Supporting Minis for 3D Printing | The MOST Critical Aspects

Hey friends! Welcome back to another 3D printing video - this time I tackle presupported minis, why they're so very important to get right in this growing hobby, and what you should consider when supporting a miniature to ensure you do it well. Even if you're not interested in supporting miniatures yourself, this video will at the very least arm you with the tools to identify bad presupported minis when you encounter them, to let their creator know they can do better!
This is a topic very near and dear to me, I've been 3D printing my wargaming pieces for nearly 2 years, and now I'm even doing support work professionally. If you're interested in getting your files presupported by me, please get in touch via the About page for my KZbin channel. Though, please be advised paying for supports is not economical unless you're selling the models, or intend to print them a gazillion times over . I instead recommend hobbyists to learn these skills for themselves, and with a bit of dedication and persistence you can do excellent supports as well.
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A great video on UVTools: • Get the Best Resin Sup...
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[@andyswarbrick7452]

This was so informative. I had no idea (or at least hadn't thought about) suction forces. I knew I had to put the model at an angle but didn't really know why. You made all of this easy to understand. Thank you.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

You're very welcome! Yep those peel and suction forces need to be ever present in your mind when doing supports. They dictate the size and number of supports needed per island. Happy to hear this video is proving helpful :)

[@looselycollected7505]

I'd love to see more about doing supports. I keep finding files I want to print on Thingiverse, Cults, and other places with absolutely no supports and it drives me nuts trying to figure it out.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

It certainly can be frustrating! Thanks for the comment, I'll be sure to get that video made :)

[@robertjokebr1480]

cults3d and thingiverse you not only need to add supports, you need to fix the model, most of then are broken...

[@chadunruh]

I'm late to the party but I certainly want to see a support video from start to finish with your workflow.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

It's in the works! :)

[@dmcf1975]

Excellent advice - would love to see more on this.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Cheers! More to come definitely

[@benbiddiss336]

Thanks for this! Love to see a full experience in supports from start to finish!

[@SodaWarrior]

Dude you deserve loads of subscribers. Thank you so much for your comprehensive guides! I haven't even bought a printer yet but I'll go into the hobby knowing how to print my first models because of you!

[@michaelheath3014]

Thank you for putting this together. my supports have gone from night to day!

[@DanielVisOneCade]

Well done that man again! Really great video covering a technical aspect of the hobby but in a easily accessible manner great for visual or auditory learner's.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thank you!

[@warmagic9312]

One of my favorite new channels strikes again! Great video. I havent had many failures, but now im super scared of it happening, so thanks for that (probably long overdue lol!). I can tell this video probably took a lot of work with the animations and editing. Its not lost on us. Youre getting better! Keep it up.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thank you very much! Haha well so long as you can spot the failures and cured resin in the vat you should be fine. But island paranoia is a good thing to have.

[@iamnickdavis]

Great information. Thank you.

[@krzysztofmathews738]

Very useful. Thank you!

[@marsgarage8217]

I love it..beautiful work.

[@SCABRFB]

Couldn't thumbs up this video anymore, but i wish I could. Supports is what makes or breaks the hobby. you said it. Great video!

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Cheers!

[@CulturedRuffian]

Must give this video two thumbs up. 👍👍

[@turtlemop8712]

this is amazing please please do many more of these

[@Rohnon]

I just finished my first 3d model and supporting it is a whole new beast

[@redline3090]

Excellent topic! Keep up the good work.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thanks!

[@forrestegan]

As a beginner to 3D resin printing this was very good information…thanks!

[@howza8348]

Awesome video, can't wait to see more in tutorials. Side note, i see your playing OPR on TTS. Any chance of some actual BATREPs? Really enjoying your content and looking forward to see more. Keep up the great work mate

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thank you for the kind words good sir! Absolutely, I've been thinking about it and I have a couple of friends who are up for it so I just need to devise a way to mount the camera over a table and it'll be a go :D

[@jc7997aj]

Yes please. Support from start to finish.

[@isaacodyss4270]

Great video. Thanks for the shout out :D

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thanks for the epic skull :D

[@nottelling2976]

NGL I had a print that was failing and had no idea why and put it on a slant. It worked and the print came out great, but I had no idea why. This explained it and peeling forces / bad supports were the exact reasons the print was failing. I could even see the peeling. Thanks for all the info. It really did help a printing noob like me.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

[@matthewrouse8410]

Thanks for this video, now I can give it a go myself

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Good luck!

