Three kinds of textures, i.e., (200), (111), and (220) of TiN films prepared by filtered arc deposition have been continuously observed with varying film thickness and bombarding energy of the deposited particles. The evolution of the texture from (200) to (111), then to (220) is discussed on the basis of the so‐called overall energy which consists of the surface energy, the strain energy, and the stopping energy of the films. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.