I Switched 3D Printing Slicers & You Should Too

The video discusses the benefits of switching from Prusa Slicer to Orca Slicer for 3D printing needs. Orca Slicer, a fork of Bambu Studio, offers enhanced compatibility with a wider range of 3D printers, a single app for slicing and printer management, and an improved user interface. It also provides built-in calibration tests for fine-tuning prints, more granular settings for customization, and is developed and maintained by a member of the 3D printing community. The video encourages viewers to consider the switch and support the developer, SoftFever, for continued innovation.

Takeaways

• 🔄 **Switch to Orca Slicer**: The video discusses switching from Prusa Slicer to Orca Slicer, which is a fork of Bambu Studio.
• 🌐 **Compatibility**: Orca Slicer offers compatibility with a wider range of 3D printers, including custom and ready-made profiles for various models.
• 🔩 **Integrated Management**: It provides a single application for slicing and printer management, reducing the need for multiple apps or browser tabs.
• 🎨 **User Interface**: Users appreciate the improved user interface that Orca Slicer offers, which is more intuitive and organized.
• 🛠️ **Calibration Tools**: Built-in calibration and flow tests are available in Orca Slicer, simplifying the process of fine-tuning prints.
• ⚙️ **Granular Settings**: Orca Slicer allows for more detailed settings adjustments, including pressure advance and max flow rate for individual filaments.
• 📏 **Custom Profiles**: The slicer enables the removal of the flow calibration pattern from the build plate and supports adding custom profiles.
• 👥 **Community-Driven**: Orca Slicer is developed and maintained by a member of the 3D printing community, focusing on user needs and preferences.
• 💡 **Innovation and Support**: Supporting Orca Slicer helps promote variety, competition, and innovation in the 3D printing software space.
• 📈 **Potential for Improvement**: The video suggests that community-driven projects can push larger companies to innovate and improve their products.
• 📢 **Call for Donations**: The developer of Orca Slicer works for free, and the video encourages viewers to consider donating to support further development.

Q & A

What is Orca Slicer and how is it related to Prusa Slicer?

Orca Slicer is a fork of Bambu Studio, which itself was derived from the open source code of Prusa Slicer. It is an independent development that has taken the base of Prusa Slicer and made further improvements and customizations.

Why is Orca Slicer considered to have better compatibility with various 3D printers?

Orca Slicer expands on the compatibility of Bambu Studio by allowing users to add custom printers or import a growing list of ready-made profiles for a wide range of printers, from Delta to Creality and more.

What is the benefit of having one application for slicing and printer management?

Having a single application for both slicing and printer management streamlines the workflow, reduces the need for multiple apps or browser tabs, and provides a more integrated and efficient user experience.

How does Orca Slicer improve upon the user interface compared to Prusa Slicer?

Orca Slicer offers an improved user interface and experience that many users find more intuitive and logical, similar to the feel of Cura, with better-organized menus and settings.

What is the advantage of built-in calibration tests in Orca Slicer?

The built-in calibration tests in Orca Slicer allow users to fine-tune their prints, printers, and filaments with ease, providing a simple yet powerful tool for enhancing print quality.

Why might some users prefer Orca Slicer for more granular settings control?

Orca Slicer enables users to adjust settings that may be disabled in Bambu Studio, such as pressure advance and max flow rate for individual filaments, and also allows for the removal of the flow calibration pattern to maximize print area.

What is the significance of Orca Slicer being developed and maintained by a member of the 3D printing community?

Being developed by a community member ensures that Orca Slicer is tailored to the needs and preferences of users like its developer, promoting a user-centric approach and fostering innovation within the community.

How does the open-source nature of slicers like Prusa and Orca Slicer contribute to the 3D printing ecosystem?

The open-source nature encourages collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. It allows developers to build upon existing software, leading to a more diverse and competitive landscape that benefits end-users.

Why is it suggested to support the developer of Orca Slicer through donations?

Donations help the developer, SoftFever, to continue providing updates and improvements to Orca Slicer, which is offered for free to the community. Supporting independent developers is crucial for sustaining innovation outside of large corporations.

What is the role of Squarespace in this context?

Squarespace is the sponsor of the video discussing Orca Slicer. They provide a website building platform that simplifies the process of creating various types of websites, handling technical aspects for the users.

What are the steps one can take to try out Orca Slicer and support its development?

To try out Orca Slicer, one can download it and start using it with their 3D printer. To support its development, users are encouraged to make donations to the developer via the provided donation link in the video description.

How does the video content relate to the importance of supporting innovation and competition in the 3D printing industry?

The video highlights the benefits of Orca Slicer, an independent development in the 3D printing industry, emphasizing how such innovations can drive improvements and provide users with more options, thereby fostering a healthy competitive environment.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to Orca Slicer

The video is sponsored by Squarespace and introduces Orca Slicer, a lesser-known slicing software that the speaker has recently switched to from Prusa Slicer. Orca Slicer is a derivative of Bambu Studio, which itself was a spin-off from Prusa Slicer. The video aims to discuss the reasons for this switch and the benefits of using Orca Slicer. It highlights the open-source nature of these slicers, which requires any modifications to be shared publicly. The speaker also mentions the commonalities between different slicing platforms like Cura, Prusa Slicer, and Bambu Studio due to their open-source availability. Orca Slicer, previously known as SoftFever Fork, is praised for its compatibility with a wide range of 3D printers and its integrated printer management system, which consolidates slicing and printer management into a single application.

