texture-workflow

Texture Workflow

Bake high-poly detail to efficient texture sets. Optimize memory. Engine-ready outputs.

When to Use

Baking sculpt detail to normal maps
Creating texture atlases for modular kits
PBR texture set generation
Decal placement and blending
Texture memory optimization

Workflow

High/Low Poly Setup → Cage Setup → Bake Maps → Composite
    → Atlas Pack → Engine Format Export → Validation

Standard PBR Texture Set

Map	Format	Notes
Base Color	sRGB PNG	No embedded AO
Normal	Linear PNG	OpenGL convention unless engine specifies
Roughness	Linear PNG	Single channel
Metallic	Linear PNG	Single channel
AO	Linear PNG	Multiply in shader, not base color
Height	Linear PNG	Optional parallax
Emission	sRGB PNG	Mask-based
ORM Packed	Linear PNG	R=AO, G=Roughness, B=Metallic (Unreal)

Naming: T_[Asset]_[Map] per blender-mcp-workflow skill → references/naming-conventions.md

Bake Setup

1. Low-poly mesh with UVs (active)
2. High-poly mesh (sculpt or detail) — selected
3. Cage extrusion: 0.01–0.05m (adjust per asset scale)
4. Ray distance: match cage
5. Bake margin: 16px minimum
6. Anti-aliasing: enabled

Maps to Bake

Map	Source	Priority
Normal	High→Low	Required
AO	High or low (cavity)	Required
Curvature	High sculpt	Wear masks
Position	High	Optional (blending)
Thickness	Subsurface meshes	Characters

Texture Atlas Strategy

Modular kits share one atlas:

1. All modules UV'd to shared 0–1 or UDIM space
2. Bake each module to atlas regions
3. Trim sheet areas for repeating detail
4. Single material references atlas
5. Document region map for artists

Decals

Decal mesh projected on surface
Separate UV channel or atlas region
Blend via alpha mask
Limit decal overdraw in engine

Memory Optimization

Technique	Savings
ORM packing	3 textures → 1
Shared atlas	N materials → 1 texture
Lower res on hidden surfaces	50%+ memory
BC compression in engine	4:1 or 6:1
Trim sheets	Reuse detail across assets

Resolution Guidelines

See blender-mcp-workflow skill → references/polycount-budgets.md texture section.

MCP Integration

Setup bake objects via MCP
Configure bake settings via MCP if supported
Export baked images via MCP
Assign baked textures to materials via MCP
Query texture count and resolution

Validation Checklist

Normal map correct orientation (test in engine)
No UV seams visible in bake
AO not baked into base color
Consistent texel density in final textures
Texture resolution within budget
Files named per convention
sRGB vs Linear correctly assigned

Constraints

MUST DO

Bake high-poly detail before discarding sculpt
Use cage for clean normal bakes
Pack ORM for engine efficiency
Test normal map orientation in target engine
Document atlas regions for modular kits

MUST NOT DO

Write code or snippets for Blender versions before 5.2, or add version fallbacks: this plugin targets 5.2+, and legacy branches teach users APIs that no longer exist
Bake without cage on complex shapes
Embed AO in base color (PBR standard)
Exceed texture budget without LOD justification
Use inconsistent normal map conventions
Skip margin in bake settings

Scripts

Tested on Blender 5.2 LTS via the official Blender MCP. Run with execute_blender_code (or headless, see the blender-mcp-workflow skill); read the script header for every argument. When the user will paste code into Blender themselves, give them the short runpy call with the absolute path of this installed script and their ARGS. Don't inline or rewrite the script: the tested file is the point.

Script	What it does
`scripts/bake_maps.py`	Bake high-poly -> low-poly maps in Cycles (normal, AO, roughness, diffuse color) to PNG files, with cage extrusion. Restores the render engine afterwards. Requires the low-poly to have a UV map.

import runpy
result = runpy.run_path("<skill_dir>/scripts/bake_maps.py", init_globals={"ARGS": {...}})["result"]

ARGS: low, high, maps, size, extrusion, samples, out_dir

Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	Load When
Bake troubleshooting	`references/bake-troubleshooting.md`	Bake artifacts
ORM packing	`references/orm-packing.md`	Unreal/Unity export