Knald

What Knald is

Knald is a Windows application for generating textures from high-to-low polygon meshes and 2D inputs, including photographs and heightmaps. Its Baker creates textures from polygon meshes, while Color To Normals turns a photograph or heightmap into a normal map for further work in the Integrator. Listed outputs include normal, derivative, displacement or height, ambient occlusion, transmission, concavity, and convexity maps.

The application supports texture baking and physically based rendering workflows. Its processing uses single- and double-precision floating point, with support for 8-, 16-, and 32-bit image data. The company describes Knald as suitable for physically based pipelines in interactive work, visual arts, and product design. Download requires a supported OpenCL-compatible GPU; listed system compatibility is 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

A 30-day demo is available for free (30-day demo). The Freelancer License costs $100, paid once and is for individuals or businesses with no more than one director, officer, manager, member, or employee; it permits installation on up to two devices owned by the licensee. The Studio License costs $200, paid once for use outside educational and freelancer licensing programs. Educational institutions are directed to contact the company for licensing information.

Who it suits

Knald suits texture artists and teams who need to bake maps from polygon meshes or create normal maps from photographs and heightmaps. Its stated pipeline fit spans interactive work, visual arts, and product design, while the two paid licenses distinguish freelancer and studio use.

Limits

The free 30-day demo is limited to 30 days. The Freelancer License allows installation on up to two devices owned by the licensee.

Getting started

1. Visit https://www.knaldtech.com/.
2. Use the 30-day demo or choose a paid license.
3. Confirm you have a supported OpenCL-compatible GPU.
4. Install on a compatible 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 system.

Verdict

Choose Knald if you need mesh baking or map generation from 2D sources on Windows, particularly for physically based pipelines. Check the GPU requirement and license terms before choosing; the demo lasts 30 days, and education licensing requires contacting the company.