05:01

🛠️ Benefits and Features of Orca Slicer

The video continues to detail the advantages of using Orca Slicer, emphasizing its compatibility with various 3D printers, allowing users to add custom printers or import profiles for different printer types. It also appreciates the user interface improvements over Prusa Slicer, which provides a more logical organization of settings and a look and feel similar to Cura. The video discusses the convenience of having a single application for all tasks, reducing the need for multiple browser tabs and applications. Additionally, it highlights built-in calibration tests that facilitate fine-tuning of prints, printers, and filaments. The speaker also points out that some settings, which were disabled in Bambu Studio, are now accessible in Orca Slicer, giving users more control over their printing process. The video concludes by emphasizing the community-driven nature of Orca Slicer, developed and maintained by a member of the 3D printing community with a focus on user experience. It encourages viewers to support the developer and to share their experiences with Orca Slicer in the comments.

Keywords

3D Printing Slicers

3D Printing Slicers are software programs used to convert 3D models into instructions that a 3D printer can understand and execute. In the video, the speaker discusses switching from Prusa Slicer to Orca Slicer, highlighting the benefits of the latter.

Orca Slicer

Orca Slicer is a software fork of Bambu Studio, which itself was derived from Prusa Slicer. It is presented as an improved and more customizable option for 3D printing, allowing for greater compatibility with various 3D printers and offering a user-friendly interface.

Bambu Studio

Bambu Studio is a 3D printing software that was mentioned as having made significant improvements over Prusa Slicer. However, it was not fully compatible with all printers, which led to the development of Orca Slicer to address this limitation.

Open Source

Open Source refers to software where the source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, modify, and distribute the software. The video discusses how Orca Slicer and Prusa Slicer are open source, leading to the creation of new versions like Orca Slicer.

Compatibility

Compatibility in the context of the video refers to the ability of the Orca Slicer software to work with a wide range of 3D printers. This is a key advantage over Bambu Studio, which was limited in its compatibility.

Integrated Printer Management

Integrated Printer Management is a feature that allows users to manage their 3D printers directly from the slicing software interface, eliminating the need for separate apps or web interfaces. Orca Slicer enhances this feature by incorporating a browser window for printer management within the app.

User Interface Improvements

User Interface Improvements denote the enhancements made to the design and organization of the Orca Slicer software, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. The video emphasizes that these improvements are a significant reason why users are switching to Orca Slicer.

Calibration Tests

Calibration Tests are built-in features of Orca Slicer that help users fine-tune their 3D printers, ensuring better print quality. The video highlights these tests as a simple yet effective addition to the slicing software.

Granular Settings

Granular Settings refer to the detailed and specific options available within Orca Slicer that allow users to customize and optimize their 3D printing process. The video mentions that Orca Slicer provides more control over settings compared to Bambu Studio.

Community-Driven Development

Community-Driven Development is the process where software is developed and improved by members of the user community rather than a formal company. Orca Slicer is presented as an example of this, with updates and improvements made with the end-user in mind.

Squarespace

Squarespace is mentioned as the sponsor of the video. It is a website building platform that offers easy-to-use tools for creating various types of websites, handling technical aspects like updates and security for the users.

Highlights

Switched from Prusa Slicer to Orca Slicer and recommends others to consider the same.

Orca Slicer is a fork of Bambu Studio, which originated from Prusa Slicer.

The open-source nature of slicers allows for community-driven improvements and sharing of code.

Orca Slicer offers compatibility with a wider range of 3D printers compared to Bambu Studio.

Integrated printer management within Orca Slicer streamlines the 3D printing process.

Users can access printer web interfaces like OctoPrint directly from the Orca Slicer app.

Improved user interface and experience over Prusa Slicer is a key reason for switching to Orca Slicer.

Squarespace is the sponsor of the video, offering easy website building solutions.

Built-in calibration tests in Orca Slicer simplify the process of fine-tuning prints, printers, and filaments.

Orca Slicer provides more granular settings, allowing for customization beyond what Bambu Studio permits.

The ability to alter pressure advance and max flow rate settings is a notable feature in Orca Slicer.

Custom profiles can be added in Orca Slicer, offering more flexibility for users.

Orca Slicer is developed and maintained by a member of the 3D printing community with user-focused changes.

Supporting independent developers like SoftFever encourages innovation and variety in the 3D printing space.

SoftFever, the developer of Orca Slicer, works for free and donations are appreciated to continue development.

The video encourages viewers to try Orca Slicer and share their experiences in the comments.

Thanks are given to Squarespace for sponsoring the video and to the viewers for their support.

Exciting updates are promised for the channel, with a new studio setup.