Beautiful plants need beautiful planters, and beautiful planters need beautiful stands. Where can you find the best range of planters and stands to decorate your home and garden? Right here! Weve pulled together 51 of the very best designs to elevate your indoor and outdoor greenery. Construct a ceramic ladder of potted ferns beside your office window. Break out a geometric stand that makes a big living room statement. Drape your ivy over a classic Corinthian stand adorned with goddesses theres something here for every style. Upgrade your houseplant arrangements with these stylish picks or choose the perfect gifts for your greenthumb friends.$24BUY ITModern Two-Tier Plant Stand: This simple plant stand is made from resilient metal finished in modern matte black for a chic minimalistic look. The upper and lower tiers are both lipped to prevent spillover when watering, making it easy to care for your plants mess-free. Use to hold pots with up to a 9-inch diameter. $69BUY IT6-Tier Plant Stand with Pots: Six tiers make this stand the perfect option for serious plant parents. This stand includes three planter-style tiers above and three perforated metal shelves below. Foldable construction saves space between uses.$67BUY ITNovogratz Brittany Plant Stand: Angular wood legs give this plant stand a charming mid-century modern look. This piece measures at just over 25 inches in height to bring your plants closer to window level so they can thrive. Choose from five contemporary colorways. $22BUY ITShort Metal Plant Stand with Tray: Simple hairpin legs give this metal plant stand a cool vintage look, great for interior themes like industrial or mid-century modern. This riser measures at just over 8 inches in height and is also available in a taller format that measures just over 17 inches. $62BUY ITTrio of Black Metal Planters: This set includes three perforated planters perched atop simple metal plant stands. The simple flat black coloration allows the plants themselves to take center stage perfect for streamlined modern decor themes, industrial interiors, and more.$2,750 eachBUY ITLayered Black Planters: Cut to the height you desire, these stainless steel planters are all about art deco at a luxury price. Garner inspiration from their inverted forms upon a dramatic white-walled backdrop.$126BUY ITSet of 3 Black and Gold Plant Stands: Fluted ceramic planters are paired with gorgeous gold-finished plant stands to give this set an especially glamorous appearance. Sizes range from 16.25 tall to over 25 inches tall, ensuring that your best plants get all the attention they deserve and more. $85BUY ITTall Black and Gold Plant Stand: This plant stand measures 30 inches in height and features three platforms, each protected by a tall lip for protection against spills. The gold framing offers a high-end look while the simple black interior pops with contrast. Hinged legs allow for easy storage.$63BUY ITTextured Gold Plant Stands: Geometric divots decorate the surface of these gold-finished plant stands, giving the surface a hammered look that comes to life with light and shadow. Looking for something subdued? These plant stands are also available in simple black and white as well. $59BUY ITWall-Mounted Plant Stand: Clear up extra floor space with this gorgeous wall-mounted plant stand. This piece features three tiers to keep your favorite plants elevated for unmatched access to sunlight. Glam up your decor with gold or silver finishes, or keep things minimalist with matte black.$97BUY ITArched White and Gold Plant Stand: A golden arched structure perfectly frames your favorite plants with this sophisticated plant stand design. This piece measures over 43 inches in height but maintains a compact footprint at just 13.25 inches across, making it a smart selection for small spaces throughout the home.$44BUY ITTwo-Tier Gold Plant Stand: Simple and chic this tiered plant stand occupies a compact 9.6-inch footprint so that you can fit a touch of greenery almost anywhere. This piece features a two-tier design for double the functionality. Nonslip feet help protect delicate flooring.$199BUY ITCheckerboard Plant Stand: Decorate with a MacKenzie-Childs original! This distinctive plant stand is hand-painted with a silvery checkerboard pattern that pops against the gold-finished base. Choose from two sizes or mix and match for a perfect pairing. $110BUY ITAir Plant Holder & Stand: Handmade in Washington out of natural cotton twine, this three-tiered plant stand embodies hippy spirit. Hang plants, herbs or even crystals in its soft form.$68BUY ITWhite Ceramic Plant Stand: This plant stand is a work of art, beautifully sculpted from ceramic and finished in bright glossy ivory. The double-arched base looks great from every angle, adding instant personality to any of your favorite plant arrangements. This quality plant riser would make a great gift for greenthumbs.$39BUY ITCute Green Cactus Shaped Plant Stand: Complete a chic southwestern decor theme with this adorable cactus-shaped plant stand in vibrant lime green. This fun postmodern piece features four shelves to hold your favorite houseplants and succulents, measuring at just over 39 inches total. Its also available in beige.$60BUY ITAreaware Dark Green Plant Stands: Give your plants a cute little boost with this plant pedestal set from Areaware. Each one is made from thick panels of beech wood with playfully smoothed edges, painted in a deep hunter green that can complement a wide range of decorative palettes. $202BUY ITAntique Bronze Plant Stand Set: Create a dramatic houseplant arrangement with this set of four bronze plant stands ranging in height from 18 inches to 36 inches tall. These cylindrical pedestals are made from metal with a hammered texture and a burnished finish for a bold vintage look.