[ADDED] Lay Flat

[66tbird]

+1
Would be a time saver. I get file that must of come from another planet sometimes.

[laird]

+1. The ability to "lay flat" geometry is a very common feature in many "slicer" programs (ReplicatorG, MakerWare, Repetier, ...). Given that S3D is an awesome high-end app, it should be able to do this. At least one of them is open source, so the S3G folks should be able to take a look at the algorithm.

[dsegel]

+1. I usually just futz with rotations until it looks right.

Or you can open the model in Netfabb Basic and tell it which side you want to be the bottom, although if the model is irregular then that doesn't help.

[Gotham Pixel]

I'm really confused by this. How do you precisely get a model to lay flat on the build surface? I'm trying to print a ring that gets imported vertically and then put it on its side. The side of the ring is a flat surface but I can't rotate it 90 degrees because it's not a 90 degree angle. There is no front ortho view of the build area that clearly shows what is above or below the surface. How am I supposed to tweak the rotation and height so that it lays flat in a perspective view? When I try to view from underneath to see if any part of the model is below the surface the floor becomes invisible. The only indication the angle is off is the skirt path is not evenly plotted around the model in print preview. In Cura I simply click on Rotation > Lay Flat.

[jimc]

s3d imports the model in the same orientation as it was exported from your cad software. currently you can rotate it 90 deg then hit center and arrange and it will drop it on the platform BUT if its not 90 deg and its off slightly, say 89 but you dont know the exact angle its supposed to be then you should export it in the correct orientation from your cad software OR you can open the stl up in netfabb and you can pick the face you want down, save it then bring it into s3d. currently s3d will not auto rotate your part so a face is flat on the build platform. this is what everyone is requesting.

[Gotham Pixel]

In the Unofficial Simplify3D Documentation http://jinschoi.github.io/simplify3d-docs/

they write:

"Position your models
Models appear at your bed origin, usually set to be the lower left corner of the bed (this is configurable under Preferences/Machine). Use the Arrange button to auto-arrange them near the center, or manually place them using the preview window or edit dialogs. If you do manually move your models, make sure to use the Drop button so none of them are hovering over the bed."

where is the "Drop Button"

[habloIngles]

In the Unofficial Simplify3D Documentation http://jinschoi.github.io/simplify3d-docs/

they write:

"Position your models
Models appear at your bed origin, usually set to be the lower left corner of the bed (this is configurable under Preferences/Machine). Use the Arrange button to auto-arrange them near the center, or manually place them using the preview window or edit dialogs. If you do manually move your models, make sure to use the Drop button so none of them are hovering over the bed."

where is the "Drop Button"

In the Model Menu along the top of the program

[laird]

I've been using Cura to level prints, then S3D to print. Seems inefficient.

[habloIngles]

I've been using Cura to level prints, then S3D to print. Seems inefficient.

Are you CAD'ing the models yourself? It seems weird that all your models would need to be "laid flat" in angles that aren't in increments of 45, i.e. easy to manipulate angles.

[laird]

I've been using Cura to level prints, then S3D to print. Seems inefficient.

Are you CAD'ing the models yourself? It seems weird that all your models would need to be "laid flat" in angles that aren't in increments of 45, i.e. easy to manipulate angles.

No, when I model things they're oriented to print, because I am designing them for printing. But often people send me files to print, or I download them from Thingiverse, etc., and then orientation can be a challenge. For example, if a design is oriented in a way that makes sense for viewing, it may need to be rotated to be best oriented for printing. And scans are almost ever printing at the orientation generated by the scanner.

The command that most slicers have for this is to lower and rotate the object so that the three lowest points on the bottom touch the print bed. ReplicatorG does this, as does Cura, Repetier and Makerware. In fact, S3D is the only slicer I know of that doesn't do this, because it extremely useful, so they really should implement it just to be competitive. It's silly to have to use a free slicer to do this one basic step, when the one I paid for (and which is awesome in so many other ways) doesn't.

To put it in perspective, the really good slicers do much more than just laying shapes flat - they have the ability to rotate to minimize support volume. Free slicers tend not to do this, but it's a standard commercial slicer feature. Basically, the slicer orients the object so that it minimizes the volume of support that needs to be generated. This is great, because it reduces waste and speeds prints. So the software for the industrial 3d printers do this, because to those users it's a valuable productivity improvement that saves them money. Since S3D is isn't really competing with the industrial strength 3d printing software, and this is a harder problem to solve, I can see why they might not implement it immediately, but it's sure be impressive to get the capability for home printers.