Preview and export
Texturize never writes G-code. The top-toolbar primary button reads Export Mesh and saves a binary STL. The caret next to it picks a bake quality. Other 3D formats (OBJ, glTF, animated glTF) are not offered for this module.
3D Preview
3D Preview (Displacement card) is off for new modules (bump shading only). The painted region shows the heightmap; the cube stays closed.
| Preview off | Preview on |
|---|---|
| Fragment bump only — geometry does not move (default) | Vertices displace along smooth unique-position normals |
| Paint and Place on Face stay on the real cube | A 12-triangle cube will look cracked at corners |
| Overlay triangle count = source (12 on the cube) | Same source count — still not export density |
The overlay also shows bounding box (mm), approximate buffer size (MB), and a Wireframe checkbox. Turning 3D Preview off does not CPU-bake into the viewport.
Export Mesh
- Click Export Mesh — bakes at High (the module default, not whatever Mesh Sculptor quality you last used).
- Or open the caret and pick Draft / Standard / High / Ultra.
- The Texturize worker welds, subdivides long edges, samples the heightmap, displaces unique positions together, decimates to the triangle cap, and writes STL.
- Save the file (desktop) or accept the browser download.
Export is enabled when a source mesh exists and the heightmap is ready (kernels are instant; Pattern/SVG disable the button until rasterize finishes). You do not need a viewport CPU bake first.
The preview does show which faces will be masked (shader tint / wireframe overlay). It still does not show export tessellation — judge print density from the STL.
Quality presets
Draft- ~1 mm max edge, 80 000 triangle cap. Fastest check of the pattern. Too coarse for most prints.
Standard- ~0.5 mm max edge, 250 000 cap. Reasonable for large, low-frequency maps (wood, leather).
High (toolbar default)- ~0.35 mm max edge, 750 000 cap. Default Export Mesh click. Matches the recipe’s stored
subdivideMaxEdgeMm/outputTrianglesdefaults. Ultra- ~0.2 mm max edge, 1 500 000 cap. Fine knurls, isogrids, and small Size U. Slowest; largest files.
A hard engine cap of 2 000 000 triangles applies on top of the preset cap. Subdivision stops when either the edge-length target or the cap is hit — very large STLs at Ultra may still show leftover long edges.
Overlap warning
If Texture height is more than 10% of the smallest bounding-box extent, a yellow banner appears: surfaces may overlap. Export is still allowed.
Typical fixes: lower Texture height, enlarge Size U/V, mask thin walls, or enable Overhang protect / Snap bottom in Advanced.
What is in the STL
- Displaced outer surface only — Texturize does not add an inner wall, infill, or caps. Hollow parts must already be hollow in the source (Mesh Sculptor shell, or a hollow STL).
- Units are millimetres, Z-up, same as the viewport.
- Normals are recomputed after displacement.
Slice with your usual profiles (layer height, perimeters, infill, supports). Fine displacement often wants a 0.4 mm nozzle or smaller and a layer height at most half the Texture height so ridges survive.
What is not exported
- G-code — there is no toolpath. The Custom G-code
</>copy-out is disabled for this module (same as Mesh Sculptor). - OBJ / GLB / animated glTF — export caps are shell STL only.
- The 12-triangle preview — the toolbar always bakes; it will not write the GPU preview mesh to disk.
Project files vs STL
Save Save / Ctrl+S for the .3dsynth recipe (and imported mesh / custom image). That file is not printable. Keep the STL next to it if you need to re-slice without re-baking.
Live links re-bake from the current Mesh Sculptor / Node mesh when you export — change sculptor quality, then Export Mesh again.
Related
- Texturize overview
- Texturize tutorial
- Mapping — Size U vs export density
- Textures
- Exporting 3D models — STL in the rest of the app
- Mesh Sculptor — watertight shells to live-link