Is repG a good slicer for faster prints, or is there something else I should be looking at to do slicing?
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Is repG a good slicer for faster prints, or is there something else I should be looking at to do slicing?
RepG doesn't slice, it uses either Slic3r or Skeinforge depending on which you choose.
Choice of slicer is very individual, I did spend quite lot of time on each fo the ones available, about 4 weeks each and I settled on Cura but I still am not prepared to say it si my preference as it prints holes very small and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to compensate.
Skeinforge is probably the slicer that gives you most control but it is quite old now, a long time since it had an update and it is being left behind as the printers change. Because of the ability to change almost everything it is probably also the most difficult to get right.
I found Slic3r to be brain damaged with a lot of problems mostly related to the path the slicer chooses. Having said that it is actively being developed and does improve with each release.
There are others that I have little or no experience with.
Thanks for the clarification! So, what is it that rep g is actually doing?
rep g is just the front end and the part where you edit the model.
I use simplify3d... expensive but fantastic.
I agree with him. S3D is my favorite by far, and slice's files so fast. But it's also the only one that cost a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by dunginhawk
I guess I used Slic3r the most before that, but never got a chance to mess with Cura.
I use S3D also and have never looked back. Sure, it costs but you get a lot of bang for your buck. I tried everything in an effort to not have to "pay" for a slicer. I was convinced that if I became enough of an expert with one of the free ones that I'd be good to go. I even spent a couple of months diving way into Skeinforge. Talk about making your brain itch. It can do anything but it's a GUI mess.
When I started printing things for other people for money instead of things for myself I realized that I was unable to deliver the quality I knew was possible. So, I then reluctantly, purchased S3D. I say reluctantly because I just didn't want to spend the money when there were so many free ones out there. I've used Slic3r, Cura, Kisslicer, Repetier, Skeinforge, Prontrface, Meshmixer and a few others. My fall back was Cura. I just like the way it worked. Kisslicer gave the the cleanest print I've ever gotten hands down but it can only write gCode to an SD card and I like to control my printer with my computer. But after I had S3D going, I realized that my reluctance was misguided. I wish I had bought S3D months earlier.
I've talked about this before, but, I'm all about open-source. But you get things from a real development team that's for profit that you don't get from the open-source community. Some of that is fast adaptability. Simplify3D is constantly updating and adding features, many based on user feedback. Sure, it's $160, not a huge amount considering what you spend on printers and filament, but it's the best investment you'll make in your precious printer.
160 isn't bad at all! When you guys were saying pricey I was nervous about a 3ds Max style price tag($2,500) I'll definitely have to look simplify 3D up. Thank you!
I haven't seen a commercial license of Max below $3400. If you can get it for $2500 you should snap that up.
Yea, $160 is reasonable in comparison and worth every penny. So far no one has said they regretted it.
Whoops! Typo...Shoulda said 3500. >.<
It's actually $149. I just got it on Christmas for $140, they must have bumped it up some more :/Quote:
Originally Posted by GamerDarling
Still totally in budget for the near future. :)
How much manipulation can you do? For example, it's driving me nuts that on smaller prints I can't just duplicate the mesh so that I can print multiple pieces at once. On another print the original file I found doesn't have a flat bottom, and that's causing printing issues.
Would I be able to do those things with this software?
Thanks for the link to their forum? I've reviewed their site, and only asked those specific questions because I couldn't find a for sure answer, and these guys clearly know the software. The feature list says manipulate geometry and repair a mesh but that could mean a lot of different things.
It's easy to duplicate a part. It asks "how many" you click and it places them and arranges them. You can also easily scale, rotate and move the part or individual parts. If you move a part just a tiny bit below the grid, that portion gets removed and only what's above the grid gets sliced, so, you have a flat bottom.Quote:
Originally Posted by GamerDarling
Check this out. You can print parts inside and under other parts. I've never seen any other slicer do this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqR...ature=youtu.be
You can duplicate and print multiples on ALL the slicers I've seen and used. S3d will (it says) optimise the parts for faster printing. I usually do them by hand as I can put them closer together :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by GamerDarling
But yeah duplicating parts is a doddle. (but then it is with makerware, cura and slic3r as well)
The flat bottom thing, yeah sort of. With s3d you can move the model so the base is below the print bed.
You can do that with makerware as will, but makerware still prints the whole mode (weird but true) S3D ONLY prints the part above the printbed.
That's useful.
It all depends what printer you have. If you're printer is normal gcode compatible then cura or slic3r are probably just as good as s3d for 90% of printing requirements.
The biggest issue I have with s3d is the fact that it only prints alternate layers in it's infill. This creates really weak models that snap sideways very easily.
For strength I use makerware, the infill is contiguous. Ie it builds a solid honeycomb within the shell. This is really really strong.
Why s3d can't add in that feature - I don't know. It's the single worst thing about it.
