Simplify3D - new version and worthy upgrade
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Yeah thats what they like to do…. even to this day with the new release they deny that parimeters not being effected by bridge settings is a bug... in the new release its become a new "feature" to check a box that allows bridging of parimeters.... before then it was very difficult to get a decent bridge with S3D regardless of all the complaints nothing was ever done about it until years later
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Although there are some bug with s3d it is still one of the better slicers out there.
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I'm struggling to find how to access some of the new features though
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I was also considering purchasing S3D due to vast amounts of hype surrounding it. There was a YouTuber giving it a lot of praise, then I read the comments and found out he was actually sponsored by S3D…
I'm not arguing that the thing doesn't slice well, but I have gotten the impression that the time they consider too valuable to be be used to respond to customer inquiries, they instead might invest in marketing (viral, guerrilla, sponsorships that at least once seemed rather opaque). I also recall someone saying (take it with a grain of salt) that they tried to get refunded on S3D but was ignored for weeks, after which he worked the refund through his bank. Personally, I have strong resentment for both ignoring customers (potential or established) and sleazy marketing tactics - I'm fine with viral and a bit of guerrilla, and transparent sponsorships, but not with what gives a strong stench of astroturfing. The supposed lax pace of updates and overlooking of bug fixing and feature requests also rings an alarm.
All that said, it would be nice if someone could make an objective up-to-date comparison of the most powerful slicers out there, because as much as I care about principles and all that, my number one priority is getting good prints. I have only used Slic3r and Cura, and while I've understood that many would disagree with me on this point, Cura seemed to create more sensible paths than Slic3r. I had to go back to Slic3r due to severely limited configuration in Cura. I wonder to what extent the path generation in Slic3r is hardcoded and to what extent the user can affect it, and if some of the insane decisions Slic3r makes could be re-programmed or alleviated. I would also like to see detailed, in-depth data and analysis on practical differences in tendencies between the different slicers in generating paths. Is S3D actually more intelligent, and can anyone show me exactly how? If so, is Slic3r likely to catch up, or are there half a dozen Paul Erdõs'es and John von Neumanns programming algorithms for S3D?
My searches on the subject mostly returned threads packed full of non-information, saturated with S3D hype written by people who in the same breath give a strong impression that they haven't really immersed themselves in the technology they're using, and when the recommendations consist mostly of superlatives, emotion and vague handwaving instead of technical analysis, its worth as data is close enough to nil to be completely ignored.
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My impressions:
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Slic3r development ground to a halt not long after version 1.20 was released, and slic3r was very unstable at that point. [That's when I switched to S3D]. But now the Prusa version is available, and I hear good things about it - although it appears to be rather too much targeted at electronics running Marlin rather than other firmwares.
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Cura was never my favourite and it took a step backwards when it switched from version 15.04 to version 2. But it appears to have caught up to a large extent. It looks like it's about to get support for relative extrusion at last.
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Simplify3D works well if you have only one 3D printer. It is truly appalling at managing settings for multiple 3D printers of different types.
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I had to go back to Slic3r due to severely limited configuration in Cura.
There's a lot you can tweak in the current cura, have you looked at it recently?
I started with slic3r then moved to s3d and now I use (and contribute code to) cura. I have got some great prints from s3d but two things have made me give up with it. 1 - the insane configuration regime with profiles and processes, I never got to grips with that. 2 - the developers utter refusal to fix glaring problems that people whined about for months (years, actually).
I now only use cura and am getting some very nice prints with that. Also, because it's open source and written in a language that I understand, I am able to fix bugs and contribute new features so whenever I come across some aspect of it that I think I can improve, I do. Sure, there's some major features missing from cura (bridging control and variable layer heights spring immediately to mind) but there's a lot to be said for a slicer that just does the basic stuff really well.
I have come to realise that slicer's are very difficult programs to write because of the vast range of input that the users throw at them with the expectation that what pops out the other end will be a flawless print. The development process is vastly aided by allowing the users to provide feedback to the developers because the developers alone will not be doing enough testing with a wide range of input models and settings. This is where people like s3d are completely hopeless and the open source slicers have a great advantage.
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I used Slic3r 1.2.9 for a few years, was quite happy with its output, but it was very unstable and crashed very often (windows version). To the point I even considered a linux VM just to run Slic3r with fewer crashes. It was just at this point I became aware of Prusa Slic3r… more on that later.
I tried S3D v3 (downloaded it for free, with the intention of purchasing it if I liked it) and whilst the slicing speed was impressive, and the gcode preview was very good like burtoogle I found the processes and factory files etc... rather confusing (although I accept they probably allow for great versatility once you get a handle on how they work), I was forced to conclude for my Simplify 3D should be called "Complicate 3D". Never purchased it, and don't intend to. +1 for David's comment about multiple printers this put me off immensely.
Prusa Slic3r is now my favourite tool. Everything I liked about slic3r, much more stable, I have had it crash maybe once or twice in 6 months, active development, bugs are fixed, devs respond to requests. Has some nice features like being able to graphically determine the areas where you want better detail, as well as handling basic printing well. Bridges are printed the right way (eg. the shortest distance across etc.). Getting familiar with what all of the settings do takes time, but there's enough to tweak to get a decent print out of almost any STL.
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My impressions:
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Slic3r development ground to a halt not long after version 1.20 was release, and slic3r was very unstable at that poit. [That's when I switched to S3D]. But now the Prusa version is available, and I hear good things about it - although it appears to be rather too much targeted at electronics running Marlin rather than other firmwares.
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Cura was never my favourite and it took a step backwards when it switched from version 15.04 to version 2. But it appears to have caught up to a large extent. It looks like it's about to get support for relative extrusion at last.
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Simplify3D works well if you have only one 3D printer. It is truly appalling at managing settings for multiple 3D printers of different types.
I agree on all your points, though now that I was pointed in a better direction for managing s3d for multiple printers, it's not so bad. In your profile, check the box to update your printer settings, and define your printer there. Don't bother with the menu option for it, just do it within the profiles.
FYI, S3D4 has a bug with gcode files that are generated if they're too large. I haven't figured out where the problem shows up, but once it does, you start getting a lot of junk null characters at the end of your gcode. ("^@"). I'm using postprocessing with sed to strip them out. If you don't, it'll print fine, but RRF can't estimate your print times at all.
I've pointed it out to support and provided examples, it's been confirmed and a fix should be coming.
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It amazes me that Simplify3D still doesn't have good support for round beds (for deltas). Sure, you can select a cylindrical build volume, but there's no setting for diameter. To get the equivalent, you need to multiply your diameter with sqrt(2)/2 and set that as X and Y sizes.
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I like the new features! Specially dynamic width of walls and dynamic thin wall fill.
me too.
It is one of the best new features. Especially as I do like my 0,6mm nozzle. I don't have to worry about walls. -
My S3D hasn't worked since the upgrade, keeps crashing every time i open a dialog window.
Support havent been that helpful. Looking on their forum, I'm not the only one with these issues so until they fix it I can't recommend it
I've gone back to Slicer (Prusa edition) and its working well (Better than S3D v3[but cant comment on V4 yet])