$189BUY ITTall Bronze Plant Stand: Four lipped platforms provide plenty of space to arrange your favorite houseplants. This plant stand features a chic minimalist silhouette and a rich bronze finish, measuring 43 inches tall to catch rays from your highest windows. $125BUY ITBoho Pot and Planter Stand Set: Speckled white and beige details give these plant stands a cool boho look perfect for interior decor themes with a natural palette tropical, modern farmhouse, southwestern, and more. Just pair with your favorite potted plants to enjoy an instantly coordinated composition. $59BUY ITRustic Round Plant Stand Set: This rugged plant stand pair is ideal for farmhouse and industrial decor themes. Each one features a round wood tabletop in a light finish, while the bent metal base boasts a rich patina that lends a strong illusion of age. These plant stands measure 8 inches and 10 inches in diameter. $55BUY ITWoven Wicker Plant Stands: Woven wicker construction gives these plant stands a warm natural appearance sure to flatter decorative themes like tropical, bohemian, mid-century modern, and more. Choose from a variety of finish options including bright whitewash or the satisfying brown/black pictured here. $49BUY ITFour-Tier Wooden Plant Stand: Four slatted shelves provide plenty of space to arrange your favorite houseplants so each one can have a moment in the sun. This plant stand is made from a combination of solid and manufactured wood with an overall weight capacity of 100lbs. $38BUY ITSquare-Top Plant Stand: An angular cross base gives this plant stand a charming mid-century appearance that can coordinate easily with contemporary and transitional decor themes as well. Walnut finishes add warmth while a square black tabletop lends a pop of contrast. This plant stand is also available with a white top and a golden wood finish. $51BUY ITRustic 3-Tier Countertop Plant Stand: Do you have a medley of small plants that need a home? This three-tier plant stand offers a creative way to arrange your smaller plants, cactuses, and succulents. Distressed finishes lend a warm rustic look to suit modern farmhouse decor themes.$80BUY ITMid-Century Marble Plant Stands: Sturdy mango wood and genuine marble come together to create a pair of perfectly timeless plant stands for any interior theme. These sophisticated risers measure 4.75 and 6.75 inches tall, and both measure 8.25 inches across. Use in floor and tabletop placements. $89BUY ITGenuine Marble Plant Stand: Genuine marble shelves and sturdy solid wood construction ensure this plant stand will become a timeless investment piece. Use to complement classic and contemporary interior themes alike quality materials never go out of style.$160BUY ITBullet Planter: The famous Bullet Planter is a classic 1950s favorite, reimagined and reproduced by mid-century design fan Kelley Sandidge. Today, its available in a variety of colors to suit every style.$19BUY ITSmall Tabletop Plant Stand: Elevate your smallest succulents and air plants with this charming tabletop plant stand made from durable eco-friendly bamboo. This piece includes three ceramic pots in bright white use with the stand or swap them out for planters that you already own. $17BUY ITMiniature Wood Plant Stands: Spherical feet give these plant stands a playful look. These simple risers measure just over 4 inches across to elevate your smallest planters or decorations. Choose from brown, black, or white finishes.$226BUY ITModern Wood-Topped Plant Stand Set: Geometric metal framing gives these plant stands a clean modern look while light wood finishes add a soft rustic touch. Group these three stands together or use separately throughout the home.$32BUY ITRotating Industrial Plant Stand: Help out your most sun-hungry plants with a rotating plant stand that can mount directly next to a window. This design features two wooden shelves supported by metal pipework, with dark finishes lending a strong industrial look. Simply turn the shelves toward or away from the window as needed. $10BUY ITModern Macrame Hanging Plant Stand: Maximize your prime houseplant real estate with this macrame hanging plant stand. This piece features a lipped wooden tray supported by woven white cords, adorned with decorative beads in a matching walnut hue. This piece is a budget-friendly pick perfect for small spaces. $28BUY ITHanging Wood Plant Stand: Genuine wood slices are hung from simple rope cords to give this plant stand irresistible rustic charm. Choose from two sizes hang together or apart. Each hanging plant stand is truly one of a kind due to natural variations. $44BUY ITModern Square-Shaped 2 Tier Plant Stand: This two-tier plant stand with wooden paneling stylishly encases your green creations. Its simple, sturdy, and wonderfully dependable.$306BUY ITModern Farmhouse Pedestal Plant Stands: These modern farmhouse plant stands are bold and substantial, designed to look like antique crates reinforced with black iron hardware. Each set includes five rustic pedestal tables ranging in size from 12 inches in height all the way to 36 inches tall. $78BUY ITWoven Rattan Plant Stand: Pedestal plant stands like this one are a fantastic way to elevate trailing plants for a more dramatic display. This gorgeous design is expertly woven from natural rattan over a sturdy iron base. Subtle differences add to the charm by reflecting the stands handmade construction.$22BUY ITSmall Succulent Planter & Ladder Stand: Small and cute, this three-tiered bamboo stand is perfect for the home office. Rest your phone on the bottom shelf and add a couple of cacti on the upper.$36BUY ITModular Hexagonal Plant Stand Set: Create a custom geometric plant stand for your collection with this creative build-your-own kit. Choose your desired number of tiers and craft the configuration that works best for your space. Build your plant stand tall or low, uniform or asymmetric. Its all up to you!$133BUY ITNatural Cedar Root Plant Stands: Slabs of natural reclaimed cedar root are salvaged and sanded to perfection to create these gorgeous bohemian plant stands. Each stand is sculpted to highlight the existing root structure and ensure true one-of-a-kind beauty. Feel confident investing in a set without worrying about your stands looking too same-y. $232BUY ITLes Filles Joyeuses Neoclassical Pedestal Plant Stand: Also known as the Three Graces, these joyous girls are only too happy to hold your plant. Hand-casted in stone and resin, they play an elegant role in your plant-filled living room.$262BUY ITAncient Greek-Style Architectural Pillar Pedestal: Use this hand-casted stone and resin piece to transform your houseplant into a work of art. This piece is modeled after a classic Greek column for truly timeless appeal.$227BUY ITClassical Sculptural Pedestal Plant Stand: For a more demure look, these Greco-Roman ladies have it sorted. A place in your library could house their stone-and-resin casted forms.