About this asset

Night Sky HDRI 012 is a 2K high-dynamic-range environment map providing authentic nocturnal illumination and reflections for 3D scenes. This environment map captures a detailed, expansive night sky featuring a dense star field and subtle galactic dust clouds. The 2K resolution provides sufficient data for realistic ambient lighting in dark-themed renders. It includes a neutral, low-intensity light profile that avoids harsh artificial highlights, making it ideal for exterior night shots or interior views looking out through large glazing. The file is provided as a standard equirectangular projection, ensuring accurate spherical mapping across the entire 360-degree dome, which allows for consistent reflections on glass, metal, and other reflective surfaces within the virtual environment.

The download is a 10.5 MB compressed archive containing a 2K equirectangular high-dynamic-range environment map, ready to load as dome or world lighting in Blender, 3ds Max, SketchUp renderers, Unreal Engine and D5.

To integrate this file, load it into the environment or world lighting slot of your rendering engine. Adjust the exposure or intensity multiplier to suit the specific brightness requirements of your scene. Since this map provides both ambient light and background reflections, it is often best used as the primary light source to maintain consistent shadows. Ensure your render settings are configured for high-dynamic-range input to capture the full range of starlight data effectively.

This asset is suited for architectural visualisations requiring authentic nocturnal atmospheres, such as residential terrace scenes, hotel exteriors, or interior shots with evening city views. It pairs well with targeted interior artificial lighting to create a high-contrast, moody aesthetic. Professionals searching for night lighting, star-field backgrounds, or realistic celestial illumination will find this map a reliable tool for late-evening project presentations. It is particularly effective for projects where the focus is on natural, low-light conditions and deep, atmospheric shadows.