MatCap Gloss
By the end of this page you'll know how to bake a matcap highlight as a grayscale UV mask, and how to bake an AO mask from only mesh concavity, independent of scene view angle.
Creates: Grayscale mask texture (for gloss/effect mask input to shaders)
Procedure
- Select hair (or target) object in Hierarchy → Load
- Preview ON → rotate scene view camera to catch the gloss at the right angle
- Pick a MatCap texture and adjust Roundness / Strength / Contrast
- Use scene view handles to position
- Bake — bakes from current scene view angle and auto-saves to original texture folder
If the mesh has multiple materials, pick the working slot from thumbnails below the checkbox first. → Material Slot Picker
Scene view handles
| Handle | Operation |
|---|---|
| Orange sphere | Move virtual sphere center |
| Edge knob | Adjust radius |
| Rotation ring | Rotate gloss direction (camera stays fixed) |
When Preview is off, handles appear dimmed and can't be edited. This prevents accidental value changes.
Gloss / AO (Cavity) submode
Toggle between the two modes at the top of the tab.
| Mode | Basis | Scene angle | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloss | MatCap + mesh normal | Affects result — bakes from current viewpoint | Real-time |
| AO (Cavity) | Mesh shape concavity alone | Doesn't affect result | Preview Bake button |
AO mode gives the same result wherever you point the camera because it reads the shape itself. Instead of real-time preview, use the Preview Bake button to check results in advance.
| AO mode adjustment | What it does |
|---|---|
| Radius | How wide a range counts as "concave" |
| Sample count | Quality. Higher = slower but smoother |
| Strength | How dark it gets |
| Contrast | Difference between bright and dark areas |
| Invert | White in convex areas instead of concave |
Presets
Save settings (global direction, sphere size, etc.) and reuse on other meshes. Useful for applying the same gloss to hair split into multiple objects.
Refine in Paint
The Refine in Paint button next to the bake result sends that mask to the Paint tab. You can hand-paint over the computed gloss — remove gloss from just one forelock strand, or fill in areas the computation missed.
Saving
- The filename includes mesh structure, so same structures overwrite each other.
- If a same-named file exists, you're asked Overwrite / New Name / Cancel.
- Confirm saved files in the Recent Bakes list at tab bottom; ping or open folder.
- When Hierarchy selection changes, a "Selection changed — reload" line appears (auto-reload is off while previewing).
Where to assign
| Shader | Slot |
|---|---|
| lilToon | MatCap ▸ Mask · Reflection ▸ Smoothness Map |
| Poiyomi | Matcap ▸ Matcap 1 ▸ Mask · Rim Lighting ▸ Rim ▸ Mask & Bias |
| MingToon | Specular ▸ Toon Specular Mask · Rim ▸ Fresnel Rim Mask |
| NiloToon | MatCap Additive ▸ Mask Map · Occlusion ▸ Occlusion Map (AO mode) |
Full table → Shader connections