Because you have to buy it to try it, the full range of Simplify3D’s features are available to you from the outset. Below, we’ve outlined a few of the standout features included in this advanced slicing software that might tempt you to try it out.

Print Simulation

Simplify3D features a realistic print simulation system that can assist you in getting some insight into the print. Using the simulation can allow users to also discover potential issues and print failures before actually printing, saving time and material cost.

Detailed Build Previews

Version 5 offers precise visualizations, more accurate build predictions, and metrics that provide valuable insights into the printing process. According to Simplify3D, updated algorithms will even simulate the behavior of the printer firmware, thus allowing for a better prediction of how long a print will take to complete.

Professional Support Team

Perhaps the most straightforward reason to buy Simplify3D is its customer support. Expanding beyond just using the software, Simplify3D boasts that their team has “helped thousands of users improve their print quality.” Clearly, Simplify3D is dedicated to helping you achieve the best prints you can, beyond just giving you professional-grade tools to do it.

If you’re finding yourself frustrated from cruising YouTube, asking questions in online forums, or worried that missing knowledge could cause undue delays for a new business, springing for Simplify3D could be a good solution to get the help you need.

Multi-Part Customization

If you need to print more than one part, why not use more of your print bed?

There are plenty of reasons to print parts separately, the simplest among them being that you might need a different level of detail or altered settings for certain parts to get the best result. Fortunately, with Simplify3D, you can specify separate settings for each part on the build surface in a single print.

From standard settings like layer height and infill to any of the more complex printing processes you can think of, each part can be printed uniquely. You can even choose whether the parts should be printed all at once – layer-by-layer across the build platform – or one after the other. We find this feature especially helpful for testing an array of print settings while figuring out what’s optimal for a new printer or material.

Mesh Analysis and Repair

While broken meshes usually prompt you to boot up a second tool, Simplify3D takes care of whatever processes you’re likely to need before printing by adding its own mesh analysis and repair tools. If you find yourself moving in and out of secondary software a lot to fix those normals and tango with triangles, this program could make your workflow a little… well, simpler.

Dynamic Flow

Even while printing a single part, Simplify3D pays special attention to tapering and sharp edges by dynamically adjusting material flow. In other words, the program will adjust your extrusion settings to give you better quality in places where sticking to one standard extrusion width would cause over-extrusion issues. If you’re using FDM to print models with a lot of detail, this is a great feature to have.

It’s worth noting, Simplify3D also includes variable print settings for a single object, separated by layers. This is less of a standout feature these days, but still helpful when you’re printing something that needs to print differently across a whole layer in a small section and isn’t such an intricate detail that the dynamic print settings will take care of things.

Inbuilt Scripting Engine

If you’re a whiz with G-code and frustrated that slicers don’t always do quite what you want, Simplify3D has you covered with its inbuilt scripting engine. Free open-source slicers usually have this feature, too, but Simplify3D has a spiced-up version that goes beyond the plain text editors some slicers have. For example, if you have Notepad++ installed, you can download an XML file to enable syntax highlighting in Simplify3D to get those helpful colors.

Improved and Added Features in Version 5.0

Listening to requests from the community, the company has added more than 120 new features and improvements to version 5. The most important one is the adaptive layer height, which optimizes the layer height to the model’s topology. Automated seam hiding reduces surface defects by automatically adjusting the start points for each layer. And the dynamic infill density feature makes sure you only use material that you need.

In addition, the support structure features have been updated, leaving you with more choices with custom support shapes and additional support infill patterns. You can also use a 3D mouse to inspect the choices the slicer has made.

At one time, Simplify3D was widely considered to be the slicer to beat. Though it’s always come with a relatively high entry price, it was quite ahead of the – mostly free – competition for a long time.

Now, things are a little more up in the air. Simplify3D still has professional support and a lot of standout software features that you can’t get natively with popular open-source slicers, and that makes it the choice for many professionals. With slower update cycles of Simplify 3D, the competition has caught up with most of its features. In many respects, Simplify3D has been left behind while its not-insignificant asking price remains. Still, the 5.0 update was highly anticipated and the software’s as-of-yet unique features keep it tempting.

Once you’ve decided to invest in Simplify3D, getting set up is easy. Just purchase a license through the website, and you’ll instantly receive an email with instructions to download and install the slicer. After that, it’s a simple matter of connecting to one of the hundreds of 3D printers it supports.

While its version updates may roll in slowly, Simplify3D is fast to update its slicer profiles for the recently published 3D printers. Want to ensure your 3D printer is supported before any transaction? Take a look at Simplify3D’s compatibility page first.

Simplify3D, like most slicers, isn’t a very heavy program. Below are the recommended specs to run Simplify3D version 5 on your computer:

• OS: Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.12, Linux (Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora-based distributions with a 64-bit processor)
• CPU:2.3 GHz or faster processor with 4 or more cores
• RAM: 8 GB or more
• GPU: OpenGL 2.0 capable
• Other: Active internet connection, 1 GB of available hard-disk space

The minimum requirements are as follows:

• CPU:1.7 GHz or faster processor with 2 or more cores
  
• RAM: 4 GB

For further details, visit the Simplify3D technical specifications page.

Possibly the single most popular slicer available, Cura is a free and open-source slicing software by 3D printer manufacturer UltiMaker.

In its most advanced mode, Cura has over 400 settings to give you intimate control of your 3D printer. And, for functions the program doesn’t include natively, there’s a library of addons available in the marketplace to get what you need. Some extensions simply add overlooked functions, like z-offset; others bring convenience, like the helpful “Calibration Shapes”; and more still provide integrations with commonly used 3D design software like Blender and FreeCAD.

Cura's Latest Version

Simplify3D: Beginner's Guide to This Premium Slicer

UltiMaker has provided a wealth of profiles for 3D printers and materials, but adding custom profiles is also a simple matter. Cura tends to receive frequent updates, usually just small ones that add a profile or tweak a feature, but it’s well taken care of, nonetheless.

If you think Cura is the right slicer for you, also read our handy Cura Settings Decoded – An Ultimaker Cura Tutorial.

PrusaSlicer is a branch of Slic3r, another piece of popular open-source software. In Prusa Research tradition, and like its parent software, the program is open source and has a ton of documentation to help you get familiar with every little setting.

As you’d expect, PrusaSlicer is optimized for Prusa products. It comes with pre-installed profiles for all the Prusa Research 3D printers and materials. It also comes with a large variety of other popular 3D printers and materials, and keeps the process of adding your own custom profiles easy.

PrusaSlicer has, for quite some time now, been considered a full fork of Slic3r. Its parent program last received an update in 2018, and it seems the community-developed project just doesn’t have the same resources as a fully-fledged company like Prusa to keep the updates coming. But the program is in good hands with Prusa, who have made the already popular slicer even more prominent in the 3D printing community.

A little different than the previously mentioned robust, locally-installed slicers is a more simple, but easily accessible, cloud-based slicer called Kiri:Moto.

Yet another open-source slicer, Kiri:Moto is developed, maintained, and hosted by Grid Space. It’s an excellent slicer alternative if you’re on the move or can’t (or just haven’t) installed one on the computer you’re using.

There’s nothing fancy in Kiri:Moto, but it comes with all the basic options you’ll usually need from your slicer: resolution, temperature, speed, retraction settings, and more. It comes with a surprising amount of profiles, though it’s definitely missing a lot of today’s most popular 3D printers. No matter, though, you can easily add your own system, including custom start and end G-code, of course. Honestly, fancy enough for a free cloud-based slicer.

It really is a surprisingly great piece of software, and it works for not only both FDM and resin-based 3D printers but also CNC and laser systems.