[Request] Show current layer in the display

[MaxMax 0]

Some layers needs to be supervised when printing. It would be a great help if the Ultimaker Display could show the current layer it's printing.

It would fit nicley on the firs row. Example

Printing layer: 167
      UM3_abc
     25min 19s

 

[CarloK 203]

Our graphic designers are against this feature. It's the usual fight between tweakers who want to see lots of details and the majority of users who want to have a simple to use machine. On the whish list is a feature to switch the display between those two layouts but this is not foreseen for the near future.

 

For the UM2(+) you can install the Tinkergnome firmware which does have this feature and lots more.

Another workaround is to use the Cura plugin to pause at a configurable layer height.

[MaxMax 0]

Why does it need to be either way? Why not have it as a setting? Then th euser can chose for himself what level of information he wants, not a grumpy software guy... ?

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

That (Form 2) looks pretty simple to me and might also be possible on the S5...

 

[CarloK 203]

I do agree that the above layout looks neat and it should be easy to implement. It's just not my call....

 

I think in another thread we also had this same discussion. Our User eXperience designers are against it because we don't fully understand why a user would be interested in this value. That sounds blunt, but they do have a point. Why do you want to see the layer number?

Most likely it is because there is some special feature in your design that you want to verify for being printed correctly? But, are you then going to sit in front of the printer to watch it happening? I know many people do sit in front of  their printer, it is nice to watch the movements, but it is not an efficient thing to do.

 

With all new available technologies we think we can come up with something smarter. Some of the ideas are: Marking the area of interest in Cura, triggering a (time lapse) video when that area is being printed. Send a message to the user (email, app, whatever). Remotely view the part being printed in the app and then take corrective actions through the app.

 

Internal discussions are still going on. For better results it would help when people post here why it is important for them to see the layer numbers.

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

On 10/7/2018 at 11:13 PM, CarloK said:

Most likely it is because there is some special feature in your design that you want to verify for being printed correctly? But, are you then going to sit in front of the printer to watch it happening? I know many people do sit in front of  their printer, it is nice to watch the movements, but it is not an efficient thing to do.

 

That might indeed be a good reason. Using some postprocessing scripts or plugins which alter some parameters at a certain height might be another or an extension of the first one.

The more efficient user would of course not sit in front of the printer all the time but check from time to time. Therefore a layer number would give him/her an idea when might be a good time to have a peak again.

 

On 10/7/2018 at 11:13 PM, CarloK said:

Why do you want to see the layer number?

 

You could ask the same question for Cura. It's in there. Why not giving the user a simple tool to compare the physical outcome with the layer view in Cura?

 

On 10/7/2018 at 11:13 PM, CarloK said:

With all new available technologies we think we can come up with something smarter.

 

Personally I would prefer simple solutions which have a chance to be implemented in reasonable time rather than fancy stuff that is blocking development ressources for months or years while people out there use the printer with no improvement at all (aka KISS=keep it short and simple).

 

On 10/7/2018 at 11:13 PM, CarloK said:

Our User eXperience designers are against it because we don't fully understand why a user would be interested in this value.

 

I assume the meaning of the UX designer is not the only criterium for such changes but feedback is also included in such decisions?

 

Anyway, I have to admit that this might not be the most pressing issue in the S5 firmware. And sorry for the late reply.

[jphahn63 0]

I know this is an old issue, but I would like to change the filament on my Monoprice Mini v2 at a certain point during the print.

I'm printing some dials for a Putt Counter and want the numbers to be a different color than the dial.

Use the same layer indicator as in the Preview view and I could Pause it, change the filament and continue.

[CarloK 203]

@jphahn63 This forum section is about discussing the software (firmware) inside the Ultimaker printers. I don't completely understand your request, but to me it looks like a Cura request which then should be posted in the Cura section of this forum.
 

[robinmdh 100]

NOTE: this is just my opinion and may not be shared by ultimaker...

 

 

While not explicitly open-source, the S5/S3 UI is completely written in qml and python with pyqt so, you can mod it

Note: this only goes for the S5 and S3, the UM3 display is compiled C++ code that is not open.

 

The information is in the procedure metadata of the print procedure.

so you need to change the __updatePrintJobState(self, printing_state) in the /usr/share/okuda/components/progress/component.py and add extra properties for the layer_nr and the layer_total, which you can then use in the /usr/share/okuda/components/progress/PrintProgress.qml there you can then use the component.<whatever you called your @pyqtproperty> put those in some label and done...

 

Distributing diffs should also be OK ,since you don't have the rights to to code but you do have the rights to your additions, the rest could fall under the sample laws... so I would deploy your software as a patch on an existing version.

 

If you do please also post-fix the version number in /etc/jedi-version with your fw name so that we can see it's modded 😅

 

but as @CarloK said our UI designers don't like clutter such as layer numbers.

