These sphere maps were created in Cinema 4D, and are intended to be used as skydome textures for any 3D project which requires a space background. They can also be used for skyboxes, though a facility to convert these images into cube maps may be required.
Most of the images here are PNGs, though HDR – High Dynamic Range – Radiance files are also available, should your project require a global illumination/image based lighting solution.
All the sphere maps and background assets here are free to use and/or modify for any prototyping, film, still image and game project – commercial or otherwise (regarding AI projects – see the FAQs below). No royalties, licensing fees or payments of any kind are required, though an attribution or credit is appreciated. 🙂
The licensing terms can be viewed here.
FAQs
What is a sphere map?
A sphere map (or spherical map) is an image calibrated for 3D spherical mapping. Essentially, it is distorted in the same manner as an equirectangular map projection (also known as an equidistant cylindrical projection, or la carte parall̩logrammatique projection). Because many 3D rendering platforms and game engines use a spherical background environment Рeffectively, an infinitely large sphere within which the scene or action is situated Рequirectangular sphere maps can be textured onto these environments to simulate a perspective-correct background.
What applications can these sphere maps be used with?
Most 3D rendering platforms – C4D, Blender, Maya etc. – support spherical environment mapping and can use these sphere maps accordingly. The same goes for game engines such as Unity, Godot and Unreal Engine. If your software only supports sky boxes – or that’s what you would prefer to use – then there are plenty of free online facilities which can convert these sphere maps into cubemaps.
How do I download these sphere maps?
Each page will show a preview of the spheremap and a link underneath. Simply click (or tap if using a tablet device) on the link, and the full-size PNG texture will be displayed. Simply save the image as you would any other. In the case of the HDRi files, no immediate image will be available, so the file will download straight into your browser’s downloads folder (in some cases, a dialog box may pop up beforehand asking if you want to download the file).
In the case of the items in the Background Images/Wallpapers section, simply click (or again, tap if if using a tablet device) on the thumbnail of the image you want to download, and save the full-size PNG image which appears.
Are these assets AI generated?
Nope. They’re all my own work, designed and rendered in Cinema 4D. So there’s no worries about A.I. artifacts, distortions, rogue watermarks or potential copyright issues. As stated above, these downloads are free to use for personal and commercial projects alike – however, they are not to be used for A.I. image training or scraping.
Will there be more sphere maps in the future?
Yep! Plans are afoot for spheremaps and images featuring planets, asteroid fields, local stars, galactic planes – even sci-fi landscapes. This site will be regularly updated, so be sure to drop by from time to time if the items here interest you.
Do you do bespoke spheremaps?
Yes. If you’re interested in a unique, tailor made space background, you can contact me here.
Licensing Terms
The images available on this website are released under terms similar to Creative Commons BY 4.0, in that anyone is free to
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
However, no attribution is necessary, though it is appreciated.
As mentioned before, the one stipulation is that these images aren’t to be used for AI image scraping. However, they can be modifed with AI tools if the user so wishes.
Miscellany
Trivia, factoids and various space-related items of interest.
Does Space Have a Smell?
How Big is Space?
How Many Stars Are There?
Is Pluto a Planet?
What Color is the Sun?
What is it Like Inside an Asteroid Field?
What is the Great Red Spot?
What is the Right Way to Pronounce Uranus?