I have tried as @Gully_Foyle mentioned, and tried it on another surface.
I just made a surface from contours and overlaid the same image.
If i apply it within the component editing context, it works fine, but if i do so externally the result is similiar to my other issue.
So I’m guessing it has to be due to the component being made up of so many faces.
Groups and Components can be nested within each other.
Are you certain you’re working with raw geometry when you open the component for editing?
Double click to open for edit, triple click to select all, right click Reverse Faces (check to see if any back faces are still showing and reverse them manually), then with everything selected right click again Soften smooth and move the slides to make the edges vanish.
Then try your texture.
The file is too large for this forum,
So it is uploading to my dropbox, here, Dropbox - Fairview.skp - Simplify your life
One corner of the object is at the origin.
I’m quite sure i am working with raw geometry, it lets me select individual faces.
@Box : I really thought we had it that time, it was all looking different and promising up until i actually applied the texture. The texture still had similiar issues, but in a different way. If you compare the image above to the surface it’s been applied to the geometry is all over the place.
It’s uploaded on the dropbox now.
I have to take off for a while.
Thanks so much for your help peeps, hopefully we can work this out.
Talk soon 
Trim off the clear parts of the image and it works fine.
Well done @Box!
Using the method you described before? or just the standard method?
Works OK here.
Albeit, the mesh isn’t what one would term truly functional terrain.
There are overlapping faces here and there and many odd depressions in the mountain peaks.
On the model you uploaded I just reversed the face, exploded the image, trimmed of the clear triangles and used the paintbucket.
I’m a real NOOB, did you use a clipping mask?
@Geo is right it works straight off as is.
That looks great.
I must be doing something wrong, it still doesn’t seem to work for me.
Could you please explain the exact method? I have too many different techniques in my mind.
Thanks @Box
I will have another go, maybe it’s a software issue on my end?
Far out, i seriously think the only step i didn’t do was clicking on the thumbnail in the materials dialogue box after using the sample paint tool. I just sampled and then used the paint bucket straight away.
I wonder why that caused such and issue?
Thanks so much peeps, and sorry for wasting your time with my NOOBness.
Yeah the surface is created from aerial mapping. I took about 600 images from a drone, processed them in Agisoft Photoscan to produce a 3D model, and then wanted to edit the landscape, place trees etc, and then render it so it looks as much like the existing property as possible.
