Marmoset Toolbag - One of the best 3D baking software

Baking is the process of saving information from a 3D mesh to a texture file to enhance scene realism and improve renderer performance. That’s why texture baking is a critical skill for any 3D artist to master. Many 3D programs offer tools to help expedite the baking process and Marmoset Toolbag is one of the top choices. Together with iRender, let’s find out the reasons that brought Marmoset to its current position in the field.

When modifying bake settings, artists can preview the results of their model in real time. When a specific mesh area is adjusted, only that affected section is rebaked, allowing for almost instant updates to the preview, which significantly speeds up the workflow. In most other software, the process might be slower because the artists have to wait for the entire bake to complete before identifying any errors.

Bake Groups are specialized folders that allow artists to organize high- and low-poly meshes in separate slots, helping isolate different model elements and avoid errors at intersecting points. Additionally, they can create an unlimited number of groups for their demand. With Marmoset Toolbag, artists no longer need to separate or individually bake each object anymore.

Another plus point is that the Quick Loader feature will automatically read object names from the mesh file and set up Bake Groups, making the whole process quick and easy.

This tool helps adjust details that were inaccurately captured due to an off-axis projection. Skew maps achieve this by blending, on a per-pixel basis, the face normals of the low-poly mesh with the cage normals. With skew painting, artists can smoothly correct these errors. Additionally, there’s an option to paint directly onto the mesh to fix any skewed details.

A cage is basically an expanded version of the low-poly model that surrounds the high-poly model. In Marmoset, artists can sculpt the cage and ensure it fully encloses the high-poly model with just a simple brush tool. Additionally, there’s an option to automate this process by using the Estimate Offset feature. For user convenience, the custom cages are supported in Marmoset as well.

Ambient occlusion (AO) is a 3D modeling technique that utilizes shaders to determine how much light is blocked from reaching certain areas. In Marmoset, the Ignore Groups option allows AO to be cast across different bake groups, helping to anchor parts of complex models. For elements that are removable or animated—such as a scope or magazine on a gun—these bake groups can be positioned separately to prevent them from receiving group-to-group AO.

The outputs will be saved as a single, layered PSD file. Material properties like albedo, gloss, and specular will be organized into layer groups, with layer masks automatically applied for each high-poly material. This setup is beneficial if the artists work with a PS-centered texturing workflow.

UDIM is a widely used texturing method due to its highly effective for working with large models or extensive texture sets. Previously, Toolbag did not offer native support for UDIMs. The workaround was to assign a unique material to each UDIM tile and load the appropriate texture maps for it. With the updates in Marmoset Toolbag 5; however, artists can now work smoothly with both UDIM and MTS modes.

The performance and stability of Marmoset Toolbag are heavily dependent on the GPU’s capabilities. The minimum VRAM is 6GB, but 12 GB or more is recommended. iRender can provide more than that. Our high-configuration machines are built with 1,2,4,6,8 xRTX3090/4090 and 24GB VRAM. Most importantly, we always update to the latest GPU technology. You can consider our packages and their configuration here.

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Why can iRender be a great render farm for you?

In addition to high-configuration servers, iRender provides many other utilities to provide the best user experience.

• Dedicated server for individuals: You have full control and access to the server you rent. The working environment (installed apps, files) will be stored for the next use.
• Easy and free file transfer between your computer and iRender’s server: The transferring task can be done via the iRender GPU application for Windows and the iRender Drive application for MacOS.
• 24/7 assistance: iRender’s attentive agents are always ready to support all your queries.
• All software compatibility: iRender’s PCs are built to meet the configuration needs of all 3D software and rendering tools at various cost levels for users to choose from.

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Source: Marmoset, Reddit, Shutterstock, Youtube