Animation Baking
Animation baking is a process in computer graphics and game development where complex, procedural, or physics-based animations are converted into static keyframe data. This involves precomputing the animation frames at a fixed rate and storing them as a baked animation asset, such as an FBX file or a sequence of poses. It is commonly used to optimize performance by reducing runtime calculations, especially for animations that are computationally expensive or need to be synchronized across multiple systems.
Developers should use animation baking when working on real-time applications like video games or interactive simulations where performance is critical, as it offloads complex calculations from the runtime to the pre-production phase. It is particularly useful for animations involving physics simulations, inverse kinematics, or complex procedural systems, ensuring smooth playback without frame drops. Baking also facilitates consistency in multiplayer environments or when exporting animations to engines that do not support the original procedural setup.