Substrata Workflow Atlas
Fifty-one ways to use Substrata, from a five-minute site snapshot to a ten-week thesis. Each one is a step-by-step tutorial with the finished map to open, and shows how the export carries into Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Rhino and Grasshopper. Filter by how long you have, your subject and the software you already use.
At a glance
Every workflow here was run in the live app on Salem, Massachusetts: the layers, the climate panel, shadows, sun hours, walksheds, Ask the map, Curated maps, the Compare slider and every export format.
Sourced data, ready to draw
Every number is counted and sourced, never scored, which is what a studio jury and a zoning board both want. What you see on screen leaves as a layered DXF, a Rhino site model, an Illustrator-ready SVG or a titled PDF sheet.
The Site climate panel
Sun path, overhang sizing, IECC envelope targets, passive-strategy hours, a psychrometric chart, a comfort calendar, wind, shadows and sun hours, all behind the ☼ in the map toolbar.
Minutes to weeks
A 1 is one panel and a couple of minutes. A 5 is Substrata plus one desktop app. An 8 brings in scripting or several tools. A 10 is a multi-week pipeline with Substrata as the source of truth.
Look for free, take it with a plan
Every layer, panel and question is free to use, and Quick Export captures the screen. Sheets, vectors and models come with the Academic or Professional plan. Each card says which; see Pricing.
The linear map
Each subject is a line. Each stop is a workflow, placed by complexity from 1 (minutes, one panel) to 10 (weeks, several tools and scripting). Filter, then click a stop to jump to its card.
Workflow catalog
Every stop on the map, in order of complexity: what you make, how long it takes and the software it needs. Open a card for the full tutorial and the finished project. The filters above apply here too.
Pairings
What each export becomes in the tools designers already use.
| Tool | From Substrata | What you get |
|---|
In their shoes
Nine people who might open Substrata this week, what it does for them on day one, and where to start.
Try one on your site
Looking around is free and needs no account. Pick a town, open a workflow from the quick wins, and see how far it gets you.