It appears there just might be magic in that new straw hat !

A

angus40

Supporting Member
If you own a Creality Ender printer and are still using Cura to slice and dice your models , I have news for you .
I just downloaded a slicer called Orca and wow is all i can say . It shaved print time on a 17 + hour print by nearly 50% .
I have not loaded the g-code onto the Ender yet , but this looks like crazy new magic .have a look see at the times for a .2 mm print .
Unreal if true and prints equivalent quality .

I will load and print this and post the results .

new magic.png
 
Hmmm... I didn't know. Orca is a downstream fork of Bambu Studio, which itself is derived from PrusaSlicer.

Orca Slicer is widely considered the best overall slicer for Bambu Lab printers, so I'll be looking at this too.


Note: You can connect an Ender 3 to Wi-Fi for wireless printing, though it requires add-on hardware. The most popular methods are using a Raspberry Pi running OctoPrint, a Creality Wi-Fi Box, or a BuildBee CloudDock, which allow remote management via phone or computer.

I use wireless exclusively.
 
This orca almost destroyed my printer ....I have some learning to do in getting it configured correctly .

It initially printed the brim and 6 circles really fast and dirty . Then went haywire and tore the glass bed off .
There was a lot of jerk and bang in the movement .
 
This software apparently opens up a lot more configurations that are normally hidden in the Studio version. I as such, some settings can be set beyond your printer's capabilities.

Cancel is your friend but in software, it's never going to be instantaneous.

Studio has several settings limited conservatively to avoid the occasional oop's.

From my understanding, I'm already running on the edge of my printer's capabilities. From what I've read, there's a better slicer settings with Orca that can cut time without physically speeding up the hardware.

I'm okay with slightly over the edge but close enough prototypes and some non-prototypes when it's just for me.

With Orca, you should also have the capability of getting really nice quality prints too.
 
The Magic comes with a good learning curve . Make sure you get an OS appropriate version.
This was my first error as I loaded the latest and all seemed well until it didn't.
For windows 7 it's Orca ver 2.2.0
Select and Setup your printer profile and filament profile noting G-code flavor setting selection .
I made an error there at first but quickly realized Marlin 2 vs Marlin . You need to select what firmware version
your printer is loaded with . In my case its Marlin 2 .

That said , you simply make a few settings adjustments as you would using Cura and you' re off to the races .

And i mean races , Holy cow is this Orca app ever fast and accurate . The ender never sounded so good to be honest .
Its running like a swiss watch . So quiet like an EV.
And clean as a whistle at these speeds .

First practical test Orca vs Cura
I printed the test pieces from the asci files.
1hr 33 min Cura time
53 mins Orca time

Print quality Orca hands down .

Definitely the clear winner .
 
Hmmm... I installed Orca but now I'm running into some firmware issue that I've read about. Bambu claims that they made some security updates so it makes it harder for hackers to get into your printer. My understanding is that it wasn't an issue before, just Bambu trying to lock competitor's out, though they deny it.

You have to put the printer in Development Mode and then play games with network settings and there's a list of "try this".

I can slice and send it to the printer. It disconnect for some unknow reason but I can momentarily get it back by going to Preview and back to Device. Of course Both Bambu and OrcaSlicer deny anything is wrong on their end and Bambu refuses to support anyone else's software.

Of course putting Bambu's firmware into development mode also disables both of their computer and app programs, making it a hassle. :rolleyes:

The printing is faster and there's more options in Orca though. It's probably not compatible with Bambu's either.
 
So I re -printed this test as I couldn't believe the difference .

This time I used the Gyroid pattern for both . Things get interesting here .

Orca printed the pieces near clear compared to Cura and almost 2 full grams lighter .
These Orca parts are much more flexible compared and slippery .Their fitment is good but not as tight as Cura .

I prefer the frosted look but clearer connectors is a bonus as it reduces the joins opacity .

Interesting stuff in a not so perfect world . Way to many variables printing plastic to have any
real control .

If like me , you do not have MS Edge network2viewer. It seems an issue with this app and causes the odd crash .
 
No crash here, Orca just loses access after the G-Code is sent. The print is still sent and the end result is the same. Print time is less then what Bambu Studio was taking. Because I get access long enough, the print speed is the default.
 
Interesting... With all of that back and forth about .2 and .4 nozzle's, the printer say's it has a .4 is attached. :rolleyes: It now half the time because it's not trying to pretend it's got a .2 nozzle. The end result is identical though. So maybe either the software or the printer was smart enough to know the difference.
 
ErnieHorning said:
Interesting... With all of that back and forth about .2 and .4 nozzle's, the printer say's it has a .4 is attached. :rolleyes: It now half the time because it's not trying to pretend it's got a .2 nozzle. The end result is identical though. So maybe either the software or the printer was smart enough to know the difference.
Click to expand...
That is an odd one . I would look at the tip for a stamp .

Here is the 2 reprints . on the left is Cura . both printed with their respective gyroid .

 
Orca printed in 2/3 the time and a lighter thinner part .

All setting were equal in the slicers , yet Orca delivered a 2 gram lighter weight .
 
Well, Orca is working perfectly now. Somehow my Notebook's Wi-Fi attached to the Guest Wi-Fi. Guest is only allowed to communicate with the external internet. Interesting that it was allowed internal access for data transfer though. :unsure:
 
I installed Orca, gave it a look... had nothing to print at the time so I uninstalled it. I probably won't have anything to print in several months....
 
dirknerkle said:
I installed Orca, gave it a look... had nothing to print at the time so I uninstalled it. I probably won't have anything to print in several months....
Click to expand...
If you need something to print , I'm certain we could remedy that here .
Have you reprinted your stars ?

If you'd like to have them converted to a snap together , that could be a start .
 
ErnieHorning said:
Well, Orca is working perfectly now. Somehow my Notebook's Wi-Fi attached to the Guest Wi-Fi. Guest is only allowed to communicate with the external internet. Interesting that it was allowed internal access for data transfer though. :unsure:
Click to expand...
Klipper is the alternative to Octo print.
 
angus40 said:
Klipper is the alternative to Octo print.
Click to expand...
I used to get into editing G-Code back when I used a CNC mill at work and the software was pretty basic. I can only of one use for editing now but I'm not running a Print Farm. Orca seems to do everything I currently need.
 
angus40 said:
If you need something to print , I'm certain we could remedy that here .
Have you reprinted your stars ?

If you'd like to have them converted to a snap together , that could be a start .
Click to expand...
Yes, the stars have been reprinted, and the two halves are glued together with the LEDs on the inside... that shooting star prop is back in its box and ready for use again....
 
ErnieHorning said:
I used to get into editing G-Code back when I used a CNC mill at work and the software was pretty basic. I can only of one use for editing now but I'm not running a Print Farm. Orca seems to do everything I currently need.
Click to expand...
ErnieHorning said:
I used to get into editing G-Code back when I used a CNC mill at work and the software was pretty basic. I can only of one use for editing now but I'm not running a Print Farm. Orca seems to do everything I currently need.
Click to expand...
I learned G-code in 90-91 using the 8080 processor and 5.25 drive , and HDD .
Ive since forgotten all that . g-500 is all i recall . lol
 
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