generates normals, ambient occlusion, curvature and other maps in the browser without an offline renderer. Texture packs can be exported for Unreal, Unity, Godot and Roblox. The Texture tool accepts OBJ, STL, FBX, glTF and GLB files, and meshes need proper UVs to be paintable. The suite includes hundreds of materials and textures, and can connect to Google Drive to autosave projects there rather than using Trumble account storage. It runs in modern browsers on Windows, macOS and Linux; no account is needed to get started. The product is in early access and receives regular improvements. Free includes current tools with workspace ads; paid plans start at $5/mo, with higher tiers adding options such as no ads and early access.