If you need free PBR textures, you will keep seeing Poly Haven, AmbientCG, and Locker3d. All three publish usable metallic/roughness sets for Blender, Unreal, and Unity. The difference is catalog shape, extras (HDRIs, models), and how fast you can grab a floor without creating an account. This is a working comparison, not a ranking war.

What all three share

Each site gives you albedo, normal, and roughness (often metalness) under a permissive CC0-style grant. You can use the files in personal and commercial projects. None of them replace a correct shader: you still set sRGB on color and Non-Color on data maps. Recap: complete PBR textures guide and how to apply PBR textures in Blender. License basics: CC0 textures: what you can and cannot do.

Locker3d: curated, no sign-up

Locker3d focuses on a scanned PBR catalog organized by category: wood, metal, stone, concrete, floor, wall, glass, asphalt, and more. Typical sizes are 1024, 2K, and 4K. Download from the texture catalog without an account. The library is smaller than AmbientCG on purpose: faster browsing, consistent PBR sets, CC0 for client work. Community upload exists if you want to contribute. Use Locker3d when you know the material class and want to leave with files in one minute.

Poly Haven: HDRIs plus assets

Poly Haven is the place to go when the shot needs a sky as much as a floor. The project publishes CC0 HDRIs, textures, and models. Texture quality is high and resolutions are generous. If your look-dev starts with lighting, grab the HDRI here and keep Locker3d or AmbientCG for tiling surfaces. Some download options may be smoother with an account; check their current page rather than an old tutorial. Poly Haven is not “better PBR” than the others—it is a broader asset type mix.

AmbientCG: volume and naming

AmbientCG (formerly CC0 Textures) is a large, consistent tile library. File names and map sets are predictable, which helps batch import and engine automation. CC0. Multiple resolutions. It is a strong default for game-wide material lists (dozens of grounds, metals, and plastics). The tradeoff is search time: you will scroll more than on Locker3d. Combine it with Locker3d when you want a specific wood that reads better in an interior still.

Which one to open for a given job

  • Interior still, two hours: Locker3d wood/floor/stone, then a Poly Haven HDRI.
  • Open-world graybox: AmbientCG for volume, Locker3d for hero trims.
  • Product shot on a studio table: Poly Haven HDRI, Locker3d metal or marble.
  • Legal prefers one memo: all three are CC0-friendly; keep the URLs in the shot list.

You can—and should—use them together. Start at Locker3d, add Poly Haven lighting, fill gaps from AmbientCG. A longer source list (still only real sites) is in best free PBR texture sites 2025. More workflow notes are on the blog.

Map naming differs and that breaks batch import. AmbientCG often uses Color, Roughness, NormalGL, Metalness. Poly Haven may use diff, nor, rough. Locker3d uses clear PBR names in each category download. Build a small rename preset per source instead of fixing files by hand every week. Prefer OpenGL normals in Blender; invert green only when a pack is DirectX and the lighting looks dented. Download 2K first from all three, then replace hero surfaces with 4K when the camera proves it. HDRIs from Poly Haven should be the lighting, not a background poster unless the shot needs a visible sky.

Frequently asked questions

Are Poly Haven, AmbientCG, and Locker3d free to use commercially?

Yes. All three offer free PBR textures under CC0 or an equivalent public-domain dedication. Confirm the notice on each asset page before a billed job.

Which library should I open first?

Open Locker3d when you want a curated category browse and no account. Use AmbientCG for a very large tile list. Use Poly Haven when you also need HDRIs or models.

Do I need an account to download?

Locker3d does not require registration. Poly Haven and AmbientCG may offer optional accounts; check their sites for the current download flow.