Ring and Loop based cutting

[user_2427585868]

More and more people people are attempting to print miniatures with FDM printers such as the A1 or X1c. One of the big challenges can be limbs or objects parallel to the print bed.

A very easy solution would be to cut away these things and print them separately, then join them with glue to the original model. The issue is that clean cuts based only one a plane are not good enough for this purpose and will often times cut away portions of the model that are not intended or desired to be cut.

I propose an option for cutting based on contiguous edge loops or edge rings. While in this mode, wireframe is displayed. Clicking an edge will select all the edges it is connected to in a “Top to bottom” direction. Holding shift will change it to select all the edges running “side to side” direction.

After this selection is made, the model can be cut on that selected area only along with options such as dowel pins, and those already presented by plane cutting.

[Olias]

What you’re suggesting falls into a category of requests that comes up fairly often—maybe once or twice a month. It’s essentially asking for CAD-like functionality to be included in the slicer. So far, the only significant example I’ve seen is the Boolean function being added, and even that seems to have been an exception rather than the norm.

Technically, what you’re describing is related to face- or tangent-connected objects. These kinds of features are typical in CAD software, not slicers, because they involve much more complex geometry. In contrast, plane-based cuts are simpler for slicers to handle since they mostly rely on straightforward triangulation (like Pythagoras’ theorem).

[Ukdavewood]

How about trying something like I described in this thread a while ago

Creating round edges or straight chamfers on a

A bit fiddly, but I think similar to how hard it used to be in Tinkercad (which is the reason I moved onto Fusion 360). But what you can do is create a ‘fillet cutting’ stl shape - and then use that as a negative part scaled and positioned over the edges to round off. Steps to create the cutter STL. On a blank project add a cube and cylinder primitive shape overlapped as in the picture - with the cylinder scaled to about 110% on the Z axis. [Screenshot 2023-12-22 at 13.47.37] Assemble the t…

You could potentially create some fairly complex ‘cutter shapes’ out of primitives using booleans - and then use them with modifiers to cut out the parts you want.

If you models are single colour - you might actually be to save the modified STLs and then reload them back in.

Failing that I would probably use Fusion 360 - although it is pretty slow for this sort of thing.

Blender is better for editing meshes - but then you might end up with a lot of trouble getting rid of non manifold issues.

[user_2427585868]

Counterpoint; There are several FOSS modeling programs with code to make these selections and rip the edgeloops apart as well as make a co-planar surface to once more make the model manifold. Granted, the code tends to be python, but I’m sure it could be adapted.

As a function, there really wouldn’t be much reinventing the wheel to do here, and any patents on such a function (from maya) are long since expired. Blender and 3DsMax also have this feature without being cad software.

[Olias]

@user_2427585868

There are several FOSS modeling programs with code to make these selections and rip the edgeloops apart as well as make a co-planar surface to once more make the model manifold.

Name one that isn’t a mesh program like Blender or a cad program like FreeCAD. I know of no such program in the slicer realm and there’s a reason as stated above.

[user_2427585868]

I’m aware that these things can be done in other softwares, but the idea is reducing both the number of additional programs and the extent of modeling knowledge required to accomplish a task. Considering the code is already written in other contexts, porting it in would probably be a 2 day task. Granted, my experience is with gamedev and being a game artist, so I might be overestimating the flexibility of bambu slicer / Orca.

[user_2427585868]

You said CAD repeatedly. I was addressing that. Seems like shifting the goal post. I’m curious, why are you opposed to the idea of this added functionality? (Beyond “other slicers don’t do it” )

[Olias]

I’m not opposed; I’m merely pointing out that there’s a reason CAD functions don’t make it into slicer programs, and my opening post enumerates them.

Besides, making a request here in the Bambu forums is like shouting into the wind. Since I joined this forum after getting my P1 two years ago, there’s been no evidence that a single suggestion made here was ever implemented. Instead, Bambu has only lifted features already found in PrusaSlicer and Cura.

If you want to try your luck, you might find a more receptive audience at the Orca Suggestion GitHub. They innovate at the slicer level—Bambu does not, unless it helps sell more printers or filament. In fact, after forking Bambu Studio to Orca, Bambu has probably taken as many features from them as they’ve implemented from Prusa or Cura. Boolean was just one example but there are countless more like the CAD cube that I still don’t believe was every put into Bambu Studio but it shows how much the Softfever folks are willing to push development.

It should be noted that they are fellow 3d Printer enthusiasts not in it for profit.