41+ Free Skymaps (very nice ones)

Support Basics & Interface
1

I wasn’t sure where to post this, but I’m sure there’s a few people here who might be able to make use of these. If there’s a better place for this topic, feel free to move it.

I found this site a few months ago and just remembered about it in my bookmarks.

This site has 41 free skymaps, and various other free things.

http://lfgrafix.com/grafix/SkyBasic-1.html

Click the links below all the thumbnails for even more.

-Adam

Also, if you find these useful, post something so this topic can stay visible for a little while. :slight_smile:

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Looks like a pretty cool resource. Too bad none of the images are HDRs. And I was hoping they had some animated skymaps for free but they cost $30 each…

Thanks!

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What is HDR? (I’m still pretty new to 3D)

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hey adamsucks, it’s ok, we all were new at some point. :stuck_out_tongue:

HDR mean High Dynamic Range image, and contains more information that a low dynamic range image (such as JPEG, Targa, etc.). It’s used in what’s called Image Based Lighting (IBL) so that a photograph can be used as a light source in a 3D scene, resulting in ultra-realistic CG images. Yafray supports HDRI, and possibly Blender will too in the future.

For more details, see these sites:

http://www.hyperfocaldesign.com/learning-center/understanding-hdri.html


http://www.rendermania.com/HDRI/index.shtml

Also you can search the forums here for more info.