3.3 Maps panel
This panel lets you to choose which maps the system will bake. Each map has different options and this section explains all the possible settings you can use to generate perfect maps.
- Height Map
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16 bits per channel
By default Total Baker encodes textures in a 8 bpc (bits per channel) PNG format, which is pretty good for the most cases. However, if you need better precision you can enable this option to force Total Baker to save your Height Map in a 16 bpc EXR format. Generally, you want 16 bpc when you want to convert the Height Map into a Normal Map or use it as a displacement map.
- Normal Map
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Bake normal details
If some of high poly model's materials have a normal map on them, it is possible take into account it by enabling this option. The "Building Facade" tutorial uses this option to bake the bricks.
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Normals detection
This parameter lets you decide which of the following methods Total Baker will use to generate the normal map:
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Geometry
Total Baker will analyze the differences between the high poly's and the low poly's surfaces. Use this method to bake unsmoothed surface normals.
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Height
If you use this method you force the creation of the height map even if it is not selected. The normal map will be generated by conversion from the height map. Use this if the high poly model has a lot of right angles that cause the system not detect a progressive change of surface inclination.
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Interpolation
This method is similar to the Geometry one, but it will generate smoothed normals basing on the models' smoothing. This is the slowest method, but also the best in terms of output quality.
- AO Map
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AO Algorhithm
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Fast
This algorithm will compute the AO map in the GPU, so it is extremely fast. However, it requires the high poly model to be uv-unwrapped so that the uv map doesn't contain overlapped triangles. Since this method computes the AO map using image operations, all its parameters have to be changed in the Filters Options Area.
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Classic
This algorithm is based on real physics light occlusion, it can be very slow depending on its settings but it can produce very good results. The options available for this algorithm are the following.
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Occlusion Strength
The strength of the black component of the occlusion. A higher value will produce darker shadows.
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Max spread
The maximum length of the rays used to check light occlusions. Use a higher value if you want each surface point to be occluded by far surface points. If you use a low value, only close surface points will contribute to the occlusion.
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Rays Per Point
In order to compute the occlusion factor for all the surface points, Total Baker has to cast from each of them a certain number of rays. The more are the rays, the more the result is precise. Increasing the number of the rays will significantly slow down the baking process. In general, a value between 20 and 50 is enough.
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Bake into diffuse
Enable this option to bake AO directly in the diffuse map. Each diffuse map’s pixel will be multiplied by
the corresponding AO value. This will force the creation of the diffuse map.