Is there an option to generate GCode that uses relative positioning rather than absolute?

[dmitche3 0]

I have had a few failures while printing caused by my filament reels being tangled from the manufacturer.  In two cases I caught it shortly after it caused the problem and I simply wanted to lower the hotend and continue printing as the vertical dimension wasn't critical for what I was prototyping at that stage.  Yet, I couldn't simply lower the hotend to the printed material as the positioning generated by CURA uses absolute positioning.  Once I would lower the hotend and unpause the print the nozzle would return to the original height.

 

Is there, or wouldn't it be nice to be able to generate the G-Code in relative positioning as well as absolute?  I admit that I don't see any advantage of absolute but perhaps there is a case out there, which I'd like to hear from people about.  Perhaps a checkbox to allow one or the other?  I may be wrong but after 40+ years as a lead systems analyst I don't see this as a major change.  The slicer already knows the positions when slicing.

 

This would save a lot of headaches caused by removing the printing item from the print bed, modifying an STL and regenerating the G-Code. I didn't have problems doing this but I'm thinking that it may not always be so easy to do.  I can't say one way or the other on that.

Thanks for comments and suggestions.