Exposed concrete, brick, tile, plaster, and asphalt: these are the materials architects need most in visualization, and the ones that appear most in the shot. ambientCG is a free library focused specifically on this type, with thousands of ready-to-render materials, all under a license that lets you use them in your commercial projects without permission.
- PBR materials, HDRI images, and 3D models, direct download without an account.
- On 9 November 2026, it had about 2,041 materials and 435 HDRI images, according to the ambientCG API. These are figures for that day, not a live counter, and the library keeps adding assets continuously.
- CC0 1.0 license: commercial use, modification, and redistribution, with no attribution required.
Why is it suitable for architects?
- Building materials first: concrete in different roughness levels, plaster, brick, tile, stone, asphalt, and wood floors.
- Real-world dimensions: each material states its actual area. Example: the Concrete 034 material covers about 1.1 m × 55 cm, so you can set the repetition on your wall at the correct scale instead of guessing.
- Many resolutions: from 1K to 16K, in
JPGorPNGformat. The previous material, for example: about 10 megabytes at 2K resolution, and 162 megabytes at 8K.
What is in the ZIP file?
Each material has a ZIP file with separate maps, the most common being:
| Map | Function |
|---|---|
Color | The surface’s base color |
NormalGL and NormalDX | Surface relief details. GL for programs such as Blender, and DX for programs such as 3ds Max and Unreal |
Roughness | Level of shininess |
Displacement | Real surface depth, for close-up shots |
Some materials include additional maps such as AmbientOcclusion, Metalness, or Opacity, depending on the type of surface.
How to use it
In Blender
- Unzip, then connect
Color, Roughness, and NormalGL in Principled BSDF. Set the Roughness and Normal maps to Non-Color. - To show real depth, connect Displacement to the material output, and enable Displacement and Bump in the material settings with Cycles.
- Adjust the repetition scale from the dimensions written on the material’s page.
In 3ds Max (V-Ray or Corona)
- Use
NormalDXwith VRayNormalMap or Corona Normal. - Set the material on UVW Map with a Box type and dimensions equal to the real material dimensions, so the tile does not appear larger than its actual size.
In Revit, Twinmotion, Enscape, and D5
Use the Color map for color, Normal for relief, and Roughness for shininess, and enter the image’s real dimensions in the material settings. 2K resolution is usually enough for facade and interior scenes.
The license in simple terms
ambientCG assets are published under the CC0 1.0 Universal license, and according to their license page this includes the asset files and the preview images shown for each asset. So you may:
- Copy, modify, and distribute them, even for commercial purposes, without asking for permission.
- Include the raw files in your project, such as a visualization project for a client or a game.
- Omit attribution, although the library owner appreciates being credited.
Visit ambientCG and download from the official site ↗
We do not rehost ambientCG files; download is directly from their official site. The data is from their pages and API on 9 November 2026, and it may change.
Related libraries and tools
📚 Related articles
Discover more from Mohdbali
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
تطبيقاتنا على أندرويد
