Applying a texture to an object without a transparency mask?

Astute Graphics has a plug-in called Texturino that lets you apply textures non-destructively, and it's super simple. You select your object, select a texture (from either the included ones or import your own), and click the plus to add the texture. It clips it to the shape automatically and gives you options to scale the texture, move it around, change the opacity, and apply a blend mode. It also lets you swap out the texture, and you can still modify your original shape. Here's a short video on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqngrnYmUpQ

SyntaxOne,

The DDD would do it once and for all, as long as you keep the outer shape, but if you change the outer shape there will be no way to have an updated selection of spots made in advance.

SyntaxOne,

Far be it from me to claim the ability to give an intelligent answer, but you may do the dirty destructive deed:

1) Create a Clipping Mask to have the desired part of the texture shown;

2) Almost certainly unneded in your version: In the Transparency palette/panel dropdown list select anything but Normal (Multiply is fine, you may try without it);
3) Object/Edit>Flatten Transparency, just keep the defaults including 100% Vector;
4) Shudder (optional, unless unavoidable).

This will crop everything to the Clipping Path (or to its Bounding Box in case of raster images), with the possible exception of some empty paths, remnants of the pattern tiles that have been cut to fit the Clipping Path, or something similar; if there are such paths, you may:

5) With the Direct Selection Tool, Click an empty spot to deselect, then ClickDrag along and outwards from each side of the former Clipping Path and press Delete (twice) to get (completely) rid of the empty paths;

With this, everything should be cleaned up.

You want black spots on the apple?