Customize the look and topography of planets and moons with a library of realistic color and height maps. Turn Earth into Mars or mix-and-match maps to create your own worlds.

Elevation Maps

Blend, shift, and flip any two of the elevation maps in Universe Sandbox to create your own custom surface that governs water flow, temperature simulation, and more. Learn more
Guides > Tutorials > Creating Planets from Scratch & Transforming Planets

Color Maps

Change the surface map of any planet to match other planet images included in Universe Sandbox.

Apparent Elevation Intensity

Change the apparent difference between high and low elevation, also called the normal map, under
Visuals > Elevation > Exaggerated Terrain

More Highlights

Invert a planet’s elevation with the push of a button under
Surface > Elevation > Elevation Map > Flip


View a planet's simulated surface without high-resolution corrections under
Properties > Visuals > Enhance Surface Detail
Turning off the enhanced view shows the map resolution we use for simulating object surfaces, including water flow and snow.


Turn off the visual glow from high temperatures, also called blackbody radiation, under
Properties > Visuals > Heat Glow


This update includes 9+ additions and 3+ fixes and improvements.

Check out the full list of What's New in Update 32

Please report any issues on our Steam forum, on Discord, or in-game via Home > Send Feedback.