About packing

Simple packing

Packing by bounding box arranges parts automatically in the available build volume, using the part bounding box as a reference. You can select 2D or 3D packing, to see if the parts fit on the tray. This method is generally the fastest, because it simply packs part bounding boxes, not their actual shapes. To maximize the part density with this packing method, make sure you minimize the bounding box for each part.

2D packing

3D packing - scanline

The Scanline packer is best suited to packing a collection of parts that exhibit a wide range of shapes and sizes. During the packing process, the parts rotate as necessary, and according to user-defined settings, in order to find the best orientation to enable more dense packing. With this packer, once you start packing, the calculations continue until they are finished. You either wait until the end, or cancel the process.

When parts are packed, it is possible for parts to become interlocked, with no collision warnings if the parts don't touch. While the parts can be moved apart in the software, once the parts are sintered they can not be separated. Interlocking protection should be turned on if the shapes are such that interlocking is possible.

3D packing - Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo packer is best suited to cases that include one or two vital and potentially expensive part(s) that are aligned carefully in the build space, surrounded by many small, less important parts. During the packing process, if allowed by the settings, the parts are rotated at the start, but then not again. The process is similar to random shaking, where parts move into gaps as they find them. The goal of Monte Carlo packing is to move the parts as low as possible in the build space, to minimize the Packed platform height.

Place the main part(s) as low to the platform as possible to avoid wasting powder, then lock them in place with the Lock positions of selected items option. Select all the small parts for packing and start the packer. With the Monte Carlo packer, you can stop packing as soon as you are happy with the result. Or you can resume packing if you want the packer to try again.

Main part locked in build space, with smaller nuts and bolts to be packed around it

Due to how it works, the Monte Carlo packer prevents interlocking problems; during the shaking process the parts bounce off, preventing a snapping into each other.

3D packing - gravity

This packer lets parts settle on their own in the build room under simulated gravity.

3D packing - size sorting

The size sorter is a combination of Monte Carlo and Scanline, focused on the requirement of packing large parts first and arranging them towards the platform center, and then follow up with medium and small parts, in that order, to fill gaps and achieve a high overall packing density in the process.

Packing settings

A range of packer settings are available. To change the packing settings for parts, right-click the part, then choose Arrange > Packing Settings. Some apply to individual parts, some apply to individual packers:

• Per-part packing priority: Parts are packed in the order of their individual priority, from highest to lowest. Parts with the highest priority are attempted to be packed first and lowest in the build room.
• Permissible part rotation: Some packers can apply rotation to find a better fit. Allowing or disallowing certain degrees of rotation such as Z only allows finer control over the packing.