Ultimaker Cura 3D Printing Software

JimCR120

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Site Moderator
I was given a 3D printer, the CR-10 which is also on the forum, as an early Christmas present from my youngest son. It seems he did his homework as the reviews claim it is currently the best at its price. With it came some essential software, the Cura slicer. As I learn about 3D printing I considered the value of the learning process something beneficial for the forum. As a noob in this process I humbly welcome and depend on insight, guidance, and correction from the forum.

In 3D printing a slicer is a program that will take a 3 dimensional drawing and "slice" it into layers which basically break down the printing process into steps, starting with the bottom slice. Files begin as an .stl file and then after slicing they are made into a .gcode file. If you were to look at a gcode file you would see a list of text containing coordinate values and other information to tell the printer what to do and where to do it. The process of going from .stl to .gcode is fairly quick and easy but there are other values that are important to know so that the printer will have the necessary details such as the printer specifications and print quality specifications.

There are other slicer programs available such as Simplify3d for a price while others like Ultimaker Cura is free.
 
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JimCR120

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Site Moderator
With the 3D printer came Cura 14.12 which is now 3 years old. I'd rather not spend time in learning outdated information so I'm downloading the latest version, 3.0.4 from the Ultimaker Cura website and will continue from there.
 

JimCR120

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Downloading was straightforward. Launching the app for the first time brings up a window asking about particulars such as the specific printer(s) to be used starting with Ultimaker's own brands while having custom FDM and many other brands also available.
Screen Shot 2017-12-02 at 4.04.10 PM.png
Screen Shot 2017-12-02 at 4.04.54 PM.png
My printer is a HicTop rebrand of a Creality CR-10.


After adding the printer the printer specific workspace comes up. It has a dropdown at the upper right corner identifying the current printer setup and allowing for switching/adding others.
Screen Shot 2017-12-02 at 4.05.30 PM.png
 
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JimCR120

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Site Moderator
Loading and .stl in to the app is super easy. You can simply drag and drop the .stl file onto the Cura app icon or if the program is already open you can drag and drop the file into the work space window. It will then load and begin slicing.

I did this and without specifying any other parameters my prints imroved dramatically and the times were cut nearly in half. Below you can see the difference in prints, the top two were the ones done on Cura 3.0.4 and the ones at the bottom Cura 14.12.

The little boat is called a Benchy. I suppose that name refers to it being a benchmark. It's actually a very good diagnostic print to use as it tests several impartant aspects of printing 3D and it does it in well under an hour where the other test print takes over 3 hours.
 

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sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Jim,

You can also look into another program called Slic3r, which is free and does slicing. I personally don't like it as much as Cura, but that's me.

Also, it's worth noting that, while the newer versions of Cura are smoother, some 3D printers do not play well with it. I've been trying (with limited success) to print with my Monoprice Mini Select v1 on the latest version of Cura, only to have it bomb out on several prints, anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the way through the print. Upon inspection, it will show the layer at the level where it fails has some weird Gcode, causing it to try to print materials well outside of the model I'm making, and oddly, it's only for a few angles that don't seem to show up on other layers - or in the 15.04 version.

It's definitely a good idea to run the latest version if you can, but be aware that if you run an older 3D printer, it may not be compatible.
 

jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
Well Jim...you got me to give Cura another try yesterday. I've never been a big fan...but there are things about it I want to like (how quickly it slices, the live preview, and more efficient gcode...oh and the ability to slice the 3d lab prints planes.)

So I fired it up again and finally tried my idea on how to apply my calibration method. I changed the settings to do a 0.48mm extrusion width (Cura defaults to 0.4 on a 0.4 nozzle even though any number of sources will say that's not a good idea due to die expansion and how extrusion works - but I won't go into the details here.) I also changed it to do only 1 wall thickness and no top/bottom. Then I fired up openscad and created a 10mm cube which I brought in and sliced. Sent the gcode to my printer...and...it only printed about 2-3mm and then just stopped extruding. Not a clog - the extruder just wasn't even trying anymore. But the wall thickness on what did print was close. (within about 0.04mm)

And 10mm was smaller than I meant to use. I scaled it up to 40mm and tried again...same thing, got a few mm up and then stopped extruding. I finally measured one of my usual test prints and realized 20mm is what I usually use so re-scaled to that and tested again...and once again it just stopped extruding a dozen or so layers up.

