How do you use the bake model information node in Substance Designer?

That isn't actually a thing. Substance Designer can bake mesh maps by RMB clicking on a mesh resource and choosing "Bake Model Information". However, Designer's baker isn't as intuitive as Painter's. Painter's baker is generally preferred by artists who are not already using Marmoset Toolbag. Professional, scalable pipelines however, prefer to the sbsbaker.exe command line tool, which presents TDs with a scriptable version of the underlying Substance bakers.

The Bake Model Information node is a utility node found in the baking category of the library. It facilitates the transfer of information from a high-poly model to a low-poly one, outputting grayscale or color images. Parameters like output size, ray distance, anti-aliasing, and padding offer control over the baking process. Adjusting these parameters allows for fine-tuning the output to meet specific requirements.

For efficient use of the Bake Model Information node in Substance Designer, integrate it early in your workflow to streamline texture and material creation. Remember, this node's power lies in its ability to translate complex 3D information into usable 2D maps. Use it to bake essential data like normals or AO before diving deep into texturing. Also, experiment with settings to balance quality and performance, particularly useful in iterative design processes or when working on resource-intensive projects.

The Bake Model Information node offers versatility by allowing selection of various bake types from a dropdown menu. Options include position, normal, curvature, world space normal, ambient occlusion, thickness, ID, and color of the high-poly model. Each bake type comes with specific settings for fine-tuning results. Multiple instances of the node can be used to simultaneously bake different types of information, enabling comprehensive data transfer from high-poly to low-poly models.

Right click on a mesh resource in your package, and choose "Bake Model Information" to open the baker. Baked mesh maps will appear in your package on bake completion. These can then be dragged into your graph.

To utilize the node in your graph, ensure you have both a low-poly and high-poly mesh loaded in your project. You can import them externally or create them using the 3D view. Drag and drop the node from the library to your graph and connect it to the output node. Specify the low-poly and high-poly meshes in the node's parameters by selecting them from the list accessed through the folder icons. Upon completion, the node will begin baking the information and display it in the 2D view.

One key advantage of the Bake Model Information node is the ability to directly modify baked information within your graph, eliminating the need for external file editing. Nodes like levels, histogram scan, blur, gradient map, among others, enable adjustments to contrast, brightness, color, sharpness, and detail of the baked images. Additionally, blend, warp, directional warp nodes, among others, facilitate combining, distorting, and transforming the baked images. These images can also serve as inputs for other nodes, such as generators, filters, and effects, enhancing flexibility and creativity in your workflow.

To export baked information as separate files, utilize the Export Outputs node found in the utilities category of the library. Connect it to the output node and add desired outputs in the node's parameters. For each output, specify format, resolution, bit depth, and destination folder. The node allows exporting multiple outputs at once with different settings and formats. Additionally, preview each output in the 2D view by clicking its name.