Mesh texturing for 3D printing

Mesh texturing for FDM usually means displacing triangles so a slicer sees ridges, knurls, or a heightmap—not a shader that only looks textured on screen.

The problem this answers

You have a clean solid (or a simple cube) and want millimetre-scale relief without remodeling the body. The slicer should see real geometry.

How people do it without 3dSynth

Blender displacement, ZBrush, BumpMesh / stlTexturizer, and some slicer modifiers. Those tools work. They are extra software and often UV-unwrapping or voxel workflows you may not want for a 50 mm cube.

How 3dSynth does it

Texturize displaces any triangle mesh along normals (triplanar by default), then Export Mesh bakes STL. It does not emit G-code. Mesh Sculptor can bump along lathe-ring normals while forming the solid—that is a different job. Concepts: mesh export. Docs: overview · docs tutorial.

Example

Add Texturize, paint Knurl on the starter cube, mask the bed, export STL, slice in PrusaSlicer. Tutorial: texture a cube. Design the body first in Mesh Sculptor if you need a profile+cross-section solid: first mesh.

When it works

Knurls, bricks, SVG/heightmap wraps on imported STL or a live Mesh/Node mesh. Keep amplitude modest relative to the part size so walls do not self-intersect.

When another tool is better

Organic sculpture, retopology, and painted high-poly heroes belong in Blender or ZBrush. Filigree that should be a toolpath, not a displaced solid, belongs in G-code Sculptor or Fabric Sculpt. Always slice the STL for supports if the part needs them.

Related: Texturize · Mesh Sculptor · all guides · Launch app