I have a question about texture mapping and displacement maps for objects. Do they show up? I use a lot of texture mapping for my models and most of my detail is provided by them instead of actually cutting into the model. Will the 3D Printing actually show the mapped textures? Kharum
No. Models will be printed in a single solid color and only the details in the exported mesh will be visible. Texture maps, normal maps and displacement maps will not show up. All of the surface detail has to be defined in a mesh, because it is the exported mesh that will be printed. I want to say that detail provided by displacement mapping should be able to be transferred to a mesh, but your computer or software may have limits on what level of detail it can handle. You may not be able to displace a mesh to the full resolution of your displacement map. If you tell us what software you are primarily using or what you use to create the displacement maps maybe I or someone else here can help you prepare your object for printing.