How To Add Texture to a CAD File?

[wellsprop]

Hi all,

 

I'm making some seat-pack life rafts for use in FAA aircraft, I intend to model the sheepskin seat cover.

 

I'd like to add some texture to this (I know in reality it wouldn't show in this scale, but I'm curious to see how it looks).

 

I've modelled the seat-pack in CATIA and I can export this in various Neutral File Formats for use in other software, however, I don't know of any software that can do what I want.

 

All I want is to simply import a 3D file, click on a face and add a texture, before re-exporting the file.

 

Can anyone give me some tips?

 

Cheers

Ben

[bootneck]

Hi Ben,

 

I've found this video that shows how to do surface textures in Fusion 360.  I would think the same principle would apply on all CAD platforms.  Elsewhere, there is mention of a 'roughen' facility in some CAD programs.

 

cheers,
Mike

[Ebf2k]

I don't think parametric 3D CAD software does this kind of thing well.  I would ask around on some forums for designing 3D minis as those typically have some textures.  I am not sure how they do it, but probably with a different 3D modeling tool like Blender to apply a surface to the geometry.   Something like this perhaps.

[Mig Eater]

With direct modelling software like Blender or 3DS Max you can manually sculpt the texture or you can make a height/bump map and then apply it over the surface of the model.

[Twobad]

I'm interested in trying to do pretty much the same thing on some CAD files that I have so I'll follow this with interest.

 

From what research I've done so far Blender seems to be the goto solution for this. I did have a quick play with it, but there's a fairly steep learning curve to climb it would appear. Apparently Solidworks can also map textures to a surface, but I've not tried that.

 

Fusion and AutoCAD can map textures but only visually for renders fromwhat I've found. It isn't a true 3D surface effect, just a picture applied to a smooth surface, the latter being what you get if you actually print the part. 

 

[Autodesk 'help' on 3D mapping in Fusion 360: https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-create-a-3D-texture-from-an-image-in-Fusion-360.html ]

 

If you look closely at the Fusion render below you will see that there is a woven braid texture applied to the flexible ignition leads. I'd love to turn that into a true 3D pattern.

 

Edited January 15 by Twobad
Autodesk help link added.

[TheBaron]

On 29/12/2023 at 10:48, wellsprop said:

Can anyone give me some tips?

Ben: I'm (imminently) facing a similar issue but would agree with Eb's post here as the route to go:

 

 

On 29/12/2023 at 21:12, Ebf2k said:

  I am not sure how they do it, but probably with a different 3D modeling tool like Blender to apply a surface to the geometry.   Something like this perhaps.

CAD software by it's nature doesn't handle the more organic natural textures so in my case I'll export the shape(s) concerned into Maya as an .obj file and apply displacement mapping to created raised textures on the polygonal geometry there, before outputting as .stl for print.

 

There'sa summary here about displacement mapping in Maya that applies in general to all CG packages with this function.

 

Best,

Tony