[@PheonixKnght]

Yes please make a full video on what you do. I find i will rotate a model in chitu and use auto supports to see how they look on it. If i dont like how it looks i will move it more and do it again until i like the look. Then i will slowly look over the model for missing islands and add supports where they are needed. I would also like your recommendation on printing bases flat on the build plate with out supports. I have a Whambam and being able to take it off and flex it letting the modals pop off is great.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

It's in the works :) I use flexi plates too on my printers but still have much better results with bases printing them angled to the build plate. It's necessary for flanged bases, and flat bottom bases will be prone to elephants foot if you do it + high peel forces. Also it's easier to support any islands on the bases sculpture if there is any once it's angled to the build plate.

[@bulldogrc6891]

Great video

[@Janovich]

Your videos are just perfect

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Ah man that's too kind! I'm not worthy haha

[@retrostoryteller]

Yes ease a start to finish video. Just got mt printer and my resin arrives today.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Good luck!

[@Inconvenient_NPC]

This channel is awesome

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thank you :D

[@matthewgrove9704]

Very informative. I got turned on to your channel by Slice Print Roleplay. I have been learning 3D printing for a few weeks now. It has been a frustrating endeavor. You have shown some great things to think about.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Awesome! Glad to hear it and thanks for leaving a comment kind sir. Tyler and his videos are fantastic and I imagine are a huge help right now too. You ever need help with a problem always feel free to leave a comment on a video and I'll do my best to respond! Also I just today released a much more in depth guide to supports, so if you're interested in learning more be sure to check that one out too.

[@matthewgrove9704]

@@OnceinaSixSide Thanks. I am watching the new video now.🙂

[@WardudeProxies]

I've constantly had issues with the middle of supports being too close. I kept thinking it was an issue with the resin.

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

Another incredible video with tons of great advice! I really appreciate the link to my video as well! 💚

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thank you for the kind words :D Your videos are stellar good sir!

[@SlicePrintRoleplay]

@@OnceinaSixSide game recognizes game. 😊

[@MiguelMartinez-vd6dd]

Yes please do the full worknflow video and settings for your supports please

[@OnceinaSixSide]

It shall be done!

[@joaopadoveze1974]

Wishig that I started learning from your videos.

[@zacharyjohnson8370]

people like you will advance this hobby to new heights. keep doing what you're doing

[@dannywood3015]

Please please please make a video on doing your own supports

[@napalmmachete]

Would love so see your support settings for lychee and a comparison/evaluation of the lychee island finder for us Linux folk :D

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Great idea! Thanks for the suggestion :)

[@spartan9933]

Great video, would also like to see the step-by-step guide. Were can did you get the terminators from?

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Thanks! They're called MK1 Terminators and you can find em on Myminifactory

[@robertjokebr1480]

it's been 2 years that i have a printer and i brought it alongside a friend, i know very well how to put supports on the minis, my friends loves to pay me some bucks to prep him some supported minis for him to print...

[@OnceinaSixSide]

It's a valuable skill for sure!

[@juliodolmus5720]

I recently printed a model that's fully supported, but 2 items in one side of the buildplate never adhered. When printing single models they come out ok, but when printing in batches leaving enough space in between but not soo much that the models are sitting in the edge tend to have alot of failure or build up. What could it be that im doing incorrectly? Ive only had 2 prints come out as expected, but the rest after have been all failures

[@LostandFoundTravel]

Agreed. I get lots of files from Thingiverse and as a result "every" print is a crap shoot.

[@jc7997aj]

Also do you have your machine settings uploaded anywhere ?

[@OnceinaSixSide]

I don't, everyone's machine and resin and climate is going to vary slightly so its best people run their own exposure tests and dial in their printers. Having said that I've found 2.4s normal exposure, 120mm/m lift and 40s bottom exposure with 4 layers is working consistently well for my Mono X.

[@hlp8043]

In the islands example, printing it upside down wouldnt be easier? or is it just for demonstration purposes? Btw thanks a lot for all the info and the tools, really apreciate!

[@isimiel3405]

can you make a FDM version of this? PS thank you for showing me microsoft 3d builder it SOOOOOO much easier to use then blender

[@OnceinaSixSide]

I don't see why not! Support blockers are a whole different animal to resin supports, thanks for the suggestion - I've added it to my list. Also, you're welcome! 3D Builder is great

[@donniem7979]

huh I have printed gamzas stuff over 20 times to help friends play AM and never had that warp on the back of the gun for that specific tank. I wonder what occured.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

That would be because you're printing the final version of the files :) What you see in this video is the first test print where I caught any problems (like the warping), which I then went back in and corrected before the files were released.

[@donniem7979]

@@OnceinaSixSide ohhhh sick you did his files??

[@keithtam8859]

what about auto option?? chitubox can do auto, even for the free version...

[@dannywood3015]

Please do the video it would be a great help

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Haha alright, comin' up!

