After looking for a general slicer discussion I have not really found one. So if there is one I have not found please let me know and I will try to delete this one.
So no offense to Luban, but it has been pointed out many times now that Luban is quite far behind its competitors as a slicer software. What do I choose. After looking online it seems that people tend to use Cura (free) Slic3r (free) and Simplify3D which is 150$. I am sure there are good other ones.
I started using Fusion 360 for modeling which I find amazing. Its slicer solution is fairly new and appears quite fancy and complicated, if you have any feedback to give I would be very grateful! Is the snapmaker 2 in the machine library for 3D printing?
What do you use and what is your recommendation for my A350? Is simplify3D worth the price compared to others?
Thanks for your help and recommendations before I change!
Stan
This question is not easy. All have nice functions… For myself i am using cura and I am happy with.
Surely it takes time to understand what each parameter will do, same for every slicer.
And SF3D - you can test it for i think 14 days. If you dont like it you get your money back (so they write).
I was on cura and decided to try simplify3d and i now prefer it, but…
it seems like it may be dead in the water development wise, and cura is adding features which it does not have
i prefer the way the prints slice on simplify3d but somethings are better in cura like the supports. Tree supports are awesome.
Cura is the next logical step to play with since it is free to use and lets you become introduced to the fine tuning methods of printing with a lot of settings, but it can also become counter productive trying to fiddle with them all.
Understanding what you need and dont need takes time, i dont know what half the crap in cura does, although I should revisit it now that I have been printing for a bit.
Slic3r - and I use it with Repetier Host. I then use Repetier Server to send jobs and control all my 3d printers. I have been using Slic3r for 6 years now with great results. I have tried the others, but always went back to Slic3r. I currently run 10 3d printers my Snapmaker 350 will be number 11. I like the work flow and file management in Repetier server.
Thank you all for your recommendations!
Does anyone know of a post processor for fusion 360 for 3D printing? As far as I am concerned the post precess that Snapmaker came out is for cnc only.
Thanks
Fusion 360 outputs stl print files which you input into your chosen slicer, the subject of this thread. You can do this manually or automate output to your chosen slicer.
From the design workspace choose tools and make, 3d print. Choose your slicer or point it at the relevant executable under custom.
@stewl Fusion360 is also a slicer, but it requires setting up a post processor.
@Stanou, I’m not aware of a snapmaker specific post processor, but I believe GenericFFF would be a good starting pont if you want to give configuring your own a shot. I saw some videos online and it doesn’t look so bad. You’ll want to preview the gcode it creates in ncviewer, Cura, or S3D to validate it before printing though, since it’s still fairly new.
So it is! Where did that come from?
A bit new and I have not seen much comment on it anywhere but there is a machine for my old printer so going to give it a try and should at least then understand how it all works.
Just looked through creating something for Snapmaker, need a post and that does look fairly simple, creating a machine is even easier and unlike CNC you then just select your chosen filament type rather than needing to create tools. There is even a specific Fusion 360 post editor extension in Visual Studio Code. If I had a machine I would give it a go but that will have to wait until one arrives. It’s not something you would want to do and get somebody else to test!!
Tried it with my existing printer - it’s not Cura, options are very basic though that might be a good point for some. You don’t need everything thats in Cura but as an example it doesn’t seem possible to set the fan level at all never mind change it for different layers and thats a show stopper for me. Think I will stick to Cura and that stays my answer to this tread. Fusion 360 work flow also integrates well with Cura, at least until they remove that feature.
Not a large following and only for 3D printing but I am moving everything over to Mattercontrol, at the moment. I’ll have an A350 profile and some videos coming up around the new year.
Has Tinkercad like design ability built in, too.
I think it does lack a little bit against Cura and S3D for first layer settings and there’s a lack of general help out there because there isn’t a large market share using it versus Cura/S3D/Prusaslicer.
I don’t think there is a simple answer as some slicers are better at doing things than others.
Luban is a great place to start, then move to say Cura for lots of features like ironing, tree supports, also use ideaMaker to insert commands at different heights or layers. Mesh Mixer to analyse, there is clearly no single slicer that will solve everyone’s wishes. You just need to use the one that works for you.
Luban uses the Cura engine as far as I know, also if you compare different gcodes in WinMerge its very much the same.
Thanks all for your answers!
I think I will start with Cura and see if I like it.
brent113, I tried printing with Fusion 360 with the Genric post process but was not successful, it needs tweaking and I am not expert enough yet to proceed with those changes to make it work!
just as some added info, the Luban slicer is a dumbed down older version of Cura. so if you dont know where to go next cura is the next direct step. not saying that makes it better, just good to know that it should handle prints pretty close to the same way Luban does, just giving you more control over it.
I think you need to master Luban first and also learn about G-codes and other settings in Luban, once you have mastered this Cura seems a good alternative, it has many more options and has been in development for 10 years and has plugins available too, its a specialised slicing program where Luban slicing is just small part of the program for the 3d print part. The Cura features I have tried and like include Ironing, Print Sequence one at a time, Octoprint integration. It takes a while to learn and to get the settings right. It is a mature product that excels at the job it is designed for and is improving all the time. Luban also does a great job to get you started, it is still a great fall back but can’t be at the cutting edge for many many years of refinement and user inputs. Keep updating as they both change regularly
So far I’ve gotten along with Luban ok so far (mostly just printing functional parts, nothing really special so far) But I do have PrusaSlicer on my radar that I’m willing to try. (Currently working on some CNC projects so I haven’t come around to it yet)
I think some people are already using it and a good walkthrough to get started with a non-Prusa printer is this recent video by Thomas Sanladerer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz2Soog4HkQ
