A sculpted fabric for the manufacture of a tissue web, having a tissue machine contacting side and a tissue contacting side, and comprising on the tissue contacting side an upper porous member comprising a base with nonwoven elevated regions thereon comprising a first group of nonwoven raised elements and a second group of nonwoven raised elements, both raised relative to the base, wherein the first group of nonwoven raised elements extends in a first direction and the second group of nonwoven raised elements extends in a second direction, wherein the first direction of the first group of nonwoven raised elements is substantially the same as the second direction of the second group of nonwoven raised elements, and wherein the first and second groups of nonwoven raised elements are arranged on the base to produce elevated and depressed regions (40, 52, 42, 54) defining a three-dimensional tissue contacting surface comprising: a) a first background region having a set of substantially parallel first elevated regions comprising at least a subset of the first group of nonwoven raised elements, and comprising a first group of depressed regions, wherein the first elevated regions and the first depressed regions alternate; b) a second background region having a set of substantially parallel second elevated regions comprising at least a subset of the second group of nonwoven raised elements, and comprising a second group of depressed regions, wherein the second elevated regions and the second depressed regions alternate; and, c) a transition region positioned between the first and second background regions (38, 50), wherein the first elevated regions of the first background region terminate and the second elevated regions of the second background region terminate, and wherein the transition region has greater surface depth than the first or second background regions, wherein the transition region is characterized by a gap width which is zero or positive, the gap width being the distance in said first and second directions between the end of a first elevated region and the nearest beginning of a second elevated region. a) a first background region having a set of substantially parallel first elevated regions comprising at least a subset of the first group of nonwoven raised elements, and comprising a first group of depressed regions, wherein the first elevated regions and the first depressed regions alternate; b) a second background region having a set of substantially parallel second elevated regions comprising at least a subset of the second group of nonwoven raised elements, and comprising a second group of depressed regions, wherein the second elevated regions and the second depressed regions alternate; and, c) a transition region positioned between the first and second background regions (38, 50), wherein the first elevated regions of the first background region terminate and the second elevated regions of the second background region terminate, and wherein the transition region has greater surface depth than the first or second background regions, wherein the transition region is characterized by a gap width which is zero or positive, the gap width being the distance in said first and second directions between the end of a first elevated region and the nearest beginning of a second elevated region.