360° SkySphere for Mappers
Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2023 10:52 pm
# 360° SkySphere for Mappers
> Q: What is a SkySphere?
> A: SkySphere is a special spherical brush, which aims to be an alternative to SkyBoxes.
My zip file includes 2 example maps. In case you're confused on how SkySpheres work, you can simply open one of the example maps in Ued and see how they function. I have made 2 types of SkySphere brushes - Low Poly and High Poly. I highly recommend using the Low Poly brush only. Use the High Poly brush if you see any visible "stretching" with your sky textures.
SkySpheres have Equirectangular projection mapping. This type of projection mapping is used in 360° Panorama images. People also call them Environment textures or HDRIs. Use these terms to find sky textures on the internet, there are a lot of free sites with a big selection of images, the skies used in my examples are from PolyHeaven. Alternatively, you can make 360° AI Skies using Nvdia Canvas 360, or using other alternatives like the AI SkyBox tools of Blockade labs. Nvdia Canvas 360 is more suitable for photorealistic environments, while Blockade labs will give you an artistic "fantasy" look.
Quick Guide:
Method 1: Using my maps.
Open one of the maps in Ued and copy/paste the SkySphere brush over to your map. If needed, replace the sky texture with your own. The SkySpheres in my maps are aligned for 4K textures. If you have smaller sized textures, such as 2K, you can select all of the surfaces inside the SkySphere, open the Surface properties window and re-scale them with a value of 0.5, make sure you have the "Relative" scale check marked.
Method 2: Using obj import.
Obj import needs 469c patch or upwards. IMPORTANT: You need to import your texture first, make sure you select your texture from the Texture browser before proceeding! Import the obj brush using "Brush -> Import" then subtract the brush. This will automatically align your texture, no matter the scale.
> Q: What is a SkySphere?
> A: SkySphere is a special spherical brush, which aims to be an alternative to SkyBoxes.
My zip file includes 2 example maps. In case you're confused on how SkySpheres work, you can simply open one of the example maps in Ued and see how they function. I have made 2 types of SkySphere brushes - Low Poly and High Poly. I highly recommend using the Low Poly brush only. Use the High Poly brush if you see any visible "stretching" with your sky textures.
SkySpheres have Equirectangular projection mapping. This type of projection mapping is used in 360° Panorama images. People also call them Environment textures or HDRIs. Use these terms to find sky textures on the internet, there are a lot of free sites with a big selection of images, the skies used in my examples are from PolyHeaven. Alternatively, you can make 360° AI Skies using Nvdia Canvas 360, or using other alternatives like the AI SkyBox tools of Blockade labs. Nvdia Canvas 360 is more suitable for photorealistic environments, while Blockade labs will give you an artistic "fantasy" look.
Quick Guide:
Method 1: Using my maps.
Open one of the maps in Ued and copy/paste the SkySphere brush over to your map. If needed, replace the sky texture with your own. The SkySpheres in my maps are aligned for 4K textures. If you have smaller sized textures, such as 2K, you can select all of the surfaces inside the SkySphere, open the Surface properties window and re-scale them with a value of 0.5, make sure you have the "Relative" scale check marked.
Method 2: Using obj import.
Obj import needs 469c patch or upwards. IMPORTANT: You need to import your texture first, make sure you select your texture from the Texture browser before proceeding! Import the obj brush using "Brush -> Import" then subtract the brush. This will automatically align your texture, no matter the scale.