Processing slices reference

Generate offset

Generates a new toolpath parallel to the original and offset by a definable distance.

Expects the offset value itself (positive values indicate inner offsets, towards enclosed area), and a roundness in degrees to generate a rounded corner with a radius of subdivisions no larger than the roundness value. A rounded corner is only generated at convex corners. Concave corners do not receive subdivisions. The lower the value, the higher the subdivision of the curve around the corner.

Hatches and open contours cannot be offset. Even though they technically have a known normal, they are maintained in the output without change or offset.

Use tag mapping to apply a different offset (a percentage of the specified offset value) along those contour segments that originated on a triangle with a different face group. This requires that the original part had face groups defined. Also, this is different from the tag property of the whole slice stack.

Reinforce thin walls

This generates additional toolpaths along narrow sections of a contour that might otherwise go unsupported by infill or internally offset contours. This operation exists in two variants that calculate the necessary toolpaths with different algorithms but still for the same purpose. You should experiment which one is suited best to your application.

Expects values for Offset, the threshold distance up to which a wall is considered thin enough for this operation, and for Shorten terminals, which makes the path terminate before it touches the original contour at its far end, such as in corners.

Remove self-intersections

Intersections can appear when a part with two overlapping shells was sliced. This operation splits off and deletes any overlapping contours, stitches them together properly while maintaining enclosed and valid hollows.

Boolean operations

This operation has two functions: It either keeps the areas occupied by any of the selected slice stacks and merges it into one common area, or, any exclusive combination of stack areas may be subtracted from any other exclusive combination, for example: (A+C)-(B+D).

Create intersection

This keeps only those areas that all selected slice stacks have in common.

Create filling

Generates toolpaths for infill, or filling patterns.

• Simple hatching

  Simple parallel lines that scan the entire fillable slice area in one single pass.

• Stripe filling

  Parallel lines cover the fillable slice area in as many parallel tracks (stripes) as it takes, with the stripes going in a direction perpendicular to the lines that comprise the stripes.

• Quad islands

  The fillable slice area is covered with two passes of complementary checkerboard patterns. The lines in one pattern are aligned perpendicularly to those in the complementary pattern.

• Checkerboard

  The fillable slice area is covered with two passes of complementary checkerboard patterns. The lines in both patterns are parallel; however, the islands are hatched in an interleaving manner.

• Radial hatching

  Hatches are oriented radially from the geometric center of the full slice stack. As hatch lines spread out and the distances become larger, new hatch lines are inserted to keep their distance within a margin, forming concentric stripes of hatchlines.

  Alternatively, hatches are drawn in a continuous spiral outwards from the center.

Filling parameters

Some parameter names have been renamed to improve alignment of function and naming. This is a cosmetic change and does not introduce functional changes.

Trim hatches

Uses the contours in a stack as a stencil on hatching in the same stack. Splits hatches where the contours crossed them, then returns the hatch segments from the inside of the contours and discards hatch segments from the outside.

Extend hatches

Experimental filter to increase the length of contour or hatch lines beyond their original start and end points to compensate for rise and fall times of laser switching and galvo acceleration ("skywriting") and is typically only needed for older machines that do not perform such compensation on their own or do not understand different methods of compensation like premark, postmark, and other delays. Accepts values for a linear, a quadratic, and a cubic term.

Convert contours/hatches

Provides a number of tools to convert or tweak hatches and contours.

• Convert contours to hatches

  Changes the vector type of all contours to hatches

• Convert hatches to contours

  Changes the vector type of all hatches to contours

• Filter contours

  If a slice stack's data is composed of multiple types of toolpaths, use this to keep only one or more of hatches, closed contours, or open contours.

• Connect contours

  When multiple contours are present in a slice layer, a connection is generated between the start and end points of them, even for closed contours where start and end are at identical coordinates. Does not connect the last end to the first start, though. Uses an optional distance threshold to prevent connecting across islands not meant to be connected. This function is useful to reconnect polygon stretches that are, or got, split unnecessarily.

