Announcing Ultimaker Cura 3.1 beta

Since the release of Ultimaker Cura 3.0, we have been busy working together with our community to create Ultimaker Cura 3.1, and we are now ready for the beta release. This new update integrates exciting new features, bug fixes, and lots more besides.

Please note: We’ve thoroughly tested this beta version, which offers great functionality and improved features. However, it’s still in the beta stage, which means we can’t guarantee the same print reliability as our stable versions. If you’re working on an important project, we strongly recommend that you use the latest stable version of Ultimaker Cura.

Highlights

Layer view. See a live simulation of the printing strategy from the Layer view.

Quick camera controls. Quickly and easily reposition the camera view using buttons in the toolbar.

Increased speed. Faster response times - reduced hanging when processing, or selecting printers or profiles.

Jogging. Control your Ultimaker 2+ with on-screen controls via USB.

UI enhancements

Faster profile switching. Duplicating and removing a profile is faster compared to previous versions.

Faster printer switching. Removing a printer from the library is now instant. No more unresponsive screens.

Faster processing. A 5 - 10 % speed increase when calculating normals, loading models, and slicing.

Quick camera controls. New buttons have been added to the interface that can quickly reposition the camera view.

Layer view. The existing Layer View has been updated in order to see all the paths within a layer. This enables easy testing of the CuraEngine features, and better visualization of the sequence of each printed layer. Press the play button below the layer selection slider to see an animated simulation of the print.

Jogging. Jogging allows the printhead to be moved with on-screen controls. The Ultimaker 2+ and other RepRap printers can now be fully controlled from Ultimaker Cura when connected through USB. Each axis can be jogged in 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mm increments.

Large model loading. Loading large/detailed models and slicing them on a high resolution could affect the performance of Ultimaker Cura in previous releases. A new feature has been added which unloads the layer view when switching to solid mode, speeding Ultimaker Cura back up without losing your G-code/layer view information.

Scripts folder. A scripts folder is now available in the Ultimaker Cura configuration folder. This folder can be loaded with post processing plugins scripts, which will automatically show in Ultimaker Cura.

Optimized workflow for crash reporting. Crash reports are automatically generated and allow the user, in case of a crash, to easily send their report with a description to developers.

New and improved slicing features

Floating models enabled. In previous releases, models were dropped to the build plate when support was disabled. Models now float when the setting is enabled (even if creates an impossible-to-print situation). This can be used to stack separate models on top of each other.

Slicing tolerance. A new setting that affects the intersect point to influence the dimensional accuracy of diagonal surfaces. The user can select the behavior: ‘Inclusive’ makes gaps narrower, ‘Exclusive’ makes gaps wider, and ‘Middle’ is the fastest to process. When using ‘Middle’, the first layer will be taller by half of its height to compensate for the added half layer. This can be used for applications that require tolerances, e.g. holes for screws.

Optimized zig zag patterns. Zig zag patterns now print more consistently. Lines now have a 5 micron tolerance in which they are printed any way, resulting in longer connected lines.

Aligned z-seam inner wall moves. Inner wall travel moves are aligned with the z-seam. This reduces the number of travel moves and reduces the chance of more unwanted seams.

Relative positioning of infill patterns. Infill patterns are now positioned relative to the center of loaded models. Whenever you load the model, the infill is positioned the same. An offset can be applied to control the infill more precisely and adjust it to preference or strength.

Line resolution. Enables the user to specify the minimum allowed distance value between two points in G-code to create lower or higher resolution polygons.

Custom mode changes. If profile settings have been modified in recommended mode under custom mode, a reset icon will appear to notify the user. Click the icon to show the changes that have been made, and revert back to the default profile settings.

Bug fixes

We have added bug fixes for: Layer numbers being displayed incorrectly when switching between solid and layer mode, Ultimaker Cura engine crashes on certain models, uninstalling previous versions of Cura on Windows platforms, and fixes for displaying visible settings.

Are you ready?

We’d like to thank all of our contributors, and a very special thanks to fieldOfView, ahoeben, smartavionics, and BagelOrb.

We are ramping up development for the stable release of Ultimaker Cura 3.1, where we have many more features planned. Take Ultimaker Cura 3.1 beta for a test drive, and be sure to tell us what you think on our forum.