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with that. It's possible that you have the 'Print Sparse Infill Every' setting set improperly. If it's at '1' then it prints the infill on every layer. If it's set on '2' it will print infill on every other layer and so on. You can really make a mess if you set it to '4' or something. What's nice is that you can also print a solid layer or diaphragm every 'x' layers. So if you wanted a stronger part and didn't want to use 100% solid infill, you could print a solid internal layer every 5 layers if you wanted to and in-between those would be the normal infill.Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
My parts are as strong as with any slicer I've used. It doesn't have a half-dozen infill algorithms available that others might, but for most parts under 8", I think it's way stronger than is necessary. You'd need NASA to run some tests to see which of the internal infill shapes are functionally stronger at a small scale. I'd bet the variation between them, even if extreme looking to a test bench score, are nominal in everyday practice. You can manually set the infill to print in any angle between 0 and 360 degrees and you set them individually. I can set the infill to 45 and -45 as well as 30, 15, 0, 90, 14, -12 (I think you see my point) and it will build lines of fill at all of those angles. At some point it gets absurd. But, I do not share the feeling that S3D creates weak parts that snap sideways. What allows parts to snap sideways is poor layer adhesion and improper settings can cause that with any slicer.
no it doesn't. It's on 1, it won't let me set it to '0' :-)Quote:
If it's at '1' then it prints the infill on every layer.
It still leaves gaps between the plastic strands. There is no setting where it forms a solid infill matrix.
Yes it prints infill on every layer, but it prints alternate squares, hell it's not even much good for compression.
If I print a part at 10% infill with s3d i can easily snap off any protruding parts with my fingers. I print the same part with the same settings in makerware I need pliers and a hammer. And that's because makerware forms a solid mesh within the shell.
s3d just won't.
I don't understand why it won't. But trust me - it won't.
As beerdart had said, I switched my infill option's to "Infill extrusion width" to 200%, and "Outline overlap" to 30% and I have had great strong infill since then. This is not my picture, but It show's you what I mean better. http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4662&stc=1
Yea, it's a little different approach but it works well for me and I find it efficient. It does in fact, in totality, have infill on every layer but it does it by creating a weave sort like cloth, or a matrix, but without the thread going under one then over one. It lays down infill lines in, say, the 45 degree direction. Then the next infill is at, say, the -45 degree direction. There is a separation between the threads of layer 1 and 3 that are both running in the 45 degree direction but those are overlaid by layers 2 and 4 in the opposite direction, -45. At every one of those crossings is a meld point. It's fast and I find it satisfactory. It's just a different way to do it.
I feel like it's a better way to infill as sideways (sheer) forces are distributed along the infill of the layers above and below a particular shear plane. With a typical (slic3r) infill stack, you still have discrete planes of material. Everything for layer 1 is on layer 1. All the perimeters and all of the infill are on layer 1. Same for layer 2 and subsequent layers. If your were very careful, you could pick any layer and separate the print into two perfect parts by splitting between two layers. With S3D you can't do that because the layers above and below that plane where you have your hypothetical slice are woven into each other. If you cut it through that hypothetical plane, you'd see that you are cutting through filament for layers above and below also. The infill creates a matrix thought the whole interior. Standard infill from sli3er does not create that matrix.
It's also not apples to apples when you apply infill percentages. If slic3r prints structurally sufficient infill at 15%, you may need to use 30% infill for S3D. Since the infills are calculated in different manners, you can't apply one to the other and have a fair comparison. You could print the part in slic3r at 15% that has the part sticking out that you need pliers to snap off. Then, print the same part in S3D at say 15%, 20%, 30% and 40%. Test to see where parts exhibit the same structural integrity. You may find that S3D equals the slic3r part at 30%. But remember, the method/algorithm S3D employs, utilizes 1/2 of the material for infill because of that weaving-like algorithm. So if S3D has the structural integrity at 35% infill, it's only used the same amount of filament as slic3r at 15%. So it's about equal.
I don't think you can hold S3D up against other slicers side by side and just replace settings and make comparisons. It's a little bit of a different creature but once you get your settings right, it makes beautiful prints that are super strong. I've tested mine with pliers too and I've never been disappointed if I've sufficiently designed the infill parameters.
Here's a microscopic shot of the infill. I know it's not the best shot as I rushed it but you can see how the layers interlace and weave.
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4663&stc=1
Here's a better shot. Unfortunately I'm using glow-in-the-dark filament and it's translucency qualities make for difficult photographs. Also, with a microscope, unless you do a complicated multi-focal set, you can't get good depth of field and I don't have time for that right now. I will do one when I use a more opaque filament sometime soon though. But, you can still see the matrix that is formed. It's super strong and I think a superior method of infilling.
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4666&stc=1
Hmm, maybe I just haven't been able to figure it out in rep g, but there really doesn't seem to be an option.Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
That was what I was worried about. I thought the software might be too dumb to realize it shouldn't do the toolpath. It is free, after all. How much could I really expect?Quote:
The flat bottom thing, yeah sort of. With s3d you can move the model so the base is below the print bed.
You can do that with makerware as will, but makerware still prints the whole mode (weird but true) S3D ONLY prints the part above the printbed.
That's useful.
Just wanted to get back really fast as I said I would and post a better photo of the S3D infill. I'm calling it a "matrix" because each raft ties the layer above and below together and I think provides a superior method to prevent sheer.
