Less guesswork. Better texture budgets.
Texel density & texture memory calculator
How much detail does your surface need? Choose a target density, then compare map sizes and their memory cost.
Your texture budget
Make every pixel count
- Tile width in the scene
- 4 m
- Repeats across the surface
- 1×
- Resolution for a single UV tile
- 2K
- Estimated memory / material
- 64 MiB
A 2K map covers a 4 m surface at 512 px/m without repeating.
| Resolution | Density at 1× | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| 1K | 256 px/m | 16 MiB |
| 2K | 512 px/m | 64 MiB |
| 4K | 1,024 px/m | 256 MiB |
Memory is an estimate for resident GPU maps, not ZIP or PNG download size. Real engines may pad formats, stream mips or use different formats per map. 8K is shown for comparison; Locker3d advertises 1K–4K packs.
How to calculate texel density
Texel density measures texture pixels per unit of real surface. For a square map, along one axis: density = resolution × UV repeats ÷ surface width. A 2048 px map across 4 meters gives 512 pixels per meter when it repeats once. Repeat it twice and the density becomes 1024 px/m, with a visible tile every 2 meters.
To reach a target density, use tile width = resolution ÷ target density and UV repeats = surface width ÷ tile width. The suggested single-tile resolution rounds width × density up to a common power of two. This is a planning estimate for the chosen UV axis, not an analysis of your mesh's UV islands.
Why 4K costs four times as much as 2K
A texture has two dimensions. Doubling its width and height creates four times as many pixels. Three RGBA8 maps with a full mip chain cost about 16 MiB at 1K, 64 MiB at 2K and 256 MiB at 4K. With BC7 at 1 byte per pixel, those estimates become about 4, 16 and 64 MiB. Mipmaps add smaller versions of the texture; a complete chain adds approximately one third.
Choose density for your scene
Keep density consistent between neighboring surfaces. A close-up prop can justify more detail than distant scenery. For large walls and terrain, tile a smaller seamless map instead of stretching a unique map across the entire surface. Use the presets as examples, then adjust for your camera and platform.
Continue with texel density for interiors, the texture resolution guide or scene collections.
Try your budget with free PBR maps
Open a material to check its actual maps and available resolutions. Start with wood, concrete or tiles.
