diff --git a/src/rendering/advanced-rendering.ts b/src/rendering/advanced-rendering.ts
index 286241aa..28c135a5 100644
--- a/src/rendering/advanced-rendering.ts
+++ b/src/rendering/advanced-rendering.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,8 @@ export function createAdvancedRenderingComposer(
   renderer: WebGLRenderer,
   scene: Scene,
   camera: PerspectiveCamera,
-  settings: AdvancedRenderingSettings
+  settings: AdvancedRenderingSettings,
+  backgroundScene: Scene | null = null
 ): EffectComposer {
   // The scene is always rendered into the composer's offscreen targets first,
   // so those targets need depth for correct visibility even when no effect samples it.
@@ -121,7 +122,14 @@ export function createAdvancedRenderingComposer(
     frameBufferType: renderer.capabilities.isWebGL2 ? HalfFloatType : UnsignedByteType
   });
 
-  composer.addPass(new RenderPass(scene, camera));
+  if (backgroundScene !== null) {
+    composer.addPass(new RenderPass(backgroundScene, camera));
+    const mainRenderPass = new RenderPass(scene, camera);
+    mainRenderPass.clear = false;
+    composer.addPass(mainRenderPass);
+  } else {
+    composer.addPass(new RenderPass(scene, camera));
+  }
 
   const effects: Array<BloomEffect | DepthOfFieldEffect | ToneMappingEffect | SMAAEffect> = [];
 
