I prefer to do it in OpenSCAD, and document it:

// rotate([90, 0,0]) // for printing
WholeModel();

or, if I'm using the built-in customizer:

rotate([isPrinting?90:0, 0,0])WholeModel();

But then, I'm used to uploading to thingiverse the .scad and the .stl, and
I want it to be easy for someone to slice and print it. If part of the
model is settings in the slicer, then maintenance will be harder next year,
when I need to modify the .scad, or the slicer has new features that it
can't use with the year-old, saved, slicer project file.

On Sat, Aug 17, 2024 at 10:06 AM Nathan Sokalski via Discuss <
discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote:

On 8/17/2024 11:38 AM, Nathan Sokalski via Discuss wrote:

I'm not concerned about that at all.

I always orient my printable objects in the orientation for printing when
F6 is pressed but I use $preview to orient them as they would be used in an
assembly view.

On Sat, 17 Aug 2024 at 19:47, Jordan Brown via Discuss <
discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote:

Firstoff, I do my workflow on a part-by-part basis; the locomotive I
recently posted is made up of about 28 individually printed
assemblies/parts, 40something individual parts in all. For each
part/assembly I do all the positioning for subsequent placement of
supports in the slicer.  After I get all the supporting done, I save a
slicer project file of it, for use later in assembling a collection of
parts on a single build plate for printing.

I modeled the locomotive in HO scale inches, and I scale parts to
millimeters  in OpenSCAD just prior to exporting the stl.  I do this so
I can pack up a release .zip for others to download.  I don't share my
part slicer project files, too much about my specific situation in those.

Accordingly, I'd say where you do various scaling/rotating/translating
is somewhat influenced by your particular workflow.  All else equal, I
don't think there's a particular general benefit to doing it in one or
the other...

On 8/17/2024 11:05 AM, Nathan Sokalski via Discuss wrote:

I've never observed any difference in the quality of the printed model.
My practice is to design an object in OpenSCAD using whatever
orientation is simplest to model, then use the slicer (if needed) to
rotate it into optimum orientation for printing.

On 8/17/2024 1:05 PM, Nathan Sokalski wrote:

As Douglas said, since print orientation is dependant on the printer.
Rotation in the slicer does not lose details in the digital model (but
obviously can in the final object, the same as if it was rotated before
using the slicer).

On 18/08/2024 12:32, Douglas Miller via Discuss wrote:

And my policy is that if I want to print it again, I don't want to be
"reinventing the wheel" as to what orentation works. I also want to
DOCUMENT for later-me how it should be printed. So I like to do it in
openscad.

Of course in 95 % of cases, it'll be blatantly obvious how to print
it. But just to be save I like to document it in a permanent file.
(I don't use the "save this project" feature in the slicer).

Roger. 

On Sun, Aug 18, 2024 at 07:32:51AM -0400, Douglas Miller via Discuss wrote:

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