Generated meshes need more preparation for printing than for rendering, because printing enforces requirements rendering ignores.
The sequence
Inspect. Run mesh analysis. Expect non-manifold edges, holes, self-intersections and loose fragments — these are normal in reconstruction output rather than signs of a bad generation.
Repair. Automatic repair handles most of it: filling holes, removing loose geometry, resolving self-intersections. Voxel remeshing is the heavier option that guarantees a manifold result, at the cost of some surface detail.
Check thickness. Reconstruction produces surfaces, not solids. Thin features — a sword blade, a handle, an ear — may be below the printable minimum or have no thickness at all. Thicken them.
Scale. Set real dimensions. A generated mesh has no units, so this is a decision rather than a correction.
Orient. Rotate to minimise overhangs and to put the best surface finish where it shows.
Hollow, if resin. With drain holes.
Support and slice. Preview the slice, looking for islands — regions that begin mid-air with nothing beneath them.
What tends to go wrong
- Thin protrusions snap off during support removal. Thicken before printing, not after.
- Fine surface detail disappears. Reconstruction detail is often below the printer's resolution; it will not print however well it renders.
- Fused geometry. Objects that should be separate come back joined — fingers, chain links, spokes. Separating them is modelling work.
- The base is not flat. A generated object rarely sits on a plane. Cutting a flat base is usually necessary.
Where it works well
Decorative and display pieces at moderate detail — figurines, ornaments, terrain, props. The approximation that makes generation unsuitable for mechanical parts is irrelevant when the object's job is to look like something.