Slic3r weirdness
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:12 pm
I generally don't use Slic3r because it seems to be very slow (the long "exporting g-code..." pause).
However, it has one feature that I really like - being able to use the hilbert curve fill pattern for top and bottom layers. If I am working on something that would benefit from that pattern, I'll fire up Repetier-Host and slice the model with Slic3r just in case it's my lucky day.
But sometimes (often) the gcode that it produces is unusable. Using layer viewer, I can see that fill is missing from some regions of the first layer.
I know my sob sorry is incomplete. I have not tracked which version(s) does this. I have not eliminated other variables. I am cheating and hoping for an easy answer like "use version X, it got broken after that" or "it only does when you have support enabled". I used to use Slic3r with few issues. Now, it seems like it usually fails to give me useful results. Could be that nothing has changed in Slic3r, and it is a difference in what I am now asking it do as I learn and print more complex models.
I started with Repetier-Host and Slic3r. Then I began using Matter Control because MatterSlice seemed to create better gcode with more efficient travel and less stringing. Then for reasons unknown, Matter Control seemed to have stability issues so I currently use Cura as my go to slicer, although it lacks several things I'd grown to like in others. I do not "get" Craftware and doubt we'll ever be friends. It's interesting to see the difference in features and settings that each allows you to tune. Wish we could pick and choose.
However, it has one feature that I really like - being able to use the hilbert curve fill pattern for top and bottom layers. If I am working on something that would benefit from that pattern, I'll fire up Repetier-Host and slice the model with Slic3r just in case it's my lucky day.
But sometimes (often) the gcode that it produces is unusable. Using layer viewer, I can see that fill is missing from some regions of the first layer.
I know my sob sorry is incomplete. I have not tracked which version(s) does this. I have not eliminated other variables. I am cheating and hoping for an easy answer like "use version X, it got broken after that" or "it only does when you have support enabled". I used to use Slic3r with few issues. Now, it seems like it usually fails to give me useful results. Could be that nothing has changed in Slic3r, and it is a difference in what I am now asking it do as I learn and print more complex models.
I started with Repetier-Host and Slic3r. Then I began using Matter Control because MatterSlice seemed to create better gcode with more efficient travel and less stringing. Then for reasons unknown, Matter Control seemed to have stability issues so I currently use Cura as my go to slicer, although it lacks several things I'd grown to like in others. I do not "get" Craftware and doubt we'll ever be friends. It's interesting to see the difference in features and settings that each allows you to tune. Wish we could pick and choose.