PreForm feature requests: Scheduled start + “coarse supports, fine model” layers

Feature Requests & Ideas
1

I’d like to request two workflow features in PreForm that would save a lot of time and make print planning easier:

  1. Scheduled start (prepare now, begin later) + reliable end-time planning

Please add the ability to send a job to a printer, choose a start time, and have it automatically begin printing at that time (assuming prerequisites are met). This would let me plan to be present when the print ends and remove parts promptly.

Key expectations:

“Start now” or “Schedule start” with date/time picker (time zone aware)

Printer/job becomes reserved/queued so it can’t be accidentally overwritten

Pre-checks before start (resin, tank, platform, door, etc.)

If something blocks the start, show clear reason and send a notification

Easy reschedule/cancel without resending the file

Show estimated end time based on the scheduled start

  1. Layer thickness profile: coarse for raft/supports, fine for the model

Beyond Adaptive Layer Thickness, please add a profile that prints raft + supports at a thicker layer height (faster), then switches to thinner layers when the model begins (higher quality).

Key expectations:

A new option like “Coarse supports + Fine model”

Two thickness selections (e.g., supports/raft: 100–160 µm, model: 25–50 µm) within resin/printer limits

Auto-detect the switch point (first model layer), with optional manual override

Preview marker showing where the layer height changes + updated time estimate

Thanks!

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3

Thanks for sharing your suggestions! I’ve shared them with the responsible team.

Regarding your second suggestion: Please keep in mind that using a different layer height for supports would only be possible for early layers that consist exclusively of supports, as an individual layer can only have one layer height. For supports that are within the same layer as the model, you can adjust the exposure.

4

Hi Sophia, thanks for the response.

Totally understood that each layer can only have one layer height, so this would only work for the early layers that are just raft + supports, before the first model layer. In my workflow, though, that early section is still a big chunk of the print.

I mostly print small jewelry pieces in castable wax resin (around 2–4 cm). For parts that size, most of the raft/support structure is built before any model geometry starts. And since it’s jewelry, I want the model itself printed at the finest possible resolution. So even an “until first model layer” option -coarse raft/early supports, then fine model- would save meaningful time while keeping surface quality where it matters.

Thanks again for sharing this with the team.

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