This seamless 3D PBR texture at 8K resolution captures the intricate details of a layered stratus cloud bank forming an overcast sky surface. The material composition emulates the soft, diffuse nature of low-altitude stratus formations, where uniform cloud opacity and subtle soft shadows define the characteristic flat, gray mass typical of overcast conditions. The texture’s base substrate is reminiscent of fine organic aerosols and condensed water vapor particles arranged in stratified layers, producing a smooth yet slightly varied surface. This natural layering effect is simulated through finely tuned normal and height maps, which convey gentle undulations and depth without harsh contrasts. The photorealistic finish is achieved by a balanced roughness channel that mimics the diffuse scattering of light on foggy cloud surfaces, while the metallic map remains minimal to preserve the non-reflective, matte appearance of the cloud bank.
In terms of texture channels, the BaseColor/Albedo channel presents muted grayscale tones that replicate the overcast sky’s neutral lighting conditions, allowing it to blend seamlessly in atmospheric layering or weather front visualizations. The normal map enhances the perception of soft cloud contours and layered density, contributing to the realistic tactile feel of this stratus surface. Ambient Occlusion subtly deepens crevices and overlapped cloud layers, reinforcing the volumetric depth without overpowering the diffuse look. Height and displacement maps are carefully calibrated to simulate the gentle stratification of the cloud bank, ideal for parallax effects in 3D environments. With seamless tiling and continuous texture flow, this PBR asset ensures no visible repetition, making it well-suited for large-scale environmental scenes.
Designed for high-end applications, this 8K layered stratus seamless 3D PBR texture is fully optimized and ready for integration in Blender, Unreal Engine, and Unity. Its high resolution ensures crisp detail even at close camera distances, while the neutral color palette and naturalistic surface properties allow for versatile use in realistic sky and weather simulations. For best results, it is recommended to adjust the UV scale to avoid overly stretched cloud patterns and to fine-tune the roughness map to match specific lighting scenarios, enhancing the subtle interplay of soft shadows typical of overcast skies. This texture accurately conveys the condensation and foggy atmosphere associated with stratus clouds, making it an excellent choice for creating immersive, believable weather environments in digital projects.
How to Use These Seamless PBR Textures in Blender
This guide shows how to connect a full PBR texture set to Principled BSDF in Blender (Cycles or Eevee). Works with any of our seamless textures free download, including PBR PNG materials for Blender / Unreal / Unity.
What’s inside the download
*_albedo.png — Base Color (sRGB)*_normal.png — Normal map (Non-Color)*_roughness.png — Roughness (Non-Color)*_metallic.png — Metallic (Non-Color)*_ao.png — Ambient Occlusion (Non-Color)*_height.png — Height / Displacement (Non-Color)*_ORM.png — Packed map (R=AO, G=Roughness, B=Metallic, Non-Color)
Quick start (Node Wrangler, 30 seconds)
- Enable the addon: Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Node Wrangler.
- Create a material and select the Principled BSDF node.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + T and select the maps
albedo, normal, roughness, metallic (skip height and ORM for now) → Open.
The addon wires Base Color, Normal (with a Normal Map node), Roughness, and Metallic automatically.
- Add AO and Height using the “Manual wiring” steps below (5 and 6).
Manual wiring (full control)
- Create a material (Material Properties → New) and open the Shader Editor.
- Add an Image Texture node for each map. Set Color Space:
- Albedo → sRGB
- AO, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, Height, ORM → Non-Color
- Connect to Principled BSDF:
albedo → Base Colorroughness → Roughnessmetallic → Metallic (for wood this often stays near 0)normal → Normal Map node (Type: Tangent Space) → Normal of Principled.
If details look “inverted”, enable Invert Y on the Normal Map node.
- Ambient Occlusion (AO):
- Add a MixRGB (or Mix Color) node in mode Multiply.
- Input A =
albedo, Input B = ao, Factor = 1.0.
- Output of Mix → Base Color of Principled (replaces the direct albedo connection).
- Height / Displacement:
Cycles — true displacement
- Material Properties → Settings → Displacement: Displacement and Bump.
- Add a Displacement node: connect
height → Height, set Midlevel = 0.5, Scale = 0.02–0.08 (tune to taste).
- Output of Displacement → Material Output → Displacement.
- Add geometry density (e.g., Subdivision Surface) so displacement has polygons to work with.
Eevee (or lightweight Cycles) — bump only
- Add a Bump node:
height → Height.
- Set Strength = 0.2–0.5, Distance = 0.05–0.1, and connect Normal output to Principled’s Normal.
Using the packed ORM texture (optional)
Instead of separate AO/Roughness/Metallic maps you can use the single *_ORM.png:
- Add one Image Texture (Non-Color) → Separate RGB (or Separate Color).
- R (red) → AO (use it in the Multiply node with albedo as above).
- G (green) → Roughness of Principled.
- B (blue) → Metallic of Principled.
UVs & seamless tiling
- These textures are seamless. If your mesh has no UVs, go to UV Editing → Smart UV Project.
- For scale/repeat, add Texture Coordinate (UV) → Mapping and plug it into all texture nodes.
Increase Mapping → Scale (e.g., 2/2/2) to tile more densely.
Recommended starter values
- Normal Map Strength: 0.5–1.0
- Bump Strength: ~0.3
- Displacement Scale (Cycles): ~0.03
Common pitfalls
- Wrong Color Space (normals/roughness/etc. must be Non-Color).
- “Inverted” details → enable Invert Y on the Normal Map node.
- Over-strong relief → lower Displacement Scale or Bump Strength.
Example: Download Wood Textures and instantly apply parquet or rustic planks inside Blender for architectural visualization.
To add the downloaded texture, go to Add — Texture — Image Texture.
Add a node and click the Open button.
Select the required texture on your hard drive and connect Color to Base Color.
