This seamless 3D PBR texture at 8K resolution showcases a highly detailed and voluminous cumulonimbus storm cloud surface, designed to replicate the intricate composition and dynamic formations of intense storm clouds. The base substrate visually mimics the organic, amorphous nature of cloud masses, with an emphasis on dense turbulence and layered vapor structures characteristic of thunderhead clouds. The texture’s colorants include subtle gradients of grays and whites, enhanced by natural shadowing and diffuse light scattering effects that simulate the interplay of sunlight and cloud density. These photorealistic elements create a richly detailed surface finish that appears soft yet voluminous, reflecting the inherent moisture saturation and atmospheric depth of cumulonimbus clouds.
From a materials and PBR perspective, this texture integrates multiple channels to convey realism and depth. The BaseColor (Albedo) channel captures the nuanced variations in cloud density and light absorption, while the Normal map emphasizes the swirling vortex structures and billowing shapes that define storm cloud turbulence. Roughness values are finely tuned to represent the matte, diffusive surface of vapor clouds, avoiding any metallic sheen, which is confirmed by a fully black Metallic channel. Ambient Occlusion subtly enhances shadowed crevices within the cloud formations, providing a convincing sense of volume and depth. The Height/Displacement map offers additional surface relief for enhanced parallax and depth effects, ideal for close-up atmospheric visualizations.
Engineered for seamless tiling, this texture is optimized for use in Blender, Unreal Engine, and Unity, ensuring compatibility with leading 3D workflows and rendering pipelines. Its neutral flat lighting setup allows flexible integration into various environmental lighting conditions, making it suitable for dramatic weather visualizations, sky dome backgrounds, and realistic atmospheric effects. For best results, adjusting the UV scale can help maintain the natural scale of cloud formations in large scenes, while fine-tuning roughness can balance the softness and shadow contrast of the storm cloud surface depending on the lighting context. This voluminous cumulonimbus 3D texture effectively captures the power, complexity, and precipitation potential inherent in storm systems, making it an essential asset for realistic weather simulations and cinematic visual effects.
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.
