Tackling Missing Details in Your Slice (with Cura, PrusaSlicer, and Simplify3D)
Channel: TGAW
Date: 2022-01-24

Greetings!  In today's video we talk about situations where you pull your model in and it looks fine on the plater screen, but when you go to the slice preview (or print it), details or even entire walls disappear.  

The slicers I used in this video are:
Cura Version 4.13.0
PrusaSlicer Version 2.4.0
Simplify3D Version 4.1.2

01:24 - What is going on?
In each of our troubled models, there are details (or walls) that are too small for the printer, so they are skipped.  Both your Layer Height and your Line Width (aka Extrusion Width) are at play when the slicer determines what is "too small".

If you are new to 3D Printing and Slicing, an analogy is thinking of pens with different tips.  A fine tipped Sharpie will be able to achieve really fine details (albeit slowly) where a chunky marker can fill things fast, but is going to make a big ole mess when it comes to intricate and small details.  When using the big marker, it is best to skip those fine lines altogether. That is what your slicer is doing-- skipping things are too intricate or small.

If you do run into this issue with your slicer, there are a few strategies you can try:

1) 03:35 - Scale your entire model up.  If you make your model larger, you also make your details larger. All three slicers have easy features to scale a model larger.

2) 04:13 - Try slicing your model with smaller layer heights.  This is particularly helpful with vertical detailing.

3) 05:11 - Although your extrusion width/line width is closely tied to your nozzle size, you do have the ability to make adjustments to that width in your slicer settings. Cura calls these settings "Line Width".  Simplify3D and PrusaSlicer call it "Extrusion Width".

4) Finally, my preferred method- adjust the "Horizonal Compensation" (also called "XY Size Compensation" or "Horizontal Size Compensation") in your slicer.  This expands (or contracts with negative numbers) your model in just the XY dimension, leaving your height and Z-sizing intact.

*06:30 - In Cura, you can find the "Horizontal Compensation" setting under "Walls" (older versions had it under Quality).

*07:04 - In PrusaSlicer, go to your "Printer Settings", make sure you are on "Expert Mode", click on "Advanced", and adjust the "XY Size Compensation" setting under "Slicing"

*07:40 - In Simplify3D, go to the "Other" tab and under "Dimensional Adjustments", you can tweak the "Horizontal size compensation" setting.

Thank you for watching (and reading).  Have a great day!