$99BUY ITUmbra Bellwood Plant Stand: Bellwood is a popular multipurpose plant stand design by Umbra, crafted with a steel storage box perched atop slender wood legs that delightfully arch over the top. Use to create attractive houseplant arrangements and elevate them closer to window level. $58BUY ITSculptural Wooden Plant Stands: These gorgeous plant stands from Terrain are handmade from durable unglazed wood, allowing natural knots and grain patterns to take center stage. The geometric shapes lend a modern touch without sacrificing soft bohemian charm. Choose from three shapes: pedestal, loop, or arch. $199BUY ITModern Rattan Plant Stand: This beautiful plant stand is crafted from smoothly shaped rattan rods, each panel joined by adorable butterfly-shaped hinges for a whimsical touch. This design neatly folds for easy transport and storage between uses. $75BUY IT4-Tier Ladder Plant Stand: Save space and elevate your favorite plants with this creative ladder-style plant stand by Safavieh. This piece features four tiers of shelving, each built with slatted bottoms for drainage and lipped edges to keep plants securely in place. Use indoors or outdoors.$43BUY ITGreen 7-Tier Indoor Outdoor Plant Stand: Organize your houseplants indoors or outdoors with this 7-tier plant stand that packs tons of storage potential into a compact footprint. This piece is made from eco-friendly bamboo and finished in light green. Other finishes like black and brown are also available. $134BUY ITIlluminated Outdoor Plant Stands: These outdoor plant stands look stunning in daylight and at night. Each one features soft LED lighting to provide a gentle glow from within, beautifully illuminating your patio or poolside. Between seasons, these plant stands can also be used as convenient side tables. Choose from two sizes. $260BUY ITHandmade Conical Outdoor Plant Stands: Audo Copenhagen draws inspiration from traditional Greek amphoras for the stunning Daiza plant stand collection. This series features tripod stands made from durable steel and finished in black, providing sturdy support for the glossy handmade ceramic planters they hold. Choose from four sizes. $125BUY ITTall Arched Outdoor Plant Stand: Create an elegant home for all your houseplants and accessories with this tall plant stand that can be used indoors or outdoors. This piece measures over 74 inches in height and includes seven platforms for plant display. The arched top is equipped with convenient hooks to hold hanging plants or vines. Recommended ReadingThe Big List Of Self Watering PlantersUnique Concrete Planters36 Unique Watering Cans That Also Serve As Decorative Items51 Large Planters to Upgrade Your Plant Game 51 Beautiful Indoor House Plants That Are Also Easy To MaintainFor more regular updates from Home Designing, join us on Facebook. If you are reading this through e-mail, please consider forwarding this mail to a few of your friends who are into interior design. Come on, you know who they are! Related Posts: 51 Modern Houses That Impress With Stunning Architecture, Pools & Landscaping 50 Unique Animal Planters To Help You Bring Nature Indoors 32 Uniquely Beautiful Concrete Planters 36 Unique Watering Cans That Also Serve As Decorative Items

Boho decor is known for its eclectic and free-spirited aesthetic. The boho interior style can transform bathrooms into rich sanctuaries for rejuvenation with a mix of indoor plants, natural materials, and earthy spiritbut how can we adapt it to suit our personality? Minimalists can introduce subtle bohemian touches to a modern bathroom setting to enjoy the vibe without sacrificing simplicity. Rustic boho spaces can include reclaimed elements or vintage furniture for those who value sustainability and craftsmanship. Make your bathroom a canvas for creativity with the help of these 17 boho bathroom ideas filled with inspiration for vanity units, unique sinks, bathroom shelving, shower spaces, lighting, and more.Designer: Deniz Arkun zelVisualizer: Deniz Arkun zelThis rich boho bathroom design delivers warmth and texture through golden brown, reeded wall tiles and complementary green counterparts. The bamboo-like brown tiles form a cocoon of color around a modern freestanding bathtub, contrasting its fresh white finish. The green tiles call attention to a cool, concrete bathroom vanity.The green tiles are repeated in a set of wall shelves next to the bath, making simple storage into a decorative design feature. A tasteful, clear glass pendant light is installed beside a round mirror as task lighting.Designer: Israa NourVisualizer: Israa NourAn all-gray boho bathroom decor scheme sets a moody stage with a masculine edge. Two different tile finishes define the shower area from the relaxing bathtub zone. Recessed lighting has been used to inject warmth.A bespoke boho bathroom vanity unit makes full use of the room width. Two bathroom vanity lights create a sculptural moment at one end, while a large indoor plant dominates the other half.Visualizer: Oliwia OwczarekSoft shades of green go hand in hand with the modern boho bathroom aesthetic. Team with clean white pauses, pale wooden elements, matt black anchor points, and brass fittings for a serene yet contemporary result.A wooden towel ladder delivers a laid-back look while keeping bathroom linens organized.Visualizer: Marina R. ShafekScreen your boho bathroom from prying eyes behind privacy plants on the balcony or a window decal of the same botanical vein. In this example, the bathroom window folds into a skylight so the homeowner can take a soak under the stars.Visualizer: yara kassemIntroduce archways to create drama and elegance in your bohemian bathroom. Natural sunlight pours into the arched bathing area, while modern wall sconces illuminate two basins. Twin bathroom mirrors complete the ensemble.Visualizer: AM InteriorDouble showers flank the entryway to the bathtub, forming one large wet zone.Eclectic prowess oozes from this unique bathroom design. A live-edge wooden vanity unit supports a marble basin, modern black bathroom faucets, and a tray of chic soap and lotion dispensers.Modern wall art elevates the toilet cistern concealment chamber, against a background of industrial concrete.A wooden wall sconce offers soft lighting over a black marble bathtub, a perfect setup for enjoying a great book under bubbles.Visualizer: Yevheniia FokinaA branch-like rustic towel rail demands attention in this small boho bathroom. Textural rattan laundry baskets decorate the space underneath the floating vanity.Inside the shower area, a stone-clad wet wall creates an outdoor feel.Architect: Mohamed GamalThis family-oriented boho style bathroom has a laundry area to help with the daily to-do list. Open shelves accommodate a mix of practical and decorative items.Black hardware, faucets, and a matching