Transfer HIGH POLY details to LOW POLY object in Blender

In this tutorial you will learn how to drastically reduce polygon count in blender by baking a normal maps to a low poly object. You can use this technique to make game ready assets.

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#blender #blendertutorial #blender3d

[Dapper_the_slapper]

When creating your texture map for your normals bake, if you check the 32bit float box it will bake a 16bit normal map. It will be a more accurate representation of your high poly and have no artifacts. Very important if you are baking normal maps for objects that have very low roughness.

[Grizzermacht]

Sad that the Starfield devs didn't see this video before release.

[noahbeyer]

I worked for 1.5 days to figure this out by using the cage method. I tried everything to get my realistic head sculpt to have detail, but this tutorial worked. For some reason the cage methods kept letting me down but this alternate way did not. Amazing work please keep it up!

[ShiningDawn]

I think you can also go backwards with this process, meaning you can make a low poly model, then add a multires modifier, use sculpting tools to add details and then bake the normal map to keep the model low poly.

[gamingneeded]

Render with a single sample, it makes no difference to use more but makes the bake instant

[mrbcstewart]

That was extremely helpful! Based on mostly this tutorial, I've tried to make a step by step workflow for this. Thought I'd pass it along in case it is helpful to anyone. If anything is wrong, please reply to the comment with the correction.

Recipe for Baking detail from High Poly to Low Poly Mesh:
(HTab = Horizontal Tabs across top left of Blender)
(VTab = Vertical Tabs in bottom right panel of HTab-Layout in Blender)
1.HTab_layout - Copy High Poly and rename like … Mesh_High and Mesh_Low
a.Shift-D to duplicate, Right click to cancel motion (so they exist in the same space)
2.Turn on Statistics overlay (top right icon, Hollow Sphere hanging from Solid Sphere)
3.Make the Low Poly model, well…. Low Poly… (reduce geometry)
a.Option 1: VTab_Modifier(wrench) - Use Decimate Modifier
i.Lower Ratio to See affect
ii.Remove without applying (since we are using Remesh instead)
b.Option 2: VTab_Data(three connected dots) –
i.Still in Object Mode, change to Wireframe to see the faces that make-up the Mesh
ii.Remesh_Section (Note: There is also a Remesh Modifier that does the same thing)
1.Set Voxel Size to get less faces
2.Press Voxel Remesh button … note Face difference
iii.Normals_Section– check that Auto Smooth is off on High and Low Poly
c.I ended up using a combination of Decimate, both UnSubdivide, and Collapse, as well as ReMesh
4.HTab_UV-Editing – Smart unwrap the Low Poly
a.A Key(select all)… U Key->Choose Smart Unwrap (S Key)
b.Set margin to .02m (then press OK)
c.At this point, you could save your UV Map for use later… Left Viewport, Viewport Menu Ribbon -> UV ->Export UV Layout (pick a location in your project, and save)
5.HTab_Layout - Split Screen (or you could just do this in HTab_Shading)
a.Switch left viewport to Node editor
6.Shade Smooth on High and Low poly meshes (right click in Viewport)
7.Make sure that both High and Low Poly models are in the same position in space (right on top of each other, intersecting vertices)
8.Two options, MultiRes or Not-MultiRes
a.If MultiRes….
i.Hide the High Poly Mesh (eyeball icon in the Object Heirarchy)
ii.VTab_Modifier - Add MultiResolution Modifier
1.In the modifier details, Subdivision_Section, Press “Subdivide” button until Low Poly Mesh look like the High Poly Mesh
2.Change “Level Viewport value to 0
9.VTab_Modifier - Add Shrink-wrap Modifier to Low Poly … target the High and Apply
10.Create New Material on Low Poly mesh
11.Create image texture node and normal map node in Node editor and wire to BSDF
12.On Image Node, create New “map image” on image texture (set width and height) sRGB -> Non-Color (unless Diffuse)
13.VTab_Render –
a.Change to Cycles Engine and switch to GPU if you have one
b.Sampling Section – Change “Max Samples” to 128
c.Bake Section
i.Switch Bake Type to Normal (Diffuse, etc depending on what kind of image map you want to Bake)
1.Note, if Baking Diffuse, if you only want color, turn off Direct and Indirect (unless you also want to capture the lighting)
ii.If NOT MultiRes, click Checkbox for “Selected to Active”
1.Three options for specifying the baking area/constraint (Oven)… 1. Cage, 2, Extrusion, 3. Max Ray Distance (tutorial uses #2)
a.If Cage (Surrounds bake source and target to constrain render area for logic of the bake to operate)
i.Duplicate Low Poly for use as Cage… make bigger than both other meshes (rename this copy to Mesh_Cage)
ii.Checkbox - Cage option
iii.Use Eyedropper to choose duplicated low poly mesh that you are using as the cage
b.If Extrusion just set value to something like .5 m
c.If Max Ray Distance just set value
d.Note: Normal map that is generated should only be on the purple/pink spectrum, otherwise, adjust Extrusion amount, Max Ray Distance, or Cage size and rebake
2.Unhide Both Meshes if hidden
3.Make sure that the Image Node that is the baking target is selected in the Low Poly Material
4.In Object Hierarchy, Select High Poly, then CNTL-Select Low Poly
iii.If MultiRes, click Checkbox for “Bake from Multires”
iv.Double check settings … click Bake
14.Shading Tab – Image Panel, preview Normal image
15.Hide High Poly to see Baked Low Poly
16.Play with HDRI and BSDF shader (see tutorial) to compare meshes
17.If you used MultiRes modifier, now that you are satisfied with the bake, go ahead and apply this modifier
18.Save the baked image to disk. HTab_Shading – Lower Left Image Preview Panel – hamburger Menu -> Image -> Save As…
a.In the Node Editor – Image Node – Click on the Folder icon and point it to your saved image
19.Repeat baking steps (from 10 above) for each image type that you want to bake from High to Low, usually at least Normal, Diffuse(for Base Color)