Grrr. About here I remembered this was the problem I ran into the last time I tried doing a 3D lab prints print. It would start out well and look good...then just suddenly stop extruding.

I looked at the gcode and nothing jumped out at me as wrong...but something must be.

Hmm...what version of Cura is this anyway....2.3.1 Well, that's not the latest version, in fact it's a full major version off...so let's grab the latest and give it another try.

Well, with the latest 3.0.4 my test worked! It was a tiny bit overextruded...my 0.48mm walls came in at 0.54mm (or so...I didn't write it down and don't remember exactly.) Whatever it was I did the math and it looked like about .88 - .89 would be my adjustment if I was using slic3r...but Cura wants a percentage...so put in 89% for Flow and tried again. Now I'm getting an average of 0.48 and am happy!

20171204_081111.jpg

It's getting late though...not enough time to run a Benchy. So I'll run off one of my favorite make magazine tests the negative space tolerance test. This is an important test if you're doing parts that need to fit together accurately or are trying to do print in place designs with moving parts that don't have to be assembled after printing. Used almost stock settings...just changed to 0.25mm layers since that's what I know is efficient on my machine and put in the 89% flow rate.

Note - this is something I'm really not big about on Cura...the flow rate adjustment is part of the print config not part of the filament config. This is somewhat infuriating since it's something that varies from roll to roll of filament so really should be a filament setting. Having to manually track it and change it for each filament is really backwards.

Anyway...I ran the print...as it was printing I noticed Cura's infill is totally different than slicers and I'm not a fan....there are probably deeper hidden settings (I just checked...there are) but the default is simple rectilinear which isn't very good IMHO. I usually use a 3D honeycomb in slic3r which uses less filament, prints quicker, but gives a more solid part.

Let's compare:

Cura 20% infill:
Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 9.21.50 AM.png

Slic3r 15% 3D honeycomb infill (My usual default):
Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 9.21.07 AM.png

Slic3r 15% rectilinear to be more fair:
Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 9.22.49 AM.png

Slic3r 20% rectilinear to be totally fair:
Screen Shot 2017-12-04 at 9.25.01 AM.png

Few things to note here.

Slic3r colors perimeters different than infill so it's easier to see what's going on. Not sure if there's a way to change that in Cura but if there is it's hidden well enough I didn't find it.

Also, I'm using 3 perimeters in slic3r but cura's default (wall line count) is 2. On most parts I prefer using more perimeters and less infill. A number of people have tested this and shown that most of the strength in a part comes from the perimeters and more infill doesn't make a huge difference. However infill does help keep the geometery of the part accurate by giving a framework for later layers to rest on. So I generally use about 15-20% for that reason. My MPCNC parts I did print at very high infill because those need to be very dense parts - they get done at 55% infill which results in a very solid part - but they're the exception rather than the rule.

Looking at the infill though. Two things jump out at me.

1) Cura does infill across the entire STL not individual parts. You can see the grid just goes right across the pegs. I tried a few of the other cura infill patterns and it seems to be consistent...the "Cross 3D" pattern may be different...but hard to tell on something this small. Slic3r by comparison evaluates each separate piece of a STL individually...which means...

2) Slic3r does the pins as solid parts due to how small they are. Cura just treats them as part of the whole and gives them sloppy looking infill.

I'm not big on how Cura treats an entire STL as one part and doesn't try to evaluate it more intelligently like how Slic3r does. Whether the pins need to be solid or not is debateable, and I could turn down the setting for when to go to solid in Slic3r if I wanted....but I don't see any option in Cura to get it to do the same.

Also of note - 20% in Cura results in a lot less infill than 20% in Slic3r.

