(mirror site: www.3d-ressource.de)

     230,000 Seamless Textures can be ordered on CD-ROM

     More than 10,000 Seamless Textures available in our Free Download Area

            Every week a new selection of Seamless Textures       

Seamless Textures are small graphics files which most current browsers automatically array either overlapping each other or side-by-side like tiles until any given space (e.g. all of your screen background, a table frame, or just a button) is completely filled. Thus, Seamless Textures represent a good compromise between attractive graphical design and short loading times.

In addition, Seamless Textures are used by some 3-D rendering applications such as Bryce or TrueSpace which are used to create virtual objects or even complete cyber-worlds. These 3-D rendering programs project Seamless Textures onto Wire Frame Models in order to create realistic surfaces.

The edges of Seamless Textures are "self-mirroring" and blend with the edges of neighbouring Textures. This way their seams dissolve. To carry out this process can be rather time-consuming despite a vast number of software tools which are available on the market but which are not always easy to use. Often the desired effect can only be achieved by combining the editing capabilities of several different tools.

Considering size:
a) in the Internet:
The smaller the Texture, the faster it will load – and with it, the whole page. A Texture of 12 by 12 pixels is sufficient for a table frame. In .jpg format, it will ususally be markedly smaller than 1 Kbyte and will be transferred in an split second even over a slow Internet connection. To create the background of a web page, Textures of 64 by 64 or 128 by 128 pixels are the best choice.
b) in Rendering Applications:
Note that depending on the size of the chosen Textures, the memory required by the respective application, and your graphics card the working speed of the program may decrease considerably. Try using the smallest Textures possible.

Colors:
The general rule for web page design is: "Less is More!". A clear structure is required not only for content but also for managing your colors. Using only a few well-matching colors and subtle background Textures will give your site a much more professional look than a mess of flashy graphics.

Keeping this in mind, each of our CD-ROMs provides 1,000 Textures in any of the used resolutions in the basic colors yellow, red, blue, green and gray. In addition, the CD-ROMs include 5,000 monochrome Textures, each of them in all available resolutions.

Contrast:
Characters should be easy to read; for that reason, the contrast between characters and background should be as great as possible. As a rule, pages containing a lot of text should avoid loud background colors. Rather use dark characters on a light background, and vice versa.

The files can be edited with any standard graphics editor. Please note, however, that the attribute of "seamlessness" will more often than not vanish and ugly shades will appear between the "tiles".

All downloadable Textures published under the domains "www.3d-ressource.de" and "www.seamless-textures.com", as well as all Textures included in the CD-ROMs offered for purchase on the web pages mentioned above, are the sole intellectual property of the author.

Use of the Textures for private and business purposes is permitted. Any Duplication of the textures, as well as any Distribution of the Textures against a fee, or free of charge, without the authors prior written consent, is prohibited and may be prosecuted according to applicable laws.