TWID #8: Create Skyboxes with AI

Using Skybox Lab and TouchDesigner to build abstract scenes.

Feb 27, 2023

This week I used Skybox Lab to generate some environment maps to use in my TouchDesigner work.

What is Skybox Lab

Skybox Lab is like Midjourney, Dalle-2, Stable Diffusion or any other Clip Diffusion Model out there. You type in a text prompt and it generates an image for you.

The key difference here is, that it does not generate “plain 2D images” but skyboxes. A skybox is some kind of spherical map, in which you can look around.

The interface of Skybox Lab with a prompt input and an environment viewer.

That kind of stuff is very helpful, when you build 3D environments. Since it creates nice reflections and gives the illusion your model is inside a particular scene.

Using Skyboxes in TouchDesigner

To use a skybox in TouchDesigner you need to set up a 3D Render Network.

Then add an Environment light where you attach the skybox. To do that, create a Moviefile In TOP and load the skybox (it is just a png image) with it.

To make use of it you also need to add an PBR Material, where you can set the metallic and roughness properties so that you can actually see the scene around you.

A basic render network in TouchDesigner with PBR material and environment.

Exploring Possibilities

Currently the output of Skybox Lab seems to look very similar once you have seen a few styles. But I can imagine that they are working quite heavily on that and it will only become more capable.

I really like the structures it creates when you use it on an object with a very reflective material.

So here are some things I’ve built with that approach.

Conclusion

This is some really interesting use case of AI Generated Imagery, since it goes beyond using just the image as its. But rather as an asset to elevate your own creations.

For now it does not do HDRI which would make it even more usable, since that would not only give reflections that look great, but the ability to light your scene realistically.