Which I think is understandable since layer counts are not useful in estimating time or showing progress, just imagine printing a pyramid or an Eiffel tower; Our progress and time estimates are better for that.

Neither are they needed for an additional action like placing a magnet inside a print, you can just use the pause at height/layer# post processing plugin in Cura.

Edited December 18, 2019 by robinmdh
clarified that this is for the S5/S3 only

[BiMNrd 11]

I think having the current layer / out of if basic information any printer should have especially the S5 being a production aimed unit. The more I more with it and the more information I have the better I can manage the production of prints and manage risk.

 

Here is an practical example:

 

You print fails or there is an issue at a give z height at hour number 28/34 , then you can stop the print, remove the part and start a new print from that given layer onwards.  Natually you will have two pieces to glue together but this is a typical scenario of how this information can be useful. 

 

There is all kinds of scenarios for why this information is useful. 

[robinmdh 100]

A small new years gift for the tech savvy out there, with an Ultimaker S5 or S3.

A patch with layer count/total below the time remaining.

 

NOTE: this is not coming from Ultimaker officially, this could brick/break your printer, no guarantee is given on these steps or this file, while this is likely to work with a bunch of versions I've only tested with newer than the recent release.

And if there are any complaint I'll of-course remove this immediately.

 

Steps to enable:

• enable developer mode. in config -> settings -> Developer mode
• login via ssh or putty as root, the password is "ultimaker" (if this is new to you then maybe don't try this).
• Run:

  wget http://robin.den-hertog.org/patch.sh

• Run:

  bash patch.sh

The printer should then reboot. If it doesn't reboot then it's likely the patch failed to apply, maybe you need to update to newer firmware, You don't have an S5 or S3 or I made a booboo, let me know 😅.

 

I strongly advice you to turn developer mode off again, it makes the printer very unsafe!

 

Then While printing you should see something like this:

Edited January 1, 2020 by robinmdh
clarification

[Link 34]

On 1/1/2020 at 12:36 AM, robinmdh said:

A small new years gift for the tech savvy out there, with an Ultimaker S5 or S3.

A patch with layer count/total below the time remaining.

 

NOTE: this is not coming from Ultimaker officially, this could brick/break your printer, no guarantee is given on these steps or this file, while this is likely to work with a bunch of versions I've only tested with newer than the recent release.

And if there are any complaint I'll of-course remove this immediately.

 

Steps to enable:

• enable developer mode. in config -> settings -> Developer mode
• login via ssh or putty as root, the password is "ultimaker" (if this is new to you then maybe don't try this).
• Run:

  
  wget http://robin.den-hertog.org/patch.sh

• Run:

  
  bash patch.sh

The printer should then reboot. If it doesn't reboot then it's likely the patch failed to apply, maybe you need to update to newer firmware, You don't have an S5 or S3 or I made a booboo, let me know 😅.

 

I strongly advice you to turn developer mode off again, it makes the printer very unsafe!

 

Then While printing you should see something like this:

 

 

Thanks for doing this, really good of you to take it upon yourself to help out, however whilst i am more than comfortably with performing the steps, as you can imagine with these printers being so expensive doing something like this (which may brick it) is not really a comfortable situation. But it is exactly this type of addition which we so badly need. I cannot see why the UI guys cant add these under a seperate setting people can add. They obviously don't print much themselves if they feel you dont need to know the layer height, its a key value which you can directly correlate back to Cura, you see an imperfgection in your print the first thing you do is check Cura, but without the layer number is really hard to make any progress working out what the print was doing !

 

Also, when you are setting up a new material, you need to be able to change retraction settings on the printer, as it stands you have to reslice a whole new print to just see the affect of less retraction !, it takes so much longer to debug or set anything up with this UI, its painful !

 

 

[robinmdh 100]

On 2/1/2020 at 8:43 AM, Link said:

Also, when you are setting up a new material, you need to be able to change retraction settings on the printer, as it stands you have to reslice a whole new print to just see the affect of less retraction !, it takes so much longer to debug or set anything up with this UI, its painful !

That sounds like a fairly PRO feature IMHO, and it if is the distance of speed those moves are not distinguishable by the printer from other moves, so speed and amount of retract would be quite difficult to tweak.

A possible workaround is not that difficult though, if it is not the retraction amount or speed but the jerk and such then those settings are changed for travel moves and extrusion moves so if you remove those from your sliced file you could enable developer mode and log in as the ultimaker user, then use the sendgcode to try different values during the print.

 

On 2/1/2020 at 8:43 AM, Link said:

with these printers being so expensive doing something like this (which may brick it) is not really a comfortable situation.

Yeah, that I get, we may be able to get stuff like this included, hidden under a switch in the settings menu in the future.
As to the disclaimer: I did test this twice and did not brick any printers but I don't want anyone to get mad if this goes wrong in any way.

