Texture a sphere to become earth or moon.

Support Materials and Textures
1

I’ve followed several tutorials to texture a sphere but i couldn’t find a correct one
Even this one isnt 100% right : https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=colJyjvf5jw
It does come close but when one uses a texture that looks something like below, then it isnt right


The reason of why it is wrong, is because this popular projection of earth, is a cilindrical view of a sphere.
While the method is using averaged quad sizes, in reality this projection vertical axis is like normal on the equator, but more to the north and south this image gets shortened. So when using averaged quads, it results in wrong scaling.

Can anyone explain me how to correctly create a globe without such artefacts ? (like things on equator get to large sizes as compared to nort or south).

2

Go into front view. Then hit 5 on the num pad to go into orthographic view, then unwrap with sphere projection.

3

Yes but then the problem with that method ( i didnt knew it btw ) is that the texture shown in my post is a cylindrical projection of a sphere, so the top and bottom of that very common texture is not correct, its only correct on the equator

4

on second thought your method looks better i compared them thanks !

5

There is a trick: use an Environment Texture node instead an Image Texture node in your object’s material, and so you don’t have to use UV unwrapping. I used it in this scene.