https://www.posetteforever.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3999&p=45374#p45374
-----------------------------------
Nik
Monday, 15 June 2020, 02:26 PM

Free Planets !!
-----------------------------------
Planet Map makes textures that don't pinch at poles !!

online (fun, limited size, few tools)    http://topps.diku.dk/torbenm/maps.msp
exe (has command line, many tools) http://hjemmesider.diku.dk/~torbenm/Planet/

if you generate map as 'square projection' with width twice height, the equirectangular map will nicely wrap a sphere without pinching at the poles...

Couple of gotchas:

fun on-line version limited to 1000x1000, so eg 800x400

You must 'save-as' its image, which only exports as BMP. So, you may have to open that in editor of your choice, re-save as much more compact JPG.

I've not tried the command-line {Shudder !!} version, but one option seems to be 'save as height map'. 

As Poser could *perhaps* use such as Bump / Displacement map to enhance render of twinned texture map, I'll investigate when my hay-fever eases...,