What software are most people using?

[ednisley]

go to Repetier-Host. Same toolchain, much nicer integration.

Turns out there's a staircase smack in the middle of that integration.

I build models upstairs in the Comfy Chair, iterating through OpenSCAD / Slic3r / gcode.ws until everything looks good on the big monitors, then trot down to the Basement Laboratory and fire the M2 cannon. All the files live on a server, the ancient workbench laptop runs the M2 through Pronterface, and the M2 Just Works.

I haven't done any manual printer jogging for a long, long time: turn on the heaters, load the G-Code file, tap Print, walk away, come back in an hour or two, and it's done.

Besides, Repetier depends on Mono, which (last I looked) hauls in a *ton* of dependencies...

[Tim]

Besides, Repetier depends on Mono, which (last I looked) hauls in a *ton* of dependencies...

The new programming paradigm. . . Use as many obscure library dependencies as you can. . .

[ednisley]

Hackaday, right? :) .

Or Hacker News or some such; a week ago, it was everywhere for about 15 minutes.

I think it's sufficiently weird to discourage anybody who hasn't already used CSG ops. If you're used to OpenSCAD, though, ain't nothing gonna weird you out, ever again... [grin]

[insta]

go to Repetier-Host. Same toolchain, much nicer integration.

Turns out there's a staircase smack in the middle of that integration.

I build models upstairs in the Comfy Chair, iterating through OpenSCAD / Slic3r / gcode.ws until everything looks good on the big monitors, then trot down to the Basement Laboratory and fire the M2 cannon. All the files live on a server, the ancient workbench laptop runs the M2 through Pronterface, and the M2 Just Works.

I haven't done any manual printer jogging for a long, long time: turn on the heaters, load the G-Code file, tap Print, walk away, come back in an hour or two, and it's done.

Besides, Repetier depends on Mono, which (last I looked) hauls in a *ton* of dependencies...

[bignordique]

New to 3D printing.

Began using Sketchup about 3 years ago. A bit of a learning curve, but easily
the best free, and better than most $$ software I've ever used.

Anyway... surprised to see so little mention of Sketchup in various 3D printer
forums?? Is there some reason Sketchup is not popular with the 3D printer crowd?

OpenSCAD seems to be popular, but I'd rather not climb another learning curve.

[insta]

New to 3D printing.

Began using Sketchup about 3 years ago. A bit of a learning curve, but easily
the best free, and better than most $$ software I've ever used.

Anyway... surprised to see so little mention of Sketchup in various 3D printer
forums?? Is there some reason Sketchup is not popular with the 3D printer crowd?

OpenSCAD seems to be popular, but I'd rather not climb another learning curve.

Sketchup makes files that are like the hot cheerleader in highschool -- gorgeous on the outside, hollow and broken on the inside!

Seriously though, it makes such terrible files that we found it easier to learn other software than try and fix its errors before printing.

[jsc]

Sketchup is a mesh modeler; it keeps track of the surfaces of objects. It's great for things like planning woodworking projects or mocking up some architecture, but when you hand the results off to be 3D printed, the meshes never end up aligned just right and you got holes and glitchy models. That is not to say you can't do amazing work in Sketchup, but that's entirely due to the skill and dedication of the person behind it. Sketchup is certainly doing him or her no favors.

OpenSCAD and other modelers intended for CAD are solid modelers. "Solid modeling is distinguished from related areas of geometric modeling and computer graphics by its emphasis on physical fidelity." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_modeling Once you have an object in a CAD program, the resulting STL output should be well behaved and suitable for 3D printing.

There are several programs available that exist solely for the purpose of taking the output of programs like Sketchup and fixing up any issues, so it is possible to use it for 3D printing, and indeed it is very popular on Thingiverse. Dedicated CAD programs have a whole host of tools beyond what Sketchup provides that make them more suitable for creating manufacturable objects, though.

OpenSCAD is an acquired taste, and requires some facility with programming. If you're comfortable with Sketchup and want to check out a true CAD program, I recommend checking out Autodesk Fusion 360 or OnShape; both have powerful free tiers available. DesignSpark Mechanical and Autodesk 123D Design are both a bit easier to pick up, but also both more limited in certain ways.

[benavery]

I found the same with SketchUp - I spent more time trying to convince the thing to make proper surfaces than I did modelling. I would have to re-do parts over when they got messed up, and in many cases it was super painful to create the new surface. Any non-trivial use of boolean operators would create needlessly complex meshes.
I use Inventor and/or Fusion360 and the suit my modelling style better. I love being able to go back and tweak a tolerance without having to re-model almost everything - a problem I found I constantly had when using SketchUp and Rhino (the former being near impossible to fix stuff, the later taking too long due to my lack of Rhino skill)

[rsilvers]

Solidworks to make parts. Simplify to print.

If I did not have Solidworks, I would use Fusion 360, OnShape, or DesignSpark as a 3rd choice.

[rsilvers]

Nearly all OpenSCAD parts look like crap. Not sure if it is due to the limitations of the program, the fact that it is laborious to add detail,or that people who use it have no sense for design.