I am currently beginning to export some projects for test printing via PrusaSlicer, printing on a prusa Mk3s+. I understand the basic structural requirements for printing but I don’t feel completely clear regarding the rest. I know subtools need to be merged, I have been using boolian merge and exporting the finished file after making sure divisions and points are rendered down appropriately with decimation master. One thing I am not sure about is, do I need to be checking the interior of my finished projects, and do I need to be measuring and adjusting the wall thickness? I know scaling isn’t necessary as PrusaSilcer handles that, and seems to handle the interior hollowing percentages. But I can’t seem to find more information on accessing structural requirements aside from objects cannot be floating around and things need to be manifold. Any advice here is much appreciated.
Hi @ndsugi ,
This will depend on your printing process. An FDM printer like the mk3 will have different preparation needs from, say, a resin printer. An FDM process will be more concerned with the way you are structuring the internal fill than the wall thickness. Your slicer should handle this–it shouldn’t be necessary to worry about wall thickness in ZBrush for FDM output. You simply need to export a watertight mesh at a polycount that the slicer can comfortably handle.
This means that you will need to fuse all the elements of your mesh, and remove any redundant or overlapped interior geometry. Dynamesh or Live Boolean can both do this. The “Analyze selected subtool” function in the Transform palette can help you verify the mesh is watertight. Decimation Master can help you crunch the model down to a polycount accessible to your slicer software while still keeping most detail intact.
The far greater concern here is structural, which needs to be on your mind as you design the piece. The angles of your form will determine how easy the piece is to print, and how many additional supports it may require. Your slicer should be able to handle the creation of support structures, though you certainly could model these in ZBrush as well if you want more control. In my experience, the vast majority of your problems are going to come from support issues.
Good luck!