Texture baking & scupties explained? (3DS)

I've seen a number of tutorials, Chip's and Abu's, that bake textures, but in the sculptie texture creation process (projection mapping, etc).

I seem to be missing a basic concept. I'm using using Shack's SculptGenMax to creat sculpties from meshes. It works great, particularly now with the SLImageUploader. The part I don't get, or can't seem to grasp involves baking textures.

From what I've read here, they're the way to go. I've assumed the term "baked" means a 2D bitmap image UV map file can be incorporated into the sculptie texture so that both files are contained in one tga sculpted texture file. Please, is this right or wrong?

I can bake textures okay, but end up with a 2D bitmap image file (tga) and not a sculptie. As a 2D artist, I've assumed from my lack of success that using a UV Mapping modifier was necesary to incorporate the 2D image into the scuplted texture, but no luck there either.

Assuming I've even got the concept correct, that the final product (sculptie) contains both the 2D image map and the RGB map of the model's form, is there a tutorial on the process someplace, or can some one offer a simple explanation?

(Getting down on bended knees now) I'd love to know the secret to baking textures for use with sculpties in SL, assuming you all are not simply uploading the baked texture as a separate tga and applying in SL like a traditional texture?

Thanks in advance to whoever can solve this mystery.
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Sculpted prims are textured just like any other prim. You will have one texture that defines the shape (the rainbow colored sculpt texture) and a separate texture that defines the coloring that is displayed on its surface.

The reason to use a baked texture is that sculpted prims will tend to distort regular textures very badly. Your 3d graphic suite will bake your texture to conform to the shape without distortion (and while its at it, it can also bake lighting and similar effects for you). The procedure for doing this will vary from program to program, and not all applications that can make sculpted prims can bake textures.

If you are using a plugin that converts arbitrary meshes into sculpt textures you may have problems baking textures since the texture baking process relies on the UV mapping of the shape to determine how the texture needs to be distorted to fit your shape. There may be ways around this problem, you would have to ask somebody with more experience using that particular program.

Ha! I don't know why I thought it was possible to include both given the nature of the sculptie texture (TGA). I guess I just overlooked the obvious in favor a some magic, highly complex 3D solution that surely had to use 32 bit, etc.

I'd heard, perhaps incorrectly, that using the baked texture had the effect of forcing SL to rez sculpties (faster or closer to finished form?) rather than those amorphous balls that once took 15 seconds to rez. I haven't seen that effect much recently anyway.

Thanks a lot. I spent most of the day today trying to work out how this unlikey solution was being accomplished. It's a relief to know I don't have to keep searching. Thanks