[HELP!] Do i need to unwrap both high poly and low poly to bake the normal maps ?

SimãoSilva

hi, im really new here, just created my acount.
im a student and im studying 3D on my own, ive made a few models for fun nothing to complicated, and im now learning 3ds max and how to make game assets and modeling really complicated things but i also want to learn how to do rotopology and how to optimize my models for game engines, and im currently trying to bake high poly normals to low poly models.
I am using 3ds max and xnormals (if you guys prefer any other software and why please tell mend tell you resons i really want to know !) , up til now i have created the models (simple spheres one has 100 quads and the other has 50) i have already created the cage for the low poly model from the high poly, now i guess i have to unwrap the uv's, but do i need to unwrap both ? if so why ? 
please help me ! thank you all for you time ^^ 

musashidan

You just need to unwrap the low. The high is solely for capturing the details.

If you're new to baking, and 3d in general, I highly recommend setting aside a decent amount of time to properly studying the stickies on here. They are crammed with a wealth of information and will get you up to speed and answer a lot of your questions.

SimãoSilva

thank you MUSASHIDAN ! and im not new to modeling only to baking and texturing, btw is quixel a good choice for someone who's learning  an starting in texturing ? 

musashidan

SimãoSilva said:

thank you MUSASHIDAN ! and im not new to modeling only to baking and texturing, btw is quixel a good choice for someone who's learning  an starting in texturing ? 

No problem. Personally I bought Quixel Suite 2 back when it was in beta, but haven't really touched it since getting into Substance Painter. For me SP is hands down the superior texturing/baking/painting app. QS2 just seems slow, buggy, and unprofessional(devs in comparison to Allegorithmic)

It's simple to use but not as feature-rich as SP, especially if you throw Substance Designer into the mix. Why not give both a trial and see how you feel.