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What release of Cura are you using? Found so many bugs since 4.0 and forward

Discussion in 'Software' started by RoboticsRob, Oct 7, 2020.

  1. RoboticsRob

    RoboticsRob Member

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    Hey everyone,

    So, I'm really curious what we're all using to slice for our R2's. Cura has been driving me down many rabbit holes this past year, only to find that after days of testing, its a bug, might be fixed soon, maybe not so much soon....

    Some of this years Cura non-starters:

    Cura 4.5.x you could not specify the start position for the layer/skirt
    Cura 4.6.x the seam placement settings did not work, and you could not properly locate where a seam was on the part
    Cura 4.7.x generates numerous blobs on the outside of curved/contour surfaces since the slicer incorrectly simplifies models and inserts tons of random slow downs in walls

    So what all are we using? Cura pre 4.5.x? The appears-to-no-longer-be-maintained-but-is-still-very-not-free Simplify3d?
     
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    >The appears-to-no-longer-be-maintained-but-is-still-very-not-free Simplify3d?<
    For FDM printers this is my go-to.
    I can't remember the last time I fought a slicer issue since switching, I well remember some I dealt with before (and that was 2014 or earlier) :)

    There are enough Cura users here that I imagine someone can chime in.
     
    supercazzola likes this.
  3. tkoco

    tkoco - -.- --- -.-. ---
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    Are you using Cura 4.7.0 or 4.7.1 ? Generally, the initial release (x.x.0) usually has problems.
     
  4. RoboticsRob

    RoboticsRob Member

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    I’m currently on 4.7.0, none of the bug fixes in 4.7.1 were applicable to my workflow. The issue referenced above is confirmed to still be in 4.7.1.

    I have a print running right now on their latest nightly build which looks to mostly resolve the arcs issue. It’s just quite frustrating because I printed a huge batch of about 1200 parts (which just so happened to have no large arcs in them) and I didn’t discover this until moving onto my next project.
     
  5. RoboticsRob

    RoboticsRob Member

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    I’d actually really like to move to Simplify3D, but have been persuaded out of it a few times by their support community boards, and these boards as well.

    it’s really a bummer they don’t allow you to trial the software for a few slices.

    plus as far as I know, they do not support ironing, which I’ve grown pretty fond of in Cura.
     
  6. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    They give you a money back period. You can use that to trial it.

    https://www.simplify3d.com/buy-now/

    "Try it for a full two weeks! If you don’t love the software, return it for a full refund."

    Needless to say, I did not return mine :)
     
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You can do it ... https://forum.simplify3d.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8187

    This is because of the unique way that Simplify3D uses multiple processes (if you choose) to slice a print with...

    It is not as easy as some to use because it is more like CNC software than printer software, but it is also more powerful -- you can do immensely complicated slices.
     
  8. RoboticsRob

    RoboticsRob Member

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    Sold. I’m actually pretty familiar with MasterCAM, so if Simplify3D lets me select features and define operations on those specific features, that sounds perfect.
     
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  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You are not out much but a little time if you try it for a week or so and then decide you want a refund.
    To do that uninstall it, deregister your installations in the profile for you on their web site (it logs them when you install and it registers) Then hit them up for the refund and they can see it is not installed.

    Mark
     
    #9 mark tomlinson, Oct 8, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  10. Frank van Gilluwe

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    I'm embarrassed to say, I'm still using 2.5.0, which has worked well. I tried the official R2 Cura 3.4.1 and never got it to work well. I see Cura is now on 4.9.0. Anyone try it out and have success?
     
  11. RoboticsRob

    RoboticsRob Member

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    Stick with 4.8.0 for now, there are many graphical bugs in 4.9.0 and a lot of us (myself included) are unable to preview any slicing done in 4.9.0.

    4.8.0 works quite well, and is more or less stable, and I've not found any major issues.
     
    Frank van Gilluwe likes this.
  12. Frank van Gilluwe

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    Thanks. I got 4.9.0 installed prior to seeing your message. Seems to work ok so far, but need more time on it. A bit of a pain to get it all set up or I would have jumped back to 4.8.0. Noticed rafts are not shown in the visualization like 2.5, but that may be true for a number of versions. I'll report back in a few days how it goes. I did preview slicing on several files which is sort of cool. Didn't have it on 2.5.

    For those going to the new Cura, you'll need the free plugin OctoPrint Connection. I also added the Sidebar GUI extension, so it is similar to older Cura - fine if you are using a desktop. Click on "Marketplace" and the "Plugins" tab to get extensions.
     
  13. Frank van Gilluwe

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    For those trying out 4.9.0, it worked ok for me. Not sure I can see much advantage over 2.5.0. Print time required on a 2-hour print I've done many times didn't seem much different between versions. The print quality in one area using 4.9.0 was a little poorer, using the same layer thickness as I've used with 2.5.0 (0.1 mm). Could just be a one-off issue.

    One bug that seems to be in newer versions (but not in 2.5.0) is the material temperature settings for your custom materials are ignored (These are materials you add in the Preferences -> Materials, under the "Print settings" tab). Generic materials do work. The problem has been around for 1+ years and the authors don't seem to be able to fix it. You can manually set the temperatures in the general drop-down, which does work, and it remembers those settings. So if you only use one filament type or Generic settings, it may not matter to you.
     

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