Now that 3D printing is a hot topic in the DIY community, and those tend to favor free software principles, it’s only fair that 3D printer software should be readily available in your distribution’s repository.
And actually, some of the most popular are Free Software. In the just-released Fedora 19 beta, three of those are available for installation. All you need to do is type yum install and you are set to go, provided there is a 3D printer connected to your computer.
The following are the 3D printer software included in Fedora 19 beta. Note that I’ve not used any of these software, so don’t assume that I’m an expert on 3D printers and 3D printing.
With that disclaimer out of the way, here are the 3D printing software that you can use on Fedora 19. One other point: These applications are not unique to Fedora 19. You can also install then in Ubuntu or other Linux distributions.
1. Cura: Cura is software developed for use with the Ultimaker 3D printer. It is Free software. You can read more about it at wiki.ultimaker.com/Cura.
2. Slic3r: Slic3r is Free Software, primarily developed by Alessandro Ranellucci. It has support for 3D printers from several different manufacturers. More information is available on the project’s website at Slic3r.org
3 Repetier-Host: This software supports printing from a wide range of 3D printers. It is produced by Hot-World GmbH & Co. KG. More information about it here.
With Cura and the others listed in this article, the interface is so well designed and easy to navigate that I feel like going out and buying a 3D printer, just for fun.
But 3D printers don’t come cheap. Now, “cheap” is a relative term, but the price for 3D printers starts at about US $1000.00. If that means nothing to you, you may want to take a look at printers from Ultimaker. They sell 3D printer kits for €1200.00, or about US $1600.00, or assembled printers for €1600.00, or about US $2100.00. You can find their printers here
There are at least 25 manufacturers of 3D printers listed on the Repetier-Host website. One, is iRapid, a German company that makes ready-to-use 3D printers that cost approximately €1000.00, or about US $1300.00. The complete list of manufacturers is available here.
Hi there,
I am interested in the fact that “Fedora natively supports 3D printings”. However, I have several questions:
1- How many 3D printers, and which printers are supported by Fedora ?
2- What does it mean by “natively supports” ? Does it mean that the necessary related software are available, or Fedora has done something to integrate the whole working flow of 3D printing, from 3D modeller, sclier,printer control, ?
Thank you for your reply.