One of the most challenging tasks of additively manufacturing an expensive metal part is knowing how to orient it on the baseplate. You will want to maximize efficiency by orienting your part to:
Reduce time to build
Reduce material use and time needed to remove supports
Reduce the distortion caused by residual stresses inherent in the process
Reduce shadow area to enable more parts to occupy the build chamber
Improve build precision by decreasing stair-step error
All while avoiding failures.
In Additive Prep, orientation maps help you to determine the best orientation for your part. Choose the three factors that are most relevant to you from five possible factors: build time, volume of supports, distortion tendency, stair-step error, and shadow area. Since the factors are competing, set your priorities using the weighting triangle.