How to Start Your First Print with ideaMaker

After you have installed ideaMaker and successfully run it, you can start your first printing. This tutorial will introduce how to print your model using ideaMaker for the first time. (This tutorial takes ideaMaker 4.0.0 Beta as an example).

Step 1 Run ideaMaker and Import the Model

1. Open ideaMaker and enter the ideaMaker welcome interface.

There are several sections in the welcome interface, you can access to each section, or you can skip the welcome interface.

Start the preliminary steps of printing.

Recently opened files.

Preliminary settings for model printing, including printer settings, filament settings, manage templates and preferences.

RaiseCloud is a cloud platform for monitoring and managing the multiple printing process.

ideaMaker Library is a sharing platform for users to share and download slice templates.

Access to the latest information and product-related resources of Raise3D.

Figure 1 Welcome to ideaMaker

2. Enter the configuration wizard settings. Close the welcome interface, the printer will appear the initial configuration wizard. You can follow the wizard to set your printer type, the number of extruders and the type of filament used.

A) Set your printer type.

Figure 2 Set your printer type

B) Set the number of extruders.

Figure 3 Set the number of extruders

C) Set the type of filament you use.

Figure 4 Set the type of filament you use

D) After completing the configuration wizard settings, you can enter the main interface of ideaMaker. For more settings about printers and filaments, please select the „Printer“ on the menu bar, and select „Printer Settings“ or „Filament Settings“ to set the printer or filament.

Figure 5 „Printer Settings“ or „Filament Settings“.

3. Import the model file after entering the main interface.

A) Click the „+“ button to import a .STL, .OBJ or .3MF model file.

Figure 6 Click the „+“ button to import a model

Note: If you find an error message in the prompt box in the lower right corner, you can click the „Repair“ button on the menu bar to automatically repair your model.

Figure 7 Repair the model

B) Click „File“ on the menu bar, and then click „Import Models“ to import model files.

Figure 8 Import the model through the menu bar

C) Click the „Add“ button on the Tool Bar to import the model.

Figure 9 Click the „Add“ icon to import the model

Step 2 Slice the Model

1. The purpose of slicing is to convert the model file into a G-Code command that the printer can recognize. Because the principle of the Raise3D printer is to form the melted filaments layer by layer. So visually, slicing means dividing the model into countless printing layers.

2. Click “Start Slicing” to slice the model.

Figure 10 Click “Start Slicing” to slice the model

3. Select your printer type and filament type.

A) Select the printer type you use in the pop-up „Select Template“ window. For example, if the printer you use is Raise3D E2, please select „Raise3D E2“.

Figure 11 Select the printer type

B) If you are not using a Raise3D series printer, you need to set up a third-party printer in ideaMaker. Click the Settings icon to enter the printer settings. You can set the printer parameters in the printer settings.

Figure 12 Click the Settings icon to enter the printer settings

C) You can click „Add/Duplicate“ to add a third-party printer and configure the third-party printer.

Figure 13 Add a third-party printer

D) You can also click „Import“ to import the printer settings in the local disk.

Figure 14 Import the printer settings from the local disk

E) Select the type of filament you use. There are many types and specifications of filaments in ideaMaker. It is recommended that you use Raise3D official filaments.

Figure 15 Select the type of filament

4. Select a slicing template, or click the „Copy“ button to create a new template for the model based on the existing three templates. ideaMaker provides three default slicing templates: „Speed“, „Standard“ and „High Quality“.

Figure 16 Select a slicing template

5. Select the template you need, and then click the „Edit“ button or double-click the template. Select the Platform Addition and Support type, and then click „Save and Close“. (You can click „Advanced Settings“ to modify other parameters. For specific settings, please refer to ideaMaker User Manual 5.1.3. Edit Template.)

Figure 17 Edit the slicing template

Figure 18 Click “Save and Close”

6. Click the „Slice“ button to start slicing. ideaMaker will automatically slice the model.

Figure 19 Slice the model

7. After the slicing is completed, the system will pop up an “Estimated Print Result” for your reference. You can check the estimated printing time, estimated printing price and other information. You can upload the model to the printer here, or you can preview the slicing result first.

