Simplify3D User Forum

Is there a way to get Simplify3d to stop opening models in a new window? I keep forgetting and double-clicking an STL file from explorer, only to get a second instance of the application. It's especially frustrating as it has a tendency to crash the serial-to-usb driver in Windows, forcing me to disable and re-enable the device to print again.

I'm not sure why it defaults to this behavior; surely the number of people who have multiple printers to print to at the same time is dwarfed by those with a single unit like me?

You can also drag and drop the file into your existing S3D window if you want to open it there. That way it won't open a new instance

Ah, that's a bit better, thanks! I'd still love a setting to make it never open more than instance, but that's at least a workable middle ground.

Are there command line options for Simplify? Maybe I could edit its association with the registry, if there was a command line option to do what I needed.

I have several other Windows programs where it works the same way. If I double click on a part, it will open a new instance of that program with the file I clicked on. So it seems like dragging and dropping is the best if you want to keep it in the same window.

Not sure if there's some kind of global setting in Windows that can change this...

CompoundCarl wrote:Not sure if there's some kind of global setting in Windows that can change this...

double click starts the program with parameters specified by you (or default with just the name of the file), it's up to program to figure out if it's already running and take that new filename or to start new instance

This is an interesting question.....

S3D has been designed as a single workspace application....ie you can only have one workspace open in one instance of the program....but as we all know, it is possible to have more than one instance of the program running, but I'm not familiar with the effect on USB printing (if there are any).

So....the OP question is either "How do you load more than one model into a single instance of S3D rather than a second instance of S3D starting?" or its "How do you get a second workspace in a single instance of S3D?"

The answers given already are for the former question.....and the answer to the latter question is ...you can't!

As a side....if you Google "multiple instances windows" you get many hits asking how to get multiple instances of a program in preference to opening a second "workspace" within the same instance of the program. Of course, this is where the program has been designed to have multiple "workspaces".

If you are printing to more than one printer at a time via USB and hit the emergency stop it will kill all of them. At least that was my experience. If I want to stop just one printer then I use the VCR button "Stop" to the left of the emergency stop. After this though I find I generally need to close that instance of S3D and turn the printer off then back on or S3D seems to try and resume the print but nothing happens.

Pretty much you have one "print" per instance of S3D that is open.

If you are looking to print two STL files at once then just load both and position as needed.