[@dannywood3015]

@@OnceinaSixSide I do try and support my own models but don’t run them through a uv tool. I love using lychee but never sure on supports settings.

[@jaydenthatcher5243]

I'm new to SLA printing but done a fair bit of FDM... when you get a poorly pre supported file, what stops you just hitting a "auto support" option that solves the islands issue? I thought maybe it would effect the quality but if it is an island it is an island right?

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Great question! For simple models auto supports can work quite well, but for more complex models like tabletop mimiatures its always a bit of a crap shoot. Islands get missed, they get over supported, under supported. Basically, the algorithms are dumb, they just cant figure it out like a human can who adds a support one at a time.

[@jaydenthatcher5243]

@@OnceinaSixSide Ah I see, well fingers crossed the slicers get their eventually! Cheers for your response 🙂

[@chrisuddin9760]

Hi, I have some .PM3R files on my memory stick created on Lychee Slicer and the same type of files are on my Anycubic Photon M3 premium but the machine can't see the these same file types - why?, I assume these are what the files need to be in order to be read, plus I'm new to the hobby and I wonder if anyone out there can help me with a file of a pylon that I'd like to print, I need help with positioning / seeing if it can fit on the plate and whether it needs supports or not. Can you help?, many thanks, Chris. I was trying UV TOOLS to see if that would help but I'm still none the wiser and it hasn't helped my file.

[@JaimsD]

A very usefull video. What is the name of the game you showed in the video 3:53 seconds. THank you.

[@RussellWilliams736]

what are your thoughts on the auto support function of chitubox and lycee?

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Not reliable at all, sadly. They will never get every island, and will almost always either over support the ones they do catch or not support them enough. Best to forget about auto supports, and place them manually.

[@RussellWilliams736]

@@OnceinaSixSide I did a search for UV tools to test my kitbashed models for proper supports, but came up with a lot of different options of where and how to get it. Do you have a link to a reliable source?

[@OnceinaSixSide]

@@RussellWilliams736 Hey Russell, sure thing - you'll want to grab it from the Github page github.com/sn4k3/UVtools/releases/tag/v3.4.3

[@RussellWilliams736]

@@OnceinaSixSide thanks again.. gonna take some practice.

[@keithtam8859]

@@OnceinaSixSide been using auto from the beginning, not that disappointing I have found

[@alexthehopeless3778]

If I print a rat how it is by default it'll need supports on its teeth which would definitely ruin them so yeah, gotta rotate that

[@gettingpolitical]

I have no doubt ive over supported my stl files lol but i think its better safe then sorry. Now if i can get the post office to deliver my F'ing printer i can crack down printing lol.

[@vividpsychosis8222]

I 100% don’t want to learn supports, and I just want presupported minis to straight work… the fact that this isn’t standard for any file claiming pre supports is absurd and does nothing but hurt the hobby. You want to know a great business idea? I’ll tell you, but I’m gonna need 10%. :) Since you are a pro at supports and very knowledgeable in an area where many either aren’t or simply don’t want to be like myself and just want to join the hobby for minis and things. A million dollar idea is simply having an online shop where people can send you their unsupported files or shit pre supported ones and for a fee you engineer them for the hobbyist.

[@Ghost_in_the_machineworks]

Good vid, agree on many points, but when you shifted the blame for printing failures and machine damage to the file creator, you a e blatantly wrong. Its the users responsibility to maintain a working machine and this includes the health of the FEP.

[@Technocolor00]

how trustworthy are you when model makers say you dont need supports and even provide a photo of their model printed supportless? I bought Azure Dragon which the creator stated didnt need supports even on resin but generated supports anyway and spent a few hours cleaning up Chitu's auto supports with UV tools. Sure some of the issue was from me hollowing the model but I found a lot of small islands auto supports didnt get which suprised me for a "support free" print. Maybe im just thinking of supports wrong as a im new to resin coming from FDM printing were an 'island' would mean depositing plastic into thing air when here these small islands only a few layers thick would get picked up soon

[@grainjah]

can you give a list of good sellers that have prefect supports to buy

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Sure! It's not perfect but it's the best we have so far bit.ly/minirater

[@jamesa1995]

im not sure how good it is but lychee hasan island search feature and ive always used it and never really had many issues with missing islands!

[@JeffLinDaily]

Hey brother, great videos you got here! I have some small offers for you, can I have you on discord so we can chat there?😆

[@OnceinaSixSide]

Cheers! Go for it, Discord is JimJam#5823

[@JeffLinDaily]

@@OnceinaSixSide cool bro ive sent it to you, im the lam guy on discord.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

@@JeffLinDaily I haven't received anything yet, you sure it went through?

[@JeffLinDaily]

@@OnceinaSixSide yea bro im sure it went through, but i will do it again just in case