---
title: "Texture Baking"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/VRAYHOUDINI/113279032/Texture%20Baking"
format: markdown
---
This page provides information on texture baking using the V-Ray Baker Tool. Overview Rendering to texture, or "texture baking", creates texture maps based on an object's appearance in the rendered scene. The textures are then "baked" into the object that is, they become part of the object via mapping, and can be used to display the textured object rapidly on graphics cards using hardware-accelerated API such as OpenGL and DirectX. V-Ray BakerTool is V-Ray's solution for texture baking in Houdini. It supports map baking, projection baking, bake to texture tiles and multiple geometries baking. All of these can also be animated. Node The V-Ray BakerTool SOP comes with 2 inputs: A low poly input used to specify the path to the baked object; A high poly input used to specify the source high-res geometry when using Projection baking. These two inputs are also present as parameter fields on the node itself, in case you specify the path to a SOP node in another network instead of e.g. object merging. You can also specify more than one object when using the parameter fields instead of the node inputs. See the  Common Use section  below. Common Use You could specify more than 1 object when using the parameter fields instead of the node inputs, in which case the evaluation is handled as follows: Maps Baking Mode The baking setup is evaluated for every object in the list. For example: LowRes Meshes:  /obj/First /obj/Second /obj/Third Bake to Texture   Tiles  is On and uv range is 0:0 , 2:2 This produces 4 renders (one for every Texture tile) for every object in the list. A total of 12. Project Baking Mode In Projection Baking mode, with more than one object in either the Low or High Poly lists, one of the following happens: For  Single   Low Poly and  Multiple   High Poly objects, each high poly object is, one by one, projected over the low poly object. To prevent overwriting of the output files, use the   ${CTO}  tag in the output file path. For  Multiple   Low Poly and  Single   High Poly objects, the high poly object is projected over each low poly object, one by one. To prevent overwriting of the output files, use the  ${CPO}  tag in the output file path. For  Multiple   Low Poly and  Multiple   High Poly objects, each high poly object is projected over the corresponding low poly object in the low poly list. *${CPO}  - currently processed object * ${CTO}  - current target object   Parameters Bake Now  – Starts the baking process. LowRes Meshes  – Specifies the object(s) to be baked. HighRes Mesh  – (Available when  Baking Mode  is set to  Projection Baking ) Specifies the high poly mesh. V-BakerTools parameters are grouped into three main tabs. Find links to each tab below. Notes Preview of the final result is only available for one object. Preview of the final result does not work when baking to texture tiles. Object paths for the Low and High poly lists should be absolute. Currently, there is no automatic support for Metalness workflow. Final render must be started from the Execute Baking button in the V-Ray BakerTool's UI when the Low/High poly lists contain more than one object, or when baking to texture tiles. When baking trough TOPs, files are saved with gamma 1. Height/Displacement map based on distance between Low poly and High poly meshes no supported yet.