Dude. I've been 3D printing for over 10 years with FDM. Last year, I got my first resin printer, and I've all but given up on it because of all the failed prints and lack of true understanding of supports. Well, I've watched TONS of videos and still never grasped the full concept of it. That was, until your video. THANK YOU for breaking this down like this. I actually left here UNDERSTANDING how supports are used in resin prints. I'm going to fire her up tomorrow morning and give it a go! Thank you again, for this amazing, very well taught lesson on supports!
Very helpful video, I just got into 3d printing about 2 weeks ago and I was printing a whole lot of support using the automatic chitubox support option. It's so nice to now know how to support correctly!
About to get my first 3D printer ever, an Elegoo Mars, and this video is definitely one I can see being of great help in moving forward into this new hobby. Thanks so much for your hard work. 👍😁👍
Trying this now and works very well. After fixing all islands, I re-slice and re-loaded into the Photo File Validator again to confirm the support additions actually went into the correct position and it reports zero islands detected.
this is great! i just printed a bust of Halo's Master Chief on a Phrozen Sonic Mini with your technique and it turned out REALLY well. thanks for the tips!
After a day of failed prints (stuck to the FEP) this was great, I learned so much, (i also ordered PTFE spray). Thank you! Can't wait to try again tomorrow!
@@andreafreeman6396 I got it to work with and without the spray, it was a matter of getting the right settings, and using NFEP, only fails i have to deal with now are my own (i.e. bad supports)
@@Metroidf4n Nice! Well that’s helpful to know . I’m new to this so I still have to dial everything in, but similar to you, I’m dealing with FEP adhesion. I’m going to take it back to square one and try re-leveling the bed or a longer bottom exposure time. :) Hoping that works! Thanks!
There's another reason for hole punching a hollow object and that is to allow for breathing during the printing process. When the hollow print lifts from the fep it might have to fight extra vacuum within the hollow room. Punching a small hole close to the build plate will allow breathing and relieve any vacuum pressure. :) Just wanted to share that
If you have some exotic printer that isn't supported by Chitubox (e.g. a Photon S with the new firmware that only supports .pws), you can slice as .cbddlp after tweaking printer dimensions, then *import it back* into Chitubox. It will rebuild a 3D model (made of cubes) from it, which you can then export as .stl for whatever slicer you have to use to get the final file. You can double or quadruple the horizontal resolution for better precision or if you want to use anti-aliasing for the final slicing. Alternatively, you can export an .stl right away (after adding supports and all that), but e.g. Photon Workshop is said to not like the hollowing that Chitubox does.
This video has been invaluable! Im leaving FDM printing for models and switching to resin, and boy oh boy its a whole new ball game but this video answered SO many questions. I literally have to think about uncured resin getting stuck in the print - wow. But its half the fun learning these technique's and mastering their application. Im slicing while I wait for the printer in the mail.
Great video! Showed me not only how to use the Photon Validator for other printers, buy also that I am using waaaaaay too much supports... no wonder I've never had a failure so far (just finished my firsts 500 cc of resin, about 25 models printed in different sizes.
The problem is that you can't really determine the suction force and if you don't have enough supports, the print could fail. But making models hollow can help.
If you run 'auto fix' in Photon File Validator, that fix doesn't carry over to your model, so when you do the final slice of the model, those pixels are still there and were not removed. NOTE: The Photon File Validator has a 'pencil tool'! You can use it to connect a small island to the rest or you can just erase the island if the next layer has a good connection to the rest. Just click on the red spot and a zoomed in view appears and you can edit the layer. However, if you use the 'pencil tool' to edit, use it as a final step. The steps to take when using Photon File Validator: 1) Open, scale and position your model in Chitubox 2) add supports manually 3) slice model and save 4) open the sliced data into The Photon File Validator 5) run auto fix (this doesn't remove those pixels from your model sitting in Chitubox) 6) go through the remaining layers one at a time and skip over those layers for now that you can fix with the pencil tool later. 7) otherwise add supports to your model where needed by going back and forth between Chitubox and the File Validator. 8) once you have added all the supports, slice the model and Save. 9) now, open the new sliced file in The Photon File Validator. 10) run auto fix again 11) go through the remaining layers that need fixing and edit those with the pencil tool. 12) should be done at this point. NOTE that these edits don't change the model you have open in Chitubox. 13) so you need to save and use the The Photon File Validator file to print from. On any printer?...no idea.
