Ground and terrain textures cover more square meters than any interior material, so tiling and scale errors get expensive. Grass, dirt, sand, and gravel are still PBR dielectrics. They need albedo without a baked sun, roughness that can go wet, and a normal that does not look like a repeating bump stamp from orbit.

Ground types for outdoor scenes

  • Dirt / soil — mid albedo variation, mid-high roughness, useful as the blend base.
  • Grass — color variation matters; a single neon green tile reads as a sports field.
  • Sand — finer normal, roughness that can drop when wet; watch scale of grains.
  • Gravel / path — stronger normal, mix with stone if the stones are large.

Download bases from Locker3d ground textures. They are CC0, so you can blend and repack them for a game or a site plan. Map primer: what PBR textures are.

Maps for terrain

Albedo is dry color. If one side of every pebble is lit, the photo was not processed as albedo and the landscape will not relight. Roughness separates dust from wet mud. Normal sells pebbles and clumps on a low-poly plane. Height is useful as a blend mask (gravel in depressions) or for mild displacement on a hero path. Metalness stays 0. Share one UV or triplanar space across the set so grass color does not slide off its bump.

Tiling large landscapes

A 2K tile that represents 2–4 meters is a common outdoor start; adjust until gravel is not the size of cushions. On cliffs and mounds, UV unwraps stretch—use triplanar or extra projection. Hide repeats with terrain height, vegetation scatter, and shadows. A flat orthographic site view is the harshest test; if it survives that, a beauty camera will too. Distant hills can drop to 1K. Hero paths near the camera can stay 2K–4K.

Blending dirt, grass, and gravel

One texture across a whole park looks like a carpet. Blend at least two Locker3d grounds plus a path. Use height, vertex color, or a painted mask: gravel in traffic, dirt under trees, grass in open light. Keep roughness in the blend, not only albedo, or wet dirt will keep dry grass gloss. Meet buildings with concrete curbs or wall plinths so the site does not float.

Wetness and wear

Wet ground is darker albedo and lower roughness, often in puddle masks, not on the whole tile. Do not paint mirror puddles into the color map. Tire ruts and footprints belong in normal/height or in mesh. After rain, add a slight reflection only where the mask says water; the rest should stay matte soil.

Free CC0 ground on Locker3d

Start in ground, then add stone and wood chips or decking as needed. Blender: how to apply PBR textures in Blender. Beginners: PBR textures for beginners. More outdoor notes: blog and the catalog.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop ground textures from tiling on a large landscape?

Use a real texel density, blend two or three CC0 grounds (dirt, grass, gravel), add mesh or scatter breakup, and avoid a top-down camera on a flat plane. Triplanar mapping helps on steep slopes.

Should terrain use the same PBR maps as a wall?

Yes: albedo, roughness, and normal as the core. Height helps displacement or blend masks. Metalness stays 0. The difference is scale and blending, not a different shader model.

Are Locker3d ground textures CC0 for games and archviz sites?

Yes. Locker3d ground packs are CC0. You can use them in commercial levels and site plans without attribution. Combine them with stone and concrete for paths and plinths.