Support for user-crafted supports #1604

New Issue

MrUnknownDE · 2026-04-05T18:38:34+02:00

MrUnknownDE commented

2026-04-05 18:38:34 +02:00

Originally created by @rsglobal on 11/17/2025

Is there an existing issue for this feature request?

I have searched the existing issues

For some parts, while printing in a small volume, the built-in support generation is good enough. But when production volume increases, a user may benefit from drawing custom support in CAD, so that it is easy to remove it from the build plate, consume less material, and have less printing time.

Unfortunately, in this case user is not able to properly adjust the distance between the support and part, which usually makes such an approach less feasible.

Use case 1: Support for holes, crafted so that the remaining bottom surface can be printed with bridges. Unlike automatic support, it can be easily removed without tools.

Use case 2: Parts can be stacked on top of each other and easily detached after printing by hand.

Use case 3: Parts with low surface area at the bottom can be printed on a bed covered with the same material, which significantly improves the adhesion compared to using a raft.

A perfect gap distance depends on many factors, like material type, surface contact area, fan speed, etc, and needs to be experimentally determined.

Such tricks significantly improved my farm performance on high-volume prints, so I want to share these techniques with everyone now.

Which printers will be beneficial to this feature?

All

Describe the solution you'd like

I modified the Orca slicer to automatically adjust layer height within the existing variable layer height functionality to support these use cases. My solution is unfinished and attached to the existing "Adaptive" button, so I thought that the community might finalize it properly.

My WIP branch: 15c7e59ae3

Describe alternatives you've considered

No response

Additional context

No response

*Originally created by @rsglobal on 11/17/2025* ### Is there an existing issue for this feature request? - [x] I have searched the existing issues ### Is your feature request related to a problem? For some parts, while printing in a small volume, the built-in support generation is good enough. But when production volume increases, a user may benefit from drawing custom support in CAD, so that it is easy to remove it from the build plate, consume less material, and have less printing time. Unfortunately, in this case user is not able to properly adjust the distance between the support and part, which usually makes such an approach less feasible. **Use case 1:** Support for holes, crafted so that the remaining bottom surface can be printed with bridges. Unlike automatic support, it can be easily removed without tools. <img width="3161" height="645" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4b738c6a-f8d7-49da-ade4-6e504c0eb0b2" /> --- **Use case 2:** Parts can be stacked on top of each other and easily detached after printing by hand. <img width="2516" height="1741" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d2fd81b9-b31d-4a85-b925-31b60636669a" /> --- **Use case 3:** Parts with low surface area at the bottom can be printed on a bed covered with the same material, which significantly improves the adhesion compared to using a raft. <img width="1721" height="442" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7cb371fb-d619-467c-8fba-bb3d70f288d9" /> --- A perfect gap distance depends on many factors, like material type, surface contact area, fan speed, etc, and needs to be experimentally determined. Such tricks significantly improved my farm performance on high-volume prints, so I want to share these techniques with everyone now. ### Which printers will be beneficial to this feature? All ### Describe the solution you'd like I modified the Orca slicer to automatically adjust layer height within the existing variable layer height functionality to support these use cases. My solution is unfinished and attached to the existing "Adaptive" button, so I thought that the community might finalize it properly. My WIP branch: https://github.com/rsglobal/OrcaSlicer/commit/15c7e59ae303f8ff5cd6e304cb31e2c06ffed997 ### Describe alternatives you've considered _No response_ ### Additional context _No response_

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Due Date

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Reference: github/OrcaSlicer#1604