Are you in search of some textures and HDRIs with a CC0 license?
There are a few good free 3d asset sites out there. Yes, I’m talking about PBR CC0 assets that don’t require any attribution or paying any royalties.
What is CC0 (Creative Common Zero)? – CC0 is an open source license that allows anyone to use these textures without restrictions. It’s perfect for 3d Artist and designers who want to create their own content or remix existing work.
What is Public Domain? – Public domain is the term used to describe works whose licenses have expired or works that are explicitly released with no restriction on their usage.
Why Use Free Public Domain or CC0 assets?
Most of the textures and HDRIs available online are copyright protected. 3d Artist, especially beginners, are unaware of texture license and copyright protection. Using these assets without permission is illegal.
There are, however, many sites that offer free textures, HDRIs and Models that are either in the public domain or have a Creative Commons license that allows for free use.
Here are some best sites that offer free assets:
1. ambientCG – The Best for PBR Materials
ambientCG offers a large selection of free(Patreon-supported) CC0 textures, HDRIs and 3d Models perfect for use in any project. All of the assets on the site are high-quality and resolution, making them perfect for use in both personal and commercial projects.
The interface makes it simple to find exactly what you need, via an intuitive search as well as classification framework. You can get high quality textures including the normal maps, height maps, smoothness/metallic channels, and AO.
Textures are compatible with all major software and renderers including Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya, 3ds Max and more.
Additionally, ambientCG offers a number of tutorials on how to create and edit textures, as well as how to use them in various types of projects.
As a 3d artist, ambientCG helps you create awesome renders with a selection of over 1727(and counting) materials, HDRIs and 3d models ready to personalize with minimum effort.
If you like the free content, you can also support the ambientCG on Patreon, which gives you access to more content.
2. Poly Haven – The Best Public Asset Library
Poly Haven(formerly known as Texture Haven) is a curated public asset library for visual effects artists and game designers, providing useful high quality 3D assets in an easily obtainable manner.
The interface makes it simple to find exactly what you’re looking for, thanks to an intuitive search and classification framework.
The website offers a wide range of textures, including wood, metal, fabric, and more. The textures are all high-resolution, and you can download them in either JPG or PNG format.
There are no paywalls, accounts or email forms required, just download an asset and use it without worry.
All the assets are released under the CC0 license. This means that you can use them for any purpose, without having to give attribution.
3. 3D Textures – Best for CCO Textures
The website is a great option for CC0 texturing, especially if you are looking for PBR textures.
The site has a huge collection of public domain materials that suits all 3d programs. It’s organized into categories, is simple to use, and has beautiful renders of the material using all of the maps.
This site offers some of its content as Substance Designer files so you can download them and make your own tweaks to get some incredibly unique textures.
If you want higher resolution versions of their textures (4k) and access to all the Substance Designer files, you can join their Patreon ($5 a month tier) or make a one-off payment of $30 on ko-fi for permanent access to all current and future textures.
This site has its own subreddit and Discord servers so you can talk to the creators and ask them any questions you may have about their work.
4. CGbookcase – Free PBR Textures
CGbookcase is a great site for anyone interested in computer graphics and digital art. The website offers a wide variety of textures.
The site’s visuals are clean and well-organized, and you can download all of the maps without creating an account.
The filtering feature is useful, as it allows you to filter texture results based on resolution, category and color.
The blog is updated regularly with new content, so there’s always something new to check out. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, CGbookcase is definitely worth a visit.
Related: 7 Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Learning Blender
5. 3d Assets.one – The Asset Search Engine
3DAssets.one is an all-in-one library that comes with a rich collection of textures that is of high quality, and you can download them without any hassle.
The texture library is basically a search engine which lists 3d assets from websites like Poly Haven, ambientCG, Sharetextures, etc.
It is a free online resource that is available to anyone who is looking for textures. It offers a wide range of textures that can be used for both personal and commercial purposes.
3dassets.one also provides a range of tools and services to help users create, manage, and monetize their 3D assets.
6. Share Textures – Huge Collection
Free PBR Textures archive include wood, stone, wall, ground, metal textures and more. Download free seamless textures up to 4K resolution.
Download free textures, SBSAR and more for Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema4d and other Software.
Also, they regularly update with CG related content, so there’s always something new to look at.
Share Textures is well worth a look, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
7. Everytexture – 1500+ Free Textures
Everytexture is a website that offers a wide variety of textures, all released under the CC0 license. This means that you can use them for any purpose, without having to give attribution.
Also, you don’t need to register or login to download; simply click the download button when you find what you’re looking for, and you’re done.
Conclusion
You’ll notice that I didn’t cover every possible free option out there. That’s intentional. These are the best free 3d asset websites. In my opinion, these are the only ones that are worth your time:
1. ambientCG – The Best for PBR Materials
2. Poly Haven – The Best Public Asset Library
3. 3D Textures – Best for CCO Textures
4. CGbookcase – Free PBR Textures
5. 3d Assets.one – The Asset Search Engine
6. Share Textures – Huge Collection
7. Everytexture – 1500+ Free Textures
In addition to the resources listed here, we have a list of most popular sites that are Industry leading and paid:
1. Quixel Megascans – Largest and Fastest growing 3D Scan Library.
2. Poliigon – High Quality 3D Assets that support the world’s leading 3D artists.
3. Textures – Most Popular Website which provides Wide Range of 3D Assets.
What do you think is the best free 3d asset website?