Essential Software

[Guest]

Hi guys,

I'm quite new to the world of 3D printing and I basically want to know what essential software I need for a good setup?

I already have Autodesk Inventor Professional - will this do everything I need to get my model printed? Or do I have to export it as STL and open in Replicator?

I have a FlashForge Creator Pro if that helps.

What other software is an essential part of 3D printing?

Jazz

[Guest]

Autodesk Inventor should definitely work as long as it can export clean STL files. You can then import that file into your slicer and print. Many people without pro software like Autodesk Fusion 360, so I'm sure inventor would work just as well.

[Guest]

Hi Andrew,

I had a little play about on the 3D print environment on Inventor and it seems OK. I'm wondering how it'll handle imported STEP files from other programs that come in as surfaces. I think I'll leave that for another time though. Best start with what I know.

So.. What would you use with Inventor? I have installed many programs on my laptop and I'm not convinced I need them all:

Replicator G
Slic3r
Makerbot Desktop
Inventor

[Guest]

Basically, you need design software (Inventor) and a slicer/control software. Check out page 7 of the Creator Pro manual (you may have already seen this):http://www.flashforge-usa.com/assets...3.0.pdf?cd6e8a

I would recommend starting with their recommendations (Replicator G) just to get going and make sure everything works the way it should. Once you are more comfortable with the machine, you could look into using other software options.