Embedded Files
What is high poly to low poly baking?
What is high poly to low poly baking?
Baking in Substance Painter is the process of transferring surface detail from a high-poly model (which contains sculpted features like scratches, dents, or bevels) onto a low-poly model (which is optimised for real-time use in games).
For example, imagine a low-poly sword model that defines only the basic shape and silhouette. The high-poly version of that sword might be much more detailed, featuring engraved patterns, surface damage, and sharper edges. During the baking process, those extra details from the high-poly mesh are projected onto the low-poly version as texture maps—like normal or ambient occlusion maps—so the low-poly model looks highly detailed in-game, without the performance cost of the complex geometry.
High Poly
Low Poly
Bake Result
What You’ll Need
What You’ll Need
A low-poly model (UV unwrapped and exported as FBX or OBJ)
A high-poly model (same scale and shape, but with sculpted/added detail)
Adobe Substance 3D Painter installed
Step by Step Guide
Step by Step Guide
1. Prepare Your Files
1. Prepare Your Files
Ensure your low-poly model is UV unwrapped properly.
Export both high-poly and low-poly models as .fbx or .obj.
Name your files clearly, e.g., MyModel_Low.fbx and MyModel_High.fbx.
2. Start a New Project
2. Start a New Project
Open Substance Painter.
Click File > New.
In the New Project window:
Select your low-poly model as the mesh.
Set Document Resolution to 2048 or 4096 (can be changed later).
Template: Use PBR - Metallic Roughness (Alpha-Test).
Click OK.
3. Bake Mesh Maps
3. Bake Mesh Maps
These maps (like Normal, AO, Curvature, etc.) drive many of the material and generator effects in Substance.
Go to Mode
Scroll down and click Bake Mesh Maps.
Alternatively you can click on the little croissant on the top right of the screen.
4. Set Up the Baking
4. Set Up the Baking
In the Bake Mesh Maps window:
Set Output Size to match your document (e.g. 2048x2048).
Under High Definition Meshes, click Add High Poly Mesh.
Select your MyModel_High.fbx.
Leave the rest at default for now unless you need custom adjustments (e.g. matching names by suffix).
5. Adjust Baking Settings (Optional)
5. Adjust Baking Settings (Optional)
Here are a few common tweaks:
Max Frontal/Rear Distance: These control how far out the bake samples the high poly.
If detail is missing or bleeding, try adjusting these.
Match: If your high/low poly models share naming conventions (e.g., _low and _high), you can use "By Mesh Name".
Use Cage: For advanced users, you can import a custom cage mesh here to control the bake more precisely.
6. Bake the Maps
6. Bake the Maps
Click Bake Selected Textures.
Wait for the process to complete (can take time depending on model complexity).
Once baked, your mesh will look smoother and show sculpted detail from the high-poly model.
7. Check Your Results
7. Check Your Results
Rotate your model in the viewport.
Look closely at areas with fine detail.
If something looks wrong (e.g. seams, missing detail, artifacts), adjust bake settings and try again.
Useful Resources
Useful Resources
Page updated
Report abuse