CURA - Features & Plugins

CURA - Features & Plugins





The world famous open source software for slicing has always been Cura, it's been close to a decade of development and has come a long way. Lets take a closer look at some useful and famous features.

Advantages

Why does it help to install custom plugins:

  1. Custom plugins improve the overall functionality of the slicer, you can tweak the settings further and improve the output quality of your printed parts
  2. Some plugins help you import your drawings directly from your CAD work space such as the Solidworks Plugin, this means you do not spend time converting files to stl and keep a repository of them
  3. Advanced features such as Vase mode really brings out the fun and cool side of 3D printing, when you can print attractive and eye catchy models at the press of a button.
There are numerous reasons to dig deep into a slicer, in this post we hope to give you the best of what Cura has to offer

Plugins and Features

  1. Support blocker: There are times when the machine is able to print a bridge without requiring support or you simply do not mind a saggy structure cause you cannot reach into the model to remove support material. In special cases such as these a support blocker is very helpful. Simple place the block of support blocker into the space where you do not want support and voila you are done !. This has saved me a lot of time as I would otherwise need to sit with tweezers to remove unwanted supports.
  2. Custom support: Custom supports are the exact opposite of the support blocker, with this plugin you can add support material only to certain required positions, while having the support feature disabled. This plugin needs to be installed from the plugin library which can be found under the market place tab on the top right corner. 
  3. Vase mode: The vase mode is another community favorite feature that lets you print single walled parts with a base, as it resembles a vase thus the name. To activate the vase mode , navigate to the special modes tab and select 'Spiralize Outer Contour' 
  4. Lithophanes: The ability to make a 3D printed image from a normal image file has been pretty mind blowing and has been used as a great gifting item for the past few years. Cura has brought in this feature as well, all you need to to is import an image the same way as would bring in an STL file and bam ! it creates the STL file from the image for you. Also options to resize the lithophane are provided. This is a feature definitely worth checking out 
  5. Auto orientation: Another handy feature that a cura plugin provides is the auto orientation plugin. The plugin helps you orient the part in the most efficient way without you breaking your head !

This list is growing continuously so stay tuned for more 3D printing updates & Happy 3D printing ! ,