Lightmaps + Advanced Lighting?

#1 You can use any lightmap baking program, hell even ye olde freebie Blender has lightmap baking. The theory being that you set up your scene with lights inside you lightmapping/3D app.

That's the theory anyhow ...

Of course I set up my scene and lights in my 3D app and then export it in sections to PureLight, for it be win. I then tend to keep some of those lights to illuminate characters, but have most of the shadowing set to off to save on performance.

#2 Blender can do that? So once I'd export my Blender model to Collada, all that lightmap info would be included in the export?

#3 Allegedly.

In the second UV channel ... so remember to export it with one.

I have no idea how to do that ... nor do I use anything like a vaguely modern version of Blender.

I have baked in occlusion to textures before - hence why I know it can lightmap.

#4 Bryce, spending 500 USD for Purelight is worth the money. This tool does amazing job. You can make lightmaps without Purelight, but this will be a hard work. Purelight has amazing features that will make your life easier :). So it's your decision. I don't think I would do my job better without Purelight.

#5 @Bryce,
eb from Doit! fame has something out that does what PureLight does, at a fraction of the cost...
take a look at it on his store