diff --git a/render/Atlas.cpp b/render/Atlas.cpp
index 3e14e29..eebb82c 100644
--- a/render/Atlas.cpp
+++ b/render/Atlas.cpp
@@ -1,113 +1,27 @@
 #include "Atlas.h"
 
-#include <cmath>
-#include <cstdint>
+#include <cstddef>
+
+#include "vf/TileTexture.h"
 
 namespace vf {
 
-namespace {
-
-struct Rgb {
-    uint8_t r, g, b;
-};
-
-// Deterministic per-tile value noise so tiles read as textured, not flat.
-float tileNoise(int tile, int x, int y) {
-    uint32_t h = static_cast<uint32_t>(tile) * 374761393u + static_cast<uint32_t>(x) * 668265263u +
-                 static_cast<uint32_t>(y) * 2246822519u;
-    h = (h ^ (h >> 13)) * 1274126177u;
-    h ^= h >> 16;
-    return static_cast<float>(h & 0xffff) / 65535.0f;
-}
-
-Rgb baseColor(int tile) {
-    switch (tile) {
-        case 0: return {86, 154, 66};    // grass top
-        case 1: return {112, 92, 58};    // grass side (dirt with green lip handled below)
-        case 2: return {119, 88, 58};    // dirt
-        case 3: return {129, 129, 132};  // stone
-        case 4: return {214, 199, 143};  // sand
-        case 5: return {104, 78, 46};    // wood bark
-        case 6: return {160, 128, 78};   // wood rings
-        case 7: return {58, 122, 52};    // leaves
-        case 8: return {54, 96, 168};    // water
-        case 9: return {236, 240, 245};  // snow
-        case 10: return {129, 129, 132};  // coal ore (stone base)
-        case 11: return {129, 129, 132};  // iron ore (stone base)
-        case 12: return {129, 129, 132};  // gold ore (stone base)
-        case 13: return {122, 120, 120};  // gravel
-        case 14: return {242, 220, 132};  // glowstone
-        default: return {160, 160, 160};
-    }
-}
-
-// Ore tiles carry coloured speckles over the stone base. Returns true and the
-// speckle colour when this pixel belongs to a vein.
-bool oreSpeckle(int tile, int x, int y, Rgb& out) {
-    if (tile < 10 || tile > 12) return false;
-    uint32_t h = static_cast<uint32_t>(tile) * 2654435761u + static_cast<uint32_t>(x) * 40503u +
-                 static_cast<uint32_t>(y) * 12289u;
-    h ^= h >> 15;
-    if ((h & 7u) >= 2u) return false;
-    switch (tile) {
-        case 10: out = {38, 38, 42}; break;     // coal
-        case 11: out = {196, 156, 120}; break;   // iron
-        default: out = {238, 214, 96}; break;    // gold
-    }
-    return true;
-}
-
-uint8_t clampByte(float v) {
-    if (v < 0.0f) return 0;
-    if (v > 255.0f) return 255;
-    return static_cast<uint8_t>(v + 0.5f);
-}
-
-} // namespace
-
+// The generator itself lives in core/ so it can be tested without a GL context.
+// What is left here is the one thing that genuinely belongs to the renderer:
+// laying the tiles out the way glTexImage3D wants to read them.
 Atlas buildAtlas(int tileSize) {
     Atlas atlas;
     atlas.tileSize = tileSize;
     atlas.layers = tileCount;
     atlas.pixels.resize(static_cast<std::size_t>(tileCount) * tileSize * tileSize * 4);
 
+    TileTextureParams params;
+    params.tileSize = tileSize;
+    TileSampler sampler(params);
+
+    const std::size_t tileBytes = static_cast<std::size_t>(tileSize) * tileSize * 4;
     for (int tile = 0; tile < tileCount; ++tile) {
-        Rgb base = baseColor(tile);
-        for (int y = 0; y < tileSize; ++y) {
-            for (int x = 0; x < tileSize; ++x) {
-                float n = tileNoise(tile, x, y) * 0.22f - 0.11f;
-                float r = base.r * (1.0f + n);
-                float g = base.g * (1.0f + n);
-                float b = base.b * (1.0f + n);
-
-                // Grass side: green band across the top few rows.
-                if (tile == 1 && y < tileSize / 4) {
-                    r = 86 * (1.0f + n);
-                    g = 154 * (1.0f + n);
-                    b = 66 * (1.0f + n);
-                }
-                Rgb speck;
-                if (oreSpeckle(tile, x, y, speck)) {
-                    r = speck.r * (1.0f + n);
-                    g = speck.g * (1.0f + n);
-                    b = speck.b * (1.0f + n);
-                }
-
-                // Subtle grid so block edges stay legible.
-                if (x == 0 || y == 0) {
-                    r *= 0.86f;
-                    g *= 0.86f;
-                    b *= 0.86f;
-                }
-
-                std::size_t idx =
-                    (static_cast<std::size_t>(tile) * tileSize * tileSize + y * tileSize + x) * 4;
-                atlas.pixels[idx + 0] = clampByte(r);
-                atlas.pixels[idx + 1] = clampByte(g);
-                atlas.pixels[idx + 2] = clampByte(b);
-                atlas.pixels[idx + 3] = 255;
-            }
-        }
+        sampler.writeTile(tile, atlas.pixels.data() + tileBytes * static_cast<std::size_t>(tile));
     }
     return atlas;
 }
diff --git a/render/Atlas.h b/render/Atlas.h
index b26313c..f1e2182 100644
--- a/render/Atlas.h
+++ b/render/Atlas.h
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ namespace vf {
 
 // A procedurally generated texture-array atlas: one RGBA tile per layer,
 // indexed by the tile ids that Block.h assigns to each face. Built in code so
-// the demo has no binary asset dependency.
+// the demo has no binary asset dependency. The colours and the patterns come
+// from vf::TilePalette and are drawn by vf::TileSampler, both in core/ and both
+// under test; this header only describes the buffer they are written into.
 struct Atlas {
     int tileSize = 16;
     int layers = tileCount;
diff --git a/render/Shaders.h b/render/Shaders.h
index de46f28..32c742e 100644
--- a/render/Shaders.h
+++ b/render/Shaders.h
@@ -47,6 +47,10 @@ uniform vec3 uFogColor;
 out vec4 fragColor;
 void main() {
     vec4 texel = texture(uAtlas, vec3(vUv, float(vTile)));
+    // Cutout tiles (ladders, rails, grates, plants, cobweb) carry their shape
+    // in alpha. The opaque pass runs with blending off, so without this the
+    // holes would draw as solid squares of whatever sits behind them.
+    if (texel.a < 0.5) discard;
     float ndl = max(dot(normalize(vNormal), normalize(uLightDir)), 0.0);
     float directional = 0.55 + 0.45 * ndl;
     float baked = 0.18 + 0.82 * vLight;