Material/Quality Manager

[LETUmakerlab]

Hello,
I switch between materials and print parameters frequently, and I would like to see some kind of master material/quality manager. Something similar to the "Presets" manager in Mattercontrol. If possible, it would be nice to have the "Presets" be default, but have the "Edit Process Settings" window be able to override presets (on a local level). Going through the "Edit Process Settings" window, it is pretty difficult to tell which settings transfer with a material, and which ones are process specific. It would be nice to have a high-level manager that oversees all of the print settings.

Thanks!

[CompoundCarl]

I've seen a few people mention wanting a tool to help view and edit what settings are changed by the material and quality options. But I feel like everyone is wanting something slightly different. Can you describe what you're thinking a bit more? Maybe it would help if we can brainstorm what the actual interface/options would look like.. Anyone have any ideas??

[LETUmakerlab]

I'd like it to have presets on a per-material basis. So the presets defined in the "Material Manager" would be default, but could be overridden on a local level by settings in the "Process Settings" window. This way, the default material properties could be defined and carry over between different print processes. I think it should have a "Update Material Preferences" radio button, similar to the "Update Machine Definitions" button on the G-Code tab. That way, settings tuned in a process could be updated as default by the user if desired. The attached image shows my concept for the "Material Manager" window.

I'm relativly new to Simplify3D, so I may not be using the .Factory files correctly. That said, I've had materials disappear when switching to a new workspace. Since I switch materials and processes alot, it would be nice to have the ability to manage materials from a high level.

[CompoundCarl]

I'm relativly new to Simplify3D, so I may not be using the .Factory files correctly. That said, I've had materials disappear when switching to a new workspace.

Just in case you haven't seen it, you may want to checkout this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFynhtvPBPQ

It explains how the current material manager works right now. You can setup new materials for each printer, and those will be saved with the profile. So even if you remove all your processes, it won't disappear. Much better than storing those materials as separate processes, since those tend to be deleted and removed as you are setting up new prints.

The drawing you posted is also interesting. I know the current material manager in Simplify3D allows you to setup materials for each printer, but the different printers can use different settings. It makes sense, since I know 2 of my printers have very different temperatures that work for the same spool of plastic. One may be 20 degrees hotter than the other. Perhaps it's because they all have different extruder/thermal designs, and some transfer heat better than others. But it would be a bit frustrating if the material settings were the same across all printers, since my experience is that my settings needed to be quite different (not to mention different retractions, speeds, etc - a lot of it is printer-dependent)

[nuggetz]

Can we get a way to rename a material and main profile? Also, how about a "Notes" tab that we can use to jot down some notes about the material?

Would be nice to be able to assign a Speed setting preset or perhaps tie that to material settings.

[LETUmakerlab]

I think part of the issue here is that filament diameter sticks with the process instead of the material. I would much rather have the filament diameter change with the material setting.

[jballard86]

My 2 cents:

anyway to organize settings
a way to back them all up at one time (I have over 20, it takes a while to backup)
I have multiple hotends, multiple extruders , many types of filaments some by multiple brands, and multiple colors.
My profile list is a jumbled mess.
Save as new should default the name to the current profiles name, then you can edit it, my profiles are named something like this: "Dual E3d, Wade(T0) Bondtech(T1),Color T1, Maker Geeks PETG, White, 3mm, .4mm" typing that out for another color is tedious.

Auto configure for material and auto configure for print quality is a waste due to the fact that they share many settings. For that reason I have MANY profiles setup.

[LETUmakerlab]

So rather than use the Auto-configure functions, you just save a new profile? That seems like a poor software design. The Auto-Configure seems like a logical way to save material parameters, similar to the way Slic3r does it.

For an example of what I'm talking about, I have a print that I'm producing in a large selection of materials (repeating the print with different settings. In order to save time on laying out all the parts, I saved the print as a .Factory file. When I opened a new workspace in order to print a test part (for verifying print settings in the new material), I created the Auto-Configure presets for the new material. Everything worked the way I wanted, so I opened the .Factory file for my original print. When I went to set up print parameters, my newly-created material was gone.

As a related complaint, I think filament diameter should be included with the material Auto-Configure settings, rather than be a Profile setting.

Thanks!

[twb010]

I think one problem with the current interface is there is no indication of what settings are loaded with the material and quality presets. I'm new to s3d and keeping track of what comes from where isn't very straight forward.

I would also welcome the ability to rename/reorder presets after they are created.

[Outlaw]

I actually don't use the Material and Quality options. I have about 10 profiles for my 2 printers and use them as base settings. I name them like this: "Anet A8 - PLA - 190 - 30 - 0.1mm - 20%" or "Fabrikator Mini - ABS - 220 - 50 - 0.2mm - 30%". Per model I select a profile and tweak one or two settings and then print. When switching profiles I don't update them so I keep my base settings.