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Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize


greens83

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Posted (edited) · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

Is there an scope for spiralize and adaptive layer settings being made available in the per mesh settings?

 

I am currently going into the fdmprinter.def.json file and making spiralize available for per mesh. However this seems to becoming more problematic/unworkable in later versions. I am now having to go back to version 2.5 to get the prints I need but then other useful settings are missing. Adaptive layer per mesh would be also really useful imo.

 

Does anyone know of other slicer options that have more flexibility in per mesh settings? Does anyone have an experience with Simplyfy3D?

 

 

 

 

Edited by greens83
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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    I miss the logic here. Spiralize is a concept that asks for a single object to be printed. Layer height, independent of being fixed or adaptive has to be the same for all objects on the build plate. And that is how the Cura setting works.

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    Posted (edited) · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    I understand Spiralize has to be used on a single model. I am stacking parts on top of each other and just need to change the settings at the base of a single printed piece in the center of the build plate. It works well in Cura 2.5. But spiralize was taken out of per model settings after that version. There's been a lot of development since 2.5!

     

    Ill try to explain the application. 

     

    I design and print a lot of lighting products. Think reflectors. At the base of these reflectors I need some fixings. Sometimes its just holes. Sometimes its a captive nut or a snap fit design.

     

    So slicer wise, I need to print a base with some level of complexity, infill and retractions. Then straight on top of that base piece I need to print the reflector or body of a luminaire as a single wall with no Z-seam.

     

    Regarding the adaptive layers - per mesh. Again I understand layer height has to be the same for all objects on the plate if they are separated. I am talking about stacking meshes on top of each other to be one printed piece.

     

    Perhaps that is where the possibility of adding these settings back to per mesh lies.

     

    Would it be possible to limit these settings in per mesh, to a single object but using a support blocker/overlapping, or some sort of 'changing settings at height' mechanism? That way it cant be asking cura to do the impossible with multiple seperate meshes in the build plate?

     

     

     

    Edited by greens83
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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    Update for anyone reading this. I am ow using Simplify3D slicer for this. Options for changing all settings on a per mesh basis are available and work well as far as I can see so far. You do have to pay for it though.

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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize
    On 6/26/2022 at 7:54 AM, Dim3nsioneer said:

    I miss the logic here. Spiralize is a concept that asks for a single object to be printed. Layer height, independent of being fixed or adaptive has to be the same for all objects on the build plate. And that is how the Cura setting works.

    I understand Spiralize has to be used on a single model. I am stacking parts on top of each other and just need to change the settings at the base of a single printed piece in the center of the build plate. It works well in Cura 2.5. But spiralize was taken out of per model settings after that version. There's been a lot of development since 2.5!

     

    Ill try to explain the application. 

     

    I design and print a lot of lighting products. Think reflectors. At the base of these reflectors I need some fixings. Sometimes its just holes. Sometimes its a captive nut or a snap fit design.

     

    So slicer wise, I need to print a base with some level of complexity, infill and retractions. Then straight on top of that base piece I need to print the reflector or body of a luminaire as a single wall with no Z-seam.

     

    Regarding the adaptive layers - per mesh. Again I understand layer height has to be the same for all objects on the plate if they are separated. I am talking about stacking meshes on top of each other to be one printed piece.

     

    Perhaps that is where the possibility of adding these settings back to per mesh lies.

     

    Would it be possible to limit these settings in per mesh, to a single object but using a support blocker/overlapping, or some sort of 'changing settings at height' mechanism? That way it cant be asking cura to do the impossible with multiple seperate meshes in the build plate?

     

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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    @ghostkeeper

     

    I think you understand this subject very well from wat I've read on github. I am part of a small start up business and this feature of spiralise per model or at a height is vital. I've had to start using S3D but Id really prefer to stick with Cura. How difficult is it to bring this feature back? We have a very small budget but I may be able to pay someone to develop a plugin perhaps. Any input from you would be very much appreciated. 

