I have recently completed a build of a print that I was able to add wood grain and stain to make the final product look like realistic wood. I was really pleased with the results and want to share the steps I used, results of my experiments and some tips I used along the way. I am sure there are many steps I could have done differently and gotten different results (better or worse), so I recommend doing some of your own experiments for the exact look you're seeking.

Research:

I found several posts on Reddit that gave me the original inspiration and from which I learned this was even possible. Thank you to u/e1miran for your posts (1, 2, and 3) which gave me the inspiration. I also found this video tutorial on YouTube to be incredibly helpful. I followed the nearly exactly the same steps in Blender to add my texture.

My journey included these phases:

1. Learning how to get a texture applied on an STL (in Blender)
2. Creating variations for testing: different filaments, stains and texture patterns & depth
3. Final print, sanding, stain & assembly

Applying texture in Blender:

As noted above, I followed the video tutorial a couple of times with various models to get an idea of the steps. This was my very first-time using Blender an the video does a great job of explaining the options an clicks along the way. Then I experimented with a few tweaks and adjustments at various steps.

My process closely followed the video tutorial (with a few tips I learned along the way)

1. Import STL (into Blender)
2. Generate Re-mesh (Modifier)
   • Use 'sharp'
   • Increase 'Depth' value - for more dense mesh
3. Add Subdivision modifier
   • Simple
   • Uncheck 'Optimized Display'
4. APPLY the re-mesh (merges it 'permanently' onto the model)
5. Add Displace (modifier)
   • Add the wood texture image
   • Tip: the more contrast in the black & white will create more dramatic pits & valleys in the wood texture. I found that a more subtle grain texture ended up looking better when printed and stained even though in Blender the starker contrast seemed more natural looking.
   • I simply used a web search for 'seamless wood texture' and 'seamless wood texture black & white' to find options that I tried out in Blender.
6. UV Map (UV Editing menu)
   1. Select specific sides/faces (or use 'A' for all sides)
      • Tip: The orientation of the UV map objects will correspond to the image. So pay attention to which direction you want the wood pattern to appear. Also note in the other posts the suggestion to make your wood grain aligned with the layer lines of your print for best results.
   2. U - UV Map tools -
      1. Smart UV Project or "projection" - like 'cube' or appropriate shape
7. Change Displace modifier - coordinates: UV
   • Adjust strength (as desired) (negative flips white/black)
     • Tip: I used several variations of depth. For the wood grain patterns I used I found 2-2.5 was the right strength value that showed the best depth (and allowed for more stain variation in the grains) while not looking too extreme on the print. Your preferences might vary or the look you're going for may be different.
8. Remove from bottom (for plate adhesion)
   • Select face (bottom, etc.) - move OFF of the UV panel (out of area) - won't be applied
   • G (grab) - move mouse to move it
   • OTHER WAY TO REMOVE BOTTOM:
     • Layout > Texture > Direction (Normal) change to X, Y, Z, etc. - duplicate modifier for other directions (as needed)
   • Tip: Be careful of tolerances and how the 3D texture will impact model geometry. For example, the model I was printing was a complex model with interconnected parts. When I had wood texture in the interlocking area the press fit parts no longer fit. I spend quite a bit of time making sure my UV map was only covering the portions of the model on which I wanted the texture. In my case it was the front and outer / visible portions of the model rather than the whole thing.
     • I therefore could not simply apply texture in X, Y, Z direction, nor could I apply texture across the entire model. I used the right window in Blender (on the UV settings) along with Control and Shift modifiers to manually select the exact portions of my model to create the UV map and thus apply the texture.
9. Texture (displace) > Mapping
   • Change from Repeat to 'Clip'
10. Export STL and Import into Bambu Studio for printing

Variations: Filament, Stain & Texture testing

I used negative parts to make small sections of my model with different portions. I had a number of brown colored filaments (some with Wood and some just standard PLA or PLA Matte. I decided to limit the variations, so I tried 2 different wood textures and varied the displace strength. Then I printed several smallish parts with different filaments. Then I ultimately used 3 different wood stains on each of the parts to pick the combinations I liked the best.

Clearly you could likely get even more results with any number of tweaks: different texture images, different depths, different filaments and/or different stains. I've included my results below in case it helps save anyone else time.

