
Retracts shows and hides small spheres where retract moves occur, when the extruder goes into reverse to suck up plastic so that it doesn't ooze out during a travel move. Rapids displays travel moves (when your extruder is not laying down plastic) as red lines, indicating high speed moves.
Tool shows and hides the virtual tool head representing your extruder. Table toggles the gray gridded plane which represents your printer bed. Under Show are a set of checkboxes that determine what appears in the gcode preview. You can virtually play back how the print will progress using the controls that appear underneath. When previewing a g-code file (described in the next section), the preview area displays a representation of the actual instructions that will be sent to the printer.
Cmd-right-drag (Ctrl-right-drag on a PC) up and down on a model to scale it.ĭouble clicking on a model will bring up an options screen to let you do all of the above transformations more precisely using numbers. The camera will shift temporarily to an overhead viewpoint while you move it around. Cmd-left-drag (Ctrl-left-drag on a PC) on a model to move it around the bed. Alt-left-drag left and right on a model to rotate it. Shift-left drag zooms in and out, as does the scroll wheel. You can directly manipulate your models in this window. The size of your printing area should be configured in the Preferences menu under the Machine tab. The preview area in the center displays your models as they will be printed. The Arrange button auto-arranges all visible models in a compact cluster around the center of the printing area. The Drop button makes sure everything has its lowest point on the floor. When moving objects around, they may no longer be positioned on the floor. Double click on the filename or on a model in the preview area to view and edit its properties (rotate, scale, position, dimensions). The checkboxes next to the file names hide and show that file in the preview area. Use Import or drag and drop files into the list area to add files. The Models area is where you specify the 3D model files you want to work with.
There are a number of tutorials on Simplif圓D's web site that cover various aspects of the software. I am using a Mac some of the keyboard shortcuts may be different on Windows or Linux. It is not officially sanctioned by or affiliated with Simplif圓D.
This document is an attempt to fill some of the gaps. It has a number of useful features, but figuring out what everything does can be a daunting task for someone who is not already familiar with 3D printing. Simplif圓D is a commercial slicer and 3D printer host.