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BLBlender

Bulk Bake

by VeesCreations·Workflow

Images © VeesCreations. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Earns its place in the Superhive library for reducing Blender's one-map-at-a-time bake into a single-button PBR workflow with automatic saving and true linear colour output.

What is Bulk Bake?

Baking transfers shader data from a model's materials into images mapped via UV coordinates, either to simplify shaders or for import and export into other scenes and programs. A common target is the metallic PBR set: base colour (albedo/diffuse), roughness, metallic and normal maps. Blender includes a bake section for Cycles, but it bakes one map at a time and requires manual material alterations for PBR export.

Bulk Bake condenses that setup and baking into a single button press. It operates like Blender's built-in bake with additions: it can export base, roughness, metallic, normal and emission maps at a chosen image size, automatically save the images, optionally apply the newly baked images to the model, and optionally export the model as an FBX at the same time. It also exports true linear colour, unlike Blender's diffuse bake, which alters the image colour-space.

The Bulk Bake menu lives in the Properties panel (default shortcut 'n') in both the 3D view and image viewer. It supports baking materials off a single object, or baking several models onto a single destination mesh using a cage.

Who is Bulk Bake best for?

Bulk Bake is best for blender artists baking metallic PBR texture sets for game engines and cross-program export.

How much does Bulk Bake cost?

Bulk Bake is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Exports base, roughness, metallic, normal and emission maps at a chosen image size
  • Automatically saves the baked images, avoiding Blender's manual per-image save step
  • Optionally applies the newly baked images to the model as a new material
  • Optionally exports the model as an FBX at the same time
  • Exports true linear colour, unlike Blender's diffuse bake which alters the colour-space
  • Bake type selected from a panel of check-boxes; image size entered as an integer
  • Bakes single objects or multiple models onto a single destination mesh via a cage

Tags

#baking#PBR#textures#Blender#game development#Cycles#normal maps

Frequently asked questions

How do I bake a single object with Bulk Bake?

Bulk Bake requires you to select the object and confirm the Target in the bulk bake menu matches it. Make sure the object is UV unwrapped and has at least one material applied, then choose an output folder (the default is the location of the Blender file). Optionally check "Apply images as material," enter an image size as an integer such as 1024, pick your bake types from the check-boxes below the bake button, then hit bake and wait. Save the Blender file first to avoid image save location issues.

Can Bulk Bake bake several objects onto one mesh?

Bulk Bake supports baking multiple models onto a single destination mesh. If a cage is required, create a cage object covering the source objects to bake; for simple models, duplicating the destination object, entering edit mode, selecting all and using shrink/fatten (Alt+S) to expand faces until the objects are covered is usually sufficient. Select all objects you want to bake, then Ctrl+Click the destination object last, so the Target shows the destination object name. This lets you consolidate several models' materials into one baked set.

Where is the Bulk Bake menu located in Blender?

Bulk Bake places its menu in the Properties panel, opened with the default 'n' shortcut, available in both the 3D view and the image viewer. It functions very similarly to Blender's built-in bake, so the layout will feel familiar. Before baking, make sure the Blender file is saved, as this avoids issues with where the baked images are stored. From the menu you set the target, output folder, image size and bake types before running the operation.

Is Bulk Bake free to use?

Bulk Bake is listed as free here. The developer, VeesCreations, also mentions a pay-what-you-want version available through Gumroad, with the link provided in the installation details. For current licensing terms and to access either version, check the developer's page directly. Documentation is included to guide you through setup and usage of the baking workflow.

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