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I'm learning how to use Blender. I'd like to make models for game engines and also for sharing with other people.

Context: I want to make a bottle with a glass material, and a label on the bottle (and the label is a bit round).

I found the best glass effect is the glass BSDF in cycles, but to be able to export my model as .obj or .fbx I have to bake everything on a texture (from what I know so far).

Problem: When I bake the glass, export my model and then reimport to other software, the baked glass is not transparent. Of course I can set the transparency in that other 3D software for that "glass area", but that'll effect all other objects on that baked image. For example, I dont want the "round label" to be transparent.

Question: Is it possible to bake the glass area of the bottle with transparency? I've found the only way to export a model of a bottle with a rounded label would be through cycles, though I don't want to adjust the faces to fit the label that is rounded. So is this possible? Is there a better way to do what I want to do?

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Refraction and reflection effects can't really be baked into an object, at least no dynamically like you seem to want. Actually they can be baked, but is that what you really want?

Baking is generally used to simulate effects like shadows, lighting, small details like bumps or roughness through displacement maps, bump maps, normal maps, etc., the kind of thing that is either too complex or too expensive, or somehow unwanted or not needed to calculate in real time.

Baking means it will be pre-calculated and become static, so it wont react when you change the viewpoint. So if you bake things like transparency or refraction or reflections they will become static, and seem to be "printed" or "painted" onto the surface of the object and that is generally not desired.

See here What does "Baking" mean?

If you want to provide your model for other people to use should not worry too much about materials, and only deliver the correct geometry and textures needed so that they can create the materials themselves suited for whatever rendering engine or game engine they will be using.

For your bottle and label just provide the correct label texture and a geometry with correct UV coordinates to use them. The transparency should then be created by the user in their destination software

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for answer. Yeah i started myself to believe it was not possible to bake the transparency. Yeah thats probably the best to not care to much about the materials but i also want to show my models myself like on this site sketchfab.com any idea how i can put my rounded label on a bottle on that site? this model does it, (even though no transparent bottle) skfb.ly/MYBB this model is maybe baked (i dont know) but i still need to know how to apply a rounded label without baking. Maybe i should ask that in other question? thanks. $\endgroup$
    – mathias
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:39
  • $\begingroup$ Sorry i just saw how the example i sended link to had made it possible by adding extra faces outside the bottle. Aha that is how you ment in my other question, lol sorry i am stupid. Thanks now i understand. $\endgroup$
    – mathias
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:43
  • $\begingroup$ That is a completely separate matter, you can (and probably should) provide reference renders of your models if you want to sell them or provide them for download somewhere. In that case "pretty renders" with BSDF glass are encouraged, but that is generally made on a separate file ,different from the one you provide for other people, since you may want to setup a scene with context and correct lighting and decorations. $\endgroup$
    – Duarte Farrajota Ramos ♦
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:45
  • $\begingroup$ If you look closely the model you linked as a separate geometry for the label outside the glass, I've shown you how to do that in your other question, see my answer there, I added another image to help you out. The effect for real time rendered glass can be achieved differently using an environment map, but that is another completely different matter that is out of scope here and for another question $\endgroup$
    – Duarte Farrajota Ramos ♦
    Commented May 11, 2016 at 14:47
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    $\begingroup$ I just came here for exactly the same question. (And yes, I really want to bake reflections.) But I don't see an answer ... $\endgroup$
    – Scheintod
    Commented Dec 7, 2018 at 11:21

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