Supports are an essential part to many 3D prints, and while there are prints that do not require supports, you can also get away from supports by rotating the model. In this section we will discuss the placement of supports, overhang angles, and support patterns.
Support placement will determine, as stated by the title, the position of the support. There are 2 options available to use with the current slicer, and those are everywhere and touching build plate. As shown below, on the left we have supports enabled everywhere, and the other image shows touching build plate. Notice how the centre circle is not supported on the right even though it seems support is needed. This is due to the fact that touching build plate was chosen as the support placement, and it is not possible to support the circle while not building upon the model itself.
The support overhang angle determines the minimum angle at which supports will be used. By setting this value to 0°, supports will be present at every overhang regardless of what angle it is it. At 90° no supports will be present at all. For most prints, the defaulted angle of 45° will be suitable.
The support patterns are typically negligible. Depending on the geometry of the print certain support patterns will be easier to print or remove. Feel free to play around with the support patterns as they all work for their intended purpose. After testing we have found that the zig zag pattern is the fastest to print and easiest to remove. Additional information can be found here.
