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3ds Max Help

RenderingRenderersTo Render Separate ElementsWorkflow: Rendering to Texture (Texture
Baking)To Create a Snapshot of a ViewportTo Render a Preview AnimationTo Bake the Texture
of Multiple ObjectsAbout Render to TextureTexture Elements to BakeTexture Baking and
Exposure ControlLimitations of Composite and Blend MaterialsTarget Map Slot AssignmentsTo
Create a Normal Bump MapRender to Texture Dialog

Workflow: Rendering to Texture

(Texture Baking)
Products and versions covered

By:
Help
Feb 08 2016In-Product View

1. Set up a scene with lighting.

Banana object in a lighted room

2. Select the objects whose textures you want to bake.

 Banana object selected

3. Choose Rendering Render To Texture.

4. A Render To Texture dialog appears. In this dialog, you choose which elements of the rendering you
want to bake. Elements are aspects of the rendering such as diffuse color, shadows, alpha
(transparency/opacity), and so on.
In this dialog, you can also choose various display options for showing the baked texture in shaded
viewports.

5. Click Render.
After you click Render in the Render To Texture dialog, a number of things happen. (This is a typical set
of events; the dialog gives you a lot of control over how texture baking actually occurs.)

 The elements you chose are rendered, each to its separate bitmap file.

Lighting map of the banana

By default, the texture type is Targa, and the element maps are placed in the \images subfolder of
the folder where you installed 3ds Max.

The new textures are “flat”: In other words, they are organized according to groups of object faces.

 In the modifier stack, a new modifier is applied to the object. It is called Automatic Flatten UVs. It is
simply an Unwrap UVW modifier, automatically applied.
 This modifier manages the mapping of the flattened texture to faces of the object, and lets you adjust
that mapping if necessary.

Flattened texture-mapping coordinates for the banana

 A Shell material is applied to the object. This material is a container for both the object's original
material (you don't lose those maps and settings), and the newly created baked material, with its
new textures.
The Shell material lets you access both materials and adjust their settings, if necessary. It also lets
you choose which material to view, the original material or the texture-baked material, in shaded
viewports or in renderings.

New shell material contains the banana's original material (below left) and the baked texture
(below right).

Rendered light map applied to the banana

 With the light map, banana appears lit even when lights are turned off.

That is texture baking in a nutshell.

Topics in this section

 To Bake the Texture of Multiple Objects
 About Render to Texture
Rendering to texture, or "texture baking,” allows you to create texture maps based on an object's
appearance in the rendered scene. The textures are then “baked” into the object: That is, they
become part of the object via mapping, and can be used to display the textured object rapidly on
Direct3D devices such as graphics display cards or game engines.
 Texture Elements to Bake
These are the texture elements that you can bake.
 Texture Baking and Exposure Control
For best results, with Render To Texture use an exposure control that is not view dependent.
 Limitations of Composite and Blend Materials
If the object has a Composite or Blend material applied to it, only certain elements render correctly.
Which elements render correctly depend on the renderer you are using.
 Target Map Slot Assignments
When you bake textures (render to texture), you have more control for how the baked texture
displays in shaded viewports. You set these in the Output rollout of the Render To Texture dialog.
Using the Target Map Slot assignments, you can specify in detail which maps will be rendered to
which slots of the existing material.
 To Create a Normal Bump Map
 Render to Texture Dialog
Rendering to texture, or “texture baking,” is controlled by this dialog. Most of this dialog's controls
are contained in its rollouts.
Parent topic: Rendering

Related Reference
 Unwrap UVW Modifier

Related Information
 Shell Material for Texture Baking
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 About Render to Texture

PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION

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PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION

 Texture Elements to Bake

PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION

Accepted forum posts

 Render to texture - Heightmap: grey texture

 Texture

 Texture Resolution VS Texture File Size

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