For network printers, you can add a printer by its IP Address or by scanning your network.Go to the Printer Preferences in the Top Left Corner and click “Add Printer”.Add your 3D Printer within the Slicerīefore you can 3D print using a slicer, you’ll have to set up your 3D printer settings. However, if you’re looking for a flexible option, then OctoPrint is better for dev-work and customizations.Īfter you figure out which slicer you want to use, download and install it on your computer. In my experience, AstroPrint is a little easier to set up than OctoPrint. If you’re looking for an all-in-one option, both of these programs are worth checking out. OctoPrint and AstroPrint have cloud and wireless 3D printing options in addition to slicing. STL) into a format that a 3D printer can understand (i.e. Some slicers have more features and are easier to use than others.īut they ultimately do the same thing: translate a 3D model (i.e. Does it matter which 3D Slicer Program I choose? For MakerBot printers, you’ll probably be coaxed into using the MakerBot Print utility. I will mention however, that depending on your 3D printer, there might be a particular slicer you have to use.įor FlashForge Printers, it’s easiest to use FlashPrint. Once you learn the basic methodology of preparing an STL for 3D printing, then you can download a few other ones to see which one you like the best. This was the first slicing tool I learned, and it’s been my go-to for many 3D printing hours. A lot of people in the 3D printing space have their preferred Slicing Software, so here are a few popular (and free) options to choose from:įor this tutorial, I’m going to focus on showing you how to slice files using Cura.

Free 3d printer gcode files