Generate support in hollow 0% infill areas for Terrain Tiles

Bambu Lab Software Bambu Studio
1

I’m working on a project where I’m printing terrain tiles that will be backlit. To get the lighting effect, I want the tiles to be printed hollow with no bottom layers — basically just walls and the top surface.

Here’s the problem: when I slice the model in Bambu Studio, it tries to span the entire interior with huge unsupported bridges (see screenshot). Obviously, these bridges can’t succeed without support.

What I’ve tried so far:

  • Set Infill = 0%
  • Set Bottom Layers = 0
  • Left Top Layers > 0 (to close the top surface)
  • Turned Supports ON in the slicer

But no matter what I do, supports don’t generate under the bridging areas inside the model. It’s as if the slicer doesn’t recognize the interior ceiling as needing support.

:point_right: My question: Is there a way in Bambu Studio to force supports to generate under these internal bridging regions? Am I missing a setting or is this simply a limitation of the current slicer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated — I’d like to avoid redesigning the entire model if there’s a slicer solution.

image
image1920×1265 134 KB

2

I do not see a way to do it directly.
The simple way I can remember is to hollow the print below the top surface.

  1. Duplicate your print file.

  2. Scale down the duplicated part - to be small enough to fit within the walls;

  3. Merge and centre (or vice versa) the two parts;

  4. Adjust the duplicated part height to stay below your top surfaces.
    e.g. in the image, the white lines are the outline of the duplicated part within the original one:

    image
    image816×563 90 KB

  5. Then either set the duplicated part as a negative part or do a subtraction boolean operation, where you subtract the duplicated part from the original file.

  6. The sliced result will come out with supports, which you can define as intended.

    image
    image1495×1168 505 KB

Notes:

  • If the plates have the exact dimensions, it will be easy to reuse the duplicated part.
  • In the example I used, the negative part, yet the Boolean operation has the advantage of enabling the support painting, and thus the customisation of their location.
2 Likes