API for add-ins

[upsm]

++

[czei]

I REALLY want to see this feature. Its a way to compete with open source slicers without giving away source code. What people really want to do is add features to their favorite software, not necessarily get all of the source.

Look at it this way: your best customers aren't asking to build a complicated speciality feature just for them, they want to do it for themselves!

[mulissi]

Boosting. This sounds like an excellent idea. Please do this.

[swzura]

This would be great, I would love to be able to add things on the fly, but I would imagine they would have to go through simplify3d to help prevent malicious code and destroying people's printers (or computers)

that being said, have a repository (like nuget) but for user plugins

[tenaja]

Most things can be done with a post processing script. All of the settings are at the top of the file, so unless you actually need to modify the STL (which can be done before importing), many things can be accomplished with a simple text editor (automated, of course).

But I still +1 just because.

[arhi]

Most things can be done with a post processing script. All of the settings are at the top of the file, so unless you actually need to modify the STL (which can be done before importing), many things can be accomplished with a simple text editor (automated, of course).

Yes, you can use external program to process stuff (like we use for sending the g-code to octoprint) but this would be better
- no external apps for processing g-code
- more info from s3d to library about the code (not everything about the code is stored in the g-code file in the comments)
- you should be able to make library that will open it's own interface with knobs and whistles.. just like a library that will work 100% "invisible"
...

[gamecompiler]

This actually might be an awesome way to resolve the huge number of feature requests (and frustration at the, er, infrequent updates) - becoming a bit more open source and putting development in the hands of the community.

The good benefit of S3D being closed source is that the structure of the code is managed (hopefully).
Imagine if thousands of people changing your code without documentation (like its mostly in opensource projects).
After sometime you will end up with a code that nobody can understand.

Im fine with that. But an "simple" API or scripting language would be very cool. Ill would write a simple code that sends a message over udp to an actor that displays if the print is finished.

[upsm]

Imagine if thousands of people changing your code without documentation (like its mostly in opensource projects).
After sometime you will end up with a code that nobody can understand.

That is as far from the truth as you can imagine!

Look at proper projects like Smoothieware, MySQL, Postgresql...

Don't base your opinion on "hacks" like marlin or duet3d

Other thing is, why would plugin system "change the code structure" ?! The point of plugin system is that noone touches your code, you just provide hooks, if one want to put dll/so in your plugins dir those will work, if not, they don't, your code is unaffected either way

Im fine with that. But an "simple" API or scripting language would be very cool. Ill would write a simple code that sends a message over udp to an actor that displays if the print is finished.

Why invent a wheel. All three platforms Simplify3D work on (Windows, MacOS, Linux) support shared libraries in one way or another. What language users will use to write their plugins is up to them as long as they are able to compile them as shared library.

[Cortex]

Absolutely agree. Your SW would gain so much from it. You probably have one already for internal development anyways. Why not expose at least some parts of it.

Mostly, I would love to see more hotkeys implemented. I spend too much time clicking everywhere repeatedly. Right now, I use AutoHotkey to automate a ton of repetitive operations for me. And it saves me so much time and energy!

[ouraf]

One more asking for the feature. Imagine the possibilities if the community could write addons for the program!