Issue 1: Large Files End Up Out of Bounds
On larger models, I’ve noticed that the automatic orientation of files almost never seems to land the item wholly in the building zone of the platform. I’m often able to orient them and add supports by hand in Preform – and successfully print. This leads me to wonder why it’s so often the case that Preform seems to prefer an illegal orientation (which definitely cannot print) to a slightly-less-than-optimal one that can.
Suggestion: Allow Preform to Present an Alternative Layout that Fits
I’d rather have Preform try and give me alternative options (with appropriate warnings) that actually fit on the platform, as opposed to calculate supports for something that won’t.
Issue 2: Inconsistent Placement of Model Makes it Hard to Place Drainage Holes
As I’ve been learning the ropes with my Form 2, I’ve noticed on more than one occasion that a .STL file that I’ve hollowed out and added drainage to in Meshmixer, gets re-positioned in such a way that the drainage holes are badly positioned. (IE: Flipped so that they’re on the top of the figure being printed, for example.)
I’ll go back into Meshmixer and move my drainage holes, only to find that Preform will once again manage to flip the figure in a different way that the drainage holes are irrelevant and allow resin to pool inside the cups. (Maybe I’m doing something wrong?) Short of making the model loaded with holes, I’m stumped on the best way to tackle this.
Suggestion: Make It Possible to Add Drainage Right in Preform
It seems like I cannot necessarily anticipate where Preform will determine the ‘best orientation’ for the model will be prior to printing, and the .form file cannot be edited in Meshmixer (at least to my knowledge) – it’d be handy to be able to add drainage holes to the print directly in Preform once the supports have been added.
That being said, if you are able to do that, it would be excellent to be able to perform the hollow and drainage editing that I’m currently doing in Meshmixer entirely in Preform.