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Balu
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:59 am

Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

Is there a way to ignore parts that are not shown (unchecked in the model browser) when arranging parts? I have a big stl file with many different parts, separated into connected surfaces and would like to print one after the other. Having to delete all of them but one or two to be have Simplify3d arrange them automatically is difficult, because I might miss a few then.

Is it possible to just select a few parts and arrange those on the print bed and ignore the rest?
CompoundCarl
Posts: 2005
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:23 am

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

You can always group the parts if you want them to be auto-arranged together. For example if you had 5 parts positioned in a specific orientation to one another and wanted to print them that way, just select those 5 parts and press Ctrl-G to group them. Now, even if you add another 10 parts on the bed and click "Center and Arrange", those 5 parts will be locked and stay in the position you chose.

Alternatively, you could use the File > Export STL command to export a combined STL file that contains all of the parts you want to be treated together. Then if you import that new combined STL file, those parts can easily be treated together (such as choosing all of them from the "Select Models" list)
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Balu
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:59 am

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

I'm looking for exactly the opposite. I have a big STL file with a lot of objects that can be splitted into single objects by using the Mesh -> Separate Connected Surfaces feature.

I can usually just print one of these because of a very small print bed, so what I'm looking for is a way to hide all (by unchecking them) but one and have that one auto-arranged in the center of the build plate.

S3D doesn't do that, because it wants to arrange all existing objects - even the hidden ones.

I can always delete all but one, print, re-import the file, re-split into parts, ... or export each in a single file, but that's extra work I'd like to avoid :)
jfkansas
Posts: 133
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 2:12 am

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

Ya, I always found it annoying that it recognized hidden objects when you auto arranged.
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jimc
Posts: 1124
Joined: Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:02 pm
Location: mullica, nj
Contact: Website

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

No, do this procedure in your cad software and bring in the pieces you want to print
Frogspasm
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:34 am

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

Yeah, we know it doesn't do this. It would be much better functionality if you could exclude the hidden objects from arranging and (even better) from the print preparation.
S3D-Chris
Posts: 250
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 12:52 pm

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

You can achieve this by going into your process settings > click select models > deselect the models that you want to hide.
TheBum
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 11:13 pm

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

S3D-Chris wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 10:38 am You can achieve this by going into your process settings > click select models > deselect the models that you want to hide.
I haven't tried it with 4.1.2, but in previous versions, this didn't work for me. I like to make a factory file of all parts and if I only want to print a subset, I've had to actually remove the objects from the bed in S3D. Deselecting the object in the Select Models panel didn't work. The Select Models panel does work to assign different objects to different processes.
horst.w
Posts: 861
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:00 pm

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

TheBum wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 5:29 pm ...
The Select Models panel does work to assign different objects to different processes.
... yes, but you have the occasion to exclude a process from printing in the following window, when you have select the "Prepare to Print"-Button. And this is exactly what you want.

horst.w
GER
Select Process.png
TheBum
Posts: 178
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 11:13 pm

Re: Ignoring hidden parts when arranging, etc.

horst.w wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 5:53 pm
TheBum wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 5:29 pm ...
The Select Models panel does work to assign different objects to different processes.
... yes, but you have the occasion to exclude a process from printing in the following window, when you have select the "Prepare to Print"-Button. And this is exactly what you want.

horst.w
GER

Select Process.png
Not really. I don't want to necessarily create one process per object. The times when I've done that were either to work around the phantom supports
bug (supports sometimes generated even when removed in the custom supports tool) or to otherwise use different settings (e.g. different infill density).

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