Any new placeholders in 3.0? and other related questions..

[MichaelHerron]

Are there any new placeholders in version 3.0?

Can we do arithmetic with placeholders in 3.0?

Are current placeholders available across all scripts? (eg. temperature controllers in tool-change script)

Is there any way to do layer-specific post processing? (we can do tool-specific post processing)

I ask these questions, because I'm trying to create a new profile for the CubePro printer.
I've got a moderately functional profile that works with multiple extruders and utilizes the drop-down auto-configure menus effectively. layer specific post processing and placeholder arithmetic would enable a vastly more functional profile and make the CubePro profiles that are already out there SOOO much better.

[JoeJ]

I think there's some new items added, but many of them are for use in specific scripts.

What script were you needing to use the arithmetic stuff in?

And for the layer-specific stuff, I do search and replaces all the time to add commands to a specific layer since you know there will always be a "; layer XX" comment at the start of that layer.

[MichaelHerron]

I think there's some new items added, but many of them are for use in specific scripts.

What script were you needing to use the arithmetic stuff in?

And for the layer-specific stuff, I do search and replaces all the time to add commands to a specific layer since you know there will always be a "; layer XX" comment at the start of that layer.

Specifically, i'm interested in altering extruder flowrates during the print. My %@#$@# printer doesn't support E params, so flowrates must be controlled my an M108. This is manually set by the profile in the start script (or tool-change script), but it is fixed, so speeds must also be fixed. Small features also end up being over-extruded.
Using math in placeholders will allow simplify to calculate flowrate based on speed (assuming speed is a placeholder!)
Layer based control will allow layer based speed mods, and the associated adjustment to flowrate.

Other handy tasks using arithmetic placeholders would be to automatically set the correct extruder without post-processing. Firmware sets the index at 0 for the primary extruder, but the M-commands start the indexing at 1. This is minor, but there is so much post-processing going on in CubePro profiles, that it takes a significant amount of time to slice a model and save out a g-code file.
Simplify is so fast, but on this printer, it can be slower than other programs because of the post-processing.

i didn't think of using the comments--that is a good point. Of course, the CubePro doesn't support ";" in g-code so these are all stripped out. I can, however, insert more post processing commands before these comments are stripped out.. That may work--Thanks!

[JoeJ]

Ok, so to try to summarize what you said, you want arithmetic options in just the tool change and layer change scripts?

[MichaelHerron]

Ok, so to try to summarize what you said, you want arithmetic options in just the tool change and layer change scripts?

Lol.. Summarizing my ramblings in not an enviable task...

I'll try to be concise here:
I'd love :
1. All placeholders to be available in all script tabs.
2. Arithmetic operations to be allowed with placeholders in all script tabs.
3. Additional placeholders for key print parameters (extrusion multiplier, movement speed, et. al.)
4. Other stuff i haven't thought of yet.

There's my wishlist. I realize this isn't the forum for feature requests, but since you asked.... I was mainly probing for what new as-yet-undocumented features were available in 3.0.

[JoeJ]

Hah, ok well that's fine for a wishlist. I can tell you though, many of the placeholders only make sense in one specific script. For example, it may be retraction related or first layer temperature related. So as far as actually giving you guidance for how to do something with v3.0, it would be better to know exactly what you're trying to accomplish in each script. At least that way we could try to give advice on different ways to do it.

[MichaelHerron]

Hah, ok well that's fine for a wishlist. I can tell you though, many of the placeholders only make sense in one specific script. For example, it may be retraction related or first layer temperature related. So as far as actually giving you guidance for how to do something with v3.0, it would be better to know exactly what you're trying to accomplish in each script. At least that way we could try to give advice on different ways to do it.

I agree with what you say in principle, but CubePro owners must do many things that don't make sense in order to make their substandard printer into something useful. One of the biggest gotchas in developing profiles is that for multi-material prints, the natural place for the temperature controllers is in the tool-change script. This isn't too specific to 3D system's nightmare of a product, as many users may desire to warm and cool their extruders as they change tools. Its true that 3.0 helps this particular desire with the prime pillar and ooze shield, but now the desire is to form a good, working profile for 3.0. To utilize the auto configure elements of the profile without overwriting others, we find it necessary to insert code where it may not be logical. I can be more specific at risk of lengthening this post--i do plan on posting what i have for a profile in the coming weeks. Arithmetic operations would help--support staff has said that they are coming--i was just hoping they'd be here in 3.0.

[JoeJ]

Yes, be more specific. There's already some math stuff but it depends on what exactly you are trying to accomplish