If you've been following our 'Gram, you know that 3D printing is a new hobby over here. (It would be fun to make it into more than a hobby, but still lots to learn). If you're not familiar with 3D printing yet but would like an introduction, we've got a small introduction to 3D printing!
One of the great things about the 3D printing community is the amount of #opensource availability for doing things - from 3D models, to the printers themselves, to additional tools that can help simplify 3D printing, or make it more fun!
In my research before getting the 3D printer I learned about something called #OctoPrint that really extended what you can do with your printer. 3D printers are amazing! But they are only just starting to be online and extensible out of the box.
Here are just a few of the fun things you can do:
Full remote control of the printer - via web page or even a mobile app.
Integration with the PrusaSlicer - send prints directly to the printer! No more SD Card shuffle.
Great community involvement, including a huge plugin library. All kinds of plugins - firmware updates, bed levelers, gcode analyzers, touch interface, etc.
Smooth timelapses using OctoLapse (one of those plugins). These are better than one that takes a periodic picture at a set timeframe - OctoLapse tells the camera to take the picture at the same time in each layer, so the lapse looks like the print grows organically. Here's the first example of an Octolapse I made:
Did I mention it was open source? This means you can use it for free! If you're willing to do some of the legwork, you can make it happen. A little technical skill is needed, but really if you can follow instructions, and interact with the community if you get stuck, it's totally possible.
(Side note: like other projects in the open source community, OctoPrint does have people who are dedicated to it. Gina Häußge works on OctoPrint full time, for example. If you find OctoPrint useful you can provide one-time or recurring sponsorship via Patreon! Some of the plugins have a similar model, like OctoLapse, It's not required, but it can help!)
OK, so maybe now you're interested. What do you need to get started?
A computer. Now, this doesn't need to be a brand-new, expensive thing. If you have an old laptop sitting around, that will work. Octoprint runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Or... if you're feeling adventurous (or don't have an old laptop sitting around), you can use a Raspberry Pi computer. It's a fully-capable computer in a tiny DIY form factor, and it's pretty inexpensive. The current version (RPi 4B) starts around $35.
The software. Download it here based on your system type. If you do go the Raspberry Pi route, you can even download a software image which installs on an SD card and contains everything you need to get started - operating system and Octoprint.
USB cable - to connect the 3D printer to the computer.
3D printer - this should go without saying. That said - if you want to verify Octoprint will work with your printer, go here to see if your printer is on the list.
That's all you need to get started!
We'll be back with more on this topic - how to set up a camera, what if you want to do this and use a Raspberry Pi, that kind of thing.
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