This is an older version of the documentation.

Configure Support Parameters

NOTE

This page describes Support Settings, click here to learn more about support placement and editing.

To open Support Configuration Panel, you need to navigate to the Support tab first.

This is the Support Configuration panel, where you can add

, delete

, reset

, import

, export

, export all

, save

, and rename your support profiles. Profiles can be manually saved or maintained with auto-saving.

Z Lift Height: The vertical offset between the lowest point of the model and the platform.

Support Settings

You can edit Top, Middle, and Bottom of your supports respectively.

Visualized editing panel is also provided for better user experience, where you can modify support parameters directly on the 2D diagram. You can also turn it off by clicking the

button on the Support Settings panel.

Visualized editing panel

Top

Parameter	Explanation
Contact Shape	Shape of the support tip contacting the model.
Contact Diameter(mm)	Diameter dimension of the support tip contacting the model
Contact Depth(mm)	Depth dimension of the support tip contacting the model
Connection Shape	Shape of the support's top segment.
Upper Diameter(mm)	Diameter of the support's top segment.
Lower Diameter(mm)	Diameter of the support's top segment.
Connection Length(mm)	Length of the support's top segment.

Middle

Parameter	Explanation
Shape	Shape of the main support segment.
Upper Diameter(mm)	The upper end diameter(mm) of the main support segment.
Lower Diameter(mm)	The lower ebd diameter(mm) of the main support segment.
Angle(°)	Maximum angle between the main support segment and the top support segment.
Small Pillar Shape	Shape of small pillars' tips contacting the model.
Diameter(mm)	Diameter of small pillars.
Upper Depth(mm)	Depth of the small pillar's upper end extending into the model.
Lower Depth(mm)	Depth of the small pillar's lower end extending into the model.

Bottom

Parameter	Explanation
Platform Touch Shape	Shape of the support's base contacting the printing platform.
Touch Diameter(mm)	Dimension of the support's base contacting the printing platform.
Thickness	Thickness of the support's base contacting the printing platform.
Model Contact Shape	Shape of the connecting segment when the model is in direct contact with the support's base.
Contact Diameter(mm)	Diameter of the connecting segment when the model is in direct contact with the support's base.
Contact Depth(mm)	Diameter of the connecting segment extending into the model when the model is in direct contact with the support's base.
Contact Point	The number of contact points when the model is in direct contact with the support's base.

Raft

Parameter	Explanation
Raft Shape	Shape of the supporting raft on the printing platform
Raft Area Ratio(%)	Controls the size of the supporting raft, by setting the ratio of the total area of the raft relative to the total area projected by the model to the printing platform
Raft Thickness(mm)	Wall thickness of the supporting raft.
Raft Height(mm)	Overall height of the supporting raft.
Raft Slope(°)	Angle between raft's side wall and the printing platform
Grid Side Length(mm)	Width of each grid for grid type supporting raft.
Grid Width(mm)	Spacing between each grid for grid type supporting raft.

Advanced

The Advanced Settings button leads to a new dialog providing more detailed settings for support dimensions and placement.

NOTE

Starting from CHITUBOX Basic v1.8.1, by default we disabled support auxiliary lines calculation when loading models to reduce loading time and improve user experience. Auto support will calculate auxiliary lines with the option turned on (the auxillary lines would only show on critical areas, different than in Basic V1.8.1, with the manual removal of auto-generated supports). We recommend using the red hightlight as a reference to high-risk areas instead.

Parameter Group	Parameter	Explanation
Size setting	Cross Structure Diameter	Diameter of bracing structures between main support columns.
	Maximum Small Pillar Length	Maximum length of small pillars. Supports with both ends contacting model surfaces would be sized at Diameter of Small Pillar, when the total length of the supports do not exceed Maximum Small Pillar Length. Otherwise the size of the supports would be based on Upper Diameter of the Top segment.
	Height of boss supporting bottom	Height of the bottom cone structure connecting the support base to the main supporting column.
	Diameter of the boss at the bottom of the support	Diameter of the bottom cone structure connecting the support base to the main supporting column.
Automatic/manual support settings	Cross Enable	Enable/Disable cross bracing between main supports.
	Cross start height	Set cross bracings' minimum offset from the printing platform. Cross bracings would only generate on supports with total heights larger than the value of this parameter.
	Minimum Spacing Of Cross Structure(Z)	Set the minimum vertical offset between two cross bracings.
	Maximum Spacing Of Cross Structure(XY)	Set the maximum lateral offsets between supports for cross bracing generation.
	Generate Bidirectional Cross Structure	When manually adding supports, cross structures are automatically generated between the new support and its adjacent supports on both sides.
	Enable Support in Shell	Enable/Disable interior support generation for closed-chamber structures when applying auto-supporting.
	Spacing From Model	The minimum lateral offset allowed between the main column of a support to any point on the model surface.
	Max offset from contact	The maximum lateral offset allowed between a support's model contact point and its main column's centerline. Supports rooted on the print platform would only generate when the lateral offset is within limit set by this parameter during manual support placement.
	Starting Effective Height Of Lower End Diameter Of Middle Support	Minimum support height for the Lower End Diameter of Middle Support parameter to set the size of the support's main column. The support's main column will be sized at the Upper End Diameter if the height of the support is less than this value.
	Enhanced Automatic Support	Enable/Disable Enhanced Automatic Support. There are three modes: Independent Reinforcement (IR), Triangular Reinforcement (TR), Global Reinforcement (GR).
	Small Column Automatically Absorbs	Enable/Disable automatic attachment of small columns.
Preview mode setting	Preview support (add support)	Enable/Disable preview when adding supports manually.
	Support Hidden Angle(0-90°)	In the support mode, the middle and bottom segements of supports will be hidden automatically when the viewing angle exceeds this value. Set the parameter to 0 to maintain visibility at all view angles.
	Display/Hide support auxiliary lines, showing the contact points for auto-supports.	Display/Hide support auxiliary lines, showing the contact points for auto-supports.
	Select the model to center	The selected model is automatically placed at the center of the view in Support Mode.

Enhanced Automatic Support

Auxillary supports with cross bracings will be added automatically to certain isolated supporting columns during Auto Support.

Triangular Reinforcement (TR): The program will try to automatically connect adjacent support columns to form stable triangular structures with Trianglular Reinforcement during Auto Support.
Global Reinforcement (GR): The program will try to inter-connect all adjacent support columns to form a more stable structure composed of small triangular structures under Global Reinforcement during Auto Support.

Triangular Reinforcement (TR)

Global Reinforcement (GR)

NOTE

Enable automatic adsorption of small columns: You can freely set the size of the adsorption radius. The software will automatically attach the lower end of the small column to the appropriate support when adding the small column support according to the algorithm.

Auto/Manual Support

Angle (°): The maximum tilt angle of model surface allowed for auto support. The angle is calculated as the angle between the surface and the print platform.

Touch Tip Distance (mm): The minimum horizontal distance allowed between any two support tips contacting the model surface.

Touch tip distance set to 2 mm

Touch tip distance set to 5 mm

Middle Distance (mm): The minimum lateral distance between any two supports' main columns.

The Density(%) parameter used by CHITUBOX Basic was replaced with the Middle Distance(mm) in CHITUBOX Pro to achieve more accurate support spacing settings.

Middle distance set to 2 mm

Middle distance set to 8 mm

This button automatically adds supports based on platform only.

This button automatically adds supports originated from the platform and between model geometries when necessary.

+Platform

+All