Support Settings

This lesson assumes you know what an overhang is and why supports exist; if not, read Supports and Overhangs first. Often the most effective support setting is a better orientation: see Print Orientation.

Where the settings are called what

What it controls	PrusaSlicer	OrcaSlicer	Bambu Studio	Cura
Turn supports on	Generate support material	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Generate Support
Kind of support	Style: Grid, Snug, Organic	Not confirmed	Type (normal or tree, auto or manual) and Style	Support Structure: Normal or Tree
Which overhangs get support	Overhang threshold	Not confirmed	Threshold angle	Support Overhang Angle
Gap between support and model	Top contact Z distance	Z distance (top and bottom)	Top Z distance	Support Z Distance
Dense layers under the model	Top interface layers	Interface layers	Top interface layers	Enable Support Interface, Support Interface Thickness
Sideways gap to the model	XY separation between an object and its support	Support/object XY distance	Support/object XY distance	Support X/Y Distance

Not confirmed means we did not find the name in that slicer's documentation; the feature may still exist. In PrusaSlicer these live under Print settings, Support material; Prusa notes some appear only in Expert mode.

Normal versus tree and organic

• Normal supports project the overhang straight down to the bed. UltiMaker describes them as straight, sturdy columns with large contact areas that use more material and time and leave more scarring. PrusaSlicer's Grid style is very stable but can leak onto the walls of the model; Snug follows the overhang shape and does not, though tall thin pillars may be less stable.
• Tree and organic supports start from points under the overhang and grow branches down to the bed. Prusa says its organic supports are easily removable, do not scar the surface, and are fast and cheap to print. UltiMaker adds that tree supports take much longer to slice and do not suit every material.

Bambu Lab's guidance on which to use: for large flat overhangs, normal supports usually give a better surface; for complex models whose overhangs are small and curved, tree supports use less material and time with similar surface quality. Its Tree Hybrid style does both, using normal supports under big flat areas and trees elsewhere.

Which overhangs get support

The threshold angle decides which surfaces are supported, and the slicers do not measure it the same way. PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio measure from horizontal: Prusa's overhang threshold is the most horizontal slope that prints without support, so a lower value means less support, and Bambu Lab likewise says a larger threshold generates more support. Cura measures the other way: at 0 degrees every overhang is supported, at 90 none are, so a smaller angle means more support. Check the tooltip before you copy a number from another slicer. Starting point Bambu Studio's default is 30 degrees, which Bambu Lab calls safe for most materials.

Supports landing on the model leave marks. Cura's Support Placement can be set to Touching build plate so supports only rise from the bed, at the cost of leaving some overhangs unsupported.

Top Z distance: removal versus underside quality

The top Z distance is the air gap between the top of the support and the underside of the model. It is the main control over how easily supports come off.

• Bigger gap: easier removal, lower quality underside. Bambu Lab's support guide shows exactly this trade.
• Smaller gap: better underside, harder removal. At zero the support bonds to the part, which only makes sense with a dedicated support or soluble material (see Soluble Supports: PVA and BVOH).

Starting points differ by maker and should be checked against your own profile:

• Rule of thumb Prusa says 50 to 75 percent of the layer height seems to work well.
• Starting point UltiMaker suggests 2 layer heights with build-material supports and 0 mm with soluble supports.
• Starting point Bambu Lab advises about 0.2 mm (its page gives no unit) when the support is the same filament as the part, and 0 only with a support filament.

OrcaSlicer rounds both Z distances to a multiple of the layer height unless independent support layer height is on, so very small changes may do nothing. If supports are fused to the part, see Supports Fused to the Print.

Interface layers

Interface layers are dense layers at the top of the support, directly under the model, printed on top of a sparser support body. Prusa's advice is to pair dense interfaces with a wider spacing in the main support pattern, which limits sagging, material use and time.

• More top interface layers: a flatter, better-supported underside. OrcaSlicer notes they take longer and are harder to peel off. Bambu Lab shows that 0 interface layers lets lines sag into the support, while 3 gives a stable flat platform.
• Interface spacing: 0 makes the interface solid in PrusaSlicer and OrcaSlicer.
• Bottom interface layers do the same job where a support stands on the model, protecting that surface.

With organic supports, Prusa recommends keeping top support interfaces on rather than raising branch density when you want a denser contact surface.

Tree and organic branch settings

Branch distance and branch density work the same way across slicers: smaller distance or higher density supports more points under the overhang and improves its surface, but the supports are harder to remove (Prusa, Bambu Lab and UltiMaker all describe this trade). Thicker branches are stronger and harder to remove; thinner ones come off more easily but are weaker.

XY distance

The sideways gap keeps supports from touching vertical walls. UltiMaker notes a larger gap reduces collisions but may leave small overhangs unsupported. Prusa says a larger gap decreases the contact area of the supports but makes them easier to remove and less likely to fuse.

Painting and blocking supports

Automatic supports are rarely exactly right. Every major slicer lets you override them:

• Enforcers and blockers. In PrusaSlicer, right-click the model to add a support blocker or enforcer shape. Blockers remove supports where they are not wanted; enforcers add them.
• Painting. PrusaSlicer has had paint-on supports since version 2.3. Bambu Studio's manual support types, Normal (manual) and Tree (manual), generate support only on support enforcers.
• On-plate only. If you only want supports from the bed, use the slicer's build-plate-only placement instead of blocking each spot.

What to change first

1. Supports in the wrong places: reorient the part, then block or paint.
2. Supports too hard to remove: raise top Z distance one layer height, then reduce interface layers or density.
3. Rough or drooping underside: lower top Z distance or add top interface layers. Check part cooling too (see Overhang Droop).
4. Supports fall over mid-print: switch to a sturdier style (Grid, Tree Strong), add a support brim, or raise density.

Bambu Lab adds one material note: remove supports within about two hours when printing moisture-absorbing materials such as nylon or PVA, because damp supports get harder to remove.