3D Printer Software
1.1 Software Overview
Aleph Objects, Inc., the maker of the LulzBot
®
TAZ 3D printer, completely
supports Free/Libre software and hardware. Along with the LulzBot TAZ
3D printer being a Free/Libre hardware design, has been tested to work
with 100% Free/Libre software. Our source code and design les are
hosted on our development server found at http://devel.lulzbot.com.
To operate your desktop 3D printer you will need to install a few software
packages onto your PC. You will need a 3D printer host, an .STL to .gcode
generator, and optional CAD or 3D modeling software.
1.2 Software Types
Printer Hosts
Printer Host software is used to control the 3D printer. The program
not only allows you to manually move the printer along all the axes,
but set temperatures manually, send commands, and receive feed-
back/error messages from the onboard electronics. We recommend
that new users start with Cura as it includes a slicing engine as well.
Common Printer Hosts:
• Cura
• Printrun (Pronterface)
• MatterControl
• OctoPrint
• BotQueue
Slicers
These programs take the 3-Dimensional model (typically
STL/OBJ/etc) and determine the 3D printer toolpath based
on the options selected. The slicing engine uses the nozzle diameter,
movement speeds, layer height, and other variables to determine the
coordinates where it needs to move, and the rates at which it will do
so. This information is exported out of the program as a gcode le.
The gcode le is a plain-text le with a series of text-based codes and
a list of the complete X,Y, and Z axis coordinates used for printing
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