Patent Document ID: 9844917
Application ID: 14554483
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method performed by a data processing system for generating support structures in a solid model that is used to produce a physical object via additive manufacturing, comprising: through operation of at least one processor: receiving a solid model, for a physical object to be manufactured, that includes a plurality of boundary representation (b-rep) surfaces; analyzing the b-rep surfaces to generate point samples for potential support locations; optimizing the support locations, including clustering points on the solid model, corresponding to at least a portion of the point samples, to create support locations, including identifying a cluster having a plurality of the generated point samples that are on a line for a potential line support, such that only a single one of the identified point samples of the identified cluster is used as a support location for a column support; generating column supports in the solid model that connect to the original solid model at the support locations; storing the solid model in at least one storage, including the generated column supports; and communicating with a 3D printer to print the solid model.