How do you export and import your baked maps to and from other software or platforms?

1 Preparing your models

Before you can bake your maps, you need to have two versions of your model: a high-poly one with all the details and a low-poly one with fewer polygons. The low-poly model should have a UV map, which is a way of unwrapping the surface of the model onto a 2D plane. You can create a UV map in Blender by selecting your low-poly model, entering edit mode, selecting all the faces, and pressing U to open the UV mapping menu. Choose a method that suits your model, such as Smart UV Project or Unwrap.

2 Setting up the bake

Next, you need to set up the bake settings in Blender. Go to the Render Properties panel and choose Cycles as the render engine. Then, go to the Bake panel and choose the type of map you want to bake, such as Normal, Ambient Occlusion, or Curvature. You can also adjust the margin, samples, and other options depending on your needs. To tell Blender which models to bake from and to, you need to select both models and make sure the low-poly one is active. Then, enable the Selected to Active option in the Bake panel.

3 Baking the map

Now you are ready to bake the map. First, you need to create a new image in Blender to store the baked map. Go to the Image Editor and click on the New button. Give your image a name and a resolution, and make sure it has an alpha channel. Then, go to the Shader Editor and add an Image Texture node to your low-poly model's material. Select the image you just created and make sure it is connected to the output node. Finally, go back to the Bake panel and click on the Bake button. Blender will start baking the map and show you the progress.

4 Exporting the map

Once the bake is done, you need to export the map as an image file that you can use in other software or platforms. To do this, go to the Image Editor and click on the Image menu. Then, choose Save As and pick a format, such as PNG or JPEG. You can also change the name and location of the file if you want. Click on Save As Image and your map will be exported.

5 Importing the map

To use your baked map in other software or platforms, you need to import it and apply it to your low-poly model. The exact steps may vary depending on the software or platform you are using, but the general idea is to load your low-poly model and assign a material to it. Then, add a texture slot to the material and load your baked map. You may also need to adjust the settings of the texture, such as the mapping, scaling, or blending mode. For example, if you are using Unreal Engine, you can import your low-poly model and your baked map as assets, create a material from the map, and drag it onto your model.

6 Tips and tricks

Baking maps can be an effective way to add detail to your digital sculptures, but it requires some practice and experimentation. To get better results, use a cage mesh to avoid artifacts or gaps in your baked map. This is created by duplicating your low-poly model, adding a Solidify modifier, and applying it. Additionally, combining multiple maps like normal, ambient occlusion, curvature, and roughness can create more depth and contrast. Lastly, make sure to test your baked maps in different lighting and viewing conditions to spot any issues or inconsistencies.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?