I need a better video camera for my microscope but you can still see what it looks like. I used 'beerdarts' infill settings and it makes a very nice and solid infill. I did a 30 image merge (30 photos as you slowly focus lower and lower with each shot) to get depth of field down to the bottom so you can see what's doing on better.
20mm test cube:
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4686&stc=1
I'm not sure that the structural integrity is impacted enough to really matter for things like necklace pendants and cookie cutters(my primary usage) So I think I'm ok with that. However, the actual print quality coming out of simplify is pretty terrible for me. Overhangs that shouldn't be a problem are turning into spaghetti, and there are so many settings that I'm not sure what to alter. You guys have any ideas for tweaks?
If you could show us your settings (maybe some screenshots) of what you are printing with, I could try to help or maybe see the problemQuote:
Originally Posted by GamerDarling
I just downloaded S3D last Friday. I haven't had much time with it yet, but I already like it much better than Makerware, or RepG. So far, it seems to be worth every penny.
I gotta agree with rob here on the infill. I have no problems getting super solid and strong infill in s3d. Almost everything i print needs to have strength in some way since they are functional and usually load bearing. S3ds infill is as strong as anyone elses. Its true it prints every other layer but it extrudes at double the dia so the walls are thick and solid. It seems alit of people complain about the infill situation. I just dont think that many people understand the settings. Of course s3d does have alot of setting so that not surprising really.
i totally agree. ive used all the slicers out there, but for whatever reason this slices better and the results in the quality of my prints are BETTER...
i love it
I posted some of my settings in this thread on Post #33:Quote:
Originally Posted by GamerDarling
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...mplify3d/page4
This is not a very good photo but here is something I printed yesterday that has overhangs and no support was used. It's about 112mm long and 10mm wide to give you some scale. Under that top part is a cone that has sides at a 45-degree angle. It printed well.
Frequent calibration is a must to get good prints from "any" slicer. I like to think I keep my printer well tuned. The other day nothing would print well. I spent hours testing and testing. Finally, I did a full ESteps calibration. I had done it a few weeks ago and it was perfect. To my surprise, it was extruding 123mm of filament when I called for 100mm. So it was overextruding nearly 25%. Once I had that recalibrated, things went back to normal. Once you get used to doing calibrations it's not very difficult and sometimes takes less time then repeated tests. So from now on, when things get stringy and just make no sense, I'll do ESteps and 1st layer height calibrations first so I at least know they are good.
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4712&stc=1
http://3dprintboard.com/attachment.p...tid=4713&stc=1
Good point Jim. Anything powerful is going to have a lot of settings. You won't find a simple and easy to use slicer that does a great job on everything. There are just too many variables. To really excel at 3d printing you have to be willing to jump in and really learn the settings. I do a lot of reading and cross referencing to find out what settings do. I read help files from other slicers, read online, read technical documents and anything that will explain "exactly" what's going on. Sometimes the variables have slightly different names but in the end, it's all the same. If you want to really fry your brain have a look at Skeinforge. It's a GUI nightmare but there are hundreds of little settings. About 9-months ago I made the decision I was going to learn to use it. Man was that a chore. but, what I found out is that it can do about anything you can imagine, it's just daunting. During that experience I learned a lot about what variables we have that pertain to FDM printers like ours. I also learned in the end, that Skeinforge was way, way to complex for everyday use and I found S3D. I've never looked back and haven't touched Slic3r,Pronterface, Cura, Kisslicer, Repetier-Host or Meshmixer since.Quote:
Originally Posted by jimc
So far, I haven't found anything that S3D can't print well. So, take off those training wheels and dig in. What you learn along the way will make life so much better.
Absolutely!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bassna
Here's pics of the latest print: http://screencast.com/t/sPqjSbEqTiv
Here's the factory file, which I think includes all of the settings, but let me know if that's not true, and I'll get you any screenshots that it doesn't include: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fp04ynvkiq...s.factory?dl=0
Thank you! That's a great head start on the things to look at. I'll poke at the settings you posted and figure out how to do that calibration. Honestly something I hadn't even heard of, so thank you for giving me a place to start my research.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobH2
It's not that I'm not willing to jump in, I mean I realize that I'm getting into this a couple of generations before it's really consumerized. However I've always preferred working through things like this with the support of a community, and these conversations will help others know where to start when they hit something similar...and I don't expect to not have to tweak and play. But it's not at all clear how the settings will impact the print. I can't even find something in simplify that sounds like a feedrate to adjust.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobH2
I have to say, your print of that weapon looks pretty good and given the small scale, it looks really good to me. I see a few imperfections but I don't think I've ever printed and not gotten some small flaw. What am I missing in the photo that makes it a problem print?
I also cast my vote for Simplify3d. It's extremely reliable and the preview and render features are well worth the price tag. That said, if you're not up for the expenditure, I was able to get some decent results with Pronterface when I first got my printer.
Does Simplify3D need an Internet connection to work?
Nope! I run my entire software suite offline most of the time.