Edited February 3, 2020 by robinmdh
jerk and acceleration only for retraction

[Link 34]

39 minutes ago, robinmdh said:

That sounds like a fairly PRO feature IMHO, and it if is the distance of speed those moves are not distinguishable by the printer from other moves, so speed and amount of retract would be quite difficult to tweak.

A possible workaround is not that difficult though, if it is not the retraction amount or speed but the jerk and such then those settings are changed for travel moves and extrusion moves so if you remove those from your sliced file you could enable developer mode and log in as the ultimaker user, then use the sendgcode to try different values during the print.

 

Yeah, that I get, we may be able to get stuff like this included, hidden under a switch in the settings menu in the future.
As to the disclaimer: I did test this twice and did not brick any printers but I don't want anyone to get mad if this goes wrong in any way.

 

Yes, thanks, I fully appreciate you have done this to help (and is appreciated) you obviously don't want to be accountable for bricking peoples printers. 

 

It would be really really useful to get this sort of thing added under an official switch in the settings. It really is needed as no 3d printer is simply plug and play, as good as the S5 is, you still need to debug some prints as there are so many variables which can produce a variation in result over using the default profiles the UI guys think everyone can just use these default profiles and everything works perfectly 😀🙃, I wish that was the case 😁

[jphahn63 0]

Even though this may be the wrong thread, I guess I'm not understanding the logic that the UI designers think it is not worth doing. If, when I preview my layers in Preview mode I can see the layer number, why can't they display it when the print is running? What does a percentage tell me? If they are going to display the percentage during print, then have the preview in percentage too. Just make sure that it is to at least the 10thousandths, just in case it isn't at the exact percentage point where I'd like to pause the print. Or just show the layer being printed. 🙂

[ConnectDER 0]

I just came here to request this feature myself. I also don't understand why the UI guys can't think of any reason users would want to see the current layer. I can come up with about a million good reasons. Even if they can't, putting the option in for those who want it seems like a no-brainer and and a relatively easy thing to impliment.

[AddMan 2]

I just got my S5 and was surprised to find this wasn't available. Layers are the fundamental core for this type of printing. I don't think the S5 was designed for the casual user. It would seem like a reasonable and easy compromise to have it s an option in settings. 

 

UM please seriously consider including it. I'm tired of having to open a separate browser to find the current Z position.

[JASON128 6]

I agree- all that screen space,  left blank to look pretty.

Give us nozzle temps,   any speed of flow offsets introduced, and Z height.

all far more useful than a funny circular clock thing.

[Link 34]

Any update on this from UM ?, they say that is there is enough demand for a feature then it will get added ???, 

 

i cannot see how anyone who uses a FDM printer doesn't want to see at the very least what layer you are printing, the whole technology is based on it.... I wonder if the UI team have ever actually used a FDM printer ?, every other printer on the market has things like layer number, temperatures, speed etc etc on the home home screen for the simple reason these need to be there and are used all the time !. having to go into the 'tune' menu all the time is painful and seems pointless - to just keep the UI looking clean !!!!!, its like removing the fuel gauge, temperature gauge and speedo from a car dashboard to make that UI look clean

 

UM printers are great but you have to think they are missing a trick with loads of things like this, its much harder to diagnose print issues on a UM machine as you simple don't have the same level of info as other brands. I can only assume that UM engineers have some sort of enhanced way of viewing this data when working on Cura profiles

 

UM - we really really need an option to turn on a detail mode where you can have temperatures, layer number, speeds etc all on the front panel. Make it switchable if you don't want everyone to see it (no idea why though).

 

Thanks !

[jnhg 0]

Sometimes (very often) I think design deparments have these kinds of objections only to make it look like they do something useful... Not to say that design, especially UI desigen isn't important, but design Must Not Hinder the usefullnes of the product.

One good reason is that the layer count is the only reference  in Cura and time is the reference in the printer. It would be even better if Cura could also display the "time from start" in the preview of each layer. Then it would  be easier to babysit the printer during tough passages.

 

BTW do NOT under estimate the average user. Maybe design departments look to themselves and figure that noone wants to bother with technical details.

But for tecnical prototypes that you need ASAP you just do what you need to do to get the work done, including manual intervention when you need to. And with such a (relatively) immature process as 3D printing is, that happens quite often.

At my place of work we have 5-6  UM3 and UM5s used for all kinds of simpler prototypes and the people using them had better learn to deal with the quirks of 3D printing or accept beeing less productive.

Since I got my UM3 for home use my regard for those guys/gals has risen a lot.

 

 

[Link 34]

i simply can't understand why anyone at UM thinks it is better to have that information hidden for the sake of a clean UI !, i am totally baffled. Other things like simply being able to toggle the part cooling fans on without the print running are not possible either. To see if you have an issue with one of the fans you have to run a print and start messing about with getting your hands in the print area to see if the cooling fans are spinning as you can't actually see them on the S5.

 

Come on UM, please start adding things like this to make our lives sooooo much easier !