Slicers and Quality

I have been using Cura and Fusion 360 to slice my code.Cura seems to have about every option I could imaging (I am using Creality Ender-5). But I wonder if other slicers give you more control over the final GCODE. For example 3 top and bottom layers suffice for a lot of prints but there are areas that need strengthening, ability to drill later etc, and in those areas perhaps increasing to more layers makes sense. Also having a way to view areas of GCODE and see them represented on the slicer graphic would be handy for trouble areas. And of course there is the general issue of generating the cleanest-or fastest- slice. I was wondering if other slicers may produce better results and control. I had Simplify3d in mind for example.Anyone have some real world comparisons?ThanksFritz

I started using Cura though wanting better quality I started using PrusaSlicer 2.3.0.

This sweet slicer that has Slic3r roots will stand above most Free Slicers and will even put some expensive Slicers to shame.

P.S. There is an Ender 5 Profiles an many filament profiles ready to download from within the PrusaSlicer 2.3.0..

I am the same. Used Cura heavily and started with PrusaSlicer a few years back. Ran both for a while as Cura had better support options. Then with the release of more recent PrusaSlicer builds I just switched across entirely. Haven't loaded Cura in months.

Nicest thing about PrusaSlicer is how they've broken the parameters down into Print/Filament/Printer tabs, so if you're running multiple printers, you can share most of the profiles between them.

I haven't seen much print quality differences between a well setup Cura or PrusaSlicer print. Either works well. My print time estimation is almost spot on with PrusaSlicer for all my machines, which is a nice bonus.

Thank you for these replies. Prusa seems to come up often as a good option. Nothing wrong with Cura by the way but just wondering if there are differences in outcomes as I have sometimes heard-Martin's comment on quality is pertinent here.

I can take a look at Prusa since it is no cost.

Looks like it Does it pan thru the GCODE as it runs, perhaps displaying interpretations on the GCODE commands--
Can you set different densities on different layers?

ThanksFritz

It can read gcode in, which is a pretty useful trick.

Here's a quick example of using a modifier to change infill - 70% down the bottom, and 15% above.https://i.imgur.com/mz9kXFu.png

Everyone has different opinions on this subject, I have never tried Simpily3d simply because it does not have a 30 day trial or reduced functionality test program.
Plus the initial cost is out of my budget maybe if they reduced it more 3D Printer users would be able to test..


After reading many post though I believe that if Simpily3d had a free opensource slicer completion it would definitely be PrusaSlicer 2.3.0.
I have printed many models using information posted from Simpily3d owners and have made excellent 3D printed models using PrusaSlicer.
Again without Simpily3d and PrusaSlicer printing side by side it would be very difficult for me to say that one is better than the other.

Only that you can try PrusaSlicer 2.3.0 and if you do not like it you could purchase Simpily3d then maybe you could post which is better.
I have never seen, heard of read about a real life function by function comparison of the two slicers.

Thanks for the graphic Martin. I will download Prusa when I get a chance as I like the idea of viewing and perhaps modifying the GCODE. (I started to write a Python script to interpret the code, but it seems like there are just too many code constructs and too little documentation!).

Clif- you are correct about the cost of Simplify-they probably deserve their money but it is pricey in a world where cheap printers can be had for $200US and there is plenty of freeware out there. I mentioned them because they come up a lot as one of the better ones. They do have a sort of trial: "Try it for a full two weeks! If you don’t love the software, return it for a full refund."

A side by side comparison would be nice-my main interest is whether you see any quality differences. I am surprised by the differences in GCODE between Fusion and CURA. In my only comparison CURA seemed to look a little cleaner--possibly the way it was handling knurling on a knob. Unfortunately I don't have the drafts anymore.

Fritz

Was looking for this could not find so did not post previously

Attachment 16351

While 3D Printing this Laptop Stand at .28mm layer height i find that the area shaded in green has a texture as that of stairs.
Using PrusaSlicer I can change the layer only in this area, this allows the model to be printer in record time without the stair-step texture.

Attachment 16352

This model was one I was helping another user configure using PrusaSlicer.
I was using his model for proof on improving the model texture while keeping a low print time.
If a smoother print surface was desired a more extensive configuration could have been easily used to make it smoother.

Quote:

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After reading many post though I believe that if Simpily3d had a free opensource slicer completion it would definitely be PrusaSlicer 2.3.0.

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nope.
Simplify3d does a whole bunch of things that I've yet to be able to do with anything else.

Aesthetically, the layout, menu and profile system is streets ahead of the free slicers. And while all slicers have their own areas where they excel - flashprint, for example, is the best for cutting models and converting jpgs to extruded stls - simplify3d scores really high in all areas.

But the main reason s3d is just so good is the profile system.

Any model can have one or more profiles associated with it in the same build.

If I want to print one part at 0.1 layer height and 150mm/s and another at 0.3 and 75mm/s - I can.
I can apply different profiles to different parts of the same print.
I can have as many profiles as I like - which is bloody useful when you have 4 very different printers going.

Of the free ones I've tried - prusaslicer is the easiest to use.
But lacks the sheer versatility of s3d.

Quality wise - I'd say the printer itself has alot more to dpo with that than the current crop of slicers - which all pretty much do a great job.

And yeah s3d is way to expensive.
I bought mine when uit was about half the price it is now and there really weren't any decent free slicers around.
It also helped that i got a hands on tutorial from one of the 3DP unlimited team at a tct show.
So I knew what i was buying.

So it really depends what aspects of a slicer amd 3d printing you value most.
If you just like slow smooth prints and only have one printer with a single nozzle - then it really doesn't matter much which slicer you use. Just so long as you are comfortable using it.

