[ADDED] Lay Flat

[Matt]

Hi there,

New to simplify 3D, but is there a way that I can pick a face on a model and ask for that to be laid flat on the table?
I get a lot of models that are designed by engineers in space relative to the assembly that they are working on. Therefore they export the model with no ref to a face to build the model from. It can be very difficult to find the rotation angles (and sometimes they are not complete integers) for the face that best suits the print. It would be nice to be able to pick a face on the model and tell the software to lay that on the bed.....

At the moment, I am rotating as best as I can and then making rafts and supports to the main face....it's not the best solution.

Thanks,

Matt.

[Festus440]

+1

I get a lot of models that are designed by engineers in space relative to the assembly that they are working on.

Or the face you want to lay on the bed happens to have some draft applied to it.

S3D doesn't support that but it would be very nice.
The slicing software that comes with Stratasys printers has that feature. Just point at the face you want to go to the top or bottom.

[Matt]

Yes, I have explored the software and it would be a nice feature to have.
Perhaps they could include that in a future version - would be so nice!

thanks,

Matt.

[jimc]

that is interesting and i think its a fantastic idea. +1

[bubbasnow]

Matt,

What software are you using to make the files? In solidworks this can be easily fixed by adding a new coordinate system.

[Matt]

Matt,

What software are you using to make the files? In solidworks this can be easily fixed by adding a new coordinate system.

It's more that the files come from various places, generated by various systems, so they can appear in space anywhere. Just thought it might be a nice feature to have, rather than having to work out the rotations etc.......

[TenKOhms]

if you ever get a model that is some what oddly rotated and/or doesn't have quite a good face to use as the first bottom layer, i suggest doing your best to rotate it to whichever face you prefer, and then adjust the z-offset a bit so that a little bit of the model actually goes below the build platform. doing this can get you a better/flat surface to print on, although part of the model will be cut off.

[wifiguru10]

+1 on request

[masnart39]

Running into the same problem. This would be a great feature!

[Umpa]

+1 for this