Open preslice Docs

Support base pattern (support_pattern)

Support base pattern is one of a fixed set of names. Pattern used to generate support material.

What does each slicer call it?

Five slicers, five spellings of one setting. The scope column is which preset the key belongs to, which is what decides whether changing it follows the printer, the filament, or the print profile.

Slicer Key Scope
PrusaSlicer support_material_pattern process
Bambu Studio support_base_pattern process
OrcaSlicer support_base_pattern process
Cura support_pattern process
Creality Print support_base_pattern process

Where does it live in the file?

All five slicers file this under the process preset, so its value follows the print profile rather than the model. A .3mf is a zip, so unzip it and search for support_material_pattern, support_base_pattern and support_pattern, or open the file in preslice and read the Raw tab, which searches every member at once.

Four of the five slicers write their settings into a sidecar part beside the geometry. Cura writes them into the model XML itself, so there is no config part to open.

Slicer Part Format
PrusaSlicer Metadata/Slic3r_PE.config INI, one key = value per line
Bambu Studio Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object
OrcaSlicer Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object
Cura 3D/3dmodel.model XML metadata inside the model part, under a cura namespace
Creality Print Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object

What values are valid?

Each slicer declares its own type, default, and bounds for its key. They do not always agree, and where they disagree the file is still valid in both: the slicer that wrote it is the one that enforced its own rule.

Slicer Type Unit Default Range
PrusaSlicer string not declared rectilinear 3 named values
Bambu Studio string not declared default 6 named values
OrcaSlicer string not declared default 6 named values
Cura enum not declared zigzag 10 named values
Creality Print string not declared rectilinear 5 named values

This value is not a number, so PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, Cura and Creality Print declare no unit for it.

The slicers disagree on the type: Cura as enum, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and Creality Print as string. preslice reads all of them.

The slicers do not accept the same names, which is what a value has to survive when a file moves between them:

  • Cura accepts concentric, cross, grid, gyroid, honeycomb, lightning, lines, octagon, triangles, zigzag
  • Creality Print accepts default, rectilinear, rectilinear-grid, honeycomb, hollow
  • Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer accept default, rectilinear, rectilinear-grid, honeycomb, lightning, hollow
  • PrusaSlicer accepts rectilinear, rectilinear-grid, honeycomb

Every type, default, and bound above is read from the slicer's own field definitions rather than from measurement: PrusaSlicer's PrintConfig.cpp, Bambu Studio's PrintConfig.cpp, OrcaSlicer's PrintConfig.cpp, Cura's fdmprinter.def.json and Creality Print's PrintConfig.cpp.

Can I read it from my own file?

Yes, without installing a slicer. Open preslice and drop a .3mf on the page. It unzips and parses the file in your browser, and shows support base pattern under its own name alongside the rest of the print settings. The file never leaves your machine, and nothing uploads.