Blender Bake Normal Map Beginner Tutorial

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will learn how to bake high poly details onto a low poly object using Blender. This process is essential for game development and 3D modeling, as it allows you to create detailed textures without the performance overhead of high poly models. We will be using Blender 2.9, but the steps are also applicable to Blender 2.8.

Step 1: Select High and Low Poly Models

• Open your Blender project containing both the high poly and low poly models.
• Select the high poly model first by right-clicking on it.
• Hold the Shift key and right-click on the low poly model to select it as well. Make sure the high poly model is selected first.

Step 2: Prepare the Material Nodes

• Go to the Shader Editor in Blender.
• Create a new material for your low poly model if it doesn't already have one.
• In the material node setup, add an Image Texture node:
  • Press Shift + A and navigate to Texture > Image Texture.
• Create a new image in the Image Texture node to bake your normal map to:
  • Click on the “New” button in the Image Texture node and name your image (e.g., "NormalMap").

Step 3: Set Up the Render Engine

• Switch to the Cycles render engine:
  • Go to the top menu, select Render > Render Engine, and choose Cycles.
• This is crucial as baking requires the Cycles engine for accurate results.

Step 4: Configure Baking Settings

• Open the Bake panel in the Properties window:
  • Navigate to the Render Properties tab (camera icon).
• Find the Bake section and adjust the settings:
  • Check the box for “Selected to Active” to ensure you are baking from the high poly to the low poly model.

Step 5: Start the Baking Process

• With both models selected and all settings configured, click the “Bake” button in the Bake panel.
• Wait for the baking process to complete. This may take some time depending on the complexity of your models.

Step 6: Save the Baked Texture

• Once baking is complete, go back to the Image Texture node in the Shader Editor.
• Click on the image icon and select "Save As" to save the baked normal map to your desired location.
• Choose a suitable format (e.g., PNG or JPEG), name the file, and click Save.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered the essential steps to bake high poly details onto a low poly model in Blender. You learned how to select models, set up material nodes, configure render settings, and save your baked texture. For further simplification of the baking process, consider exploring the JBake-tools addon, which can streamline these steps. Happy modeling!