Industrial Reference Photos: Plants, Power and Machinery

Industry that is still running

Most industrial reference online shows ruins. Working plants are much harder to photograph, because access is restricted and conditions are difficult. A few packs in this collection were shot inside operating sites:

• Huge Operational Steel Mill: 328 photos of an iron smelting facility in Russia.
• Underground Industrial Mining Equipment: 239 photos of a working mine, with grinding machines, cables, tubes, lights and engine rooms. It was shot in low light, often on a tripod.
• Paper Mill Industrial Complex: 189 photos of pipe structures, walkways and ladders in Finland. It was shot in overcast light and includes stitched panoramas along with the original frames.
• Soviet Tesla Towers: 55 photos of an experimental high-voltage station built to create artificial lightning. It is still in scientific use.

Power: dams, substations and lines

Power infrastructure gives a landscape a sense of scale. Hoover Dam was photographed in October 2022, when Lake Mead was at a record low and much more of the concrete was visible than usual. The pack has 270 photos at 6240 × 4160. Hydro Stations (498 photos, New Zealand) shows two river dams, including six huge concrete pipes running down to a power house. For close-up equipment, the Electrical Substation pack (61 photos, $5.99) covers transformers, relays and circuit breakers.

Pipes, platforms and scale

The most common mistake in industrial concept art is scale. A pipe can be 5 cm or 5 m wide, and without a cue the viewer cannot tell. Real photos give you those cues: handrails, stairs, ladders, doors and bolts that have a fixed human size.

• Technological Pipelines: 182 photos of service pipelines in an industrial zone in Kamenskoye, Ukraine.
• Rooftop Industrial Equipment: 298 photos of vents, pipes, generators, cameras, metal stairs and electrical boxes. It is ideal kitbash material for rooftops.
• Huge Ground Digging Crawler: 770 photos of one large digging machine from aerial views to close-ups, in overcast, sunny, sunset and night light.

Hard-surface artists can build their own models and textures from any of these packs. The license allows it. For futuristic uses, see sci-fi terrain and industrial reference.

Industrial history

• Cockatoo Island Industrial Docks, Sydney: 671 photos of a dockyard where ships were built and repaired from the early to the mid-20th century. Folders cover cranes (90 photos), the main workshop (280) and tunnels (97), and the pack includes short video clips.
• First Large-Scale Nuclear Reactor, Washington State: 382 photos of the reactor built for plutonium production during World War II. Controls, switches, pipes, old signs and the reactor face. It was shot on a phone at 4032 × 3024.

Industrial sites that have closed and decayed are on our abandoned places page.

Frequently asked questions

Is the steel mill really in operation?

Yes. The pack was shot in an operating iron smelting facility in Russia. The preview images on the product page show the kind of spaces it covers.

Why are some packs shot on a phone?

Some contributors photographed rare locations on a phone, because that was the camera they had with them. Each product page lists the camera and resolution, so you know what you get before you buy.

Can I use these photos as textures?

Yes. Rust, concrete, painted steel and grating all work as texture sources. The license allows you to create your own textures and 3D models from the photos for your projects. You can't resell the photos themselves.

Which packs are best for a sci-fi factory?

Start with the paper mill and the rooftop equipment pack. Both are full of repeating mechanical detail that adapts well to science fiction.