Angus Deveson
Announcements and Updates
Apr 4, 2023

Which support type do you prefer?

Hey all!

With the recent release of PrusaSlicer's "organic" supports, I've been testing different support structures out to see which is best for which situation. Something really useful that many overlook is the ability for organic supports to "bend" around an object, which allows them to support overhanging areas without ruining the surface finish of the print below it.



I'd love to hear from you which support type you prefer for what application, and if you do any special tweaks of your own? It doesn't have to be from PrusaSlicer.

If you've ever designed something that is incredibly difficult to support properly please also let me know, I'd love to try my hand at printing it for the upcoming video.

Happy printing!

Angus
8 comments
Show 1 more...
James Turner
Apr 4, 2023
I've only tried tree supports once:
  1. Part of the tree structure failed and thus the print failed.
  2. I found that where the tree met the print, it was fusing and left ugly blobs.
I'd love to use it on some of my gun frame prints, as they currently use a ton of support. I print them right-side up, and all the area under the trigger and forward section of barrel need support. You end up with something that looks like a rectangle of PLA.
Matt Muelver
Apr 5, 2023
I greatly prefer tree supports. For me support removal was always a nightmare and I strove to design things, or modify existing designs, so that support would be minimal or unnecessary. I also upgraded my printer to be able to bridge more successfully. With the advent of tree supports in Cura I no longer fear support material as I’ve always found tree support to be extremely easy to remove. I have run into some weird issues recently with a few of the models I’ve tried to print. Sometimes Cura has been starting branches in places where there isn’t a trunk. It’s very odd. 

These days most of my challenging prints are architectural models designed by my daughter who is a sophomore in college studying for her architecture degree. I’ve printed some models for a few of her classmates as well. I’ll attach a few photos (if I can). 
Angus Deveson
Apr 9, 2023
Those are fantastic looking models! I agree that supports are best avoided entirely, but it's nice having support material that's easier to remove for those designs that need it instead of having to compromise.
Filament Stories
Apr 7, 2023
I have been awaiting the implementation of Tree/Organic supports in Prusaslicer and I’m impressed with the initial rollout they have of them.  I have done a lot of tuning of traditional supports and have still never been happy with how they left the model surface under the supports.  It's caused me to avoid models that needed supports unless I absolutely had to use them,  

With organic supports it's like opening up a whole new area of models that will look nice all over when the supports are removed.  I’m having a lot of fun seeing how much I can configure the supports and what the outcome will be when printed.    I’m definitely a big fan .
Angus Deveson
Apr 9, 2023
Definitely agree! I love how they curve around the model to support elements that would normally require support to build up from the model's surface.
Bruce Creevey
Apr 22, 2023
Firstly thanks to Angus for suggesting Prusaslicer.  Took me a few hours to get my head around but really nice.

For others' reference I can measure my FDM experience in days only.

On moving from resin to FDM printing the "crudity" of supports was a bit of a shock.  The tree supports look more familiar and I'm looking forward to experimenting with them.  Still learning the ins and outs of my SV06+ so haven't downloaded Prusaslicer 2.6 alpha . . . yet, but keen to give it a go when I'm ready.

Printing larger pieces in filament has been pretty straight forward.  Printing smaller pieces is another matter that tree supports might handle nicely. I'll go into this in more detail in another post this afternoon or tomorrow.  Even if I solve this issue others might benefit from my experience.
Bob Dunlop
May 8, 2023

Hi Angus,

I just switched to the Alpha release of the slicer and am very happy with the organic supports, at least so far; the first prints are still works in progress. I print in PLA to make mold masters for plaster of paris molds, which I then use for slip casting ceramics. I've found that printing at 0.05mm resolution virtually eliminates any need for post processing. However, using standard supports, and printing the resulting large mold parts takes forever (7-8 days in many cases). In an effort reduce printing time I realized that if I shelled the shape to 1-2mm thick, and trimmed all the extra walls I don't need, I could see a 75% reduction in print times and save material. The tree supports are important for printing the shells, since they typically have little else to make them stable. I've posted a publicly available example of one of my simpler molds for a large mug. Also, i absolutely hate working with cottle boards, so also print custom cottles. In the long run, this has saved both time and frustration and I get very nice plaster of paris mold.

The link to the Fusion 360 model if interested: https://a360.co/3DZre2o

TreeSupportsForMoldShell