Simplify3D - Anyone using it?

MakerGear @ May 7 at 12:02pm
Want to try the Simplify 3d Creator software before buying ? If you are a MakerGear user then send an email at the guys at Simplify 3d (http://www.simplify3d.com/contact-us/) stating that you would like to test the software and soon you should have your trial copy.

- The lack of direct control for the Repicator printer is most disappointing. Perhaps I missed something but the software is promoted as already having this on your website. Bearing in mind my Replicator workflow, this would be the number one reason for me to purchase and use your software. An all in one host/manual printer controller/slicing engine with g-code preview package will blow anything from Makerbot out of the water, so I would suggest you make it a priority.

- The fixing of non-manifold STL geometry is a good feature. This has recently been introduced into Repetier-Host as well, although your version looks slightly more advanced. When highlighting errors, they display a red border, but I'm unaware of what exactly the problem is. I end up using most of the repair options, and then after selectig the identify feature I see the problems are gone. Might I suggest more problem feedback, and/or a 'fix all' button for a more streamlined experience.

- Unless I'm blind there is no way for me to specify the dimensions of my printer in terms of build area, centre and end stop position. I ran a test print with my Solidoodle, which sliced ok, but then tried to print in the corner instead of the middle. Clearly, your software is assuming that the middle is 0,0 but the Solidoodle firmware is configured for it to be in the front left. I can recompile the firmware but that is asking a lot for something that should be set up with software, especially in a pay product. Perhaps the .FFF file can be setup with the required data, but there is no example one for me to edit and try, and I can't export and modify one of the existing ones in the trial version. Very frustrating and consequently I can't actually print anything to test the software properly.

- At this stage I find the interface clunky and difficult to navigate. Like Repetier-Host, you have many functions to find a home for. Repetier, however,  uses tabs to organise buttons in logical groups. I personally hate the printer controls in the separate window. If I am using the main window and a print is going bad, it is very bad to have to scramble through windows to locate and click the emergency stop button.

Overall I feel that you have a very promising product, but at this stage it is not for me, especially given the price tag when every competitor product is free. I will follow any updates in the future, however.

About the specific items you mentioned, it sounds like you're thinking the same things we are!  Direct control for MakerBot printers has been a high priority for awhile, but they definitely didn't make things easy since they're using their own communication protocols and there are many undocumented barriers we have to work through.  That being said, we already have the basic connection and jogging controls complete.  Once we complete the temperature controls, it will be added into the public releases (probably in the next software update).

We also tried to create a "Fix All" repair button several times, but sadly it doesn't always work like you would expect.  There are many times where you can't actually determine the design intent of the model just by looking at the raw digital triangular mesh.  For example you might see a hole in a model and the "Repair All" function might think to close the hole.  However, the design intent might have actually been to keep the hole, but you really want to just thicken the surrounding surfaces to make them more than a 2D surface.  And that's what we saw - The fix everything type functions would frequently make the wrong choices since at times it is impossible to automatically determine how to repair the model without some designer intervention.  Right now we're developing a 2-fold approach.  One is to continue to have a single click repair everything option, but the other is to add in more control for where different repair options are used.  Without getting into all the details, I think it will be the best of both worlds and at least the user will have an option when the "repair all" method fails.

The machine settings like build dimensions and endstop positioning can be found by going to Tools > Options and clicking the Machine tab.  Alternatively, you can also set the dimensions in your FFF Settings by using the G-Code tab and enabling the "Override Machine Dimensions" option, whichever is easiest for you.  That will let you change the axis origin to the right location for the solidoodle.  We also include the option to use G-Code offsets if the XYZ origin is not at one of the edges of the build platform (for example delta printers frequently have the origin in the center of the build plate).  Those 3 options let you configure it for pretty much every setup out there, so let me know if you need any further guidance about what to change for your machine.

Again, I definitely appreciate the feedback and I'll make sure we continue working on some of these open items.