3D Printer Software
2.1 Software Overview
Aleph Objects, Inc., the maker of the LulzBot TAZ completely supports
free/libre hardware and software. Along with the TAZ being a free/libre
hardware design, it has been tested to work with 100% free/libre software.
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.
All of the following free/libre software is available for GNU/Linux,
Windows, and Apple OS X. However, we highly recommend using these
softwares on GNU/Linux.
The required software can be found in the Support/Downloads section
at
https://www.lulzbot.com/?q=support
. You will also find instructions
there for installing each program onto your PC. You can also find downloads
specific to the TAZ 3D printer on the TAZ product page.
2.2 Drivers
You will need to install device drivers in order for your Windows computer
to communicate with the TAZ 3D Printer. A Windows guide can be found at:
https://www.lulzbot.com/support/manually-installing-drivers-windows
.
If you are using your TAZ 3D Printer on a Linux/Apple OS X based
computer you will not need any drivers- support is already built into the
operating system.
Windows Driver Downloads:
http://download.lulzbot.com/TAZ/
software/current/drivers/windows/
2.3 Slic3r
Website: http://www.slic3r.org
The Slic3r software is the first tool in the chain of 3D printing software
(Fig. 2.1, page 29).
Slic3r uses commonly used
.STL
files to create
.gcode
files. Gcode files
contain instructions for the 3D printer on where, when, and how fast to
make movements. However, Gcode programming is not very suitable for
CAD and 3D design. This is where Slic3r and the
.STL
file comes into use.
The
.STL
file is a 3D model file that can be exported by all common CAD
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