CAM Toolchains
Contents
Overview
A RepRap CAM toolchain consists of all the software elements needed to create printed 3d models from CAD models to firmware. To help visualize this for new users, consider the flow chart below:
A hypothetical software/CAM process for a new design would be:
- Design a new 3D model in a CAD package (ex: openscad, FreeCAD, ProEngineer, SolidWorks)
- Export the design's geometry to a .stl file
- Generate motion paths & extruder commands in GCODE format by means of a "slicing" program (ex: skeinforge, repsnapper, SFACT)
- Use a host software package to communicate the GCODE to the printer (ex: printrun, repsnapper, replicatorG, Repetier-Host)
- Determine how your printer reacts to the GCODE by configuring the firmware for your printer controller (ex. FiveD, Sprinter, Teacup, Marlin, or your very own!)
The lists below contain various toolchain components available and provides a comparison of their features, compatible components and how to get them.
It should be noted that a comparison of CAD modeling programs is outside of the scope of this article. CAM toolchains are generally CAD program agnostic because they can accept standard STL models as input which almost all CAD programs can export directly or through plugins. See Useful Sotware Packages for a list of various CAD related software
Working Configurations
There are a number of working configurations for RepRap. Please do yours up in a new wiki page, and then add the text
[[Category:Working Configuration]]
to that page to add it to the existing list.
Firmware
Here is a brief list of active firmware for repraps:
For more details, see List of Firmware
RepRap Drivers
Driver | Author(s) | Compatible firmware(s) | Manual movement? | Manual extruder control? | Manual stepper disable? | Manual heated build platform control? | Live GCode terminal? | SD card upload? | GCode input? | Step-NC input? | Integrated GCode compiler? | Documentation | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EMCRepRap | EMC and RepRap.org | Linux PC | true | false | false | wiki page | wiki page | ||||||
RepRap Host Software | RepRap.org | 5D GCode Interpreter, FiveD on Arduino, more? | true | true | false | true | false | true | false | true | install guide, user manual | dev | |
RepSnapper | Kulitorum et al. | 5D GCode Interpreter, 3D GCode Interpreter | true | true | true
use a Custom Button |
true
use a Custom Button |
true | true | false | true | manual | windows, src | |
ReplicatorG | RRRF | Makerbot, 5D | true | true | true | true | false | true | true | false | true | install guide, user manual | stable |
send.py (bundled with SkeinForge) | Brendan Erwin and John Gilmore | 5D GCode Interpreter, 3D GCode Interpreter | false | false | false | false | false | false | true | false | false | user manual | builds |
Printrun AKA Pronterface | Kliment | Sprinter, ... | true | true | true | true | true | true | true | false | Github | ||
GCode-utils | Ralith | 5D GCode Interpreter?, 3D GCode Interpreter? | true | true | true | false | false | Website | src, linux binaries | ||||
Repetier-Host | repetier | Repetier-Firmware, Sprinter, Teacup, Marlin, ... | true | true | true | true | true | true | true | false | true | User manual | Windows Linux Mac OS X |
RebRep | RebRep | Sprinter, ... | true | true | false | false | true | false | true | false | false | Docs | Windows |
Note: some drivers such as the RepRap Host Software are listed here and under GCode compilers as they serve both functions however for comparison purposes their features have been split into the relevant tables.
GCode, Etc. Compilers
Compiler | Author(s) | Compatible firmware features | STL input? | Multiple STL input? | Step-NC input? | RFO input? | GCode output? | Step-NC output? | RFO output? | Compilation Speed | Documentation | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reprap host software | RepRap.org | 5D | true | true | false | true | true | false | true | average | install guide, user manual | dev |
RepSnapper | Kulitorum et al. | 5D, 3D | true | true | false | true | false | fast | see table above | see table above | ||
SkeinForge | Enrique | 5D, 3D | true | false | false | true | false | false | average | manual | latest builds | |
Netfabb Engine | Netfabb | true | very fast | latest release | ||||||||
SuperSkein | MaskedRetriever | true | true | fast | src, downloads | |||||||
Slic3r | alexj | 5D, 3D | true | false | false | false | true | false | false | fast | manual | latest builds |
Related
- Template:My_Toolchain
- x2sw is a host software toolchain bundle -- including Slic3r, Skeinforge, and Printrun -- packaged together in a Windows installer.
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