Preview the slice result.

You can upload the slice files to your printer, RaiseCloud and Octoprint.

Export the sliced file to local disk.

Figure 20 Estimated Print Result

8. Click the “Preview” button, you can view the slicing effect of the model.

Figure 21 Model preview interface

A) Drag the button to view the printing of the model layer by layer and step by step.

Figure 22 Check the model layer by layer

Note: You can check the retraction points with „Show Retraction“. Check one layer with „Only Current Layer“.

Figure 23 Check the retraction points with „Show Retraction“. Check one layer with „Only Current Layer“.

B) Select “Structure”, ideaMaker will show different structures in the model in different colors. The cyan refers to Support and Raft. The red refers to Outer Shell. The green refers to the Inner Shells. The yellow refers to Infill. The blue lines refer to the moving paths of nozzle.

Figure 24 View model structure

C) In addition, you can also preview the model by selecting “Extruder Color”, “Speed“, “Layer Height”.

Figure 25 Choose view type

Figure 26 View the model by extruder color

Figure 26a. View the model by print speed

Figure 27 View the model by model layer height

Figure 27a. View the model by model structure

Figure 28 Enable „2D“ to check the current layer with orthographic view.

Step 3 Save and export the sliced G-Code files.

1. Close the Preview after checking the model.

2. Now you will have four options to load the files to the printer.

Option 1: Export the sliced G-Code file to USB storage or SD card.

Option 2: Upload the sliced G-Code file to the printer via WLAN.

Option 3: Upload the sliced G-Code file to RaiseCloud.

Option 4: Upload the sliced G-Code file to OctoPrint.

Option 1 Export the sliced G-Code files to USB storage or SD card.

1. Click “Export” button in the Estimated Print Result window to export the sliced G-Code file.

Figure 29 Export the sliced G-Code file

2. Click “Export to Local Disk button” in main screen to export the sliced G-Code files.

Figure 30 Export the sliced G-Code files in the main view

3. Export the sliced file to a USB storage device or a folder in the computer. Then copy the G-Code file (.gcode file and .data file) to the USB storage device. It is important to copy two files.

Figure 31 Raise3D printer can support .gcode files and .data files

4. Insert the USB device into the printer, select „Print“ and then select the USB storage device to find the print file, and start printing for the first time.

Figure 32 Select USB storage to find print files

Option 2 Upload the sliced file via WLAN.

1. Click “Upload to Printer” in the “Estimated Print Result” window to upload the G-Code file.

Figure 33 Upload to Printer

2. You can click “Upload to printer” button in main screen to upload the sliced G-Code files.

Figure 34 Click “Upload to Printer” to upload the sliced G-Code files

3. Click the upload button on the left, and then click “UPLOAD FILES TO LOCAL PRINTERS” to upload the G-Code file to local printers.

Figure 35 Upload the G-Code file in Upload Queue

4. Then you will see the Select Printer page. You can select the printer you want to print with here. And you also can rename the model in Select Printer page.

Figure 36 Select a printer you want to use from the drop list

5. After you upload the file, you can check the uploading progress in Upload Queue.

Figure 37 Check the uploading progress

6. After uploading is complete, you can start printing. Select the print file on the touch screen of the printer to print. Files uploaded by WLAN are stored in Local storage.

Figure 38 Local storage

Option 3 Upload the sliced file to RaiseCloud.

1. Click “Upload to RaiseCloud” button in main screen to upload the sliced G-Code files.

Note:

1. It can only work properly with ideaMaker version 3.6.0 or higher.
   

   Figure 39 Upload the sliced file to RaiseCloud

Option 4 Upload the sliced files to OctoPrint.

1. Click “Upload to OctoPrint” on the main interface to upload the sliced G-Code file.
   

   Figure 40 Upload the sliced file to OctoPrint

Step 4 Print your model on the printer

1. After you successfully export the G-Code slice file and upload it to the printer, you can print your model on the printer.

A) Select „Local Storage“ or „USB Storage“, and then find the file you want to print.

Figure 41 Choose the model you want to print

B) Click „Print“ to print the model file.

Figure 42 Print the model