I want to 3D print a cool box to hold milk bottles, and pattern the outside with black and white splotches resembling those of cows using my multi-material printer.
I’ve got a model and shader I’m happy with, and am looking for advice on how to convert the pattern into something I can slice and 3D print in two colours so the real-world object has the same pattern as a render would.
CowSplotches.blend (2.4 MB)
Here’s what I’ve tried so far, and why the results weren’t usable:
1. Displacement mapping
Before the blend file with the full 3D crate model above, I was trying just to make some geometry I could use as a modifier in my slicer to change the colour of any part of the model that intersected with it.
I baked the shader into an image …
… and then used that image as a texture to displace a subdivided plane:
This produces geometry with very jagged edges which I smoothed in edit mode (after reducing vertex count with a limited dissolve) using Vertex → Smooth Vertices limited to the XY plane:
I exported this and used it as a modifier in my slicer, and it worked just fine…
…but then I realised the severe limitations of trying to do it in the slicer:
- I have to manually apply the texture to each surface one at a time, and do the positioning and alignment manually. I’ll need at least six of these modifier meshes to get a nice continuous non-repeating pattern on all sides.
- I can’t ensure the pattern will be continuous between the lid and base, as I need to print them separately.
There has to be a simpler way!