I work with industrials 3D printers like EOS, 3D Systems and such with various powder based materials. I like how you went through and showed how to minimize supports. Over supporting models can cause issues as well since you are using so much more resin, time, and clean up. I just recently got my own resin printer, Elegoo Saturn 8K and ran a pre supported model and it came off easy but I saw missing features here and there. very informative video even though its a few years old. :D
Thanks! I was publishing this as an update from my previous video I did 6 months ago... I have had lots of questions and just wanted to get it out there to the masses!
3DPrintFarm not a criticism buddy - it’s a great video and covers in detail the workflow really well (much more user friendly than a wall of text on Facebook ) 👍
Thank you for this excellent video. It really helped me to learn about islands and how to properly support my models since I'm new to resin printing. So far I've gotten several successful prints. You've earned a like and a new subscriber, quality content here.
It's worth noting that the current release build of Photon Validator is a bit dated. The source code has significant updates to autofix islands. If you have a friend that knows how to compile code it's worth grabbing the latest source and using that.
Would like to see another option for supports that aren't just vertical. Some of the models seem they would do well with tangential supports from side of other strut rather than a single stand that starts at bottom of print.
@@ArchangelRazia Yes the Prusa slicer is very good. best way is slicing in prusa export with supports to chitubox, than Photon File Validator. Maybe in 1 of 10 you will find a area with more than one pixel.
you can also go to the hamburger menu on the top left corner and click on Save As, then under File Type select All Files, then just remove the file ext from the file name and add .cbddlp in its place and viola!
You should put a hole at the beginning of the print so you don't create a vacuum/suction and lessen the force required to separate the model from the FEP during the print.
Thanks for this, but I have a question. If you don't save your product through the PFV, then all pertinent fixes it made to reduce your number of islands are not fixed and still there. For me and my EPAX, I follow your method. But in the end of fixing, I still send the ChiTu files back through PFV and fix the ones I personally didn't support due to PFV's initial fixes. Doesn't this make sense?
Just got a Resin Printer because I need to make parts that are strong in all directions. Any chance you would make Resin 3D Printer Videos about: 1) Comparison of Plant Based,Water Washable, or Eco Resins 2) Comparison of Cleaning Products for the Eco Resins. 3) Comparison of Ultrasonic Cleaners vs Mixing type Cleaners with different cleaning products for the Eco Resins. 4) Curing Time & Hardness with different Wavelengths of Lights. ex. LED Grow Lights 600nm red / 450nm blue vs the Recommended 405nm violet.
I always had problems with the File Validator step until tonight. I have a 4k monitor and need to use the UI scaling, but that didn't play nice with the little popup that shows up in ChituBox that shows exactly what layer you're on, usually cutting off the bottom 7/8th's of the layer number. Quick tip for people using ChituBox (hence now referred to as CTB because laziness), on a 4k monitor and use Window's UI scaling: Navigate to your installation file for CTB, find the executable (.exe) file, right click and go to properties. In the window that pops up, look for and click on the "Compatibility" tab. Close to the bottom of that page should be a button that says "Change high DPI settings", click it. When the new window pops up, close to the bottom of that window just check the "Override High DPI scaling behavior." checkbox There's a dropdown menu below it labelled something like "Scaling performed by:", change it to be either the "System" or "System (Enhanced)" option. Now the layer numbers display perfectly! :D Thanks again mate, I really love this channel and it's completely underrated for the value it's provided. You're the first channel I refer people to when they tell me they're just starting out in 3d printing.
i think the holes are not necessary like that. Since the piece is built upside down, you only need to put some smaller holes at the top of ears, head and horns. During the print the resin will have time to flow out, without needing to mutilate the print like that. In this case it can be acceptable since there is a back side of the mask, but it is not the case in general.
