• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Technipages

Tutorials and fixes for smartphone, gadget, and computer problems

  • Topics
    • Android
    • Gaming
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • iOS
    • MacOS
    • Office
    • Software
    • Windows
    • Definitions
  • Product Reviews
  • Downloads
  • About Technipages
3D Printing Basics: What Software Do You Need?

3D Printing Basics: What Software Do You Need?

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Mel Hawthorne Leave a Comment

3D printing obviously has hardware requirements such as a printer and filament or resins. As a beginner, you may not know the type of software you need to be able to print things. There are four types of specialist software that are varying degrees of necessary.

Necessary

Slicing software is basically required for 3D printing. The vast majority of models you can find online are just that 3D models. For your printer to be able to reproduce them it needs a breakdown, layer by layer, of what it needs to do and how to do it. Slicing software manages a broad range of printer settings by slicing the model into layers and translating those structures into G-code. G-code is the instruction language used by 3D printers to actually print the models.

Recommended

3D modelling software is a great tool to have available. If a model you’ve found isn’t quite to your liking, you can edit it. You can even create 3D models from scratch if you’ve got the time and patience.

Mesh repair software may not be necessary for every model you print. When you need it, however, it can save you a huge amount of time. Sometimes when you go to slice a model, you’ll come across errors where the slicing software just doesn’t know what to do to make sense of the model. Often this is because there is non-manifold geometry, that is shapes that cant exist in the real world. The mesh repair software can highlight and help address these issues. Many 3D modelling software suites do have mesh repair tools built-in, so you may not need to use a standalone mesh repair tool.

Useful

Print management software allows you to control or monitor your printer remotely. This can be a useful tool, but certainly isn’t something you need.

To be able to use any of this software you will need some form of a computer with an operating system and a browser. This isn’t much of a requirement but is something worth bearing in mind if you only have mobile devices, as these may not be enough. Technically you can get away with just this if you plan to use a 3D printing service, depending on the type of model files they need and that you can find. This is a bit of an edge case but is something that could appeal to newcomers, especially less technical ones.

Have you got any 3D printing software that you’d recommend? Let us know down below.

You Might Also Like

  • 3D Printing Basics: Tips to Reduce Printing Costs
    3D Printing Basics: Tips to Reduce Printing Costs
  • 3D Printing Basics: Are 3D Printing Materials Expensive?
    3D Printing Basics: Are 3D Printing Materials Expensive?
  • 3D Printing Basics: What Is Multi-Material Printing
    3D Printing Basics: What Is Multi-Material Printing
  • 3D Printing Basics: Printing Threaded Parts
    3D Printing Basics: Printing Threaded Parts
  • 3D Printing Basics: Printing Materials
    3D Printing Basics: Printing Materials
  • 3D Printing Basics: What Is MSLA 3D Printing?
    3D Printing Basics: What Is MSLA 3D Printing?
  • 3D Printing Basics: What Are 3D Printing Services?
    3D Printing Basics: What Are 3D Printing Services?
  • 3D Printing Basics: What Are 3D Printing Pens?
    3D Printing Basics: What Are 3D Printing Pens?
  • 3D Printing Basics: Non-planar 3D Printing
    3D Printing Basics: Non-planar 3D Printing

Filed Under: Hardware

Reader Interactions

Did this help? Let us know!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • What Is Host Memory Buffer (HMB) in SSD?
  • DRAM on an SSD: Is It Something You want?
  • 5 Free Android Apps to Remove Red Eye
  • Windows 11: How to Change the Primary Mouse Button
  • Windows 11: Use Fonts and Make Your Text Fantastic
  • Windows 11: How to Manage the Recycling Bin
  • How to Enable Dark Mode in Firefox
  • Windows 11: How to Add Clocks with Different Time Zones

Who’s Behind Technipages?

Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

You May Also Like

  • Software Engineering
  • Software License
  • Free Software Foundation (FSF)
  • Portable Document Software (PDS)
  • Open Source Software (OSS)

© Copyright 2022 Technipages · All Rights Reserved · Privacy