Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[DarkAlchemist]

Well, on my I3 it was Slic3r but for this machine it would be S3D or Cura.

[rcleav]

I am led to believe that they will indeed refund all of your money... eventually.

Anyway, I want to slum it for a while with the free software. I wish there were at least choices when it came to paid software, but Simplify3D appears to be it.

The only thing I'd really like to have from ReplicatorG is a preview feature where I can check out the layers, but there is other software for that. At the end of the day, I just want something that makes a good tool path and doesn't f@^k up my build.

I'm a Lightwave 3D user, so naturally I want to model stuff in that. I was going to write my own STL exporter (I read that now Lightwave ships with one, but alas, I haven't upgraded in a few years), but I found one online that I was able to modify to suit me. The only issue is that it only does ASCII STL, so the files are large, but I don't really mind as the STL is not what goes on the SD card anyway.

My first design should be ready to print by the time the printer arrives. Of course, It's not going to be the first thing I print. There'll be calibration cubes and Yoda busts and the usual flotsam.

Anyway, I can make my version of the STL exporter available if anyone's interested. It should be a bit faster than it was before I modified it, and it produces slightly more compact files. I just don't know who else is using Lightwave to model stuff.

I have fondness for Lightwave (showing my age here) from my Amiga Newtek Toaster days.
Have been using Fusion 360 for CAD now days.
Good luck with it. Be looking forward to some of your designs.

[DarkAlchemist]

I had a spare 2 hours tonight so I put in the replacement rod and stuck it together (not on the printer yet) and moved it back and forth and much smoother and no more grinding and clicking coming from it. The old rod I could move it with my hands and it made the same sounds as when the motor was moving it and this is so much better (basically how it should have been when it arrived). Chinese Engineer said this bent/bowed rod wouldn't cause this issue and I stood my ground and I was right. Seriously, it is akin to driving on a bent axle and if anyone has done that before you know what I mean.

Probably by the weekend I will have this all back together. Mechanically I know as much about this printer as I did my I3 and how many times I tweaked the I3 and changed its parts.

[Syd_Khaos]

So....does anyone have modeling experience outside of 3D printing? Mainly with UV wrapping/texturing.

I have this idea, it makes sense in my head, but wanna get a second opinion so to speak before I spend $300 on another machine.
I originally got into 3D modeling some years ago to mod some video games I enjoy. I'm wondering if the same UV wrapping process used to put a texture on a model could be used to make template for a vinyl cutter.

[jfkansas]

I have fondness for Lightwave (showing my age here) from my Amiga Newtek Toaster days.
Have been using Fusion 360 for CAD now days.
Good luck with it. Be looking forward to some of your designs.

I worked in a computer store that sold Amigas and Toasters back in the early 90s. The store was essentially right across the street from NewTek where they originally started.

[JSensebe]

I know a bit about UV mapping, but unfortunately nothing about cutting vinyl. Off the top of my head, you wouldn't be able to use a traditional UV map, because the shapes of the polygons are not necessarily the same in the map as they are in the model. Put simply, the pieces wouldn't fit.

Theoretically, one could write software to try and preserve the polygon shapes and preserve the connectivity between polygons as much as possible, creating an atlas map. You'd still have problems, though. Imagine trying to flatten out an orange peel.

[rcleav]

I worked in a computer store that sold Amigas and Toasters back in the early 90s. The store was essentially right across the street from NewTek where they originally started.

In Topeka? If I remember right downtown Topeka.
I toured there newer location in northern Topeka. A bus load of us from a graphics user group in Omaha went down there.

[jfkansas]

Yep around 8th street across from the courthouse.

[vbx]

Just received my QiDi 3d Printer. What's cuasing these horid prints? (sloppy, muddy, melty looking).

PLA Makerbot filament.
Temp 220C
Bed temp 40C
Leveled the best I could using printer paper and nozzle making some "slight resistance" But I've seen some people using thicker card stock?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3OKlTpn5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZUALDNIUoM

20160512_023619.jpg

[JSensebe]

I've read people mostly use business cards or similar stock, so you might be printing a little too close to the bed. Others will know better. My printer arrives later today.