toilet paper holder punctuate the classic white marble walls with bold contemporary flair.Designer: Aya ElsayedVisualizer: Aya ElsayedGo all out with a deeply textural experience. Install a stone backsplash wall with a rugged stone bathroom basin. Choose live-edge wooden furniture over straight and sleek alternatives, and sprinkle in rattan accessories.A small wooden stool makes an ideal partner for a striking stone bathtub design. Round out room corners and wall shelves to sculpt a truly unique space.Architect: Ana Carolina MelloMint green accents give this minimalist boho bathroom concept a fresh feel. A bamboo screen lightly divides the tub area from the basins. A decorative tray neatly houses toiletries and a reed diffuser by the sinks.Designer: Alia MostafaBlack wall tiles pull this large boho bathroom together. A black accent table rests by a modern freestanding bathtub, ready to hold a glass of wine. A boho bath mat injects color into the space with a vintage red and green design. Designer: Mariam hasanDifferent wall textures bring a bathroom concept to life, think smooth wood, tactile stone, and romantic window voile. Here, a stone bathtub is teamed with a glossy side table and tinted glass carafe to continue textural and tonal interest.Two black bathroom pendant lights and a black decorative vase balance each other out at either end of the double sink vanity unit.Visualizer: Reem MahmoudA huge backlit bathroom mirror looks like a portal to a bohemian dimension behind this otherworldly vanity area.A planter is set directly into the countertop, blurring the boundaries between manmade elements and natural beauty.Visualizer: Nermeen ZaitounFrosted glass screens divide this boho chic bathroom into three parts, the bathing area, the vanity, and the WC.Rattan pendant lights are gathered into an attention-grabbing group of three. Recessed shelves carve softly rounded shapes into the wall stucco.A terrazzo vanity unit adds color and pattern.Architect: Shahd ElnasharClean-cut lines achieve a minimalist boho aesthetic here. A linear vanity unit is raised from the floor to increase the sense of space.Concealed lighting washes down the tiled walls.A rainfall shower head is tucked into the ceiling to complete the streamlined finish.Designer: Olga TolmachLog cabin-style walls create a heavy juxtaposition with sleek white marble cladding in this WC.Maroon tiles splash color against the natural foundation. An arched full-length mirror and a pedestal sink form a layered composition.Recommended Reading: Cozy Boho Interiors With Botanical BoostsFor more regular updates from Home Designing, join us on Facebook. If you are reading this through e-mail, please consider forwarding this mail to a few of your friends who are into interior design. Come on, you know who they are! Related Posts: 24 Dreamy Rustic Cottage Living Room Ideas Boho's Bonhomie With Scandinavian, Mediterranean & Modern Styles 31 Low Light Indoor Plants That Flourish in Dim Spaces 21 Modern Sage Green Bedroom Ideas With Tips To Help You Design Yours

Our Godox AR400 rig works great for a scan or two, but quickly becomes a pain to work with when sunlight has to be contended with. The flash is simply not bright enough to completely overcome the midday sun, and if you shoot at relatively high power levels (at or above 1/4th), youll quickly hit hard-coded temperature limitations after a few hundred (or dozen) shots and need to repeatedly reset the flash to keep shooting.So, before our trip to Namaqualand, we started looking for alternatives that would enable us to shoot in direct sunlight for extended periods of time and perhaps provide a better ergonomic experience.On the 3D Scanning discord, we stumbled upon some images of other artists using the Elinchrom ELB 500 dual flash kit (along with a custom handheld rig) and decided to make our ownDownload Blend fileLicense: CC0The rig is primarily made from off-the-shelf components such as aluminum extrusions, a camera L-bracket, and a wireless remote. Then, we designed 3D-printed handles, a small spacer, and feet to tie it all together.Of course, we also needed to polarize the flashes, so a simple 3D-printed pair of rings clamp the polarizing filters against the front of each hood/reflector. The filters themselves, like for the AR400 rig, came from replacement filters for an iPad screen which are just the right size and easy to obtain.In a nutshell, the rig is simply a way to attach the flashes to the camera and provide a somewhat ergonomic way to hold everything. However, after struggling a bit with the AR400 rig, we also wanted to give ourselves some creature comforts to make it a little more versatile and enjoyable to use, such as:TPU/rubber feet, so it can stand easily on a table/floor without scratching anything.Top handle: to help hold it low to the ground. The handle we have came from a video cage kit, so it also has convenient 1/4 threads to attach a monopod and hold even more comfortably lower to the ground.A 1/4 tapped hole on the bottom for attaching to a tripod or monopod for easier maneuverability and height access.A removable wireless remote integrated into the right handle, lined up just where your index finger goes.An overall footprint that fits inside the Elinchrom kits bag, protecting those big polarizers during transport.Its certainly an upgrade over the AR400 rig, but usability-wise there are still some annoyances:The battery life is not that great when shooting at full power. Its better than the AR400 but still surprisingly short, given the batteries physical size.The separate flash body, which houses the controls, battery, and electronics, is tethered by thick cables to the flashes themselves and is a bit awkward despite its shoulder sling. A small hip-mounted bag might be a nice improvement.The modeling lights (LEDs you can turn on inside the flash heads to help with focusing and polarizer alignment) are not very bright and turn off automatically after only a few seconds making the initial setup a bit frustrating.The aux connector on the body, which connects to the camera to trigger the flash, is unreliable and poorly positioned to be damaged easilyhence the looseness and unreliability now.If anyone has some ideas or suggestions for improvements, please comment below If youd like to build one yourself, the .blend file is available for download at the top of this post. Parts and assembly should be fairly self-explanatory from the object names, though we worked with what we had on hand and could find locally.

