New user here & hello everyone!

[sbergman08]

I'm new to 3D printing. I just bought my first printer a FlashForge Creator Pro. I have a student version of SolidWorks and I'm thinking about getting Simpify3D. Is it overkill at this stage for me? I have limited 3D CAD experience. Should I start with creating blocks or cylinders and then go from there?

Any other advice for a noob?

Sah

[CompoundCarl]

I wish I would have started with a good program like S3D instead of messing with the crummy one that was provided from the manufacturer. It would have saved me a lot of headaches!

Just start with the easy options in S3D. Then you can start messing with more advanced settings over time as you learn more.

[magicwiser]

I wish I would have started with a good program like S3D instead of messing with the crummy one that was provided from the manufacturer. It would have saved me a lot of headaches!

Just start with the easy options in S3D. Then you can start messing with more advanced settings over time as you learn more.

I agree, you should totally just start with S3D and save yourself a lot of frustration. As a new printer myself, I can not tell you how much I have learned from the preview mode of S3D. It allows you to see exactly what your print will look like before you print it. Thus, you can tinker and experiment with the different options to perfect your print without wasting all your plastic.

Just beware though, all the hundreds of options that are available can be a bit overwhelming at first, but there are lots of super helpful resources available to help (such as the great people on this forum ).

[PinballGeorgio]

Definitely go for S3D!

At start you can be frustrated about the options and also the standard settings for your printer are not right, but once you have them right and because of the settings know the program by then, printing is very easy!
There are many options and with every object you print, you can adjust the settings to the shape of the object to get the perfect print.
Also when you print with different materials, the load factory option for the filament is ideal.. All your favourite settings for the type of filament intant ready

[Rebekah_harper]

I started with S3D from the get go.

S3D's layout and ways of doing things are different to most other slicing programs. I tried another to do some fault finding but I just couldn't get around it.

so start with S3D and you won't regret it.

[dkightley]

I was as "green" as anyone else when I first got my printer, a Makerbot Replicator 2, and initially used Makerware...but after a couple of weeks, I switched to ReplicatorG, which was supplied with the printer. I was wrestling with getting anything like good results with the default settings for printing small parts...and by small I mean as small as 12mm x 8mm x 2mm!

After struggling to get good quality, I looked around for some guidance....and saw a feature on S3D. I ummd and arrrrd for a couple of weeks...and then took the plunge. Immediately I saw the increased capability of the slicer compared to ReplicatorG. I didn't get quick results, though, as I needed to go through the learning curve of what each of the settings does...and I'm still learning now! But I'm now getting much better quality prints..and I'm now confident of completing a long term project I set myself in March last year....to build a model railway layout featuring the Forth Rail Bridge.

So far, I've printed well over 500 parts for the layout...some fairly simple such as houses, but many quite complicated. And I have to add I'm still struggling to get a few right...but I'm confident that S3D will come good once I get the setting tuned for the part I need to print.

Take a read of this thread on the TalkingTGauge forum:http://www.talkingtgauge.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=123

And the 12mmx8mmx2mm part...its part of a wagon in T Gauge ( 1/450th scale): http://www.talkingtgauge.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=76