But the big question is...how did the print do? Well...not bad at all:

20171204_081051.jpg

In fact, most of those pins fell out by themselves. I only had to push one of them out with my fingers. Yes the .2mm pin is stuck...it almost always is, only occasionally am I able to remove it and then only by cheating and using the table or a tool to assist. I can see light around most of it though so it's very close which is good.

There is some ringing visible in the print....but that's not surprising....the 20mm test shells have less ringing showing than I usually get so that's nice...and the corner where the Z changes on those test shells IS cleaner than I usually get (Cura is setup with more retraction by default than what I usually run. (I run 1mm in slic3r but Cura defaults to a whopping 6.5mm! Probably because ultimaker uses bowden extruders by default...I used their "Prusa i3" settings but since Cura puts retraction on the material instead of on the printer like Slic3r does it probably doesn't change that based on the printer you select...something else I'm not big on about Cura.)

So overall print quality is ok...but there are still a lot of things about Cura I'm just not a fan of. But it is nice to know I've finally got it working decently so I'll try a few more tests with it and maybe some 3D lab test parts to see how it does.

I think the big "problem" with cura is that it's so linked to ultimachine and their printers - the way things are setup are great for them...but a bit of a hack for other designs. Slic3r on the other hand has always be it's own independent project...now I have switched to using the Prusa edition of Slic3r which has added some very nice improvements - and some stuff designed just for the Prusa printers...but nothing Prusa has done has made it any less effective on other printers. And the way Slic3r puts properties on filament vs. print vs. printer really makes a LOT more sense to me than how Cura does.

But I'm always willing to try new and different things so I'll give Cura a workout for a week and see if it wins me over at all ;)
 

JimCR120

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Site Moderator
What? I did something that influenced you? Wow!

I might have to give Slic3r a try but I'm not in a hurry to throw in another variable. Right now I'm at a standstill due to lack of filament. It turns out that even though filament feeds very slowly, it will indeed run out eventually. Who'd a thunk it? Needless to say I'm dealing with some 3D withdrawal. I guess my generous son who bought me the printer was more wise than I as he already has more on the way.

By the way, I don't know if you noticed when you went to download, but there is another version of Cura coming out. There at the website Cura 3.1 beta is also available for download. I was tempted but refrained due to my current inexperience.

Now as for your tests, I can't say I understand them. For example, why was it good that the pegs broke off? I am very interested in knowing how to evaluate my 3D printing ability. I like your points about infill patterns and percentages. Please feel free to keep educating me as you please. I do appreciate it.
 

LitterBug

Techno Nut
Moderator
Due to my bad decision for a first printer, I really only have experience with Simplify3D. It worked out of the box with my printer and is the preferred slicer for the 3Dlabprint planes. I should take a moment or two to play around with cura and SLIC3r. Especially now that I have a printer that can take just about anything thrown at it.

LB
 

jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
What? I did something that influenced you? Wow!

It goes both ways :)

I might have to give Slic3r a try but I'm not in a hurry to throw in another variable. Right now I'm at a standstill due to lack of filament. It turns out that even though filament feeds very slowly, it will indeed run out eventually. Who'd a thunk it? Needless to say I'm dealing with some 3D withdrawal. I guess my generous son who bought me the printer was more wise than I as he already has more on the way.

Slic3r is far from the easiest tool to master...but it's one of those things that if you're willing to put the effort in tends to reward it. At least in my experience. Then again I've never been a fan of "simple" things and always tend to prefer options that give me control/choice over an initially easy experience ;)

By the way, I don't know if you noticed when you went to download, but there is another version of Cura coming out. There at the website Cura 3.1 beta is also available for download. I was tempted but refrained due to my current inexperience.

I think the version I had on here before was a beta...I know I've tried their betas before...and found they had more issues than I had hoped. So for now I'm sticking with their latest stable release in hopes of it being...well...stable :D If I was regularly using Cura more I'd try out the beta...but when re-evaluating it overall I'd rather not go with a beta and then get frustrated by something that's just a temporary beta issue.