I tested the following 4 stains:

I had the following Bambu Lab filaments that I experimented with:

• Matte Caramel
• Black Walnut (Wood PLA)
• Classic Birch (Wood PLA)
• Matte Dark Brown
• Clay (Wood PLA)
• Matte Latte Brown
• Matte Terracotta
• Brown
• Cocoa Brown

I categorized the results below (obviously it's somewhat arbitrary based on the look I was trying to get but hope it might help save some time for others). My rating scale from 1-5.

Ultimately my favorite was the Classic Birch filament with Dark Oak stain. The slightly lighter color of the filament allowed the stain to create more depth and variation overall which I liked. Some of the options as described in the notes came out great with really nicely defined / deeper wood grain texture and/or nice wood tone. Some became a bit more reddish in tint (which still looked quite nice, but didn't quite match the more orange actual wood shelving I was placing my model on). Basically, anything that I rated a 3 or above would be something I would consider printing and using (so a 2-3 rating was on the edge, a 1 or 2 would not be something I'd use: too light, too shiny, not good color, etc.).

The Black Walnut was essentially too dark a filament for the stain to really have any impact - would not recommend. All of the other filaments looked good or great in some combination. I was pleasantly surprised that several of the non-Wood based filaments looked quite good. Brown and Dark Brown in fact looked very wood-like and the grain showed nicely. It didn't have quite as much contrast as the Birch or lighter filaments showed, but I liked it.

|| || |Stain|Filament|Notes|Rating| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Caramel|Added slight texture - no dark depth / shiny|2| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Walnut|Virtually no change|1| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Birch|Virtually no change|1| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Dark Brown|Slight texture / medium darkness in depth / kept filament color|2-3| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Clay|Made it shiny / slight darkness in depth|2| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Latte|Shiny, slight depth / maintained color|2| |Varathane - Golden Oak|Terracotta|Slight depth / maintained color|2-3| |Teak (DWIL)|Caramel|Reddish depth, reddish tint|3| |Teak (DWIL)|Dark Brown|Slight darker brown depth / kept color|2-3| |Teak (DWIL)|Clay|Dark brown depth / made orangish brown tint See with other grain (v1 2.5 = good)|3-4| |Teak (DWIL)|Terracotta|Slight dark depth / maintained tint / red-orange tint|2-3| |Teak (DWIL)|Brown|Slight dark depth (not as good as dark brown) / kept tint|2-3| |Teak (DWIL)|Latte|Medium depth / darkened tint Test with 2.5 grain or v2|2-3| |Teak (DWIL)|Birch|Medium depth / kept tint / yellowish-green|1| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Walnut|Virtually no change / just darkens|1| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Brown|Reddish / medium depth / shiny w/ 1.5 depth - subtle medium depth / reddish (2-3)|2| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Dark Brown|Medium depth / darkens Check out more than 1.5 grain|3| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Caramel|Medium depth / lighter base / darkens overall / brown color Need more depth test|3| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Terracotta|Good dark depth / reddish tint|3-4| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Birch|Dark depth / turns darker brown|4-5| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Latte|Dark depth / turns darker / medium brown color|3-4| |Dark Oak (DWIL)|Clay|Medium depth / dark tint |3-4|

Final Prep & Staining:

Once I finalize my choice and finished each of the parts in Blender I printed the final parts and prepped.

1. As suggested in the Reddit posts - I used 180 grit sandpaper blocks. I sanded in the direction of the texture, lightly for only a short time.
2. Wiped down the parts to remove the sanded dust. (Dry fiber cloth)
3. Stained with sponge brush

Tips:

For the birch filament I wanted to cover the entire part with stain - even the parts without the texture added since I wanted a more uniform look.

I only used a single coat of stain - a second coat made the part too dark and diminished the grain visibility.

When I used the brush on non-textured sides of the part I brushed it on fairly quickly and without too much care and it left a more natural / varied color. On non-textured sides I brushed in the direction of the layer lines and that also left a wood-like look.

I really hope that this helps someone try something similar and would love to see other's results or filament/stain combos that look good.

Print files for Single Eye

Print files for Double Eye

Build Instructions

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Ignore cat.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/1279305-minecraft-popcorn-bucket-ams-and-non-ams-version#profileId-1306917

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The model is found on makerworld.

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