# Adding Subsurface Scattering (SSS)

### What is Subsurface Scattering?

In 3D graphics, subsurface scattering (often shortened to SSS) is a technique used to make materials look more natural and lifelike.

Imagine shining a flashlight at your hand. Instead of the light bouncing straight off the skin like a mirror, some of it goes into your skin, spreads around underneath, and then comes back out. That soft, glowing effect around your fingers is called subsurface scattering.

This effect can be useful to generate a realistic skin material or to make an object feel soft.

![](/files/mMUkv7WMhz5hD8Bm7Bny)

Here's how to set up SSS:

First, toggle the `Subsurface` panel in the skin `Material Properties` or the `Principled BSDF` node. Here you should see all the settings for subsurface scattering.

<figure><img src="/files/eQGI36kKyuezOXUDaBbI" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Here you should see 3 settings:

* **Weight**: Blend between diffuse surface and subsurface scattering. Use this to set the amount of SSS effect.
* **Radius**: The X, Y, and Z values are mapped to the R, G, and B values, respectively. Use this to adjust the SSS color. To make it easier to adjust, you can plug a color node into the radius socket.

<figure><img src="/files/dhMVyLvUf86XOnU5V7Jc" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* **Scale**: Scale applied to the radius. Use this to set the depth of the SSS effect. The higher the scale, the deeper the SSS effect is.

How to assign SSS to a specific part of the mesh:

* 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.UV\_Project.SSS (or any other name you want).

<img src="/files/QzMyC5tvsxymcoUlcEEW" alt="" width="333">

<img src="/files/S8ResZBlimv3ZYfvPyz7" alt="" width="563">

<img src="/files/7NnTfLFTFINCrfLXbF6O" alt="" width="503">

<img src="/files/fuwL2TlWxgJhFnfnGbv3" alt="" width="335">

* Once you get that set up, set up your SSS settings next.

<figure><img src="/files/yH7gPEqwxJ3mqk4N2Czr" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Next, 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 them to the new SSS material by clicking on the `Assign` button on the `Material Properties` tab.

<img src="/files/QvFHrOr9CqKkdtTDvWh9" alt="" width="563">

<img src="/files/6HUtkNfYutGy3w7wSWOw" alt="" width="332">


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