[Maxwolford]

Excellent! I feel much more confident after seeing how simple you made this process.

[giovafncreative]

Thank you! The decimate modifier is so good! I made a bunch of rocks to use as a landscape decoration in my game, but they were around 10k triangles, now it's 500 triangles and they still look good🙂

[BarrettSmithBB]

There's an addon called "JBake" that essentially automates that whole process. If you plan on baking a lot of normals, it's a worthwhile addon to have.

[andreacrisante]

Finally someone who goes straight to the point! Amazing explanation about Blender bake on youtube, surely the best one. I don't like the way you unwrapp (because for sure you can do it better) but anyway nice choise, you made it simple things pretty hard to understand. Thank you.

[KaiHohlstein]

Thank you. THANK YOU. I've been trying to bake normals and coming up with nothing but artifacts for HOURS. You're my bloody hero

[bifrostyeti]

a year later and this video is still very helpful to me and others. thank you once again for creating this for us 🙏

[tanguybarbaray]

You resolved my issue with a fast video because other youtuber show plugin or other method, but this two method was fast and precise, so thanks. Ho, and now you are one French follower.

[JoaoVSAguiar]

You say BAKE with so much energy. Loved it, even tho I'm not into blender or 3d rendering.

[vivekjha]

I've been learning blender for about 6 months. It's amazing in many ways compared to fusion 360. Guys like you make every little tip so easy to understand. Thank you.

[AnnKamstra]

This is amazing! I've been trying to find a more streamlined process to go from high poly to a model that can actually be used in maya to create large scenes and this is beyond helpful. Thanks!!

[SewerTapes]

I started replicating my house but quickly found out all the fluted and beveled trim uses tons of my underpowered memory. I don't need it to look perfect, but I also didn't want to leave it flat because of limitations. I think this just showed me how to leave the geometry flat and cheat the look of light hitting bevels. Thank you.

[Maxboun]

man i was stuck on this topic for so long, just now because of you i understand it, thanks

[Artistramd]

Nemanja, I never knew you had a Blender channel, this is Exciting! I've always followed your Outstanding tutorials on Photoshop!

[wulfaxe]

this tut would have helped me so much back in february when i started doing things with normals hahaha, all tutorials were a bit convoluted, and i couldn't understand them very well, but i eventually figured things out