PrusaSlicer
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prusa3d
Multiple Build plates
I work on big projects where all the parts never fit on the build plate, keeping track of waht I've printed and need to print means splititng the project over multiple sliver instances or being meticulous with wich parts are visible and not visible.
I'd like to be able to arrange parts on multiple build plates.
Auto arrange already snaps parts to build plate size boxes and it's possible to click and drag these groupings around, but I'd like to be able to slice and export each plate without having to rearrange.
Ideally I could add parts to specific plates and lock them so auto arrange didn't mess with waht I'd already sorted out.
A nice extra would be having a different set of filament/print/printer sesisngs avaialbe for each plate. perhaps I'm building somethign in multiple filaments and am arraging parts by filamant, perhaps some parts are being done on ann enclosed printer with a hardened 0.6mm nozzle and PCCF and some parts are being done in pla with a 0.4 nozzle on a crazy fast printer. Yes this really complicates things as build plates could be different sizes but imagine being able to spilt a project between an XL, a mk4, several mk3s and a mini.
I've considerd using SoftFever's orcaSlicer, but I don't like what bambu have done with the inteface, I find it really frustrating to use.
Request for this on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/prusa3d/comments/13uypnp/yall_seen_the_anycubic_meltdown_on_twitter/jm4jy8j/?context=3
Thank you for your feature request and ideas. Your idea of having all available combinations of settings is intriguing, but I see several negative aspects not only from a development perspective but also from a user point of view.
imagine being able to spilt a project between an XL, a mk4, several mk3s and a mini.
While it could be fine, I wonder if you truly process your projects in this manner (just a question for discussion).
There is a similar topic regarding exporting multiple G-Codes. I have linked it together for better reference: #8575.
If I have a lot to print, I'm splitting it between my printers to get it done. For the most part it's several different colours of similar filament. A base colour and an accent colour. Often each spool has its settings I need to use and I might have multiple suppliers of something i print in a lot like black abs. I've got two printers 3DQF (300C nozzle, 110C bed, 98% extrusion multiplier) and eSun (255C nozzle, 100C bed, 96% extrusion multiplier) churning out parts now.
Right now this means planning each build plate as a separate .3mf, usually i start by dumping all the files I need to print into 1 3mf, fill as plate and use "save as" to lock that plate down, build the next plate and save it, and then I'll task plates to printers and only produce gcode and send it to a printer when I'm ready to print.
Sometimes it's all on one printer as I've set it up differently for a project and I'm trying to work out the fewest number of plates to print something. Some popular projects even ship as a collection of build plates (MMU2 Lack enclosure for example).
My own use case is more about project orgainisation than producing a folder of g-code in one clike like #8575, i'm sending gcode to the printer direct from the slicer, no sneaker net. The last thing I want to do is to have a deck of gcode files to shuffle through. In this respect bambu does this well.
A better question: are there users who don't print a project in several different colours and then assemble, or have multiple printers, or print parts of a model on more than one build plate, either because they won't all fit or becasue they're limiting the time any particular print will run for?
On Tue, 30 May 2023 at 14:40, kubispe1 @.***> wrote:
Thank you for your feature request and ideas. Your idea of having all available combinations of settings is intriguing, but I see several negative aspects not only from a development perspective but also from a user point of view. imagine being able to spilt a project between an XL, a mk4, several mk3s and a mini. While it could be fine, I wonder if you truly process your projects in this manner (just a question for discussion).
There is a similar topic regarding exporting multiple G-Codes. I have linked it together for better reference: #8575 https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/issues/8575.
— Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/issues/10704#issuecomment-1568456010, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AKIYU2EASFCKJIIMYC2TJG3XIX2DNANCNFSM6AAAAAAYT5YJP4 . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: @.***>
Please implement this, make it first simple same way like "The Other" slicer is enought for start, then it can be improved?
Using both orca and prusa... waiting for orca to add prusas filament change configurations or for prusa to add the painting and multiple plates from orca, whoever do it first will have me.
Additional from mine request than was closed.
Reloading STLs propagate all plates. A build plate list in the UI
@strayr you say:
I've considered using SoftFever's orcaSlicer, but I don't like what Bambu has done with the interface, I find it really frustrating to use.
What Do you like, what dislike and frustrate you what Do you propose? Can you give some examples from your user experience? We see the user's need for this feature and we have it on our list, but it will take some time. :-(
@strayr you say: ... what Do you propose? ... We see the user's need for this feature and we have it on our list, but it will take some time. :-(
Good to hear.
At a bare minimum (that will cause additional complaints/request for not going far enough): take the auto-arrange of parts outside the build plate into "virtual" plates that you can't see or interact with unless you translate them... and let me simply choose a plate to print.
At best (my many ideas/views and some stuff from the comments above):
- I want a single 3mf to represent a project. I want that 3mf to have a plate with the painted MMU-model for a MK4 along with additional plates for the separated colors version of the model, with each of those plates containing a color for the parts on that plate so I can download a creator's model and choose the setup for the printers I support.
- I want to be able to change the active plate so I can work on one thing at a time.
- I want to be able to change all the plates at once ("I don't have a MK3, but I do have an Ender 3. Change project to Ender 3...").
- I want to be able to be able to lock a plate so the parts will not be moved to/from them during autoarrange,
- I want each plate to have it's own print settings + filament(s) settings + printer settings so I can have said project mix large format and small printers, different colors/materials (per plate), even MMU. Maybe even throw a resin plate for good measure for those D&D terrain + mini prints.
- I want to be able to title the plates, to see print times and material usage and colors for the entire multi-plate project along with just the active plate, maybe the ability to disable/enable plates so stats don't get messed up by alt plates.
- I want a/the organize function to be able to combine plates by color/material/print settings. So two plates using the same printer/filament/print settings would be combined into one. This also is good for, say, switching from a Mini to an XL and now being able to combine multiple Mini plates to a single XL plate.
- I want to save the gcode of a single (active?) plate, but also all the gcodes into a folder if I want to export the whole project.
- I want the upload functionality to be able to upload each build plate to the proper printer and "upload and print" triggers print (after confirming which printers to start) for potentially multiple printers to start. And for farm systems like PrusaConnect to queue those prints.
Those are the things I can see being part of, or being a result of having multi bed support.
same like artboards in illustrator / affinity designer, multiple boards / plates in one document, when exporting being able to select which plate, or just slice the active plate, have different profiles for each plate
one of my models now uses different print parameters on MK4 for each part, large parts only fit 1 on a build plate, so no problem for auto arrange, but some smaller parts should be on a separate plate, but get thrown in with one of the larger ones. Enlarging the spacing between parts in auto arrange does solve the issue in this particular case, but then one can still only use translate to select build plates, and has to change print profiles accordingly.
But it would be a lot more flexible to just have multiple build plates which are selectable for slicing and print parameters, and auto arrange only works one the selected build plate and parts that are on the plate
If it was possible to cut/copy an object or objects in one instance and paste into another instance, could that achieve some of this?
It would be excellent to include in this group of features the ability for the slicer to auto-cut to multiple boards. The Error for a too-large object would then look something like this:
An object outside the print area was detected. Rearrange or resize objects, or auto-cut to multiple boards. Resolve the current problem to continue slicing.
The auto-cut to multiple boards dialog would automatically cut and display object parts on multiple boards and let you add plug, dowl, or snap connectors before finalizing.