This post continues from our main HDRI workflow article:https://blog.polyhaven.com/how-to-create-high-quality-hdriSome of my favorite HDRIs were shot in busy streets with crowds of people around, or with dramatic fast-moving clouds and rapid sunsets that might seem impossible to capture to those unfamiliar with the magic of masking.Contrary to what you might initially think, these things are in fact fairly trivial to deal with as long as youre aware of them and shoot carefully.In a nutshell, you have four tools at your disposal:Timing your shots and planning for maskingShooting in order of priorityControlling control pointsManual layer blendingPlan to MaskWhen shooting in a busy street, tourist attraction, or any other location where there are people/cars/cats outside of your control, the easiest way to get rid of these elements is to shoot the same angle multiple times with the intention of masking out anything you dont want.Each of these images has something the other does not.If you can, take your time and be patient. Chances are those pesky tourists are going to move away after a while. Heck, maybe you could even ask them to step aside for a few seconds while you get that shot. In a city street example, that traffic light is going to change sometime and you might get a lucky clean shot. But even if you cant get a single clean shot, you can get a couple shots with fewer cars in them. With enough shots, youll likely be able to capture every part of your image cleanly, even if no single image is empty.Worst case scenario, you may have some small areas that were never empty, but those can easily be filled in with inpainting.Prioritize the SkyFor most HDRIs, the sky is whats most important its the part thats generally most visible (not covered up by foreground CG elements) and emits the most light.By the time you finish shooting the panorama, the light might be quite different than when you started, for example at sunset.Maybe the clouds light up bright pink for only a few seconds, and you dont want to miss that opportunity.Start by shooting your upward rotation to capture the sky, and then work your way down. If the sunset happens to get even prettier while you are shooting, you can always stop and start again from the top.By the time you finish, the sun may have completely set and the ground could now be darker than before. This is mostly unavoidable, but its better if the ground in your final HDRI is slightly inaccurate (which most people wont be able to tell) than missing the glorious sunset entirely.In the same example as shown above, you can actually see the sunlight is quite different between these photos, since I had to wait a few minutes for the parked car to move. But can you tell in the final pano?Sun still above the horizonSun just below the horizonDelete Moving Control PointsIn case its not obvious, having control points on moving objects will likely confuse PTGui and introduce visible seams or even massive alignment issues.If you notice seams in your panorama, the first place to look is your control point table, and sort by distance value. You probably have some control points with high distances (i.e. PTGui sees a disparity between the control point location and its expected location if the object were static).The three control points in the clouds have massive distance/error values, since the clouds moved a lot between these shots.Often simply deleting control points that appear on moving objects is enough to resolve the issue.In some cases though, such as for moving clouds, it may not actually be bad to have control points between them, it may be your only option, as long as you dont also have control points between static objects in the same images as well. Its the relative difference that causes the seams.Naturally, this might mean you have some high distance-value control points in your table, but as long as you know why theyre there and how youre going to deal with them thats totally fine.Having control points on moving clouds can help stitch those more seamlessly, just be careful to avoid introducing seams on static things because of that. As usual, masking is your friend, and you can simply mask out everything except the sky for your upward-facing shots.Manual Layer BlendingIn some cases, such as clouds flying by overhead in high winds, you may not be able to avoid some stitching artifacts. These could be obvious seams or strange patches of inconsistent contrast. In one photo, the hillside might be in the sun, but in the next, it might be in the shade of a cloud.Recent versions of PTGui (v12+) have some different ways of blending images together, and an optimum seam finder:In my experience, the default (Zero-overlap with optimum seams) is usually the best overall, but can sometimes cause dark and bright spots, especially near the zenith or when you have many small masked areas such as lens flares, birds, or moving people.One of the common artifacts with zero-overlap blending, a dark patchIn those cases, the other blending mode, multiband (and without optimum seams), might do better. So I find I often export both a zero-overlap version and a multiband version, then overlay them in Affinity Photo and paint a mask to get the best of both and avoid their artifacts.Multiband fixes that particular issue, though it also subtly darkens the sky behind the cloudsHowever, if you still have problems caused by significant motion, you may even need to blend the images yourself by hand.To do this, after exporting the HDRI normally, simply check the Individual HDR Layers output box to save a separate pano for each image.You will probably also want to enable only the images you think youll need so that only panos for those images are saved:After doing this, youll end up with a set of images like this:Now you can open the original HDRI in your editor of choice and drag the new layers on top of it.From here its just a matter of manually creating masks for each image one by one until youve fixed all your problems.HDR GhostingGhosting is what happens when there is motion within the same HDR bracket set.One major feature of most professional HDR merging software is the removal of these ghosts. My little script doesnt have this feature, but most of the time youll be masking out moving things completely anyway so it doesnt matter what they look like.In some rare cases, however, you might actually want to keep some moving objects in the HDRI. For example, this kitten:Ghosting artifacts caused by moving kittyFixed ghosting by choosing one of the brackets to take priority at the cost of more noiseTo get this result, I had to manually modify the masks for the compositing nodes in the blend file that my script created so that it used one of the darker frames (hence all the noise) for the whole cat.If anyone knows of a good HDR merging tool that can output linear unbiased 32-bit images that also handles ghosting, please do let me know!If you have any other struggles with motion when stitching HDRIs, let me know in the comments below and I can try to help you find a good solution

