How to Create Cage Files for Perfect Substance Painter Bakes

[@QuinnKuslich]

A few notes: 1. This process will not work with the UDIM workflow or color IDs your UVs have to be in a 1 x 1 space in order for the bake to work 2. Your Cage mesh needs to match UVs with your Low poly mesh

[@gbona]

It could be that they've fixed it but I tested with UDIM workflow with UVs on the 1003 space and the cage worked flawless.

[@QuinnKuslich]

@@gbona I’ll give it a try

[@Rex-xj4dj]

how do I ensure that the UV's match? and I would like to talk more on this

[@dracopug]

@@Rex-xj4dj You can make the UVs match by duplicating the finished lowpoly model to use the base for your cage before tweaking it to fit around your highpoly. Even if you pull around vertices, the unwrap will not change so don't worry at that point. Just avoid making incisions, extrusions, etc, in your cage. Additionally, if you were to change your lowpoly to the point you need to change the uvs, the cage will also need the uvs redone so you may need to start over. Idk if it helps but thats my workflow rn.

[@moonasha]

you are a life saver, substance was creating horrible bakes for this one model, no matter what setting I changed it wouldn't work, the last thing to try was cage file, so I googled it and ended up here. And after expanding the vertexes like you did, I saw that substance was doing the same thing and that's what caused the distortion

[@Jaro3Me]

Thank you for this! A little tip for adjusting the vertices is to use soft selection (shortcut 'b') to grab multiple verts like using a move brush, you can adjust the size using 'b' + middlemouse + drag left/right and it's much easier than selecting several individual verts. Also never knew about the w + middle click drag for inflating - I usually change the transform mode to normals and go from there, cheers!

[@randomlosernightmares]

I've been suffering so much with some baking issues! Thank you so much ❤️

[@Tom-qj6ed]

you bloody legend made it so simple thanks!

[@ipakmann]

I never knew what a cage what before watching this, thank you!

[@joaovitordecastrolima7570]

THANKS BRO, you're a hero.

[@gabrieldalla1825]

Really nice! I've had multiple problems trying this workflow before, now I'm able to see where were my mistakes. Greetings from Brasil!

[@QuinnKuslich]

Glad I could help!

[@DarkHarpuia]

You god damn genius, this custom cage method fixed all the issues I was having with my model! The character has horns, and because of their position the ears kept making a "shadow" normal get baked on top of the horns, which was driving me nuts.

[@Bordie3D]

Duude unfinished swan music! I recognized that as it started. I've been addicted to that music for years!

[@QuinnKuslich]

Same lol

[@jarrodsheldon8812]

You are a F$&%King champion! Thank you! What a great to the point video!

[@QuinnKuslich]

Thanks, it’s what I do!

[@dean3184]

I would love to see move videos centered around making game assets!! It would have been nice to see what happens without a cage. Im just now learning about them

[@MagnusTheGreat]

Just God awful lol

[@MaDmonkey3311]

Okay I am working in maya like 8 years and I was always pissed there is nothing like "shrink or fatten" and in your video I found it is (L ctrl + MMB) Now i can die peacefully. Thanks for your video btw!

[@xylvnking]

ty

[@j_productive]

Thank you so much!

[@QuinnKuslich]

You're welcome!

[@otulissa6956]

I've managed to bake a cage file with UDIMs by selecting Open GL for the normal map format during the creation of the project. Hope it can help

[@Felix-os5hf]

When I'm adjusting the cage on top of my high poly the amount that shows through changes depending on how zoomed in I am, how do I know when its good enough?

[@thieresmachado3D]

If I use many objects in my scene, select them all and export as FBX. And in the Substance use the bake option match by mesh names. What is the correct way to rename cage objects to match the low poly meshes? "Cube_low Cube_high Cube_cage Sphere_low Sphere_high Sphere_cage" Can I just choose any name for the cage objects, since I let them in the right X,Y,Z space position as my low poly objects. I mean, can I select all my cage objects and export them as FBX and just save the file as "Cage" in the file name?

[@Felix-os5hf]

Hey, I'm new to Maya , when I duplicate my lowpoly and change the color it changes both the duplicate and the original, why is this happening and how can I just affect one like in your video? Thanks!

[@Felix-os5hf]

Don't worry figured it out, for anyone else it's because it needs to be its own material.

[@alanmoralesvega]

and what happends when you have a propr with multiple objets

[@alinarangi7826]

hi man.recently I finished my first 3d model and did the unwrapping and have 2 tiles, and then some sculpting in C4d.exported low and high res and tried to texture it in Substance painter I tried several methods to get a good result for baking normal map, I really need help..can you please take a look at my model?in addition, I also made a Cage and it does not work...very tired and need your help, please. thanks in advance

[@marcelodeniz3932]

Use conform toll with make live, better results

[@jojorobinson1657]

thesis game?

[@QuinnKuslich]

@@jojorobinson1657 in order to get my degree I had to create a game in my final year. So my game took place in the cave so I had to make a lot of rocks for my thesis. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpetdYJ8rb12hacsi=d311cizhjnbQajSe

[@tylerdurden6917]

Wait is this unreal engine ?

[@MarcoStillSeasonsCattaneo]

Barely explain what cages are and when they are REALLY needed. The bake in the example definitely won't benefit from using a cage file. Size of baked textures has nothing to do with the target platform and hardware the game will ship, since mesh maps are used in the texturing process and not as final output (where size will matter). Basically a useless video