Measure, test, and compare parts on the build platform
Collecting and knowing information about parts and platform contents is vital to making informed estimates on effort necessary to prepare for prints, as well performing goal-oriented adjustments.
For example, Netfabb provides the means to measuring distances between locations on or even across parts. Parts can be compared, with differences displayed as heat maps: This is very effective in comparing an initial design with simulation data to see where, and how much, distortion has happened due to thermal effects during printing.
A packed build volume may be analyzed to learn whether parts are colliding, or whether they can be unloaded in case packing has put them such that they came to lie in an entangled arrangement.
These tools are valuable in quality control. In the main menu, choose the Analyze tab to access these functions.