<p>Although this is borderline "off-topic" for the site, there is perhaps a simple answer:</p>

<p>Why not use a webgl approach such as this one?
<a href="http://learningwebgl.com/lessons/lesson11/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://learningwebgl.com/lessons/lesson11/index.html</a>
(parent page here: <a href="http://learningwebgl.com/blog/?p=1253" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://learningwebgl.com/blog/?p=1253</a>)</p>

<p>Just rotate the image of the moon around until you have one of the poles visible and you'll see the typical artefacts you get with mapping a rectangle to a sphere.
Though I've not tried, you could <em>probably</em> modify the code (use, say, "view page source" to read it, or save a local copy and edit) to load whatever texture your heart desired.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-25T10:25:25.337Z
2017-11-25T10:25:25.337Z
Simon F
<p>I am trying to study the texture deformations caused when mapping a rectangle to a sphere, if I had a software that took an image as an input and displayed how it looks like when texture mapped to a sphere, it would allow me to observe and study this deformations better.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-29T09:56:29.853Z
There are many ways of texture mapping a sphere with a rectangle. It's pretty well researched under the term [map projections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_projection)
ratchet freak
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-01T19:57:42.160Z
Asking about how to write an algorithm to do this would be on topic, but software recommendation questions are not on topic on any Stack Exchange site, apart from [softwarerecs.se].
trichoplax is on Codidact now
<texture><mathematics><uv-mapping>
Is there any free software to visualize a texture mapped to a sphere?
Makogan
# Is there any free software to visualize a texture mapped to a sphere?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-25)

I am trying to study the texture deformations caused when mapping a rectangle to a sphere, if I had a software that took an image as an input and displayed how it looks like when texture mapped to a sphere, it would allow me to observe and study this deformations better.

**Tags:** texture, mathematics, uv-mapping

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There are many ways of texture mapping a sphere with a rectangle. It's pretty well researched under the term [map projections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map_projection)  
> **username_2**: Asking about how to write an algorithm to do this would be on topic, but software recommendation questions are not on topic on any Stack Exchange site, apart from [softwarerecs.se].  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-11-25. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Although this is borderline "off-topic" for the site, there is perhaps a simple answer:

Why not use a webgl approach such as this one?
<http://learningwebgl.com/lessons/lesson11/index.html>
(parent page here: <http://learningwebgl.com/blog/?p=1253>)

Just rotate the image of the moon around until you have one of the poles visible and you'll see the typical artefacts you get with mapping a rectangle to a sphere.
Though I've not tried, you could *probably* modify the code (use, say, "view page source" to read it, or save a local copy and edit) to load whatever texture your heart desired.


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