Print3D PropertyManager - Settings Tab

Use the Settings tab of the Print3D PropertyManager to set print options for a 3D printer that uses the Microsoft Windows 8.1 print driver.

To access the Print3D PropertyManager:

  • Click File > Print3D.

Message

When your printer uses the the Microsoft Windows 8.1 print driver, the Message section provides a brief description of how to use the PropertyManager.

This section can also contain warning message on a red background.

  • If your operating system is not Microsoft Windows 8.1 or later, the message notifies you that direct 3D printing from SOLIDWORKS is not supported.

    The PropertyManager fields are inactive.

  • If your settings result in part of the model being outside the bounding box that defines the print volume, a message instructs you to revise your settings or suppress the solid geometry that is outside the print volume.

Printer

3D Printer Lists installed 3D printers that use the Microsoft Windows 8.1 print driver.
  Print Volume Shows the print volume dimensions of the printer you select, in the format:

W: value x D: value x H: value (units)

where:

W value

Print bed width

D value

Print bed depth

H value

Print bed height

(units)

Unit system in effect for the model
  Printer description Describes the selected printer.

This field is read-only and is derived from the printer.

You can copy the description contents.

Print Bed Location

Bottom plane of model Shows the selected planar face or reference plane.

When you select the bottom plane, a transparent box appears on the screen, representing the furthest extent of the print volume.

The model is aligned to the bottom of the print volume and positioned so that the center of the model's bounding box is in the center or the print bed.

A coordinate system appears at the center of the bottom of the print volume.

Use the control to the left of the field to reverse the direction of the coordinate system.

Model orientation
Print Bed Angle Shows the orientation of the print bed relative to the model.

This control lets you rotate the model around the centerline of the model's bounding box normal to the bottom of the print bed.
Translation - Axis 1 Shows the distance the print bed is moved in the Axis 1 direction.

The distance is represented in the unit system that is in effect for the model. A value of 0 aligns the bounding box centerline with the center of the print bed.
Translation - Axis 2 Shows the distance the print bed is moved in the Axis 2 direction.

The distance is represented in the unit system that is in effect for the model. A value of 0 aligns the bounding box centerline with the center of the print bed.
  Orient to Fit Reorients the model to fit the print volume.

Scale

scale factor input box Indicates the scale factor that controls the printed size of the model.

The default is 1, which is the size of the model in the software.
Maximum scale Shows the maximum recommended scale when you hover over the scale factor input box.
Scale to Fit Sets the scale factor to the maximum allowable value.

Options

Many of the values that you can select within the Options group depend on the printer you select.

Job quality Shows the job quality for the print job.

The available options, which correspond to layer thickness, are:

  • Draft
  • Medium
  • High

The interpretation of the option is printer-dependant.

The default is Draft. If you change the setting, it is remembered the next time you open the Print3D PropertyManager.
Infill percentage Shows the infill percentage for the print job.

When the percentage is 0, the print output is hollow. This is the default.

Percentages available are:

  • Low - 10%
  • Medium - 40%
  • High - 70%
  • Solid - 100%

The default is Solid - 100%.

If you change the setting, it is remembered the next time you open the Print3D PropertyManager.
Include supports When selected, supports are added for any model face that hangs over open space with no part of the model holding the face up.

The default, which is reset each time you use the Print3D PropertyManager, is to include supports.
Include raft When selected, the print output is built on top of a raft of disposable material that you can remove after printing.

The default is to not include a raft.
Printer Properties Opens a dialog box provided by the 3D printer vendor with options that are specific to the printer.

Save to File

Format Shows the selected file format. Options are:
  • .STL (Standard Tesselation Language)

    This is the default format.

    While this format is widely used and supported by many 3D printers, it describes only the surface geometry of a 3D object as a raw, unstructured triangulated surface.

    When you specify export options, .stl files can be either binary or ASCII.

  • .AMF (Additive Manufacturing Format)

    AMF format is an XML-based format that is designed to support additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing.

  • .3MF (3D Manufacturing Format)

    3MF is an additive manufacturing focused file format that lets you send full-fidelity 3D models to other applications, platforms, services, and printers.
Save File Opens the Save As dialog box, where you can export the file to the selected format.

In the dialog box, click Options to set export options.

If the file format is .amf, you can select export options that store the color and materials of the object to be 3D printed in the .amf file, as well as the geometry of the model.

For .3mf files, you can select export options that store the materials, appearances, and geometry of the object to 3D print. You can also view .3mf information before saving the file.