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Slic3r

Reviews of Slic3r

4.3 (15)
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Pros

  • Slic3r is a popular and reliable open-source software for 3D printing. Many users appreciate the ease of use and the ability to produce high-quality prints.

  • Great in terms of slicing performance. Good quality of created G-Code.

  • Great configuration capabilities. Quick and responsive UI.

  • All in all, it is an amazing piece of code definitely worth consideration.

Cons

  • Slow process, few functionalities and poor precision.

  • The downside is the steep learning curve for beginners.

  • Stl file in no time, with a couple of mouse clicks. The user does not have to have extensive knowledge about 3D printing to use it.

  • Some of the competitors allow visualizing the path as a video after the gcode is generated which is missing in Slic3r.

Showing Most Helpful

Showing 15 of 15 reviews

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Pedro D. avatar
Pedro D.
Product Eng
Automotive, 201-500 employees
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 19, 2023

"3D Printing Software"

Pros: It is free and open software which allows optimizations by users

Cons: The software is not very user friendly compared to competitors

Nikodem J.
Control Engineer
Automotive, 5,001-10,000 employees
Used the software for: 2+ years
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
10/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
May 28, 2022

"A necessary 3D printing tool with great configuration possibilites"

Overall: Slic3r is one of the first software that I've encountered when starting my journey with 3D printing around 2015. It was providing the best quality of G-code out of all the slicing software that I used (I also used Cura for a while, but in the end Slic3r won). It's working fast, even on older machines and I was able to customize print settings to perfectly meet my needs. High number of parameters can be overwhelming for a new user, but because of Slic3r high popularity you can usually find "starter" configuration for your printer and then adjust it according to some specific modifications that you've done. I'm using customized Prusa i3 3D printer with auto-bed leveling and additional fan, which isn't issue for Slic3r as I could just add necessary custom G-Code to the settings of my printer. Main interface of the application is simple and intuitive. You can easily add new parts (by using menu button or drag-and-drop), multiply them, rotate, scale and even cut (which I found very helpful in case of power losses, I could then print second part of the model and just glue it to the first one saving time and money). Great feature that was added since I first used Slic3r is preview of the generated layers, as I can judge if the level of infill is sufficient for my needs. Maybe one other feature that I would like to see is actual G-Code viewer with the paths driven by extruder. It's however not a big deal since there are online tools that handle that easily.

Pros: Great configuration capabilities. Quick and responsive UI. Great in terms of slicing performance. Good quality of created G-Code.

Cons: Requires technical knowledge to configure properly. Development seems to be staled (minor issue since the software is stable and mature).

Reasons for Switching to Slic3r: Slic3r was providing more configuration options and worked much better on the older machine that I had these times.
Gregory L.
Head person thingy
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, Self-employed
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
3.0
Ease of Use
2.0
Customer Service
1.0
Features
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
August 3, 2024

"Not the best, but needed for many."

Overall: Not that great as the only computer I have that runs it is hard to get to and I have to right-click all the time to open the menu and click an option instead of pressing a button. Also, the arrange button doesn't really work sometimes

Pros: I liked it's simple interface and large amount of customisability

Cons: It does not run on some machines, where other slicers run perfectly fine It does not have many keyboard shortcuts It randomly crashes It's last update was ages ago

Alternatives Considered: Ultimaker Cura Enterprise
Reasons for Choosing Slic3r: Cura slicer did not have config files already available for our printers, and our printers are quite finicky
Vitor L. avatar
Vitor L.
Ind
Automotive, 201-500 employees
Used the software for: I used a free trial
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 19, 2023

"Slicer Review"

Pros: Free software to use.The software offers a good wide reange of customization and is acessable to all platforms, like linux and MAC

Cons: Some advanced fixtures are extensive and the learning curve is high.Very basic software.

Beatriz T.
Industrial Management Engineer
Automotive, 1,001-5,000 employees
Used the software for: I used a free trial
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Customer Service
4.0
Features
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
6/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 19, 2023

"Slic3r Review"

Pros: The software is practical and the visual are attractive.

Cons: Slow process, few functionalities and poor precision.

Filipe R.
Mechanical Engineer
Automotive, 1,001-5,000 employees
Used the software for: 1-2 years
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
3.0
Likelihood to Recommend
7/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
July 11, 2023

"3Dprinting personal software"

Pros: It's a free software that a person with no experience in CAD or 3DPRinting will have an easy use experience.

Cons: For the things that i printed it lacked some features for a smoother surface build.

Mohd Nubli B. avatar
Mohd Nubli B.
Lecturer
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 501-1,000 employees
Used the software for: 2+ years
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Customer Service
4.0
Features
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
10/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
March 2, 2023

"Great open source slicing software"

Overall: Slic3r is a popular and reliable open-source software for 3D printing. Many users appreciate the ease of use and the ability to produce high-quality prints. It offers a variety of features and customization options, including support for multiple file types and printer configurations. However, there may be some limitations and occasional issues with certain printer models.

Pros: The advantages of Slic3r are it was free and open-source software. The settings are highly customizable for advanced users. It also has good support for different 3D printer models and filaments and its relatively fast slicing speed.

Cons: The downside is the steep learning curve for beginners. Also, the user interface may not be as user friendly as other slicers. Features are quite limited for automatic support and mesh repair. Finally occasional bugs and issues with software updates.

