Texturing a multi-part print consistently
I'm trying to add a wood texture to a multi-part print, but it has so many pieces that I can't just do it individually. Not only because it would take five years, but also because the wood grain wouldnt be aligned across parts. While yes, I could just use this one, it doesn't come with each color being a different part. And I can't paint well for crap, so I'm stuck with the far more complex solution. So, I'm wondering if there's a way I can apply the texture to the model globally BEFORE slicing it, because it doesn't all fit on one bed.
my proposed solution would be to:
1. arrange them into their assembled shape
2. merge them but keep them as separate shells**
3. Apply a texture to them via bumpmesh.com
4. Separate the mesh again into separate STLs with Meshmixer ***
**No idea how merging works in PrusaSlicer, but I assume since you can still split parts that have been merged, it does this automatically.
*** a tool I have never used before lol
However, this also seems decently lengthy, and after attempting it, neither Meshmixer nor Prusaslicer itself can open the merged file exported by PrusaSlicer (I didn't even apply the texture yet), so please let me know if I'm overlooking something simpler.
Thanks for the help!
P.s.
I'm decently new to 3d printing (and most of my hours are on a Bambulab P1S at my school), and I'm still trying to fumble my way around the more advanced aspects of PrusaSlicer. So please try to keep the lingo beginner-friendly!
This sort of texturing belongs in the original CAD file, you have discovered how hard it is to add later.
However:
Consider how an original wooden part would have been made; it couldn't be carved in one piece if the wood chosen had a coarse grain as the spikes would disintegrate. The maker wouldn't want it to look like wood - (s)he would go to great lengths to smooth the parts. The colour/paint applied would be used thickly to disguise grain...
So: why not adapt a technique sometimes used by movie prop makers to make it look like oil from the wood grain is seeping into the paint from underneath and slightly discolouring it?
Design (2D) the grain pattern you want in black and white, ensuring that the main matrix is fully connected with no islands that will drop out. Save the image then import it into your CAD of choice, scale and extrude it to two layers thick - probably 0.4mm - slice and print. You now have a stencil. Prop makers would make a metal stencil by photo-resist etching a sheet of copper.
Print the main body of your mask and put it into the bottom of a shallow cardboard box, spray it with clear varnish. Mount the stencil across the top of the box and, from well above, spray it lightly with a shade darker paint - finish by removing the stencil and respraying over with clear (mat?) varnish.
The effect from a couple of feet away should be convincing.
Having said all that I regard such trinkets as a complete waste of filament.
Cheerio,