• Filter small contours

  Removes any contours that enclose an area up to a specifiable area.

• Revert direction

  Flips the toolpath direction

• Randomize seam

  Moves the start and end points of contour lines around to avoid accumulating artifacts from always starting and ending in the same location

• Hatch permutation

  Reorders hatch drawing so that they are drawn in interleaving passes. For example, draw the even ones first, then the odd ones.

• Layer filter

  Forwards toolpath data only for layers of a stack that pass the filter; toolpath data of all other layers is discarded

• Extract contour tags

  Splits contour segments that originated on triangles of different face groups into separate slice stacks

Contour segmentation

Modify the toolpath such that contours are exposed in interleaving segments.

Flow segmentation

Modify the toolpath to ensure the laser is always moving upstream of the purging gas flow.

Splitting by gas flow, specify the gas flow angle, the direction tolerance, and decide whether to overwrite any previous changes of toolpath direction, and whether to apply the splitting to hatching as well, not just to contours.

The gas flow angle specifies the bearing where gas flow approaches head-on. 0 degrees of gas flow is equivalent to the -X direction, and positive angles go anti-clockwise. In turn, contours are be split at the points farthest away and be directed towards the specified flow bearing.

The direction tolerance is a threshold to allow for small sections in the toolpath to go with the direction of gas flow for up to this distance without causing another contour split.

Downskin

Generates a new contour toolpath based on the angle across the immediately neighboring slices, a shrinkage value to reduce artifacts, an expansion value to restore the originally generated area, but cleaner, and a thickness parameter that determines the count of layers across which the angle is averaged. Optionally, the downskin contours may be trimmed with the original contour to, for example, reduce or avoid unwanted remelting.

Multilaser splitting

This experimental function subdivides existing contours into lanes of patches for concurrent exposure by multiple laser emitters capable of reaching the entire buildroom each. The patch sizes aim to cover the available maximum slice area in equal shares. Gas flow is observed and laser distribution minimizes obstruction by smoke.

For each set of blocks, one for each laser, a separate slice stack is generated to enable having separate properties between them, primarily a unique laser index. On generation of the separate stacks, this laser index is already set, starting 1.

Multilaser region splitting

This experimental function splits available toolpath into a number of stripes or lanes relative to the buildroom, centered around {X, Y} = {0, 0}. Intended to be used with machines where lasers only cover their own section each rather than the entire buildroom.

For each set of blocks, one for each laser, a separate slice stack is generated to enable having separate properties between them, primarily a unique laser index. On generation of the separate stacks, this laser index is already set, starting 1.

Multilaser quadrant splitting

Splits any available toolpath into exactly four quadrants or an adjustable number of stripes relative to the buildroom, centered around {X, Y} = {0, 0}. Intended to be used with machines where lasers only cover their own section each rather than the entire buildroom.

For each set of blocks, one for each laser, a separate slice stack is generated to enable having separate properties between them, primarily a unique laser index. On generation of the separate stacks, this laser index is already set, starting 1.

Reduce points

During import, more points than needed may be saved in a toolpath. For example, every time slicing traces across a triangle node edge, a new point is inserted in the path even when the path itself would be perfectly straight. This operation reduces the amount of points needed to maintain the original shape while adhering to a specifiable tolerance of deformation.

Aggregate slices

Sums slice contours downwards and keeps the generated "shadow slice". Does nothing on hatches.

Sort contours

To reduce the "off" time of lasers during which beam deflection is repositioned, contours of a stack layer are sorted into a better order. Does not work on hatches, they are discarded by this filter.

Z-compensation

Performs a Z-compensation by a given translation value to compensate for overpenetration into unrendered material

Run Lua script

Prompts to load a Lua script file and runs it on the selected slice stacks

Apply EBPA

Applies slice processing as saved in an Encrypted Build Processor Archive file