Recommended sources for textures

Just as with mesh and animations, it can sometimes be overwhelming to try to find good textures for use in your creations in SL. There are a LOT of sources in-world, and sometimes you can find great textures for a bargain. On the other hand, some of these will look great on display but not work out well when tiled or used on UVs. 

Finding good textures for manual texturing approaches can be very difficult at times. Some of the sources in-world and on the Marketplace are better than others. Ditto with websites and off-world sources.

Below is my list of recommended sources for textures, both in-world and across the interwebs, for those who work directly with AO maps and aren't using a tool like Substance Painter. Naturally, this is not an exhaustive list of every texture source; these are the ones I've used and can recommend personally.

In-World Sources

  • Aethis Creations: GullyRivers is a very talented creator, and he offers a nice (if small-ish) selection of textures with full permissions, mostly for stuff like concrete and some wood. I like that he includes normals and specular maps with many of his textures. The wood textures here were some of my go-to choices for woods for Salacity. (MP Store)
  • Clutter: much like its sister store Tool Shed (see below) but fewer texture selections here. Some will be better than others. Still worth a look! (MP Store)
  • E&D Engineering: a really wide selection of seamless textures. I've used some of theirs in different projects and appreciated the attention to quality here. (MP Store)
  • Textures R Us: another place with a good selection, including many natural materials and objects. A number of them come with materials (normals and/or specular maps). These textures are so good, and such beautiful work. (MP Store)
  • Tool Shed: one of the "regular" stops for building supplies in SL, Tool Shed's textures can be very good ones. A few of the seamless textures I acquired from them ended up looking a bit too tiled for my tastes, but most of them worked perfectly. I especially like their wall textures, and they have some really lovely cloth textures as well. (MP Store)
  • Virtual Textures: a lot of my fabric/upholstery/cloth textures are from here. Their work with cloth and metal is not overdone, but often has exactly the kind of subtle detail needed to make something look great. (No MP Store found)

Marketplace Only

  • Joolee Tee: mentioned on another list, her textures are just as great as her mesh models. Don't miss the detail textures like creases and folds, which are superb for manual texturing.
  • Platinum Prim Textures: a pretty good selection of textures with good detail; many of them are seamless versions of real-world photos. 
  • Texture Freakz: I have a couple of sets from this maker and they are some of the best ones I have in their categories.
  • Zambooki: what a surprise that these would be some of my favorites! Paige Parx strikes again with fantastic textures.
  • Zimberlab: get your (FREE) shadows here.

Websites to Check Out

  • Poliigon: the brainchild of Blender Guru Andrew Price, Poliigon is a source for textures specifically designed for 3D objects and renderings. I've found these to be among the best found anywhere online for building. Some of them are set up specifically for use with Blender or Substance Painter (or a similar 3D paint environment) and will not translate to manual texturing quite as well. There are a lot of free textures here, and far more with a paid membership.
  • Sketchup Textures Club: this website is intended as a resource for people who use Google Sketchup for creating 3D objects, but the textures here can be of good use for all building. Limited access to some textures without a membership (paid).

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