Awesome video. Im going to definitely try this out. I frequently use auto generate for supports and then go back and add where I think it needs more support and sometimes I have failures and couldn't figure out why. Now I know
Well I went to get tome ipa and or one of the other cleaners to clean my resin prints, and it's all gone. People are going crazy! Even paper towels are gone. Never thought this would hurt my 3d printing hobby :)
Will the file validator run chitubox ver. 7? Aaaaaand, I went to the link and I'm not sure how to download it to my laptop. I'm a big-time beginner in all things computers and printing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I mean I don't even know how to rename files or how to change them. I just ordered a photon mono se and am still waiting on it. which is why I am trying to learn as much as possible before it gets here. your channel is really informative and I'm so glad I found it. Please for the love of god help. That is if you have the time and understand my question. The file validator looks most like something I will need. Thanks for taking the time to read this and have a blessed day. ----Anxious Newbie Printer and Computer enthusiast
Question from a new printer: It looks like chitubox has an island detector function when slicing. What's the benefit to using the photon file validator (or UV tools) instead of what chitubox has to offer?
Been looking for something like this for a while, going to try this out as soon as Elegoo deliver my replacement LCD screen (damn thing failed after two prints!)
Great video and workflow - but your title is a little misleading - it doesn't work with ANY resin printer. I have a Elfin 2 NOVA 3D printer... hopefully Chitubox will support my printer one day.
So these supports are stronger than one would assume? IE If I suspend an average sized 4 sided die to a raft and it gets 12 medium supports, it should in theory hold, specially considering it's a smaller print? I would normally just try and print it directly to the bed but most if not all people printing with SLA seem to mention ALWAYS using supports and not directly printing to the bed.
That was massively helpful!!! Finally less guess work and more of a point by point analysis, I feel better already, awesome job! :)
Nothing like learning from someone who shares his knowledge in such an amazing way!
Dude. I've been 3D printing for over 10 years with FDM. Last year, I got my first resin printer, and I've all but given up on it because of all the failed prints and lack of true understanding of supports. Well, I've watched TONS of videos and still never grasped the full concept of it. That was, until your video. THANK YOU for breaking this down like this. I actually left here UNDERSTANDING how supports are used in resin prints. I'm going to fire her up tomorrow morning and give it a go! Thank you again, for this amazing, very well taught lesson on supports!
I love how when he does the clicks for the holes, he slams the button like he is punching the holes in by hand xD
LMFAO damn mechanical keyboards!
Lol
Very helpful video, I just got into 3d printing about 2 weeks ago and I was printing a whole lot of support using the automatic chitubox support option. It's so nice to now know how to support correctly!
About to get my first 3D printer ever, an Elegoo Mars, and this video is definitely one I can see being of great help in moving forward into this new hobby.
Thanks so much for your hard work. 👍😁👍
The most complete video on the topic ! Clear, step by step and even explaining that not every printer in Chitubox save in .ctbldb ! THANKS
Trying this now and works very well. After fixing all islands, I re-slice and re-loaded into the Photo File Validator again to confirm the support additions actually went into the correct position and it reports zero islands detected.
this is great! i just printed a bust of Halo's Master Chief on a Phrozen Sonic Mini with your technique and it turned out REALLY well. thanks for the tips!
So glad I found your channel I was getting super intimidated about using my anycubic until I started watching your videos
Thank you for making these tutorials! They are great for noobs like me!
Thanks much! Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm new to resin 3D printing and this was so helpful and well explained! Makes setting up supports feel a lot less daunting. Great video
After a day of failed prints (stuck to the FEP) this was great, I learned so much, (i also ordered PTFE spray).
Thank you! Can't wait to try again tomorrow!
Did you ever get it to work with the spray?
@@andreafreeman6396 I got it to work with and without the spray, it was a matter of getting the right settings, and using NFEP, only fails i have to deal with now are my own (i.e. bad supports)
@@Metroidf4n Nice! Well that’s helpful to know . I’m new to this so I still have to dial everything in, but similar to you, I’m dealing with FEP adhesion.
I’m going to take it back to square one and try re-leveling the bed or a longer bottom exposure time. :)
Hoping that works!
Thanks!
@@andreafreeman6396 good luck! all the effort you put in now will pay itself back later on. :)
OMGosh! That was some of the most helpful information I've across as a novice. Subscribed!! Thank you so much!
