So i have a 3D printer, and i have linux on a laptop but im struggling to find good 3D print-related software to use on linux or maybe i havent looked hard enough? Im pretty much a beginner to both linux And 3d printing, also using Ubuntu Mate if that matters on a old thinkpad.
So i need a 3d print slicer/way to print to my printer, i also need a simple 3d modeling software (ive tried blender but found it too hard and heavy for me and my laptop). It would help if all suggested software were open source or something like that.
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PrusaSlicer.
Most slicers work natively on Linux. I’ve used orca slicer and lychee in just past 24h.
As for modeling software freecad, blender obviously; onshape is browser based, so it should work; fusion360 is hard to get running, but from what I’ve heard it’s doable;
SOLIDWORKS can run in wine, but just barely - I’ve found it easier and more pleasant to run it in a windows vm
it’s been a while, but ill try to contextualize some of the great suggestions here. i use cura to slice, then octoprint through usb to actually control and interface with the printer. there are many good slicers, octoprint is the standard for most printers unless you have something odd or too proprietary.
blender has a CAD mode or some plugin that makes it much easier to use for certain 3d printing applications, a bunch like autodesk, just not quite as refined. that’s what i sometimes use when i need it. openscad and a couple other foss options that run on linux work but aren’t very intuitive or easy to use, trust me.
as a last resort running other established windows software could work on wine with a bit of banging around, but may or may not be that simple. those tend to be much heavier than foss apps though, so if your computer is already struggling you will have a worse time.
my suggestion is to first and foremost confirm if 3d acceleration and stuff is enabled and working in blender and nothing overheats or anything, it shouldn’t be that hard to run on a regular laptop made in the last decade for simple beginner stuff. it’s worth trying to get it to work just because it’s the best option on linux imho, and not that hard once you grasp the basics.
and yeah software discoverability is not that great on linux, but we got you.
Orcaslicer hands down.
For 3d modelling software, they all suck or have an unreasonable cost for what they offer. Openscad is something at least.
Most software on that front works. I usually just use Cura for slicing.
Prusa slicer, orcaslicer, I’ve used both on Linux, runs native.
Prusa slicer was in the repos, orca slicer I had to download the app image.
Also openscad, freecad, also work for 3d modeling and should be in your distro’s repositories.
IMHO the best slicer is orcaslicer, which works fine on Ubuntu as an appimage. On other distros i used distrobox to create an ubuntu box and then start the appimage.
+1 to TinkerCAD and PrusaSlicer. I have a (Creality) Ender V3 but switched away from CrealityPrint to Prusa due to Wayland issues and while it’s not as pretty, it’s not just as powerful but more so
TinkerCAD has also been amazing for nearly everything I need. I only recently hit the limit with it after years of printing and switched to Blender but it’s super solid
Did you forget Octoprint?
Some have gotten fusion 360 working via wine: https://github.com/cryinkfly/Autodesk-Fusion-360-for-Linux
Blender is Linux native, and it’s great for sculptures- not as great for making parts CAD style, but you can make it work: https://www.blender.org/download/
Cura seems to have native Linux support: https://linuxvox.com/blog/cura-linux/
Prusa slicer is also Linux native: https://www.prusa3d.com/page/prusaslicer_424/
Octoprint is of course Linux native, and I use it from a docker container. Can also work well from a pi. https://octoprint.org/
I use Fusion 360 + Cura + Octoprint myself, but I’m on mac. It’s really only the CAD software that I can’t recommend a native solution personally, but I have heard of a number of these: https://itsfoss.com/cad-software-linux/
Good luck!!
I’ve used Cura in Linux, can confirm it worked fine for me.
Cura’s a fantastic slicer, but kindof a terrible program. They gave up on ARM support a while ago. And their dependency situation is majorly out of control. To the point that Gentoo has literally given up on supporting it and maintaining a working package.
They still support ARM Mac version- I wonder if it’s just non-Mac Arm they’re giving the cold shoulder to?
If you pay for Fusion360 or have a student account, you can run it from the browser. I’ve run it on a crappy dechromed chromebook that way without issue.
P.s. fusion is free for personal non commercial, but I haven’t tried that version in browser, might not be possible.
It isn’t. The “browser version” is actually streaming a VM running on one of autodesk’s computers.
Orca Slicer, 100%
Thats what i used on Windows; I honestly didn’t know it was on linux?
Yep, it had native Linux versions, and is even available as a flatpak (though not through Flathub iirc)
OpenSCAD works. I’ve played with it but not actually printed anything (no printer).
For creating models: Blender is tops, openSCAD and Open CAD are good but a lot more technical.
For basic stuff, most slicers have objects and negative connects that you can sculpt I’ve something functional. I made a basic model last week for a thing I needed only in the slicer.
For slicer software: sometimes 3d printer brands customize a more common software to tune it to the specific machine. I’m a fan of Orca, but Cura and PrusaSlicer are also really good.
All of these are available as FOSS on Linux.
Lychee slicer runs on Linux as does bambu studio, but the latter isn’t much use if you don’t have a bambu printer. Also FreeCAD for design
I usually use FreeCAD for creating models for 3D printing. It’s well suited for the technical/practical designs I do. For sculptures Blender is the better choice.
Thank you. Also i know blender is better, but it wants to blow up my laptop sorta, and its over my head.
Hence the recommendation for FreeCAD. But you didn’t really say what kind of stuff you want to design.
I use cura as slicer and onshape for modeling. Onshape is browser-based and I found f360 to be a bit more intuitive, but it’s fully featured and works well.
Lots of good suggestions here, I’ll add Blender. For artsy oriented models, and there is a 3d print add-on with a few cool features.
or you can model functional mechanical parts with blender like some masochist (definitely not me)
