3D Printer Software
The term 3D printer software is rather to be understood as a generic term, because there are different programs for different purposes. On this page we first show a classification by functional areas and in the next step we will describe individual software or software type in more detail.
CAD software / programs for own 3D design
You need CAD software if you want to realize your own ideas or if you want to revise other 3D print models and templates. You don't have to cringe and close your eyes now. As with any software, there are not only the versions with all sorts of functions, but also very simple variants. Here I present you some of each variant.
Autodesk Fusion 360
Autodesk Fusion 360 is one of the most widely used programs for 3D design. This has its reasons: free, powerful and for me personally more intuitive than others with such a large feature set. Want to learn more about it? Then visit the article“Autodesk Fusion 360 in 3D printing – Free and powerful!”
More:
| Name | Price |
|---|---|
| 3D Builder from Microsoft | free |
| TinkerCad | free |
| Autodesk Inventor | 2400€/year – free trial available – free for students! |
| FreeCAD | free |
| Blender | free |
| ZBrush | 800$ and cheaperfor students |
You can find more information on our subpage CAD programs / CAD software – Which are suitable for 3D printing?
Slicer
A slicer is software that translates the 3D model from the CAD program into the machine-readable language G-code. For example, it tells the 3D printer how fast to run certain sections, how much material to extrude, and at what point to switch to the next layer.
| Name | Price |
|---|---|
| Cura | free |
| Simplify3D | about 150€ |
| Slic3r | free |
| Makerbot Desktop | free |
More information about slicer:
- Slicer for 3D printing
- Ultimaker Cura – An introduction
3D printer remote control
Software for remote control of 3D printers is particularly suitable if you are not near your printer during the printing process and can, for example, intervene and stop the print if difficulties arise. This is usually when you're at work, college or school. Exactly for such and many other purposes you can use the said software. Currently, there are two programs that are frequently used – OctoPrint and Astroprint. I use OctoPrint and will go into more detail about this soon.
Firmware
The firmware is the software that your 3D printer needs to even know that it is a 3D printer. The Arduino and Ramps boards are delivered “empty” for the time being. You have the opportunity to do all sorts of things with it and can, for example, operate a robot that you program yourself. But the robot will have problems with it if you give it a GCode. The firmware of a 3D printer can read the GCode and move the different motors accordingly.
Other
Software that does not fit into the other categories goes into this section. For example, this would be software that is used between two steps such as CAD modeling and slicing.
Repair software
With software from this category you can repair 3D models and make them printable.