There's another reason for hole punching a hollow object and that is to allow for breathing during the printing process. When the hollow print lifts from the fep it might have to fight extra vacuum within the hollow room. Punching a small hole close to the build plate will allow breathing and relieve any vacuum pressure. :) Just wanted to share that
If you have some exotic printer that isn't supported by Chitubox (e.g. a Photon S with the new firmware that only supports .pws), you can slice as .cbddlp after tweaking printer dimensions, then *import it back* into Chitubox. It will rebuild a 3D model (made of cubes) from it, which you can then export as .stl for whatever slicer you have to use to get the final file. You can double or quadruple the horizontal resolution for better precision or if you want to use anti-aliasing for the final slicing. Alternatively, you can export an .stl right away (after adding supports and all that), but e.g. Photon Workshop is said to not like the hollowing that Chitubox does.
This video has been invaluable! Im leaving FDM printing for models and switching to resin, and boy oh boy its a whole new ball game but this video answered SO many questions. I literally have to think about uncured resin getting stuck in the print - wow. But its half the fun learning these technique's and mastering their application. Im slicing while I wait for the printer in the mail.
Great video! Showed me not only how to use the Photon Validator for other printers, buy also that I am using waaaaaay too much supports... no wonder I've never had a failure so far (just finished my firsts 500 cc of resin, about 25 models printed in different sizes.
I have given your work flow a run through for my photon zero and it works awesome. Thanks for the great advice.
I've had the Photon for a week now. Your videos have been very helpful. Thanks!
I did it once. Worked flawlessly. Nice 3D printing tips
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Thanks for this tutorial. I print with waaaayyyy too many supports. I´ll try it your way!
The problem is that you can't really determine the suction force and if you don't have enough supports, the print could fail. But making models hollow can help.
If you run 'auto fix' in Photon File Validator, that fix doesn't carry over to your model, so when you do the final slice of the model, those pixels are still there and were not removed.
NOTE: The Photon File Validator has a 'pencil tool'! You can use it to connect a small island to the rest or you can just erase the island if the next layer has a good connection to the rest. Just click on the red spot and a zoomed in view appears and you can edit the layer. However, if you use the 'pencil tool' to edit, use it as a final step.
The steps to take when using Photon File Validator:
1) Open, scale and position your model in Chitubox
2) add supports manually
3) slice model and save
4) open the sliced data into The Photon File Validator
5) run auto fix (this doesn't remove those pixels from your model sitting in Chitubox)
6) go through the remaining layers one at a time and skip over those layers for now that you can fix with the pencil tool later.
7) otherwise add supports to your model where needed by going back and forth between Chitubox and the File Validator.
8) once you have added all the supports, slice the model and Save.
9) now, open the new sliced file in The Photon File Validator.
10) run auto fix again
11) go through the remaining layers that need fixing and edit those with the pencil tool.
12) should be done at this point. NOTE that these edits don't change the model you have open in Chitubox.
13) so you need to save and use the The Photon File Validator file to print from. On any printer?...no idea.
Gave the same printer. I am from Russia and your videos really help. Soon there will be new videos from me.
I work with industrials 3D printers like EOS, 3D Systems and such with various powder based materials. I like how you went through and showed how to minimize supports. Over supporting models can cause issues as well since you are using so much more resin, time, and clean up. I just recently got my own resin printer, Elegoo Saturn 8K and ran a pre supported model and it came off easy but I saw missing features here and there. very informative video even though its a few years old. :D
I just bought photon, my first, printer, not used, but gathering information, so this will help
Very helpful! Thanks for teaching me how to do it properly, until now I was using the automatic support feature and it was too much!
Thank you for all the tutorials you've helped me start and not fail printing! Much appreciated!
That makes supports seem so much more doable. Thanks
This is sooooo freaking helpful! I just got a 3d resin printer, and this will make my life easier.
This workflow has been described by plenty of people in the Mars Facebook groups for quite a while
Thanks! I was publishing this as an update from my previous video I did 6 months ago... I have had lots of questions and just wanted to get it out there to the masses!
