Clickbait? Maybe… Inflammatory remarks? I guess so…
But here’s the thing. I own a UP Mini 2 and two UP BOX+ printers and have done so since they became available all those years ago. One is a UP BOX that had the firmware updated to make it a ‘+’ and the other is a native UP BOX+
I think the world of the hardware but the software… well… it sucks.
I don’t mean to be unkind, I know there’s been a hugh amount of time and effort involved. But Upstudio 3 is still in beta with the last update over a year ago now - not that it matters, because it doesn’t seem to work for my “upgraded” UP BOX+. The X and Y axis movements seem super fast, erratic and jerky, it doesn’t extrude properly and I ultimately have to cancel the print.
The native UP BOX+ seems to print without an issue. Both printers identify as version 353 and I’m using 3.2.7 of Studio 3. Weird.
I hate the Wand. There, I said it…
I’ve tended to put it all in the “too hard basket” and the net result is I’m limited to using Studio 2 for both printers and the nightmare that is the Material Definitions utility… and the odd behaviour that it seems to ignore the first layer?!
What do I mean? Well, if I load a model that has a first layer component that is 0.2mm thick… and print it at 0.2mm height… well, it doesn’t slice or print it. Whatever the height of the model, it’s always shorter by the extrusion height i.e. a 2mm high model will print 1.8mm high if printed at 0.2mm.
Not to mention a model with a filleted bottom always seems to have a raft created for it even if you say don’t. Change it to a chamfer (better practice I appreciate), no issue, no raft.
Look for a solution on the forum you say? Well, not much point right? Because we’re supposed to be using Studio 3 as it’s supposed to be compatible with everything. So it ends up another thought consigned to the same “basket” as above.
I don’t need my UP BOX to be as fast as a Bambu X1C (which I also have), but having used Bambu Studio I now appreciate just how important the interplay between software and hardware is… as well as the commitment by the developers to keep things up to date.
Are we going anywhere with Studio 3? I don’t profess to know the complexities of making the software compatible, or the work involved, but maybe adapting something open source like Orca slicer might be a better option? It must be about GCode translation right?
Or just simply copy Orca, Prusa Slicer, Cura etc…
Rather than asking “What should we add?” Perhaps a better starting point is to simply replicate the current suite of features that current slicers have? Surely that will cover 95%+ of Tiertime users?!
I don’t know, maybe I’m expecting too much from printers that are now 6+ years old. The catch-cry was always “no upboxer left behind” but time is always a cruel mistress for hardware. It’s not like other companies bother about old hardware. If you don’t like it, get another (newer) printer, right?
But they’re great workhorses - I use them almost everyday (with a little bit of swearing)
I know Christmas is over, but Tiertime consider making a “maker’s” dream come true.
OK, rant over… 2024 here we come…