Possibly an optimal way to do full contact supports in PS!

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

I was going to wait till I had some successful examples of this before posting, but I could not wait. Supports in PS are far from optimal even for single extruder setups. S3D is way way better... 

Regardless here's some of the issues when it comes to using PS and it's supports for full contact:

1. Both Snug and Grid are pure poop. One puts the material everywhere you don't want it and the other makes patterns which are easy to break while printing and also cause crashes.

2. PS treats supports different then how it deals with the actual object. Supports do not get retraction on travels which in turn means you don't get a vertical lift... = crashes.

3. You cannot join spools for support

4. Craptastic bases that are easy to get bumped off

5. No real control over it... seriously look at what S3D has always had then look at PS. 

BUT... I had an idea!

PS lets you add a gallery of virtual shapes on to the build area and you can do really really awesome things with them. For example you can use these modifier meshes to apply a set of settings to just an area of a print which allows it to be defined in all 3 axes... unlike the multi-process approach in S3D with is only in Z. One of the things you can do is use any shape/object as a negative or boolean remove. So why not make an object that fits the bottom perfectly with a boolean subtract?

So I add an object (with the Add negative shape) which does not have an obvious flat to print from the bed with. Then I add a shape which encompasses the entire bottom of the object.. I then copy and paste this object so that there are two instances of the object in the exact same place positioned above the shape that will be my support. Then I go over to the part browser on the right side of the screen and right click on the second instance of my object. In this menu you can change the part from a negative to a regular part. The first instance subtracts the exact shape out of the added shape making for the perfect surface to print on to. 

My first attempt worked too well and I could not separate the parts. Gonna try again tomorrow after a client print completes.

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

Well... This turned out to be way more tricky than I first though because the devs for PS are a bunch of ... never mind. To get it to work you have to first pick a shape from the gallery. That shape will be the support. From that shape you right click on it and select "Add Negative Volume" Then select "Load" and load your object. It has to be subordinate in the browser. You position the shadow rendering of the object, then copy it and paste it. Then go to the browser and right click on this second version and you will find a Change Part item in the menu. Select "Part" from the little dialog that pops up. It won't work any other way. The real problem here is that you then cannot size the original support shape because all the parts are subordinate and they will change shape too. !!!!@!)(*U!@_!_+!++_()@{ELW<

[Murphy]

Do you have any updates on this? When I follow your workflow the final sliced object is missing the part. Photo's attached. 

I'm trying to add a cylinder underneath the part in lieu of supports as the bottom edge of the part is tough to print in PETG.  This part in its upright orientation has quite the overhang or leading edge, and even when supported it likes to curl up.

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

It depends on how complex the use case isi, but overall it could get too complex. If they had designed it with this application in mind it would have been workable.