Texture Baking?

[Hunter]

Please can someone explain to me exactly what "Texture Baking" actually is.

I have always thought it is similar to UV Unwrapping but adds shadows to it so that you know what parts are dark on when texturing.

[MMFSdjw]

Texture baking is simply a method of adding shadows to the acctual texture.

[Hunter]

Oh right. Ok thanks. I thought it was something like that.

Is it helpful for game design to make an illusion of lighting effects?

[MMFSdjw]

Really it depends on the application.

For a piece of scenery, especialy something that has no tiling parts then it can be good.

but the trick is that when you add shadows to the texture, that texture is then only good in that one specific spot.

[Hunter]

And it depends where you place the lights in 3ds max doesn't it?
Unless you add a skylight.

Could it be good with weapons if not adding too much shadows?

[Patrickssj6]

...put the texture into the oven

[Hunter]

:rolleyes:

[MMFSdjw]

I could be good for FP weapons, yes assuming that it was done subtly enough.

[SuperSunny]

Texture baking is not simply adding shadows to an object's textures.

It allows you to take whatever conditions in the actual rendering environment you want (INCLUDING shadows, lights, colors, bump-maps, reflections, etc) and compile all of them into a texture that fits onto an object automatically. You can bake ambient maps, shadow maps, diffuse maps, etc. It's generally used for minor details in games, because the engine usually handles the details that baking does more realistically today.

It can also be used in Halo, for example, to bake higher resolution lightmap data back onto a map. Using Jahrain's tool, you can export a BSP with UV's that are from the lightmap data, not the texture data, import into 3ds, add lights and shadows into the scene, and texture bake it so that you can compile the new image into a lightmap and apply it to the BSP. Essentially, you're baking final gather and GI data (if you are using Mental Ray of course) to achieve a more realistic shadowing and lighting effect.

I believe that Jahrain's Higher Detail Chief Shader uses a bitmap that had bump-maps baked onto it.

[Hunter]

So seems as the Halo engine is not that great. I could use texture baking on a map to basicly make it have alot better lighting?

[DaneO'Roo]

er not quite that black and white hunter.

[Pooky]

So seems as the Halo engine is not that great.

Pfft are you kidding me modern engines have nothing on this 7 year old one :lol:

[Sel]

Pfft are you kidding me modern engines have nothing on this 7 year old one :lol:

So true lulz

[Hunter]

er not quite that black and white hunter.

:( Lol. Ok.

Ive got my answer to my question. Thanks.

[SuperSunny]

So seems as the Halo engine is not that great. I could use texture baking on a map to basicly make it have alot better lighting?

It's actually really good, because it's so user-oriented. It focuses on getting things done, not wasting time with programming. The problem is, it's unsupported and never upgraded to the public.

[MMFSdjw]

I love the halo engine but the lighting really sucks.

[Hunter]

The only problem I find mainly with it the anti-aliasing.

[SuperSunny]

I love the halo engine but the lighting really sucks.

I disagree :P But the ability for models to shade properly to lighting sucks.

Texture baking on lightmaps actually works well. Objects in whatever color or shadow region on the lightmap do darken/recieve that color, because it acts as if it's the original radiosity map. Whatever the user defines, works out in the game. Except instead of radiosity, it's your own light solution. It's just not dynamic.

[Botolf]

The only problem I find mainly with it the anti-aliasing.
> No normal maps
> No RTRs on anything besides levels
> No water-as-geometry
> No sexy H3 atmospheres
> No sexy H3 AI
> No HDR lighting

Botolfy am cry!

[Hunter]

Its still a good engine due to the fact you can add more or less anything. Now imagine if they allowed that with Halo 3 or Halo 2. *starts day dreaming and brother presses post button*

[MMFSdjw]

What I mean about the lighting is just how little detail is acctualy possible.
I started mapping in q3 and got really spoiled with it's lighting capabilities. Even though it's textures/shaders were pretty sub par now a days.