Its been too long since the last dev log, so without further ado here we go!Moon updateLast October we went to the moon lab in Rostock Germany, so whats happening with that?Were still working on the Namaqualand project first (more on that below), but our friends from Rostock asked us for something they could present at a conference recently, so we processed two of the scans and made a little demo scene to show their potential:Were not completely finished with the textures just yet, but its a good indication of whats to come later this year Namaqualand progressOur trip to the desert back in September last year is finally starting to show some results! Weve completed a number of scans and worked out a few kinks with the process. The plan is to finish everything around July, but dont hold us to that just yet ReferenceFinished modelVerdant Trail is outWe wrote a dedicated post about this when it was published in February if you want more details about the project as a whole, otherwise, here are some pretty pictures:Dimensions, texel density & polycountThis is another one of those nice to have things thats been on my list for years, but I decided to tackle it recently: Displaying the dimensions and polycount of models on the website, as well as the texel density for both models and textures:This helps you get an idea of the resolution of the asset before downloading it, or perhaps meeting some requirements in your project.The largest dimension is shown, with the words tall or wide depending on the axis. Hovering over the value will show all dimensions precisely.Texel density is shown in pixels per centimeter, but if you hover over the value it will also show a precise pixels per meter value as well if thats more your style.Polycount is just triangles before any subdivisions.Modular buildingshttps://polyhaven.com/models/structures/buildingsJames started working on a set of modular urban buildings during the Hidden Alley community project, but decided they needed a bit more attention after the alley was completed rather than trying to rush them in for the release of that collection, or make our awesome community wait even longer for their assets to be published.This is one of our first forays into modular environment assets, so wed love some feedback on their usability and design if you have any Plans to support geometry nodesOne of our long-standing issues, and complaints we get fairly regularly, is that our tree assets are not very compatible with non-Blender software.One of the issues comes from the fact that our FBX exports are fully automated, and dont work well for geometry nodes necessarily, and in this case results in the leaves going missing. We have an FAQ item about them and everything.But its not just limited to FBX, some Blender users just want a static tree mesh that doesnt have any complex controls and performance implications. This is particularly the case in Blenders asset browser: often users dont want any kind of baggage attached to the asset, they expect a single simple tree to appear when they drag it in.To address these problems, weve come up with the following solution:Models that use geometry nodes will have two variants inside their Blend file:The original generator that is used to create and customize the model.A static version that is baked down with all modifiers applied, ready to export to FBX, or simply used in Blender.Both these versions will be marked as assets in our add-on so that they appear in the asset browser despite coming from the same Blend file.Another example is grass: Sometimes you just want one small tuft of grass to place manually and accent your scene, but sometimes you expect to drag the asset onto a ground plane and automatically scatter the grass instances across the mesh. Both of these could be accomplished by simply organizing the file well and marking the appropriate datablock as an asset.This needs to be handled on a case-by-case basis, so itll take some time for us to investigate each of them, come up with some consistent standards, and update our assets to comply.API licensingThe Poly Haven API is now generally available and free to use for non-commercial and academic purposes.The API is simply a way for developers to access our assets with code, downloading what they need in the formats and variants they require, and also includes all the metadata like tags, categories, and polycounts. This is used for example in our Blender add-on to download assets directly in Blender as needed.Previously, we made the API public but did not formally specify how anyone was allowed to use it. This led to some great tools like a Houdini plugin and some AI model training, however, it also led to what we consider abuse of our CC0 assets for selfish gain users essentially cloning our website and placing ads everywhere, hijacking our old names (and even Patreon accounts) to build SEO reputation.We were also contacted by a number of studios and corporations that were interested in using the API but wanted some kind of guarantee of reliability and consistency.For these reasons, we decided to add a formal Terms of Service for the API and define what were comfortable with and what developers can expect from us.Anyone wanting to use the API for commercial purposes will need to contact us to request permission (and a quote) to ensure we can cater to them sustainably. We still want the open-source community, students, and researchers to have unrestricted access, so the API is completely free to use for those purposes.If all of this sounds confusing to you and youre not sure what the API even is, dont worry about it All our assets are still CC0 and free for everyone, nothing has changed there.Our stance on AI generated assetsIn case you missed it, I wrote a lengthly post about what we think of generative AI in the 3D asset industry, what that means for us, and what were doing about it.That about sums up the last few months! Theres a little bit of work here and there that we arent ready (or allowed) to talk about just yet, but youll hear about some of it in the next Dev Log Thanks for reading!