Now as for your tests, I can't say I understand them. For example, why was it good that the pegs broke off? I am very interested in knowing how to evaluate my 3D printing ability. I like your points about infill patterns and percentages. Please feel free to keep educating me as you please. I do appreciate it.

The pins coming out is unique to that particular test. The test is designed to test how well the slicer/printer deal with negative space - i.e. the space between parts. For designs that have moving parts this is critical since if it isn't accurate you'll have parts fused together. So in this test what it is is a series of pins with different sized gaps around them. The left most pin as a .2mm gap between it and the block, the next one a .3mm, then .4 followed by .5 and .6. I've never had .6 get stuck even on a terribly tuned setup. Getting .3 out is generally a sign of a well tuned printer, .2 is only removable on a very well tuned printer.

My test cube shells are just to check that I'm getting the extrusion I ask for. Since I have the slicer set to 0.48mm extrusion width and one thickness on the walls the goal is to get them to actually be 0.48mm thick. Though you have to be careful when measuring and try to get just the topmost layer so you're not throwing off your measurement by any shifting between layers.

It looks like the link on those make test prints to the info on how to evaluate them is broken....here's the correct link:
https://makezine.com/2014/11/07/how-to-evaluate-the-2015-make-3dp-test-probes/
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
I think I'm following you now on the pegs. A smaller gap would normally be preferable in that you would have less wiggle room but unfortunately the printers aren't consistant enough to have a uniform gap and so they get stuck. Am I understanding correctly?

I did try printing a nut and bolt and didn't quite have success. It might be related but there are other things to rule out too. The first time through I was doing 6 prints at once to see how well that would go. I'm thinking it might not have been the best choice to try that when there are moving parts. The shaft of the bolt sheared from the head while freeing it from the bed. Maybe a dedicated bolt print would produce better piece adhesion. The part was also partially hollow so I probably should start playing with infill numbers and see how that plays in. Nevertheless I did try running the shaft into the nut with partial success. I didn't attepmt to clean the threads of either side though and suspect it would have been better if I ran something through the thread to clear out any burrs.

One question I have now is ragrding the ability to go from an idea to an .stl. I haven't made the attempt yet but think that is another peice of this puzzle I need to know. I know Fusion360 is often mentioned. Is drawing with that similar to Sketchup? I saw Sketchup will do .stl's as long as the extension is installed. With everyone bragging about Fusion360 I'm tempted to go that route but the free license is limited to 3 years.
 

agentkbl

Illegal Squid Fighting?
the free license (I think) is one year, but you can renew it every year for free. it is (I think) almost entirely different from Sketchup. I've never used Sketchup, but it's not parametric, and Fusion is, meaning that you draw two dimensional shapes, define them with measurements and constraints and then extrude, revolve, or loft them into three dimensions. I'm pretty sure that's not how Sketchup works.
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
I've barely used Sketchup and nothing at all with Fusion360. I wouldn't mind jumping on the Fusion360 happy bandwagon with all the satisfied people but hesitate at the idea that I might get hooked on a product that later gets a price tacked on. I'm a little torn on this one.

I suppose I should just pick one and give it a try and see what happens. Since Sketchup is free and there are no strings attached I think I'll start there. On the other hand if Fusion360 has a limited free license that can be renewed perpetually then that might be worth the hassle if it's as good as it sounds.

Right now I'm just bummed waiting for any one of 3 filament orders to get delivered. No one around here that I know of has the stuff on the shelves. Surely I'm not the first to be so eager to keep printing. I was actually contemplating digging out some weed wacker line to keep things going in a curious sort of way. I think Jason or someone also mentioned this. Am I a 3D junkie?

Then again on the Makerbot site I saw links about other free software too. Ufff! Which 3D software should I use?
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
Cura 3.1 Available for Download

Well well how's that for timing!
Screen Shot 2017-12-06 at 11.48.34 PM.png
Screen Shot 2017-12-06 at 11.52.17 PM.png
Cura 3.1 is no longer a beta!

