Real world satellite imagery

Development Rendering
, , ,
1

Hi!

Do you have an idea on how to import large (approx. 70kmx50km) real world terrain with satellite texture into unreal with high resolution? I need it to use a simple flight simulator. I tried already blenderGIS, but the resolution ist too low.

Hope you have an idea! I already found 3d-mapper.com, but is there an free alternative? It does exactly what I need.

Best regards

2

http://terrain.party/ (max 60x60 km).

World Composition

Depending on your level of accuracy, you may need to improvise with some creative license. I wouldn’t expect real-world accuracy beyond a few meters.

3

thanks for your answer! I already imported the heightmap successfully, now I need some satellite imagery… Do you have an source for them too? The best would be to download HighRes images (maybe tiles to stick them together?).

4

Government GIS web sites have satellite imagery that is free for use. Do verify the copyrights.

Also take a look at the Infinity Blade Grasslands pack. I think it’s this pack that has the background mountains, which include a terrain material. I’ve emulated that with satellite images, terrain data, and normal maps that I’ve created using CrazyBump or some similar software.

5

I actually can’t find any free service to download some high-res images for the “Bodensee” in germany… My last try was to use the blender plugin blenderGIS which supports high res images, but with zoom level 16 it takes quite long to generate the terrain

6

Landviewer looks promising, but they require registration. Bear in mind, satellite imagery will include buildings.

7

Hii…For large-scale terrain in Unreal Engine, the best approach is to separate elevation data and satellite imagery, then bring them together inside Unreal using proper tiling and level streaming.

DEM sources like:

are fine for basic height information, but they are limited to 30 m–90 m resolution. For a simple flight simulator, this works for overall terrain shape, but it won’t look detailed at lower altitudes.

You can import this DEM data into Unreal using:

  • Unreal Landscape system

  • World Partition or World Composition (for large areas)

This is where most free solutions fail.

Tools like BlenderGIS and similar free map exporters usually rely on:

  • Public map tile services

  • Heavy downscaling

  • Usage limits

That’s why textures look soft or pixelated when stretched over large terrain.

There is no true free alternative that delivers high-resolution, large-area satellite imagery without limits. Platforms like 3D-Mapper work well because they use commercial satellite data, not free tiles.

If you need sharp, realistic textures for a 70 × 50 km area, the most reliable workflow is:

  1. Obtain high-resolution satellite imagery (30 cm to 1 m per pixel)

  2. Tile the imagery into manageable texture sizes

  3. Import and align it with your DEM inside Unreal

  4. Use World Partition for performance

This is exactly where commercial satellite imagery solutions like XRtech Group DEM becomes essential.

If your goal is visual realism over a large area, there is currently no free solution that matches what tools like 3D-Mapper do. Free data works for prototypes, but not for production-level flight simulation.

For professional results, combining high-resolution satellite imagery with proper Unreal Engine terrain streaming is the way forward.