The summary of ‘Better Organic Supports for your 3D Prints’

The video delves into the nuances of 3D printing support settings, contrasting the benefits of organic tree supports with traditional grid supports for complex prints like helmets and masks. The creator, inspired by Makers Muse, prefers organic supports for their material efficiency and specific adjustable settings in slicers like Orca and Cura, such as support angle threshold, branch density, and the "make overhang printable" feature. These settings improve print stability and quality but require careful customization, especially for larger prints. The speaker emphasizes that support-free versions complete faster when geometry modifications to reduce overhangs are applied, though this feature is limited to certain slicers. Gratitude is extended to their Patreon supporters and Makers Muse for the inspiration. Viewers are encouraged to share their own tips on tree supports.

00:00:00

In this part of the video, the creator explains how watching a video from Makers Muse inspired them to share their own favorite 3D printing support settings. Unlike Makers Muse, who primarily uses grid supports, the creator prefers organic tree supports for printing complex objects like helmets and masks. They highlight using these supports across various slicers and different 3D printers, mentioning that organic supports help reduce material usage. They delve into specific settings within Orca Slicer, such as tweaking the support angle threshold and the top Z distance, which facilitates easier removal of supports from prints. The creator notes that while these adjustments improve print quality and support removal, some filaments might still fuse with the supports despite the settings.

00:03:00

In this segment, the speaker discusses 3D printing support settings and their adjustments. They explain the importance of branch density options, noting that the default is 30% but can be increased to 50-60% based on the print’s overhang severity. They also mention adjusting the diameter of supports, especially for larger prints like helmets or props, recommending it be set to four or five to create thicker supports for better stability. The speaker highlights a key setting in the Orca slicer and Cura called “make overhang printable,” which reduces the need for supports by modifying the geometry of the 3D print – though it may not be suitable for all models. They also showcase a 3D printed bust scaled to 200%, emphasizing the adjustments in support settings for a better print outcome.

00:06:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the performance of a support-free version of a 3D print that completed significantly faster compared to the version with supports. They highlight the effectiveness of modifying the geometry to reduce sharp overhangs, a setting available in Cura and Orca slicer but not in Prusa slicer or Bamboo Studio. The speaker thanks their Patreon members for their support and references 3D printer settings available on Patreon. They also express gratitude to Makers Muse for an inspirational video and encourage viewers to share tips on tree supports in the comments.