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Bake Helper

by MeshLogic·Rendering

Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.

Why we like it

Bake Helper earns its place in the superhive library for baking a separate image map per material, an option not every baking tool offers, alongside batch baking across a list of objects and one-click saving of the results.

What is Bake Helper?

Bake Helper is a Blender addon that automates the baking workflow by creating, assigning and saving all the image maps you need. Unlike some other tools, it can bake a separate image map for each material, which makes it useful for creating content for virtual grids like Second Life. It works with both Blender-Render and Cycles-Render.

You can bake all objects marked in the list or a single selected object. The addon automatically creates and assigns image maps for each object and its materials using the ObjectName_MaterialName_BakeType.png naming pattern, and it can merge an object's materials into a single ObjectName_BakeType.png map. Image maps of various types are supported, including UV Grid, Color Grid, AO, Combined and Full Render.

When baking finishes, the Blender-Render Textured viewport is invoked to display the results, and all baked maps can be saved to a chosen folder with a single click. Keyboard shortcuts help too, with F5 to bake and F4 to switch viewport engine and shading.

Who is Bake Helper best for?

Bake Helper is best for blender artists baking image maps in the 2.7 series, including content for virtual grids like Second Life.

How much does Bake Helper cost?

Bake Helper is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Works with both Blender-Render and Cycles-Render, with a button to select the render engine used for baking
  • Bakes all objects marked in the list or a single selected object
  • Automatically creates and assigns image maps for each object and its materials, named ObjectName_MaterialName_BakeType.png
  • Merges all of an object's materials into a single image map named ObjectName_BakeType.png
  • Assigns image maps of various types: UV Grid, Color Grid, AO, Combined and Full Render
  • Saves all baked image maps to a chosen folder with a single click
  • Keyboard shortcuts to bake (F5) and to switch viewport engine and shading (F4)

Tags

#baking#image maps#textures#Blender#Second Life#materials#rendering

Frequently asked questions

Does Bake Helper work with Cycles as well as Blender-Render?

Bake Helper works with both Blender-Render and Cycles-Render, and version 1.0 added a button to select which render engine is used for baking. You can bake all objects marked in the list or a single selected object, and the addon automatically creates and assigns the image maps for each object and its materials. When baking finishes, Bake Helper invokes the Blender-Render Textured viewport so the baked maps are displayed. It also supports keyboard shortcuts, with F5 to bake and F4 to switch viewport engine and shading.

What Blender versions does Bake Helper support?

Bake Helper is built for Blender 2.7x. Version 1.0, released in 2016, fixed compatibility with Blender 2.77, while the initial 0.1 release in 2014 targeted Blender 2.72. It works with the older Blender-Render engine alongside Cycles, and it switches into the Blender-Render Textured viewport when baking completes, which fits the Blender 2.7 series workflow. For anything beyond that version range, check the developer's page for current details before installing.

How does Bake Helper name the image maps it creates?

Bake Helper automatically creates and assigns image maps for each object and its materials, naming them in the ObjectName_MaterialName_BakeType.png format. It can also merge all of an object's materials into a single image map named ObjectName_BakeType.png. The addon assigns image maps of various types, including UV Grid, Color Grid, AO, Combined and Full Render, to all selected objects. Once baking is complete, all of the baked maps can be saved into a chosen folder with a single click.

Is Bake Helper free to use?

Bake Helper is listed as free here in the catalog, and it is distributed under the GPL license. Licensing terms can change over time, so for the most current pricing and license information it is best to check the developer's page directly. Functionally, the addon automates the baking workflow by creating, assigning and saving image maps, and it can bake a separate image map for each material, which makes it useful for content aimed at virtual grids like Second Life.

Alternatives to Bake Helper

Also in Rendering for Blender.

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