MK4S Profile for Ultimaker Cura
Hi!
Are there any plans to release an official Prusa MK4S (and even XL and CORE One) profile on Cura? Before recommending I just switch to Prusaslicer, here's where I'm at--
I work at a library makerspace where we have Prusa i3 MK3S's, and use Cura as our slicing software. I wasn't here when things were initially set-up, but they started out with Makerbots and we also had an Ultimaker 3 Extended at one point, which is why I think Cura was selected as the slicing software of choice.
The MK3S's have been awesome, and we're in the process of upgrading to MK4S's - one done, three to go! Before we proceed, we've sort of hit an impasse when it comes to the slicer. We train patrons to use our printers, and as such have trained everyone on Cura. I've seen people inquiring on this elsewhere (including on this forum), with the common response "just switch to Prusaslicer!" - which I would do personally if it were just me and my 3D printer, but we have a large number of patrons already familiar with and comfortable on Cura.
I contacted Ultimaker, and got this response:
Option 1
If you wish your printer to be added to UltiMaker Cura, the manufacturer may submit a request.
UltiMaker does not produce profiles for 3rd party 3d printers, they are contributed by the manufacturer in question.
Please follow or share this link with your printer manufacturer:
Add a 3rd party printer to UltiMaker Cura
And I contacted Prusa, and had a great exchange, but it didn't lead to me being able to load an MK4S profile into Cura.
- the .ini config profile I exported wouldn't load in
- I tried copy/pasting the Start and End G-Code from Custom G-Code in Expert mode in a custom Cura profile, and got an error message on the MK4S
I did try the settings from Lee Labare from the above forum link, and was able to load G-Codes sliced from Cura into the MK4S - but I'm not sure if they're taking advantage of everything the printer has to offer.
Perhaps we'll ultimately (and not Ultimaker-ly!) switch to Prusaslicer, but it would add a bit to the overall transition. And so I wanted to check in again on the possibility and/or status of an official Cura profile being created. Thanks!
Daniel
RE: MK4S Profile for Ultimaker Cura
I remember going the other way (moving Lulzbot Mini and Taz6 profiles from LulzBot Cura to PrusaSlicer) to help out my friend who runs the maker space at one of my local libraries, and found that the variable names used in Cura are not the same as used in PrusaSlicer. (PrusaSlicer calls them "Built-in placeholders", I don't recall what Cura calls them.) For example, in the line "M140 S{first_layer_bed_temperature[0]} ; start bed heating up", the "first_layer_bed_temperature[0]" is PrusaSlicer lingo for the first layer bed temperature as defined in the filament profile for extruder number 0.
Once I copied the start and end gcodes from Cura to PrusaSlicer I had to go through them line by line and find the corresponding variable names (and formula syntax) in PrusaSlicer. It took some time, but the results are actually now in the Prusa settings package as the LulzBot 3rd party printer profiles. (My apologies to anyone who as tried to use them and found them just adequate. I didn't really do any fine tuning as they worked well enough on the library's two LulzBot printers before they were retired.) I imagine that you will need to do the same in reverse (PrusaSlicer to Cura), and then save the new Cura profiles for MK4 somewhere safe for when (not if) you need to reinstall them because of library computer replacement, to load into a patron's computer so they can slice at home, etc.
See my (limited) designs on:
Printables - https://www.printables.com/@Sembazuru
Thingiverse - https://www.thingiverse.com/Sembazuru/designs
RE: MK4S Profile for Ultimaker Cura
Very interesting, and thanks for the advice! Yeah, I do think I see that line in the PrusaSlicer:
"M140 S[first_layer_bed_temperature] ; set bed temp"
As compared to the Cura profile created by Lee Labare that runs fairly well:
"M140 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ; set bed temp"
Coding is not a language I'm particularly well-versed in, though I do appreciate the beauty (and complexity) of what those lines of text can do. And I do find it fascinating encountering/discovering these things bit-by-bit and as I've gone along (loved disassembling/reassembling the MK4S and the hands-on learning/experience it brought!).
I'm beginning to lean more and more towards a supplemental training on PrusaSlicer for patrons given how it specifically takes advantage of the MK4S (with the potential for the XL and CORE One in the future), and just focusing on it with our trainings going forward. Most of the basic functions we train - move, resize, rotate, layer height, infill, supports, and brim - are pretty easily visible and accessed (as I've explored it further). Thanks again!