3DPrintFarm not a criticism buddy - it’s a great video and covers in detail the workflow really well (much more user friendly than a wall of text on Facebook ) 👍
This is the video that i was looking for. Thanks for such a good explanation 👍👍
got a mars coming in the mail tomorrow, thanks for the guide
Thank you for this excellent video. It really helped me to learn about islands and how to properly support my models since I'm new to resin printing.
So far I've gotten several successful prints. You've earned a like and a new subscriber, quality content here.
BRAVO !!! all my questions about supports are answered in your video. Thanks a lot.
You rock! Farmer + 3D printing coach, how fantastic is THAT!? Thanks very much!
A Very informative video! One of the best ones on this subject I have watched yet. Thank You! :D
Wonderful! Love how you've simplified it.
It's worth noting that the current release build of Photon Validator is a bit dated. The source code has significant updates to autofix islands. If you have a friend that knows how to compile code it's worth grabbing the latest source and using that.
Agreed! Thanks!
Mystery solved. Thank you. Confidence gone up 100%
Would like to see another option for supports that aren't just vertical. Some of the models seem they would do well with tangential supports from side of other strut rather than a single stand that starts at bottom of print.
In Photon validator, you can also click on the screen where the problem island is and manually remove them or add pixel by pixel
That big happy face at the start of the vid tells me Im onto a winner
thanks mate....keep up the great work
I'm surprised there isn't software that can automatically add a minimum amount of supports to just those island areas.
ikr
@@RafaelCabreraAzrael Prusa Slicer does that
@@ArchangelRazia Yes the Prusa slicer is very good. best way is slicing in prusa export with supports to chitubox, than Photon File Validator. Maybe in 1 of 10 you will find a area with more than one pixel.
thank you so much for your videos, they're perfect. Just facts and reasons, no fluff.
whoa, why doesnt everyone do it this way. nice video
Thank you so much for this. I'm actually excited to try and print something now, without failures....LOL
you can also go to the hamburger menu on the top left corner and click on Save As, then under File Type select All Files, then just remove the file ext from the file name and add .cbddlp in its place and viola!
You should put a hole at the beginning of the print so you don't create a vacuum/suction and lessen the force required to separate the model from the FEP during the print.
you should be a teacher lol so detailed with your teaching and you never miss an island lol
Extremely helpful, many many thanks for sharing information..
What an elegant solution you've bring! Many thanks, man!
Now to get comfortable with how many supports are needed to prevent the model from separating from the supports.
With any resin printer you could also name the file and at the end add .cbddlp extension
Photon File Validator should recognize it as well.
That is immeasurably helpful!! Thank you!
Thanks for this, but I have a question. If you don't save your product through the PFV, then all pertinent fixes it made to reduce your number of islands are not fixed and still there. For me and my EPAX, I follow your method. But in the end of fixing, I still send the ChiTu files back through PFV and fix the ones I personally didn't support due to PFV's initial fixes. Doesn't this make sense?
Thank you this was just info I needed 💚✌️
Just got a Resin Printer because I need to make parts that are strong in
all directions. Any chance you would make Resin 3D Printer Videos about:
1) Comparison of Plant Based,Water Washable, or Eco Resins
2) Comparison of Cleaning Products for the Eco Resins.
3) Comparison of Ultrasonic Cleaners vs Mixing type Cleaners with different cleaning products for the Eco Resins.
4) Curing Time & Hardness with different Wavelengths of Lights. ex.
LED Grow Lights 600nm red / 450nm blue vs the Recommended 405nm violet.
Great démonstration of manual support.
A question about weight, so few support will stand the weight ?
Bravo for your video
Really good stuff! Thanks for the info!
This is excellent. Thanks a ton!
I always had problems with the File Validator step until tonight. I have a 4k monitor and need to use the UI scaling, but that didn't play nice with the little popup that shows up in ChituBox that shows exactly what layer you're on, usually cutting off the bottom 7/8th's of the layer number.
Quick tip for people using ChituBox (hence now referred to as CTB because laziness), on a 4k monitor and use Window's UI scaling:
Navigate to your installation file for CTB, find the executable (.exe) file, right click and go to properties.
In the window that pops up, look for and click on the "Compatibility" tab.
Close to the bottom of that page should be a button that says "Change high DPI settings", click it.
