Simplify3D User Forum

I'm definitely on the side of this being a problem. Anything that is in the STL but not printed, is a BUG. This is not a feature, and no way it can be sold as a feature. If you don't want the little artifacts to print, then don't let them in the model. I have run into this many times, and it is very annoying.

DonSch wrote:Anything that is in the STL but not printed, is a BUG. This is not a feature, and no way it can be sold as a feature.

You are really taking the word "bug" out of context here. The true definition has more to do with the software developers intent, and really has absolutely nothing to do with what you want.

By definition, S3d will not print features smaller than the nozzle. As such, the software is behaving as advertised, as designed, and as intended. It truly is a feature. I am not claiming, however, that all features are desirable to all users. (Nearly all Windows8 users should agree with that...)

Inexperienced users of CAD/CAM will expect the software to be automatic without any hands on tweaking, but in reality you want the software to check your work for you. If it's not going to be accurate why not just carve it by hand? The preview is so you can check before printing. Update your hardware so you can print accurate parts or lie to the software to print inaccurate parts. The software is giving you the option by telling you it won't print as is. It's not the softwares job to make crappy inaccurate parts...that's all up to us.

If the software is smart enough to not print a part of your design, then it should be "smart enough" to not show it on the screen either. I have designed "knock-out" tabs with the sole purpose of helping the model survive the printing process, after which they will be knocked out. But when my print fails because my built-in support didn't print, even after I saw it on the screen, it is a maddening experience.

It does show it on the screen. If it shows it in the print preview then it will be printed. The preview doesnt lie.

jimc wrote:It does show it on the screen. If it shows it in the print preview then it will be printed. The preview doesnt lie.

Negative, I have proof this is not the case. The preview shows me what I expect, but that isn't what I get.

See some proof on topic: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3096

In this specific case, the STL showed the thin wall... but the preview did not. Its not a bug... its telling you it won't print on your printer. Its just a matter of getting to know your printer and training the eye to catch those features.

In this case, to get the thin wall printed... increase the scale of the object. Or keep the scale and manually make your extrusion width smaller...

I obviously need to learn something here. How did you see that the STL showed a thin wall? I don't see that, or where to look for that. Especially since I know the area that did not print in my example is almost a 1/4" thick. It turns out, the gaps in my model were due to part overlap, not because it was thin. But still wish I knew how you are seeing a problem of any kind before starting another 10 hour print job.

I obviously need to learn something here. How did you see that the STL showed a thin wall? I don't see that, or where to look for that. Especially since I know the area that did not print in my example is almost a 1/4" thick. It turns out, the gaps in my model were due to part overlap, not because it was thin. But still wish I knew how you are seeing a problem of any kind before starting another 10 hour print job.

Isn't this the main purpose of there being a "preview" of the object. The preview will show what the printer is going to try and print. If it's there in the preview, the printer will have a go at printing. If if doesn't show in the preview, it won't print.

Unfortunately, in general there are two classes of user, the user who downloads and prints other people's work and probably doesn't know how to work a CAD package, and the user who designs all his or her own work. The former group see this as a bug, and the latter see this as a useful part of the validation process before printing. Both have good reasons to support what they feel.

I guess the only way round this is to convince the guys at Simplify that they need to put a switch in to change the slicer behavior. With a caveat that the default behavior is as per now! Either this thread needs moving to the New Features section....or a new thread raising there.

DonSch wrote:I obviously need to learn something here. How did you see that the STL showed a thin wall? I don't see that, or where to look for that. Especially since I know the area that did not print in my example is almost a 1/4" thick. It turns out, the gaps in my model were due to part overlap, not because it was thin. But still wish I knew how you are seeing a problem of any kind before starting another 10 hour print job.

In the original post of this thread, there were two pictures of the model. The first with the model in orange is the STL view, and the second (green/blue) is the preview.

I apologize, I didn't realize you were referring to a different model.