Slicing Multiple Files at the same time

[Foxtrix 1]

Hello their! I was wondering how to slice multiple files at the same time with a other cura profile. I might get a new 3D printer and I have 152 files for selling on my store and I don't want to slice them indivually. Is there a way where I can add folders and Cura will slice it with a different Cura profile. 

[GregValiant 1,251]

You want to select a folder and tell Cura to slice all the files in the folder but you want different settings profiles for some models?

How would Cura know which profile goes with which model file?

 

If they all used the same profile then maybe you could write a script that would work.  My own experience is that each model needs it's own love and so canned profiles rarely work as well as custom settings tailored to each particular model.

[Foxtrix 1]

Yea, I would just change all the STL files into one cura profile that I would make. 

[GregValiant 1,251]

So you would start Cura and select a folder. Then your automation would:

1. Load a model.
2. Slice
3. Save the gcode
4. Clear the build plate
5. Repeat

The problem I see is a lack of quality control.  If there were problems you wouldn't know about it until the print at least started.  That could happen 152 times.

 

[geert_2 557]

I often find that each model needs its own settings, depending on the geometry and purpose. Some need combing, some can't have it. Some need a lot of cooling, some can't have it. Some need thick layers (e.g. for overhangs), some can't have it (e.g. for fine quality and watertight objects). Some can print fast, some can't. Some need a brim or custom skirt, some not. It all depends on the geometry, purpose, materials, fitting- and quality requirements. Even different colors of the same material might need different settings, because some flow less good than others: e.g. high-filled colors like white, yellow, lightgreen often flow less than others.

 

If you are going to sell things, I think you should offer the STL-model (for people who do the printing themself). Or if you are doing the printing yourself, slice each model individually according to its needs, and to the customer's wishes. This for optimal quality and customer satisfaction. Otherwise they are not going to come back. Building a good customer base requires a lot of effort, it can't be done on a quicky. (That was one of the reasons back in 2014 why we bought our own 3D-printers: the parts we had printed externally, were soooo badly printed, that we could easily do better, and it was worth investing in our printers.)

 

[bondfire 1]

I would also like to do the same thing.  The resulting gcodes would not be used to print, but rather to give a rough estimate of time and material.  Being off by 5-10% isn't the end of the world, and when I get an order to print one of these files, I'll of course be manually generating a tailored gcode at that time. 

 

As far as I can tell, scripting calls to curaEngine is the best option, but I'm currently stuck trying to find the slice settings from cura.log.  Other posts say that these details are logged there when a slice starts, but I'm not able to find them anywhere in the log.  Anyone have any thoughts? Log screenshots attached.