The more printers you get and the more complex the prints you make (I'm currently doing quite a few prints with embedded parts) the more benefit you'll get from simplify 3d.

And when you consdier the average ender 3 user will end up spending another $200 - at least - over and above the original cost of the basic printer.
S3d really isn't that expensive.

Thanks Clif .. that was exactly the type of information that I was looking for. Unless I missed something, both Cura and Fusion lock you into one layer height. So having control over that alone is worth a lot. I will definitely download Prusa and learn about it.

Curious-your points are valued and well taken. The one thing I respect with S3D is that it is a one time fee-in the wonderful world of research here in the US what grants you get one year may not be the same the next so recurring software fees do not template well. I think it makes sense for me to go with Prusa for now and consider Simplify if I do a lot of printing.

Regarding that--I have heard some good things about the Sapphire from you and Gambo (he gave me some good examples) and I probably will upgrade at one of the labs I work for using this type.

(Meanwhile my Ender-5 has been quite a workhorse for our lab-running about 10 hours/day. It is like a model T Ford-not too sexy and compromised but you can build the whole darned thing with 1 wrench which is great at times of low funding).


cheersFritz

PrusaSlicer 2.3.0 has downloadable profiles one is a Ender 5

Click Configuration Tab > Select Configuration Wizard > Select Other Vendors and the Creality check box
Then select Creality FFF and select your 3D Printer and complete the profile installation by clicking on Finish.

You will note that on the configuration Wizard page you can select different filament i suggest you select all than apply.

yeah the ender 5 is a pretty solid cartesian machine.
I just wish creality would stop using bowden extruders. Just not necessary on a machine with good and even z-axis support.
It wouldn't make it any faster - but would let you use flexibles much easier and you just get that it of extra control and tighter tolearances on print dimensions.

yeah gambo had a couple little niggles setting his sapphire pro up - but as far as I know, it's running well now.

Of the free slicers I've used - prusaslicer is definitely the easiest to use.

Although the way it handle print speeds for the various areas of a model is weird and daft.
In simplify3d - all aspects of a print speed are handled as a percentage of the maximum set print speed.
Logical and easy to change when you want to.

On prusaslicer some things you have to set as individual speeds and others are a percentage of max set speed.
Just makes no sense. Either have one or the other - but mixing it up is just daft.

That's pretty much my only objection to prusaslicer.
That and not being easy to change between filaments and printers.

I haven't looked at it for a few months and - give them their due - prusa do keep improving it.
Might have alook today and see how it's progressing :-)

Every time I look at cura - it's harder to use.
The original cura - up to version 13 and change, was actually very good and well laid out.
When they reset the version number - it just got ridiculously complicated with simple and often changed setting buried under a half dozen layers of menu.
No clue what they were thinking there.

If you have a replicator clone of any make that still uses a mighty board and x3g files. I will make a case for flashprint.
It has one single flaw. You can't adjust the z-axis offset.

Something I use a lot, as different prints and materials will stick differently to the printbd and that's one of the best ways to adjust the level of 'stick'.

It's also fantastic if you have a jpg you want to urn into a 3d image. It will wrap it round a cylinder or a bunch of other shapes as well as producing a flat extrusion. All of which can be exported and used as you like in any other program.
So even if you're not using it to slice - it's still worth having on your machine.

Hi
Just to update things and nothing to do with slicers Curious Aardvark mentioned I had got a Sapphire Pro and had a few niggles, unfortunately the few niggles have grown and today the main board seems to have failed Display of extruder temp -2C no power to Extruder! extruder resistance nominal. Thermistor resistance 101 Ohms so also nominal at 20 C.

When it worked the results were superb when it worked -not a happy bunny- new main board £42 from Amazon.! what with having a faulty Extruder driver module on delivery it's about time these chinese supplier had some sort of Quality Control. I wanted a TOOL not a PROJECT. End of Rant.

Gambo

I downloaded Prusa this weekend and per "Curious" it definitely has much better thought out menus that Cura. Modern software writers can get Byzantine with their menus and finding an option on things like Cura can be much like playing "Dungeons and Dragons" on old mainframes.

I still was wondering if it has a feature where I can stop at a layer in the graphic and then display the GCODE there? Not sure if I am looking in the wrong place but maybe Prusa does not do this.
Does simplify do it?

Thanks
fritz

PrusaSlicer does not do that. Why do you want to view the gcode at a particular layer?

Well- you ask a good question--in theory we would hope that one does not have to go there. But at times I find looking thru the code useful. With my CNC printer I catch some things that way.
One thing I immediately noticed (and others did) is that Prusa "seems" to take about double time compared to Fusion or Cura using similar print parts. Having a look at the GCODE each generates may be revealing. (Aside: One nice thing that Fusion does, is print the time for each layers so you can look for costly layers).

In the end I suppose it is academic--just knowing some of the underpinnings. But to your point, 3D print is not my field and I suppose I can spend too much time on it!

thanks
Fritz

There's a few reasons why I wouldn't worry about it in the slicer. The first is that often some critical settings may be set elsewhere in the file, and not set specifically for that layer (e.g., fan speed). The second is that on a object with a decent chunk of infill, the gcode for a layer may be huge. I just opened the gcode for a fairly simple box structure, with a texture in the outside. That single layer had almost 2000 lines of gcode in it. I'd use a decent text editor, with some good search capability. I use BBedit for browsing gcode.

Just checked another one with gyroid infill. It had 9500 lines in a full gyroid layer.

With regard to speed, it's unlikely that there will be any major time difference between any slicers, if the speeds, accelerations and print parameters are all set the same. I wouldn't read too much into the speed differences betwen Fusion and PrusaSlicer until you are sure you're comparing like for like.