The custom supports seems very appealing for the prints I do.
True. And the 'solid' supports. Tou can define any number of layers to have solid support. Ofc needs tunning for each object so it works and breaks/easy but for complex stuff it's nice.
My friends printing the Star Wars droid BB-8 are using it. For very, very long prints they praise the options and stability.
Other think I like its that if you make your stl in any numbers of parts it imports it without changing the position (if you uncheck the autocenter) then you group it and manage it as one object. This it's great to make top layers that have objects, letters in my case, this way if you split the object processes for each part you can have a perfect top layer without weird head movements.
Edited by GuestBtw @LePaul if you have a close friend with S3D it allows to be installed on 2 computers with the same license. He could install it on your computer (it needs login) and via web he can cancel the installation remotely after a time. This way you could test it.
I see that they offer a two week trial now. They'll just hold $150 ransom in the mean time... *sigh*
KevinMakes 22
I use it for the business I work for. What questions do you have?
KevinMakes 22
it is better and works than cura depending on what you're doing with it. Rather than go into a giant list like neo why don't you tell me what you are printing (generally) and I could tell you where simplify3d/ cura may help/ hinder you.
KevinMakes 22
I have a list of things a mile long that simplify3d sucks at doing... so dont leave with the assumption that it is the perfect software and If I was buying for personal use I probably wouldn't have purchased it.
Hey please share on what it sucks. I use it to print 'beautifull' thinks for a shop/customer.
For larger prints that take 20+ hours, I want good support structures that are easy to remove. Cura's good for most things but from what my friends are showing for results, the ability to click off and on what supports you need seems very appealing.
I've been using Simplify3D intense for 1 month now.
And nothing but good points about the software for me.
What I like the most is the way the support is organised. I really like to add manually support instead of Cura adding it all over the model.
Simplify3D had a steap learn curve for me cause many elements in Simplify3D have another name or way it's calculated compared to Cura.
But I've not using Cura since I bought Simplify3D.
What s*x the most is their forum and support is not as great as here. So I'm mostly on my own to discover all the features. Their tutorials are ok but there aren't that many of them yet. The few tips I've read from @neotko were a great help to get me on the rails with Simplify3D.
I would recommend Simplify3D to others.
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KevinMakes 22
I knew I would end up listing the reasons it sucks... here are a few
1.) teh organic surface toolpathing suck because sometimes it will skip a line and its random and weird I can rotate (about the z) and the skip will disappear so its not a matter of the the model or orientation its just bad programming
So if you dont inspect the tool path thoroughly like ...i mean very very thoroughly you can waste a lot of time because it will simply skip a line and try to print in empty space rather than on top of the layer it was supposed to print.
2.) teh manual machine controls or (print via usb) leaves a lot to be expected and a little to be actually had, you do not have accurate dual extrusion control (doesn't let you heat up one head individually)
Its also fairly buggy when I was using it I had to hard restart my printer several times.
3 Teh single outline (corkscrew) mode works...intermittently until it decides not to
4.) if you are trying to print planar/organic surface with a thickness within .02 of the nozzle width... don't... it doesnt work...
5.) simp3D has a lot of "failure recognition tools" but not a single "problem solving" tool
6.) fi you want to see the tool path while changing values in the process settings... good luck...you cant you have to enter and exit "preview mode" 100 times per part if you actually care to make any specific changes to the setup (per model)
7.) If you are looking to receive custom profiles (like the dual extrusion one for the ultimaker 2... good luck getting a phone call with tech support because the company that charges $150 per lic. doesnt have phone support... kinda shady.
8.) you NEVER get updates. No matter how bad the issue that you have when you have an issue it is your fault...(according to their ITs)
9.) there is NO Automatic "lay flat" option...well there is but Every model I have ever imported directly from solidworks ( no matter the original orientation) has come in crooked and their version of the lay flat option is complete garbage and really only makes it "generally flat"
10.) the "remove orphaned triangles" options is a bit... shady... from what I can tell all it does is chew up the edges on surfaces rather than doing what its supposed to, the same as the toool for lowering the poly count. (not quite as equal over the entire surface As I would have hoped...
KevinMakes 22
Again.. To be fair I would still say if you want immmense control over the toolpath (temperature, fanspeed, etc) by layer, adding custom scripts, and advanced retraction control... its pretty fantastic and I will continue to use it and I will continue to suggest it for people who do not use any of the fore mentioned features
For 1) Check 'Coasting' also there a bug that can do that, make a new profile and copy the settings (or import the settings from gcode)
For 2) You can set heating changes on toolchange with the gcode to wait arrive the set temperature pointing to the tool_temperature (something like that)
For 3) never used :S
For 4) need more data
I agree on most of the other points
Been using it for almost a year and because the horrible documentation it takes time to control it (they improved this a bit on 3.0 and the new troubleshooting pages).
For example until last 2 weeks I wasn't able to fully control the 'aditional gap' and infill overlap. Finally after many screenshots compare (because what you say on point 6) I was able to control it to make perfectly clean small lines with just the correct amount of infill and no gaps on walls. But yeah, the control when you get the idea it's great.
Edited by GuestHave used it for over a year (personal) as I was having trouble with some of the models sent to my hub. It sorted them and I have not used Cura since.
Love the ability to place a small amount of support where I want it and not where I don't and is it very easy to remove.
It is not perfect, but IMO worth the money if your intention is to improve your control over your printing.
Thanks, James, Kevin and Neo.
I appreciate the feedback.
While I like Cura, there are some times I would like better supports that are easier to remove, post-processing. I know Cura continues to get better but sometimes it is nice to have an alternate slicer to compare against. Then decide which will provide the best results.
Thanks, James, Kevin and Neo.
I appreciate the feedback.
While I like Cura, there are some times I would like better supports that are easier to remove, post-processing. I know Cura continues to get better but sometimes it is nice to have an alternate slicer to compare against. Then decide which will provide the best results.
The support handling in Simplify3D made me decide to buy the software. And it's worth it!
- 1
Hmm... this doesn't look familiar at all... heh
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/
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Good stuff always gets copied...
Not nearly as useful as the original
Indeed I thought the same and clearly it's more than just 'inspired'. The good side it's that on the sollution they discuss how to mix some options on s3d to help (also explaining how to use them).
I bought it, but don't use it. I don't care for the workflow, as my prints are generally one-offs.
I prefer Cura and Kisslicer.
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neotko 1,417
After you get use to be able to control almost anything, it's just way better. Cura someday will be better (or not) but s3d it's atm the best slicer.
What's better?
- Group control of objects, and very easy scale/mirror/auto flat on bed (press a triangle of the object and it rotates it auto to lie down on the bed).
- Very easy profiles
- Z offsets for each job
- Dual support
- You can easily set different extruder sizes for the same object (making fake sizes) very fast.
- It slices just so fast
- No annoying auto slice
- Works with many printers?
- When you control it you can make surfaces and little texts tto look sharp.
- The slicer viewer it's really great planned.
- The user interface isn't a 'mess' (old cura was great, new cura it's a mess).
- And my favorite: The paths that create to print are really focus on making the print 'look good'.
Ofc the generic profile for um2/umo needs tunning (specially the speed). But if you are methodical and print some cubes/letters/samples with different profiles you can calibrate it for your needs in just one / two prints.
Also since version 3.0 there are many tutorials from s3d to get the basics.
Edited by GuestLink to post
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