Since 1999, we’ve been creating professional seamless and tileable texture images that always raise the bar when it comes to tileability in real, virtual-world scenarios. Scenarios that require more coverage than the typical 2×2 tiling you see demonstrated by other texture sources. And we demonstrate tileability without the “plaid” look.

Based in Palo Alto, CA in the heart of the Silicon Valley, we have a great perspective of the current, past and future of texture design for various use cases. In the early days, 3D shadows were very expensive to process, so a portion of our textures had shadows baked into them. Since then, with the rise of real-time shadows and the ability to render shadows on-the-fly within many platforms, the need for baked in shadows has diminished. Thus, over the past few years, we’ve been working on a complete remastering of the entire collection…

Texturama’s Reboot

This complete remastering has come at a great cost of several years’ time. Every texture has been revisited, including:

• removing shadows

• neutralizing EQ for ambient light averages

• intelligently converting the vast majority to square or power of two

• a second pass at removing chromatic aberrations

• a second pass at removing visual “scars”

• a second pass at color grading

• better strategic sharpening and noise reduction

• converting masked images to fully transparent PNGs

• creating reflection masks for all Architectural Facades

• creating vector paths for non-square building silhouettes (to extrude for example), included within the JPEG files.

Hybrid Albedo-Diffuse Approach

The approach we took in refining our final images was to maintain the inherent quality of each texture, without entirely removing the character. We call this our “hybrid diffuse-albedo approach”. Since many of the textures were captured outside, this approach works well for outdoor 3D representation.

If you are developing for VR or AR “lite” (such as for the Oculus Quest, Quest 2 or Oculus Go, or other lightweight mobile 3D), and are constantly having to simplify your shaders, Texturama is a great solution because our textures look great as-is for diffuse color map, or they can double as an albedo map if more complex shaders are permitted. Whether you are delivering a lightweight web-delivered 3D experience, or creating complex 3D environments and blockbuster games, we have you covered with our hybrid diffuse-albedo solution.

Moving forward, we will be rolling in PBR shader maps to our existing products where applicable (free to all new customers as of 2021). We are also developing ultra-resolution textures for interior and exterior visualization with materials and shader maps, and strategically adding in a few support models along the way. We are developing our HDRI sky workflow as well as adding photogrammetry textures and shaders in the next phase – as well as a few surprises!

Core Values – Om – Our Company Values

• Live a balanced life with humor and compassion

• Work smart, play hard

• Be humble and keep an open mind

• Embrace technology

• Never fall in love with your own work

• Stay curious, as it is the foundation of learning and excellence

• Make decisions based on desire, not fear

• Remember: Lazy man does twice the work

• Love your family, support your community, be accountable

• It’s okay to panic, just a little, under crisis

Our Team – US

Eric Brian Smith

Texture Artist

Since receiving his degree in 1995, Eric has been immersed in the world of computer graphics. He has worked on the design, modeling, and animation of many 3D projects for an impressive list of clients such as Dell, Fiat-Chrysler, and Restoration Hardware. Resulting a five year stint at Amobee, Inc, he is a pioneer in VR and real-time 3D interactive advertising, winning over a dozen coveted national advertising awards. A designer and musician, Eric’s worlds are interconnected with rhythm, texture, color, balance, and composition. Eric holds two BS degrees, one in Industrial Design and the other in Architecture, from North Carolina State University, College of Design.

Mary Tayloe Yang Smith

Operations

A CAB and ADDY award winner, Mary has over twenty years of experience in creative services, advertising strategies, and project management. She began her film making career in 1989 while climbing the corporate ladder. Mary left her career as a Controller in early 1997 to pursue her creative calling full time. With a background in Design, Film, and Management, Mary brings with her a strong sense of artistic style and business insight. Mary holds a BS in Clothing &Textiles with an emphasis on Design & Merchandising from Florida State University.