diff --git a/src/rendering/world-background-renderer.ts b/src/rendering/world-background-renderer.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c1426bf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/rendering/world-background-renderer.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+import {
+  BackSide,
+  Color,
+  Group,
+  Mesh,
+  MeshBasicMaterial,
+  PerspectiveCamera,
+  Scene,
+  ShaderMaterial,
+  SphereGeometry,
+  Texture
+} from "three";
+
+import type { WorldBackgroundSettings } from "../document/world-settings";
+
+const BACKGROUND_SPHERE_RADIUS = 320;
+const BACKGROUND_SPHERE_WIDTH_SEGMENTS = 48;
+const BACKGROUND_SPHERE_HEIGHT_SEGMENTS = 24;
+const DEFAULT_IMAGE_BACKGROUND_FALLBACK_COLOR = "#0d1116";
+const NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON = 1e-4;
+
+function clamp(value: number, min: number, max: number) {
+  return Math.min(Math.max(value, min), max);
+}
+
+function lerp(left: number, right: number, amount: number) {
+  return left + (right - left) * amount;
+}
+
+function resolveGradientColors(background: WorldBackgroundSettings) {
+  if (background.mode === "solid") {
+    return {
+      topColorHex: background.colorHex,
+      bottomColorHex: background.colorHex
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (background.mode === "verticalGradient") {
+    return {
+      topColorHex: background.topColorHex,
+      bottomColorHex: background.bottomColorHex
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    topColorHex: DEFAULT_IMAGE_BACKGROUND_FALLBACK_COLOR,
+    bottomColorHex: DEFAULT_IMAGE_BACKGROUND_FALLBACK_COLOR
+  };
+}
+
+export interface WorldBackgroundOverlayState {
+  texture: Texture | null;
+  opacity: number;
+  environmentIntensity: number;
+}
+
+export interface WorldEnvironmentState {
+  texture: Texture | null;
+  intensity: number;
+}
+
+export function resolveWorldEnvironmentState(
+  background: WorldBackgroundSettings,
+  backgroundTexture: Texture | null,
+  overlay: WorldBackgroundOverlayState | null
+): WorldEnvironmentState {
+  const baseTexture = background.mode === "image" ? backgroundTexture : null;
+  const baseIntensity =
+    background.mode === "image" ? background.environmentIntensity : 0;
+  const overlayTexture = overlay?.texture ?? null;
+  const overlayOpacity = clamp(overlay?.opacity ?? 0, 0, 1);
+  const overlayIntensity = overlay?.environmentIntensity ?? 0;
+
+  if (
+    baseTexture !== null &&
+    overlayTexture !== null &&
+    overlayOpacity > NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON &&
+    overlayOpacity < 1 - NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON
+  ) {
+    if (overlayOpacity < 0.5) {
+      return {
+        texture: baseTexture,
+        intensity: lerp(baseIntensity, 0, overlayOpacity * 2)
+      };
+    }
+
+    return {
+      texture: overlayTexture,
+      intensity: lerp(0, overlayIntensity, (overlayOpacity - 0.5) * 2)
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (overlayTexture !== null && overlayOpacity > NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON) {
+    if (baseTexture === null) {
+      return {
+        texture: overlayTexture,
+        intensity: overlayIntensity * overlayOpacity
+      };
+    }
+
+    if (overlayOpacity >= 1 - NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON) {
+      return {
+        texture: overlayTexture,
+        intensity: overlayIntensity
+      };
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (baseTexture !== null) {
+    return {
+      texture: baseTexture,
+      intensity: baseIntensity
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (overlayTexture !== null && overlayOpacity > NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON) {
+    return {
+      texture: overlayTexture,
+      intensity: overlayIntensity * overlayOpacity
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    texture: null,
+    intensity: 1
+  };
+}
+
+const GRADIENT_VERTEX_SHADER = `
+varying vec3 vWorldPosition;
+
+void main() {
+  vec4 worldPosition = modelMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
+  vWorldPosition = worldPosition.xyz;
+  gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
+}
+`;
+
+const GRADIENT_FRAGMENT_SHADER = `
+uniform vec3 uTopColor;
+uniform vec3 uBottomColor;
+varying vec3 vWorldPosition;
+
+void main() {
+  vec3 direction = normalize(vWorldPosition - cameraPosition);
+  float gradientAmount = clamp(direction.y * 0.5 + 0.5, 0.0, 1.0);
+  vec3 color = mix(uBottomColor, uTopColor, gradientAmount);
+  gl_FragColor = vec4(color, 1.0);
+}
+`;
+
+export class WorldBackgroundRenderer {
+  readonly scene = new Scene();
+
+  private readonly anchor = new Group();
+  private readonly geometry = new SphereGeometry(
+    BACKGROUND_SPHERE_RADIUS,
+    BACKGROUND_SPHERE_WIDTH_SEGMENTS,
+    BACKGROUND_SPHERE_HEIGHT_SEGMENTS
+  );
+  private readonly gradientMaterial = new ShaderMaterial({
+    uniforms: {
+      uTopColor: {
+        value: new Color(DEFAULT_IMAGE_BACKGROUND_FALLBACK_COLOR)
+      },
+      uBottomColor: {
+        value: new Color(DEFAULT_IMAGE_BACKGROUND_FALLBACK_COLOR)
+      }
+    },
+    vertexShader: GRADIENT_VERTEX_SHADER,
+    fragmentShader: GRADIENT_FRAGMENT_SHADER,
+    side: BackSide,
+    depthTest: false,
+    depthWrite: false,
+    fog: false
+  });
+  private readonly imageMaterial = new MeshBasicMaterial({
+    color: 0xffffff,
+    side: BackSide,
+    depthTest: false,
+    depthWrite: false,
+    fog: false
+  });
+  private readonly overlayMaterial = new MeshBasicMaterial({
+    color: 0xffffff,
+    side: BackSide,
+    depthTest: false,
+    depthWrite: false,
+    fog: false,
+    transparent: true,
+    opacity: 0
+  });
+  private readonly gradientMesh = new Mesh(this.geometry, this.gradientMaterial);
+  private readonly imageMesh = new Mesh(this.geometry, this.imageMaterial);
+  private readonly overlayMesh = new Mesh(this.geometry, this.overlayMaterial);
+
+  constructor() {
+    this.gradientMesh.renderOrder = -1002;
+    this.imageMesh.renderOrder = -1001;
+    this.overlayMesh.renderOrder = -1000;
+
+    for (const mesh of [this.gradientMesh, this.imageMesh, this.overlayMesh]) {
+      mesh.frustumCulled = false;
+    }
+
+    this.anchor.add(this.gradientMesh);
+    this.anchor.add(this.imageMesh);
+    this.anchor.add(this.overlayMesh);
+    this.scene.add(this.anchor);
+  }
+
+  update(
+    background: WorldBackgroundSettings,
+    backgroundTexture: Texture | null,
+    overlay: WorldBackgroundOverlayState | null
+  ) {
+    const gradientColors = resolveGradientColors(background);
+    this.gradientMaterial.uniforms.uTopColor.value.set(
+      gradientColors.topColorHex
+    );
+    this.gradientMaterial.uniforms.uBottomColor.value.set(
+      gradientColors.bottomColorHex
+    );
+
+    const showImageBackground =
+      background.mode === "image" && backgroundTexture !== null;
+
+    if (this.imageMaterial.map !== backgroundTexture) {
+      this.imageMaterial.map = backgroundTexture;
+      this.imageMaterial.needsUpdate = true;
+    }
+
+    this.gradientMesh.visible = !showImageBackground;
+    this.imageMesh.visible = showImageBackground;
+
+    const overlayTexture = overlay?.texture ?? null;
+    const overlayOpacity =
+      overlayTexture === null ? 0 : clamp(overlay?.opacity ?? 0, 0, 1);
+
+    if (this.overlayMaterial.map !== overlayTexture) {
+      this.overlayMaterial.map = overlayTexture;
+      this.overlayMaterial.needsUpdate = true;
+    }
+
+    this.overlayMaterial.opacity = overlayOpacity;
+    this.overlayMesh.visible = overlayOpacity > NIGHT_BACKGROUND_EPSILON;
+  }
+
+  syncToCamera(camera: PerspectiveCamera) {
+    this.anchor.position.copy(camera.position);
+  }
+
+  dispose() {
+    this.geometry.dispose();
+    this.gradientMaterial.dispose();
+    this.imageMaterial.dispose();
+    this.overlayMaterial.dispose();
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file