The Batch Bake feature calculates and then stores the shading and lighting color information from the rendered appearance of a polygon mesh directly on the color per vertex information for the mesh. This is also referred to as pre-lighting.
This menu item is only accessible when the mental ray Mayatomr.mll plug-in is loaded (Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager).
If the Batch Bake feature appears dimmed in the menu, it indicates that the Maya for mental ray plug-in is not loaded. Select Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager to load the plug-in.
For more information on the Batch Bake (mental ray) feature, please refer to the following references:
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