The problem is that if only vertical supports can be used then sometimes the support will have to arise from another part of the model below where the support is required reducing the quality of the finish where the support arises, and also sometimes a little feature at the top of the model may need to be supported by a long skinny fragile support all the way down to the bed - which will probably break 90% of the way through the print
- in this situation a small angled support could come from a suitable part of the model nearby, if only it could be angled. Often it is not practical to re orientate the model to solve the problem and angled supports would be a better solution.The implementation would be to be able to click on a surface of the model, another support or the bed and drag to the place where support is needed or vice versa. If long skinny supports are required these can be reinforced at places along their length with angled supports to other supports so they are less likely to break during printing. Would it be difficult to program this? It would mean working out the geometry and then off setting each layer of the support material up through the support to produce an angled support.
In summary, angled supports would:
1. Avoid the need for tall fragile supports that may fail causing the print to fail
2. Enable supports to be generated that would avoid marking other surfaces of the model if they could be angled to the bed instead and
3. Reduce print time and wasted plastic if short local angled supports are used higher up in the model instead of supports all the way down to the bed.
My current work around is to use Craftware (which by the way is free software) instead of simplify 3D in these situations - Craftware has had angled supports for a long time and they are easy to use. I wish Simplify 3D had a similar feature. I have attached a screenshot of a Terracotta warrior showing supports to the skirt and hands angled to avoid the base, as well as angled supports reinforcing the longer supports.
If angled supports already are available in Simplify 3D how do you use them? - I cannot find anything in the documentation about them.
