Exlcusion Zone Height

SonjaDCUSA

When you add an exclusion zone you can set the x and y size, but it automatically defaults to the full z height.

Is it possible to be able to set the z height for the exclusion. sometimes a support will fail, but the support isn't really 100% needed, the over-hang is still within tolerances. I would like to be able to still print the overhang but not have the left-over strings from the failed support potentially causing more problems.

Repetier

No this is not possible. You normally do not know the height and it is also hard to select correct reagion also with the new 3d view it is much easier.

SonjaDCUSA

Wouldn't the z height just be the layer?

I know in Prusa, Cura and even Lychee there is a preview slider where you can see layer by layer.

I figure it would be treated similar to a filament/color change at layer x.

Repetier

Yes you would need a way to enter and figure out a layer. But you need it and might normally not know it. Have to think about it.

SonjaDCUSA

While printing tonight I was watching the build preview windows, both in 3D and 2D.

You have colors for different extruders as well as different types of moves.

What about a different color for every Nth layer? Something to think about. Would require someone to count the colored Nth lines to ballpark a layer height. Of course, super fine layer heights would get "lost" among lots of layers, but might be still doable.

A possibility that crossed my mind. 

Another thing that crossed my mind, not really related to the main topic, but along sort of the same lines. In 3D view you have the transparent top layer. Is there a way to possibly specify a light, medium, or dark shading? Sometimes on a small screen or a resized window sharing other apps on one monitor the transparency can be lost visually. I find that I have to "spin" the view around to get a good angle for the best transparency visibility on some prints.

It IS nice though to have another visual representation of the print progress other than the progress bar, eta and ete.

Repetier

You can also use the z slider to reduce top to find layer but the main problem stays that you need to switch from print to another model or we need deeper changes in selector. Currently you look from top in parallel mode because you will otherwise not hit the correct rectangle. Then it selects full height. I"m thinking about adding a modifier for z max but you would need to find it in another model that is identical or know the height. So not convinced that is easy enugh for the masses.

SonjaDCUSA

What about this approach. In 3DS Max and I'm going to assume in other 3D programs like Blender, when you create a shape, a box for instance, the first click places the corner of the object. When you let go you drag out the base, click again then drag out the height, click again to finalize the shape. Can a similar approach be used in the 3D view. In 2D you drag the size of the exclusion zone and it defaults to full height. But if you want to specify a height, you go into 3D view and use the above suggested approach.

I know, I'm a pain in the butt, but as a daily end user and not a programmer it can be nice to have input about various things that a dev may not consider at programming time.

And STILL absolutely loving Repetier, the cost was soooo worth it and has made administering multiple printers much much easier for me.

Repetier

That is a bit what I also thought. Changing to side view to select height not necessarily directly but on demand to change default since I think full height is what is needed normally. Actually we want some marker for object so we can delete it by name insted of selcting rectangles. But for now the info is not existent.

SonjaDCUSA

I know Prusa Slicer has an option to label objects. OctoPrint uses that information to select objects to cancel. Though that approach cancels the WHOLE object. Good if you are printing multiple copies of the same thing or just several objects. You can continue the print and complete the objects. I don't remember if it labels the supports and if you cancel a support as well. Been a while since I used OctoPrint. I've been very happily using Repetier for some time now.

I think Cura automatically labels the objects but I honestly don't remember.

IIRC Prusa Slicer is open source and available on github. You could examine their label code pretty easily.

OctoPrint's method of canceling objects worked very well for me as long as i had the label objects turned on in PrisaSLicer. However, their rescue function was VERY hit or miss. Repetier has been the only one that has consistently let me rescue a print from a power or other failure. I think it has only failed to rescue twice and I think that may have been due to the time it took me to notice the failure, so the bed had cooled too much, and the main object came loose upon resuming the print.

SonjaDCUSA

When you have an angled print, say a print set at a 45-degree angle to fit a print otherwise too large for your bed, and you add an exclusion zone you have to get a bit creative in how you place them so as not to cut off a piece you want.

https://www.designcreations.us/Screenshot%202023-02-17%20211229.png

https://www.designcreations.us/Screenshot%202023-02-17%20211217.png

Would there be a way to add diagonal exclusions? Or maybe a rotate or even a freeform selection option.

Repetier

No you can"t have free form. Maybe when we manage to have named exclusion we can also get support removal or support removal in region. But that will be along way as I have other features with higher priority.