When the new window pops up, close to the bottom of that window just check the "Override High DPI scaling behavior." checkbox
There's a dropdown menu below it labelled something like "Scaling performed by:", change it to be either the "System" or "System (Enhanced)" option.
Now the layer numbers display perfectly! :D
Thanks again mate, I really love this channel and it's completely underrated for the value it's provided. You're the first channel I refer people to when they tell me they're just starting out in 3d printing.
It looks like Photon Validator doesn't support the newer Chitubox format .ctb. Is there any way to get around this issue?
I would like to know the same thing
Awesome! Can’t wait to get my printer!
i think the holes are not necessary like that. Since the piece is built upside down, you only need to put some smaller holes at the top of ears, head and horns. During the print the resin will have time to flow out, without needing to mutilate the print like that. In this case it can be acceptable since there is a back side of the mask, but it is not the case in general.
Very instructive thanks a lot for that tutorial!
You can just set the Z-axis height setting in the support tab, instead of manually moving the base model.
Such an excellent tutorial thank you.
You are the best! Such a big fan
Fantastic video - just wish i could get any of the resin printers to work !
Shoot me a PM, I'll see if I can help.
This video is really really good
Thanks for the tutorial. How do you supports the more complex models?
Nice but i cant seem to get it to work with Chitubox 1.7.0 ... any ideas ?
thanks
Awesome tips ! Thank you.
Unbelievable. Thank you very much!!!
Awesome video. Im going to definitely try this out. I frequently use auto generate for supports and then go back and add where I think it needs more support and sometimes I have failures and couldn't figure out why. Now I know
Total Awesomeness...
Thank you very good video!. Very helpfull.
Great video! Can you get Chitubox anywhere close to the efficiency of your manual supports by tweaking the settings?
Great helpful....very helpful
Very nice!
Great walkthrough! 👍🏻
Did you ever try this with Lychee Slicer and UVTools ?
Why not choose photon as printer and save in that format? The Photon-S can also read photon files with the latest firmware
Well I went to get tome ipa and or one of the other cleaners to clean my resin prints, and it's all gone. People are going crazy! Even paper towels are gone. Never thought this would hurt my 3d printing hobby :)
hobbyhands simple green cleaned them up really good and is available where I live.
Thank you again!!!
Will the file validator run chitubox ver. 7? Aaaaaand, I went to the link and I'm not sure how to download it to my laptop. I'm a big-time beginner in all things computers and printing. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I mean I don't even know how to rename files or how to change them. I just ordered a photon mono se and am still waiting on it. which is why I am trying to learn as much as possible before it gets here. your channel is really informative and I'm so glad I found it. Please for the love of god help. That is if you have the time and understand my question. The file validator looks most like something I will need. Thanks for taking the time to read this and have a blessed day. ----Anxious Newbie Printer and Computer enthusiast
Which resin is best for direct casting for 405 nm dlp printer
Question from a new printer: It looks like chitubox has an island detector function when slicing. What's the benefit to using the photon file validator (or UV tools) instead of what chitubox has to offer?
Hello, could you possibly do a tutorial for UV Tools for the Mono X please? :)
Thanks for the video.
Been looking for something like this for a while, going to try this out as soon as Elegoo deliver my replacement LCD screen (damn thing failed after two prints!)
This is an awesome video.... Thank you !!!! :)
Great video and workflow - but your title is a little misleading - it doesn't work with ANY resin printer. I have a Elfin 2 NOVA 3D printer... hopefully Chitubox will support my printer one day.
That was awesome thanks! Just subbed
Great video! Thank you! literally just unboxed my Elegoo Saturn, Doesnt the inside need supports?
Great walkthrough, very very helpfull!!! :)
So these supports are stronger than one would assume? IE If I suspend an average sized 4 sided die to a raft and it gets 12 medium supports, it should in theory hold, specially considering it's a smaller print? I would normally just try and print it directly to the bed but most if not all people printing with SLA seem to mention ALWAYS using supports and not directly printing to the bed.
Is there an updated version or another program that works with ctb files that the newer printers use?
Where do we get this now? do you have an updated video how to install this?
Epic job. Stoked for this.