Support structures for additive manufacturing of solid models

A data processing system for generating support structures in a solid model that is used to produce a physical object via additive manufacturing comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• an accessible memory, the data processing system particularly configured to
• receive a solid model, for a physical object to be manufactured, that includes a plurality of boundary representation (b-rep) surfaces;
• analyze the b-rep surfaces to generate point samples for potential support locations;
• optimize the support locations, including cluster points on the solid model, corresponding to at least a portion of the point samples, to create support locations, including identify a cluster having a plurality of the generated point samples that are on a line for a potential line support, such that only a single one of the identified point samples of the identified cluster is used as a support location for a column support;
• generate column supports in the solid model that connect to the original solid model at the support locations;
• store the solid model in at least one storage, including the generated column supports the solid model, including the column supports;
• and
• communicate with a 3D printer to print the solid model.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more data processing systems for generating support structures in a solid model that is used to produce a physical object via additive manufacturing to:

• receive a solid model, for a physical object to be manufactured, that includes a plurality of boundary representation (b-rep) surfaces;
• analyze the b-rep surfaces to generate point samples for potential support locations;
• optimize the support locations, including cluster points on the solid model, corresponding to at least a portion of the point samples, to create support locations, including identify a cluster having a plurality of the generated point samples that are on a line for a potential line support, such that only a single one of the identified point samples of the identified cluster is used as a support location for a column support;
• generate column supports in the solid model that connect to the original solid model at the support locations;
• store the solid model in at least one storage, including the generated column supports;
• and
• communicate with a 3D printer to print the solid model.