So of course I downloaded it and PLAyed around with my newly arrived filaments (see what I did there :D). I am a noob at this and maybe I'm easy to please but wow! I printed off the Benches for all filaments, a working threaded nut and bolt, and right now I'm trying out a musical recorder.
IMG_6459.jpeg IMG_0293.jpeg
I did have to work the threads back and forth a bit to get it to go smoothly but eventually I got there.


Jason, I'm not sure if this was what you were looking for but I took a snapshot anyway to be sure. It's a Benchy in Layer view with colors showing the different types of printing going on within the Benchy print. This is in 3.1. I didn't look for it in the previous version.
Screen Shot 2017-12-07 at 12.30.56 AM.png


One thing I would like to find and haven't is a print queue. Also, I read somewhere that it's better to print off of the micro SD card but is there any benefits to running the USB cable directly computer to printer? Cura shows a monitor tab that might work with that and if I could gain a print queue I would certainly like that.

It's late. I'm printing the next piece in the recorder. Goodnight all.
 
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jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
Jason, I'm not sure if this was what you were looking for but I took a snapshot anyway to be sure. It's a Benchy in Layer view with colors showing the different types of printing going on within the Benchy print. This is in 3.1. I didn't look for it in the previous version.

Nice, I'll check tonight if it's in the old version before I upgrade ;) Just haven't had much to print this week so haven't been doing much testing. I did whip out a benchy but keep forgetting to take photos of it :p

One thing I would like to find and haven't is a print queue. Also, I read somewhere that it's better to print off of the micro SD card but is there any benefits to running the USB cable directly computer to printer? Cura shows a monitor tab that might work with that and if I could gain a print queue I would certainly like that.

I don't find a print queue very helpful since you have to remove the previous print from the end and sometimes prep the bed between prints.

That said...printing from SD generally is better. It can actually sometimes be faster but more importantly it's usually more reliable. Printing over USB the connection can sometimes bottleneck and if the computer crashes or goes to sleep or gets busy....boom.

On the other hand printing while tethered lets you follow the progress closer.

But...copying files to the SD is annoying. Which is why a lot of people use a dedicated single board computer (Generally a Raspberry Pi but I use a $9 C.H.I.P which I like better since it has wifi built in and doesn't require a SD card...oh and it's only $9...but not currently available.)

I originally ran repetier-server with repetier-host on my desktop. I liked that setup a lot since repetier-host is a nicer plater than slic3r and could use either slic3r or cura for slicing. But they changed the licensing on repetier-server and disabled functions in the free release which rubbed me the wrong way. So I switched to OctoPrint and just send to it directly from slic3r...with cura you need a plugin to be able to send to OctoPrint directly and I haven't found one that is listed as working in v3+ yet and haven't bothered to experiment to see if any of the ones I found do work in 3+. So I'm just uploading to OctoPrint manually through it's web interface.

Honestly I prefered Repetier-Server to OctoPrint....but at almost $80 I just can't justify the price of repetier-server when OctoPrint works and is free.

This setup gives the best of both worlds. With a dedicated linux computer there's almost no chance of a crash or the system getting busy - but you're still tethered so you can still follow print progress. Plus you get a web interface which you can tunnel through your router so you can check on your printer from anywhere. Add in a webcam (which both rep-server and OP support) and it's a pretty powerful setup. To really take it up a notch you can even setup a relay to control power to the printer so you can shut it down remotely in an emergency.

I've even heard from some people who do multiple prints a day un-attended. They use the print head to push the previous print off the plate when it's all cooled down. I'm not a fan of that idea though - could damage the print head or gantry if you have good print adhesion, and you leave the skirt behind which will mess up your next first layer.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Nice, I'll check tonight if it's in the old version before I upgrade ;) Just haven't had much to print this week so haven't been doing much testing. I did whip out a benchy but keep forgetting to take photos of it :p



I don't find a print queue very helpful since you have to remove the previous print from the end and sometimes prep the bed between prints.

That said...printing from SD generally is better. It can actually sometimes be faster but more importantly it's usually more reliable. Printing over USB the connection can sometimes bottleneck and if the computer crashes or goes to sleep or gets busy....boom.