Things are a bit crazy at the moment so the usual bi-monthly Dev Log will be a bit late.In the meantime, I thought it might be time we talk about our stance on AI in general. In the 3D and related art industries, there has been a great deal of concern about the future of peoples careers and the ethics of current AI tools.As a publisher, especially of CC0 content, we obviously have some thoughts about all this.The obviously bad stuffThe rest of this post might be somewhat controversial to some, so lets be clear about what we think makes AI sometimes bad.Copyright law has yet to catch up with generative AI, so in many places, its a bit unclear what is and isnt legally allowed. Hence we need to lean more on morals and ethics than the black and white law itself.We believe that if you do not expressly give permission in some way for others to use your work for any purpose, or in a database, or specifically for AI training, then its not OK to train an AI with it.Some freelancers are receiving less work because of AI, and that sucks.Some people have been laid off because their employer chose to replace them with an AI, and that sucks.Some people are earning less, because their work has been devalued by the accessibility of AI, and that sucks.As time goes on, more and more artists will likely be affected like this and be forced to adapt or suffer.We wont make assets with AIOne thing thats always been clear about publishing content on the internet is that there are volumes and volumes of trash, particularly when it comes to free content.Long before AI-generated assets were a twinkle in anyones eyes, we made the decision to focus on quality over quantity. Its why we spend weeks on every photoscanned texture instead of pumping out dozens of procedural textures like most other publishers.With the introduction of AI-generated textures, HDRIs, and even 3D models, we predict a further increase of trash content on the internet, and we have no intention of joining this trend just to make some numbers go up.However, in the long term, we believe these tools will improve and the quality of their outputs will meet or exceed the assets we make. Even still, we will not be using generative AI tools exclusively to create assets en masse.Thats not to say we outlaw any kind of AI tool entirely we already do use some AI tools to make some of our assets sometimes. For example, ArtEngine (RIP) has some handy tools to help make our photoscanned textures seamless. They often dont work well, but when they do they save a lot of time that would have otherwise been spent painting and clone stamping manually.The way we see it, as an artist you probably dont actually care how the assets you need are made. Whether the fire extinguisher you want for your project is modeled in Blender and textured in Substance, photoscanned from real life, or generated with some AI, you dont really care. As long as you can get a nice fire extinguisher, under a permissive license that suits your needs, you probably dont care how exactly it was made.But we do.But not because we hate AIWe have nothing against generative AI, in fact, we think its pretty cool. We just recognize that these tools rely on a good foundation of data. The more real data (as opposed to generated data) they have access to, the better their generated results will be, meaning potentially the better your game or VFX shot will be.Poly Haven has always been about lowering the barrier of entry for people to create higher quality 3D art by providing tools and content to everyone for free equally. In many ways, generative AI has similar potential to level the playing field.Our choice not to make generated content is not based on some legal or moral stance, but out of a choice to be part of the source data used for training long term.We want Poly Haven to stick to its core values, being a source of high-quality 3D content based on photographic data and real life, available to everyone as freely as possible.But at what cost?The reality of the progression of technology is that some jobs will be made less valuable as automation improves, even to the point of becoming obsolete.Many people make the counterargument that your job wont be replaced by AI, just that your job will be made easier and more efficient.Thats true in some cases, but that also means employers and clients may want to pay less for your work, or let you go because they dont need as many people for that role now.This issue has been, and still is being, debated to death on the internet (and since the Industrial Revolution of course), so thats not what I want to talk about here. Instead, I want to focus on what it means for Poly Haven.Realistically, were working ourselves out of a job to some extent. Were providing the ethically sourced no-strings-attached training data to tools that may ultimately replace us. Why go to some website to dig through hundreds of wood materials, when you can stay in your texturing software and ask it for exactly what you want?Sure, there is some value in a library of any kind (regardless of how the content is created) that you can browse through when you dont really know what you want yet, but this can be implemented alongside generative tools too.The reality is, we think, that the future of small asset libraries like Poly Haven might not look too good. Whether its generative tools removing the need for 3rd party asset libraries entirely, or just massive one-stop shops like FAB promises to be, taking over any hope of competition, we feel it might be time to start adapting.What were doing about itFirst of all, Poly Haven the website is not going anywhere. Its relatively cheap to host the website itself, so theres no danger of all our assets vanishing because AI took our jobs.Its also not fundamentally changing. Poly Haven will still be a 3D asset library of CC0 content, and were still OK with people using our assets to train their AIs. Were actually kind of proud that we can be one of the few platforms that allow this unconditionally and without questioning laws or ethics.What were talking about is Poly Haven the team: The people who make the assets.Whats the future for us?We intend to use some of our excess resources to branch out a little and work on things that are related to asset creation, but not strictly just for those purposes. Something that we can use to help us make good assets, but with other goals and benefits as well.In other words, we plan to make video games.Weve had this idea for some time, but originally more as a dogfooding idea than anything else. We wanted to make bigger content using our assets, not just static scenes and simple animations, to help guide us to make more usable assets. The Blender Studio does something similar, making short films to help guide what features are developed for Blender and how theyre implemented. We could do the same, but for us, personally, short films are perhaps not as interesting as video games. We also think video games are maybe a little safer from being replaced by AI than films or other pre-rendered media since they have several more layers of complexity.A modest game or two as a testing ground for our environment assets was the original idea. Now that we see the future of asset creation as a career in a bit of jeopardy, it seems this game development idea can serve another purpose as well: Diversifying our skills and income in the long term.We obviously dont think we can make an amazing AAA game right off the bat, but we also dont have to. The future is not here yet, so we have some time to work on this idea slowly and make sure it aligns with what Poly Haven is today, while at the same time setting us up for what our team might need to transition to tomorrow.Were not becoming a game studio. We still make assets. Were just trying to do that better, have some fun, and secure our future at the same time.As always, I have to express our undying thanks to our Patrons who support us and enable us to do what we feel is right and good for everyone, instead of chasing profits like most other corporate publishers. We couldnt do this without you <3PS: Images in this post were generated with various AIs. Sorry The satire was too tempting.

