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04 analyze
Click 2. Analyze in the panel. The plugin scores every frame in the sliced toolpath against printability metrics and recolors the geometry mesh as a red / yellow / green heatmap on layer 3DP::Heatmap.
📷 Rhino viewport with the Analyze heatmap visible — gradient from green (low risk) through yellow to red (high risk) across a part with overhangs.
The dialog asks which channel to render:
| Channel | Combines |
|---|---|
| Clay | Overhang angle (vs MaxOverhangAngle), layer bond ratio (vs MinLayerBondRatio) |
| Robot | Wrist angular velocity (vs MaxWristAngularVelocity) |
| Both | Worst-case across Clay + Robot per frame |
Each frame in the toolpath gets a 0–1 score. The score interpolates onto the geometry mesh's vertex colors so you see the risk distribution as a smooth heatmap rather than per-frame point colors.
📷 Three-up comparison of the same part with Clay / Robot / Both channels selected, showing how each highlights different regions.
| Color | Means |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | Score ≤ 0.33 — well within the configured limits |
| 🟡 Yellow | Score 0.33–0.66 — approaching limits, watch this region in simulation |
| 🔴 Red | Score > 0.66 — at or beyond limits, expect print quality issues here |
The thresholds for "limits" come from your Settings → Clay Material and Robot values. Lower the bead diameter, tighten the overhang angle, or change the bond ratio and the heatmap responds — re-run Analyze after settings changes.
- Pre-flight check — surface where the print is likely to sag, delaminate, or twist the wrist before committing robot time.
- Iteration aid — tweak material settings or geometry, re-slice + re-analyze, watch the heatmap improve.
- Communication — show a non-CAD collaborator where a part will struggle, in the language of red/yellow/green.
Separate from Analyze: the Preview Clay Model button pipes the toolpath as mesh-bead tubes at the configured bead diameter, with mesh-sphere joints at every vertex. Adds a PBR clay material per preset (Porcelain / Stoneware / Earthenware) so the rendered viewport shows what the printed clay will look like.
When layer height < bead diameter, the bead is squashed vertically; the preview renders an area-conserved ellipse (W = D² / H) rather than a circular cross-section, matching the physical reality of a flattened bead.
📷 Preview Clay Model render in Rendered viewport, showing the PBR clay material on a multi-layer part.
Next: 5. Send to RoboDK.