A manufacturing method for generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object by a layer-by-layer application and selective solidification of a building material includes applying a layer of the building material within a build area by means of a recoater moving in a recoating direction across the build area, selectively solidifying the applied layer of the building material at points corresponding to a cross-section of the object to be manufactured by means of a solidification device, and repeating the steps of applying and solidifying until the three-dimensional object is completed. A local action confined to a region between the recoating unit moving across the build area and the solidification device and/or compaction device moving behind the recoating unit across the build area is performed on the applied layer of the building material.