Luca S.
Mechanical engineer
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, 51-200 employees
Used the software for: 1-2 years
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
10/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
January 28, 2023

"Best free solution for slicing"

Overall: I have started my 3d printing experience with slic3r and never felt like changing. The software does its job nicely and for free, which is a crucial part when it comes to allowing amateurs to achieve better results when they cannot afford expensive programs. Despite the old school graphic and some searching that has to be done to fully master all the parameters, the results obtained are worth the choice

Pros: The software requires a few tweaks in the settings and it is ready to go, drag and drop function is very comfortable and the number of different possibilities for customizing the slicing parameters allows a very good control over the final results, especially considering the software is free.

Cons: The graphic may be a bit outdated and could be improved, but it is of course a minor issue. Sometimes accessing to some settings can be not straightforward, but documentation and the many videos available online usually helps

Piotr P.
QA Automation Engineer
Computer Software, 51-200 employees
Used the software for: 2+ years
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Customer Service
5.0
Features
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
10/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
May 23, 2022

"3D printing preparations for everyone!"

Overall: I first encountered the Slic3r during my first internship. It was connected with my first experiences with 3D printing. And I was amazed from the first moments of usage. Firstly, Slic3r is really easy to use. Intuitive UI allows creating *.stl file in no time, with a couple of mouse clicks. The user does not have to have extensive knowledge about 3D printing to use it. Basic options like model import, slicing, and export are visible right after running the program. The fact that Slic3r is free, made it my core tool for 3D printing. But don't be deceived by my words about simplicity. This tool contains a load of powerful settings hidden under Settings options. There are some pretty basic ones like printing speed and infill types to more advanced (e.g. overlapping, layer properties), as well as expert settings - e.g. multiple extruders or custom G-code commands. I have been using Slic3r several times a week for about 5 years now (since 2017) and I must say I've never been disappointed with it. Usage of settings, even those more advanced was usually smooth - of course on the basis I knew what I was doing (If I didn't know, things could be different). Of course, like any open-source program, it has some bugs. Sometimes thin and narrow elements do not have correct infill created or supports may not be generated properly, but small changes in a model or print settings were usually resolving the issue. All in all, it is an amazing piece of code definitely worth consideration!

Pros: Price - free, open-source. Cross-platform - Linux, Windows, macOS. Ease of use. Amount of features.

Cons: Minor problems around thin/narrow elements infill. Sometimes, more complicated supports are not created correctly.

Sooraj N. avatar
Sooraj N.
Graduate Research Assistant
Civil Engineering, 11-50 employees
Used the software for: 2+ years
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
October 29, 2020

"Slic3r for easy and quick gcode extraction for 3D printing"

Overall: Overall experience is very good. The software is open source and will be the best first aid for any user new to 3D printing. I would definitely suggest Slic3r to start off with the basic learnings required for a beginner.

Pros: The easy to follow user interface and the major divison of settings into print ,filament, and printer settings has been really convenient. The 3D preview plate is also beneficial to see how the gcode print will be.

Cons: Some of the competitors allow visualizing the path as a video after the gcode is generated which is missing in Slic3r. Plus dynamic modification of tool path could also be beneficial if available.

Henrique C. avatar
Henrique C.
Engenheiro Desenhador
Construction, 11-50 employees
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Customer Service
4.0
Features
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 19, 2023

"Optimo Software para 3D"

Pros: Software muito bom para parametrizar o sistema de impressão 3D. É compatível com vários sistemas operativos o que o torna bastante versátil.

Cons: É um software complexo de aprender, quem tem experiencia neste tipo de programas entenderá mais rapidamente o seu funcionamento. Poderiam tornar o layout mais apelativo e intuitivo.

Paulo L.
Quality M.
Automotive, 51-200 employees
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Features
4.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 19, 2023

"Um dos melhores"

Pros: É um software bastaste veloz, capaz mesmo de funcionar em computadores mais lentos.Tem também a possibilidade de mostrar como é que as alterações das configurações afetam o elemento que queremos imprimir.

Cons: O aspeto e perfil padrão é bastante completo e inicialmente, sem o conhecimento adequado, pode criar algumas dificuldades no uso. No entanto após esses conhecimentos específicos é bastante prático e intuitivo.

Archana H.
Graduate Student
Civil Engineering, 51-200 employees
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Features
4.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
December 21, 2020

"Good for basic 3D STL to gcode conversion"

Overall: Overall experience is good. I have used it as part of my review in applied project on 3D printing and was beneficial.

Pros: Easy to follow and user friendly interface is appreciable. Also, the software is open-source and has minimal options that make the process convenient.

Cons: The gcode path visualization is a missing feature which I would like to see in Slic3r. Layerwise verification is possible in the available version but the nozzle path simulation or verification within a layer could.be advantageous.

Ravi Shanker R.
Student
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, Self-employed
Used the software for: I used a free trial
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Customer Service
4.0
Features
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
Likelihood to Recommend
9/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
December 14, 2020

"My Review"

Overall: Its very secure and versatile.

Pros: Ease of use and user friendly. Needs very less training.

Cons: The plugin does not allow printing directly from its software.

Wil S.
CEO
Information Technology and Services, Self-employed
Used the software for: Less than 6 months
Overall Rating
4.0
Ease of Use
3.0
Features
3.0
Likelihood to Recommend
4/10
Reviewer Source
Source: Capterra
September 23, 2021

"Old "

Overall: Complex, complicated, advanced learning curve

Pros: Offers many features that are great for 3D printing

Cons: Old, out dated, complex, complicated, lacking printer selection(starting almost from scratch)