On the other hand printing while tethered lets you follow the progress closer.

But...copying files to the SD is annoying. Which is why a lot of people use a dedicated single board computer (Generally a Raspberry Pi but I use a $9 C.H.I.P which I like better since it has wifi built in and doesn't require a SD card...oh and it's only $9...but not currently available.)

I originally ran repetier-server with repetier-host on my desktop. I liked that setup a lot since repetier-host is a nicer plater than slic3r and could use either slic3r or cura for slicing. But they changed the licensing on repetier-server and disabled functions in the free release which rubbed me the wrong way. So I switched to OctoPrint and just send to it directly from slic3r...with cura you need a plugin to be able to send to OctoPrint directly and I haven't found one that is listed as working in v3+ yet and haven't bothered to experiment to see if any of the ones I found do work in 3+. So I'm just uploading to OctoPrint manually through it's web interface.

Honestly I prefered Repetier-Server to OctoPrint....but at almost $80 I just can't justify the price of repetier-server when OctoPrint works and is free.

This setup gives the best of both worlds. With a dedicated linux computer there's almost no chance of a crash or the system getting busy - but you're still tethered so you can still follow print progress. Plus you get a web interface which you can tunnel through your router so you can check on your printer from anywhere. Add in a webcam (which both rep-server and OP support) and it's a pretty powerful setup. To really take it up a notch you can even setup a relay to control power to the printer so you can shut it down remotely in an emergency.

I've even heard from some people who do multiple prints a day un-attended. They use the print head to push the previous print off the plate when it's all cooled down. I'm not a fan of that idea though - could damage the print head or gantry if you have good print adhesion, and you leave the skirt behind which will mess up your next first layer.

My dad and I set up an OctoPrint Pi server that we connected to his Prusa; it's kinda nice to just shoot files across from his Mac web browser over to the Pi and start prints in another room. Plus, we can monitor prints using the Logitech webcam I hooked up to the Pi, and see how it's progressing. I'll be honest that the webcam quality isn't the greatest (I think it's due to the limitations of the Wi-Fi dongle that the Pi2 board we're using has, in addition to the locations of the printer and the router), but it does a fairly decent job considering the OSes we're working with!
 

JimCR120

Got Lobstah?
Site Moderator
Not happy about no print queue. I had thought of the object being in the way and though I could work around that by strategically placing the objects on the bed and taking into account their sizes. I did a multiple object print but for some things with moving parts I don't care for the quality and if strength is important I'm guessing the cooling between layers would degrade object strength.

I will be interested in knowing your thoughts about pros and cons of 3.1.

As for how to get files to the printer, I suppose I'll just get a 2nd micro SD so I can load, print, and then switch after the print. I haven't tried pulling the card during a print. If the whole .gcode is uploaded for the print then I'll just go that route.

Now I'm a printing fool. I've got a growing list of things to print and to consider printing (leveling knobs, filament guides, I'm printing a recorder right now, maybe a marble madness type thing for the kids, looking for something less in the way than the document clips...) By the way, I noticed the print head has a different path to print than before. Is that something I can define. I would like to secure my glass plate better but I had to move one clip because the nozzle ran into it. I'mthinging of a design that might alleviate that but am not there yet and only saw a few things on Thingiverse that might do the trick. Not sure.

I remember you posting about a Hovalin. How's that going? Worth it? The music teacher where I work is a violinist and I mentioned the Hovalin to him. Of course he was curious about it. And now I have a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter who want to learn violin.

I know I ask a lot and also recognize the time of year. By all means don't allow me to interfere with home duties or festivities. And thank you for all the coaching.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
Not happy about no print queue. I had thought of the object being in the way and though I could work around that by strategically placing the objects on the bed and taking into account their sizes. I did a multiple object print but for some things with moving parts I don't care for the quality and if strength is important I'm guessing the cooling between layers would degrade object strength.

I will be interested in knowing your thoughts about pros and cons of 3.1.

