How to prepare mulch samples for rendering

What to upload

A swatch of the mulch raked out on the ground, from above. Renders spread it where the ground is in your scene, usually a planting bed, as separate chips and shreds heaped to a real depth and lit by the scene's own light. It is tucked up to every stem and trunk, and the plants themselves are left as they are.

Mulch isn't repeated into a tile. Renders vary the pieces the way your sample does, so no patch repeats in a visible grid.

A lifestyle image of a finished bed is optional. It shows renders how the mulch behaves in real light, and nothing else in it is copied.

The ideal sample

A freshly raked bed, the way it looks the day it's spread.

• Raked level and filling the frame, with no bag, plants or edging showing.
• Single chips or shreds clear, and enough of them to show the mix.
• From straight above.
• Soft, even light: an overcast day or open shade.
• Fresh and dry. Wet mulch is darker than what arrives.
• True color, with no filter or edit. Dyed reds and blacks are the easiest to overdo.

Measurements

One number sets the scale: how big a piece is.

• Width, in inches: a typical chip or nugget, across. For shredded mulch, a typical shred's width.
• Left blank, a piece is drawn about 2 inches across.
• Height and depth aren't used for mulch, and nor is the pattern repeat.

Before you save

Check each sample:

• A raked layer filling the frame, single chips clear.
• Straight from above, soft light.
• Fresh, dry, true color.
• Chip size entered, in inches.
• JPEG, PNG or WebP, 4.5 MB or less.