Hi everyone - I’m doing some prototyping on a part I’m designing. The final part will take up nearly the entire build plate, but for a test print, I’m using a negative modifier to remove 80% of the part, leaving only a sliver to print. The problem is that once sliced, the part left to be printed is way over on the edge of the build plate, and I’d rather it be in the center if possible. If I position it where the edge i want printed is in the middle, it of course complains that part of the file is off the build plate and won’t let me slice, even though it’s all being removed with the negative modifier. Any ideas on how to get it to cut the piece and still center it?
Stop using the slicer for part modification would be my advice. Sure, it CAN be done - but you’re running into the reason most people don’t.
Most slicers will allow you to drop the part below the build plate and cut that area off though. That’s about the extent that I would trust the slicer to modify it.
Agree with solution in this case, but where does this statistic come from? I find this fact surprising. I would have guessed most people do use the slicer for modification and professionals and more experienced enthusiasts make up those that don’t.
I’d assume not, actually.
Might be something most newer-to-the-hobby might try, but once you get comfortable with modelers… the limitations be come obvious.
For example tapering registration pegs. If you’re slicing along the xy plane, then your pegs will be vertical, but this sounds like the part is too large in either YZ or XZ, making the overhanging posts… problematic.
It’s because the slicer is basically just CAM software for additive manufacturing. If you are using CAM software in subtractive CNC, you wouldn’t use the cam software to modify the part, you’d modify it in CAD. The slicer just simply isn’t the tool to use for part modification.