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    Posted (edited) · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    @greens83 I might have some workarounds for you, if you'd be willing to make the extra effort.

     

    Regarding printing bottom part of the model regularly and the top in spiralize, you can do this by setting the whole part to spiralize and increasing bottom layers. The "bottom layers" part would be printed solid (no infill), which may or may not be acceptable.

     

    The other workaround is to slice each part separately and splice the gcodes together (I imagine a script could be written to automate this) or modify them to start at the height of the previous segment. Lost in Tech has a video about this.

     

    None of is it as good as what you're asking for, but if you really want to use new Cura for you prints it might be worth the effort.

     

     

    Edited by Nosybottle
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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize
    4 hours ago, Nosybottle said:

    @greens83 I might have some workarounds for you, if you'd be willing to make the extra effort.

     

    Regarding printing bottom part of the model regularly and the top in spiralize, you can do this by setting the whole part to spiralize and increasing bottom layers. The "bottom layers" part would be printed solid (no infill), which may or may not be acceptable.

     

    The other workaround is to slice each part separately and splice the gcodes together (I imagine a script could be written to automate this) or modify them to start at the height of the previous segment. Lost in Tech has a video about this.

     

    None of is it as good as what you're asking for, but if you really want to use new Cura for you prints it might be worth the effort.

     

     

    Really appreciate the reply @Nosybottle. This would be fine for a handful of prints but its time consuming and not really feasible as part of my business workflow. I guess I'm stuck with S3D. Cura has a lot more going for it in general and seems like development on S3D is dead in the water which doesn't bode well either. I may have to investigate prusa slicer to see how that handles per model/spiralize.

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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    Prusaslicer, superslicer, ideamaker, IceSl...  so many other free software. 

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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    "...seems like development on S3D is dead in the water..."

    From what I've read, they were based in Cincinnati Ohio and as of about the 1st of this year their offices were vacated.

     

    One of my post-processors combines gcode files in order to print one file with certain attributes on top of another file with different attributes.  It works very well.  Much thought must be put into how the two files should join together at the transition layer.

    I wrote it because it is handy to have around.  If an "amateur hack" can do it I'm sure a real software engineer would have no trouble.

    This one is conventional with infill and at .4 line width up to layer 165 and from there up it is spiralized with .6 line width.

    image.thumb.png.21d97217dcb3dd26079bd2a805d652cc.png

     

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    Posted (edited) · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    @GregValiant to the rescue again! That's exactly what I need to do. I was getting around the lost feature by editing the fdmprinter.def.json file. It worked fine for a while but then it just didn't and I have spent hours trying to figure out why and wat other settings influence it. I cant get to the bottom of it and now  it just doesn't allow spiralize per object even when its ticked in per object after the file edit. Even If I import settings from g-code I know let me set spiralise per object (after fdmprinter.def.json edit).

     

    Is there any chance you could share your post processor or is that not possible?

     

    S3D options on changing print settings per mesh/at heights are pretty much limitless, but everything else about the software needs work, especially the UI. Such a shame they seem to be pretty much out of business.

     

    I was really hoping @ghostkeeper would chime in but I guess he has bigger fish to fry. 

    Edited by greens83
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    Posted · Per mesh - Adaptive layers - Spiralize

    The Cura Team seems to be buried not just with Cura itself but in updating all the development tools and instructions for collaborators.

    That particular post-processor is part of an extensive app (Greg's Toolbox) for printer communication and controlling SD card printing from a connected PC.  Additionally it is for Windows only as Visual Basic doesn't port to Linux or MAC.

    If you are running under Windows then send me a PM and we can talk.

     

    This is the "Combine Gcodes" interface.  Constructive use of "Pause at Height" simplifies the process.  (The information in the dialog box happens to be what I used for that vase print I posted.)

    image.thumb.png.b23205d187e24af464e6d6f4160152b4.png

     

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