STEP 01
Prepare your bake groups
Use the Bake Lab to transfer high-poly detail to a low-poly model, inspect the projection, adjust the cage where needed, and export maps for texturing.
In Blender, give each matching high-poly and low-poly pair the same base name. Add _high to the high-poly object and _low to the low-poly object.
For example:
| Object | Name |
|---|---|
| High-poly reference | helmet_high |
| Low-poly mesh | helmet_low |
Use a different base name for each pair. Alpaca3D uses these names to organize the objects into bake groups automatically.
STEP 02
Send the models to Bake Lab
Select the objects you want to bake. In the Alpaca Bridge panel, click Send to Bake and wait for the models to load.
STEP 03
Navigate and inspect the automatic result
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Orbit | Alt + left mouse drag |
| Zoom | Alt + right mouse drag, or mouse wheel |
| Pan | Alt + middle mouse drag |
After import, Alpaca3D automatically bakes a normal map and displays it on the low-poly model. Use the General visibility controls to show or hide the high-poly and low-poly objects while inspecting the result.
STEP 04
Check the automatic cage
The cage controls the projection used to transfer detail from the high-poly reference. Alpaca3D calculates it automatically, providing a starting point without manual cage setup.
Inspect the model from several angles. Red diagnostic highlights indicate projection issues that need attention; they are not a general check for every possible texture or geometry problem.
STEP 05
Adjust with Cage Fill
Choose Cage Fill, set the offset percentage, and left-click the part you want to adjust. The tool changes the cage for that part’s bake group.
Inspect the updated result and repeat as needed. Check the surrounding surface too, rather than relying only on whether the red highlight disappears.
STEP 06
Bake and preview the maps
Click Bake All to generate the maps. You can inspect results in the viewport as baking progresses.
Press C to cycle through preview modes, or select a view from the top menu. Review the detail across the model. If an area needs further adjustment, refine the cage and bake again.
STEP 07
Export the finished maps
Once baking is complete, click Export Baked Maps or press Ctrl + E. Choose where to save the files, then continue with the texturing stage in your preferred application.
Get Alpaca3D and the Blender Bridge.
Need to prepare the low-poly mesh first? Follow the Retopo guide and the UV Laboratory guide.