Adding Subsurface Scattering (SSS)

Subsurface Scattering (SSS) is an effect that allows light to pass through and bounce around inside an object. This effect can be useful to generate a realistic skin material or for making an object feel soft.

Examples of Subsurface Scattering

Here's how to set up SSS:

• First, duplicate the Skin material by clicking the + icon on the Material Properties tab, set it to the main Skin material, make it a single-user copy by clicking the numbered icon on the material data-block menu, and then rename it to something like Skin_SSS.

Click on the + icon to add a new material slot

Set the new material slot with the main Skin material

Set it into a single-user copy by clicking the numbered icon on the material data-block menu

Rename the material to something like Skin_SSS

• Open the Shader Editor. In the Principled BSDF node under the Subsurface section, set the Subsurface Method to Christensen-Burley if it's not yet set to that. Then set the Weight to 1 and adjust the Scale depending on how much SSS you want to have (I recommend starting at 0.5).

Set the Subsurface settings

• Once you do that, select the mesh you want to have SSS, set it to local view with /, and go to Edit Mode. There, select the faces you want to have SSS and assign it to the new Skin_SSS material by clicking on the Assign button on the Material Properties tab.

Select your mesh, go to edit mode, and select the faces you want to have SSS

Assign the SSS material to the selected faces