# Create a cubemap

> Generate a cubemap from textures, or the contents of a scene.

## Creating Cubemaps from Textures

The fastest way to create cubemaps is to import them from specially laid out [Textures](/engine/6000.7/manual/materials-and-shaders/textures/textures-reference/class-texture-importer.md). Select the Texture in the Project window, to see the Import Settings in the Inspector window. In the Import Settings, set the **Texture Type** to **Default**, Normal Map or **Single Channel**, and the **Texture Shape** to **Cube**. Unity then automatically sets the Texture up as a Cubemap.

Several commonly-used cubemap layouts are supported (and in most cases, Unity detects them automatically).

Vertical and horizontal cross layouts, as well as column and row of cubemap faces are supported:


**A vertical cross layout where four faces form a column, a horizontal cross layout where four faces form a row, a column layout, and a row layout.:**
![](/api/media?file=/engine/6000.7/media/images/CubeLayout6Faces1.png)

Another common layout is `LatLong` (Latitude-Longitude, sometimes called cylindrical). Panorama images are often in this layout:


**A latitude-longitude layout. Four faces form a row, and the two remaining faces stretch along the top and bottom of the texture.:**
![](/api/media?file=/engine/6000.7/media/images/CubeLayoutLatLong.png)

`SphereMap` (spherical environment map) images can also be found:


**A spherical environment map. The texture is circular, with one face in the centre and four faces surrounding it in a ring. The sixth face is the outer shell of the texture.:**
![](/api/media?file=/engine/6000.7/media/images/CubeLayoutSphereMap.png)

By default Unity looks at the aspect ratio of the imported texture to determine the most appopriate layout from the above. When imported, a cubemap is produced which can be used for skyboxes and reflections:

Selecting `Glossy Reflection` option is useful for cubemap textures that will be used by [Reflection Probes](/engine/6000.7/manual/lighting-overview/reflections/class-reflection-probe.md). It processes cubemap mipmap levels in a special way (specular convolution) that can be used to simulate reflections from surfaces of different smoothness:


**A cubemap used in a Reflection Probe to create reflections on surfaces of varying smoothnesses.:**
![](/api/media?file=/engine/6000.7/media/images/CubeOptionGlossyReflections.png)

## Other Techniques

Another useful technique is to generate the cubemap from the contents of a Unity scene using a script. The [Camera.RenderToCubemap](/engine/6000.7/script-reference/unityengine/camera/rendertocubemap.md) function can record the six face images from any desired position in the scene; the code example on the function's script reference page adds a menu command to make this task easy.

## Legacy Cubemap Assets

Unity also supports creating cubemaps out of six separate [textures](/engine/6000.7/manual/materials-and-shaders/textures/textures-reference/class-texture-importer.md). Select **Assets** > **Create** > **Rendering** > **Legacy Cubemap** from the menu, and drag six textures into empty slots in the inspector.

| ***Property:***       | ***Function:***                                                                                                                                                     |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Right..Back Slots** | Textures for the corresponding cubemap face.                                                                                                                        |
| **Face Size**         | Width and Height of each Cubemap face in pixels. The textures will be scaled automatically to fit this size.                                                        |
| **Mipmap**            | Should mipmaps be created?                                                                                                                                          |
| **Linear**            | Should the cubemap use linear color?                                                                                                                                |
| **Readable**          | Should the cubemap allow scripts to access the pixel data?                                                                                                          |
| **Filter Mode**       | The filtering mode to use for the cubemap. For more details, refer to [Filter Mode](/engine/6000.7/script-reference/unityengine/filtermode.md)                      |
| **Aniso Level**       | The anisotropic filtering level to use for the cubemap. For more details, refer to [Aniso Level](/engine/6000.7/script-reference/unityengine/texture/anisolevel.md) |

Note that it is preferred to create cubemaps using the Cubemap texture import type (see above) - this way cubemap texture data can be compressed; edge fixups and glossy reflection convolution be performed; and HDR cubemaps are supported.