Into NamaqualandEarly next month, almost the whole team will be off on our first real excursion!The location of choice, meant to be a fairly easy first trip, is the desert.Specifically, the Namaqualand area of the Northern Cape in South Africa the same location this HDRI was taken.We figured after our struggles with lush vegetation making difficult access to scannable objects and surfaces for the Little Falls project (more on that below), a desert would be a nice simple environment to learn from that would also give us lots of content.After planning the trip in more detail, however, things are a little more complicated The accommodation were staying in, the Goegap Nature Reserve, has no electricity or cell service, and much of the park is only accessible with a 44.Could we have chosen a better place to stay? Probably. But its too late now since all accommodation in the area is completely booked up. You see were visiting the Namaqualand area in precisely the most popular time of year early Spring when flowers may bloom among the desert landscape depending on your luck with the rains in the days prior.This was intentional of course, and the reason why we have to go now even while the Little Falls project is still unfinished. The chance of seeing something more than just dry sand and rocks only comes once a year, and we think it could add a lot of value to an asset pack like this.Besides, who doesnt like a bit of a challenge?Well be charging all our cameras and flashes with solar power, or using our cars as generators if need be. For communication, good old-fashioned radios will do.We expect this to be quite the little adventure, so well be making a behind-the-scenes video exclusively for our Patrons if youre interested in following along Little Falls ProgressThe Little Falls project has taken a bit of a back seat while we prepare for the desert and wrap up older projects, but I can share a few asset WIPs in the meantime:Hidden Alley SceneJames is making steady progress on the Hidden Alley scene using everyones assets.Much of the time that it takes to put together a scene like this stems from the idea that Poly Haven should be publishing assets, not wasting time making pretty pictures So were trying to turn as much of the scene as possible into useful assets rather than one-time props that look OK at a distance just for the sake of a render.Elinchrom Flash RigAlso known as Wall-E, weve reworked our scanning rig for the Elinchrom ELB 500 flash. The earlier prototype we made worked really well, so this is merely a structural upgrade to ensure it can survive the desert and be relied upon.Naturally, like our AR400 flash rig, this one was first designed in Blender:Well be sharing the files for this soon in a separate post once weve tested it and ironed out any issues.C-MonsterSpeaking of scanning rigs, weve made a large 3.2-meter C-frame with a rail for our Godox AR400 rig to slide along:While almost all our scanning work is done hand-held (or with a tripod), we have some plans to visit a wood shop and scan a dozen or so boards and veneers. Doing that in a reasonable time frame with minimal back pain requires some level of automation.This rig can be operated manually with string as pictured above, but we also intend to attach a stepper motor and a 3D printed rack and pinion to automate the one axis.Turntable WIPJandre has been working on an automated turntable for scanning small objects like rocks and food.While off-the-shelf turntables do exist, we decided to brew our own (open source) compact solution that can be adapted to other rigs (like the C-monster) and programmed to do anything we might need.The Scanning in the Void method is our bread and butter here. With a mini tripod to hold the turntable, this can all be done in the back of a car on location. This helps avoid the environmental impact of transporting scan specimens away from their original location to our home base.BlenderKit IntegrationOur HDRIs have been available on BlenderKit for a while now, but only in the last month or so have we also added our textures and 3D models to their library.This is achieved by a script, made originally by Vilem (one of the BlenderKit admins) and rewritten by Jandre.We still think our own Blender add-on is the most user-friendly way to get direct access to our assets in Blender, but if youre already a BlenderKit subscriber this is a good alternative.Photography WorkshopA huge portion of our work comes down to what I would call technical photography, where its important to understand how cameras and light work in order to capture the highest quality images for photoscanning.We spared some time one afternoon to drive around Joburg and share what we know, having a bit of fun experimenting with what our gear is capable of even outside of the usual scan settings.

Growing the TeamThanks to our Blender Add-on, we are able to grow the core team and in April we were joined by Jandre van Heerden!Jandre is working on all sorts of technical tasks and helping us improve and automate our processes. Youve probably seen some of his scans already!This brings our full-time team to 5 people Also joining the team this month were Odin and Pan:Theyre a little less productive when it comes to making 3D assets, but weve decided to keep them on for moral support.Hidden AlleyOur latest community project, the Hidden Alley, was again a great success! Voting has just begun to determine the prize order, while James is continuing work on the scene and asset uploads.Little FallsWere making good progress on the Little Falls project, starting to process some scans and making plans for more trips well need to capture others.The location we chose is a little inaccessible and challenging to capture good scans, so well be visiting a few other parks and hills to get gather some more content from similar biomes.Mountain PinesOur Mountain Pines project is also making great progress and is almost ready to share. Many of the assets are already online, and weve got just a few left to finish up before we can share the scene file.Smugglers Cove BacklogWe have a few environment scans that made it into the Smugglers Cove asset pack on the Unreal Marketplace that we havent yet shared on polyhaven.com, like the one above. This was mainly due to them requiring some more work to be usable in Blender, while in Unreal Nanite could practically render the pure scan.Rico is now finishing up these assets so we can share them with everyone Elinchrom Flash RigOne of the first things that Jandre and I worked on last month was a rig for our new Elinchrom ELB 500 flash.We already use a Godox AR400 which is great in most cases, but we found we needed something brighter with batteries (and temperature restrictions) that could last longer, in order to be able to do scans in broad daylight.The ELB 500 is great for this, though it requires a custom mounting solution to get it usable for mobile cross-polarized photogrammetry.We 3D printed most of this, designed around a simple cage we found locally. The design is not quite refined or generic enough for us to share here, Im expecting to make a few revisions once we use it a bit more in the field.Texture Color CalibrationWeve finally formalized and standardized our diffuse map color calibration workflow using Macbeth charts.This was always a confusing issue for all of us, core team and contractors alike, but weve stuck our heads together and come up with a reliable and simple method to ensure the consistency and accuracy of our future texture scans.UncalibratedCalibratedThe difference it makes can be quite dramatic, and I only wish we could go back in time and improve all of our past work as well.Were off the gridOr solar installation was completed a few weeks ago and its been great having electricity 24/7 again.The size of the system is just enough to keep the office going during overcast days, and even run a heater or two while the sun is out.As luck would have it, now we have to deal with water outages too! This will be the second one in as many weeks, only this time its planned to last for 5 days instead of only one. Depending on how things go in the future months, we may need to opt for a borehole as well, but well cross that bridge when we come to it.