As for how to get files to the printer, I suppose I'll just get a 2nd micro SD so I can load, print, and then switch after the print. I haven't tried pulling the card during a print. If the whole .gcode is uploaded for the print then I'll just go that route.

Now I'm a printing fool. I've got a growing list of things to print and to consider printing (leveling knobs, filament guides, I'm printing a recorder right now, maybe a marble madness type thing for the kids, looking for something less in the way than the document clips...) By the way, I noticed the print head has a different path to print than before. Is that something I can define. I would like to secure my glass plate better but I had to move one clip because the nozzle ran into it. I'mthinging of a design that might alleviate that but am not there yet and only saw a few things on Thingiverse that might do the trick. Not sure.

I remember you posting about a Hovalin. How's that going? Worth it? The music teacher where I work is a violinist and I mentioned the Hovalin to him. Of course he was curious about it. And now I have a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter who want to learn violin.

I know I ask a lot and also recognize the time of year. By all means don't allow me to interfere with home duties or festivities. And thank you for all the coaching.

The path to print should be determined by 1) your printer's required settings for testing (for example, my dad's Prusa i3 does a self-check on the bed before each print to verify a level bed), and 2) by the gcode that the printer is using. In theory, it's possible to edit your start point in the Gcode, but I've not messed with it myself; for me, everything I've printed has always printed fine with how my slicer turned out the file for printing. But I know it CAN be done...
 

rockyboy

Skill Collector
Mentor
I had a similar print head crashing problem in Simplify3d and edited my start gcode to raise Z up 6mm as part of the start up script right after it reaches temperature. Cura should have a similar function, but I'm not familiar with where it is in the interface.
 

agentkbl

Illegal Squid Fighting?
I've barely used Sketchup and nothing at all with Fusion360. I wouldn't mind jumping on the Fusion360 happy bandwagon with all the satisfied people but hesitate at the idea that I might get hooked on a product that later gets a price tacked on. I'm a little torn on this one.

There's no time limit after which a price will be tacked on unless autodesk someday decides to cut their free cad out entirely. you can renew your subscription at any time for free as long as you're not using it to earn $100,000.00 a year or more.
 

jhitesma

Some guy in the desert
Mentor
On the subject of CAD.....

As far as I know what agentkbl says is accurate - you can keep renewing the free subscription indefinitely. I've used Fusion360 a bit but it doesn't really perform well on any of my computers (most of which are old...but even the macbook air I use for work I get frustrated with it not being snappy.) I do want to spend more time with it though because of it's CAM abilities since there's a post-processor for it to work with my MPCNC.

I'm not a fan of sketchup...I've done a couple of projects in it and it works. But it's interface just doesn't make sense to me. And it's STL exports are notoriously bad - they tend to have less resolution and frequently have holes in them which makes them un-slicable. Which is partly due to the nature of sketchup itself...it's very easy to accidentally create invalid geometry and it won't alert you and doesn't make it easy to fix. In the interest of being "friendly" they just ignore it and hide it from you. But it can really bite you when you go to export or make changes to a design.

My two goto cad setups are openscad and onShape.

For simple things openscad rocks...if you've got a bit of programming background. It's basically a language rather than an app and you code your designs programatically. This is how customizer designs on thingiverse are created - they're just openscad designs with some special variables/hooks that let thingiverse adjust the variables from a web form and generate new STL's. If you've got a good head for math and some programming background then it can be a VERY powerful cad platform.

But my current goto cad for more complex stuff is onshape. It's browser based and even on my wife's chromebook is usable (about as responsive as Fusion is on my macbook) on my real computers it runs great. On really big projects it can start to get a bit slow but if you focus on working on one element of the design at a time it's not bad at all. They have a ton of tutorials and help articles/videos that teach you how to do good parametric designs that are easy to adjust and change. It's free - but anything you create with the free version has to be public. It's made by the guy who originally created solidworks so it has a lot in common with that (and Fusion360 which is the same style of CAD.) It took me a bit to get the hang of this style of modeling...but once it clicked I really like it. I spent about a week doing the tutorials every night and now I find myself drawing things just because I enjoy drawing them :)