Please share your print and g-code file size results.
Please share your print and g-code file size results.
So my print results are mixed, just like my gcode compression results were mixed but overall I give this a thumbs up. I think that ArcWelder has a huge amount of potential but it needs to be used with intelligence. The curve fitting algorithm by it's very nature means that you can loose some degree of fine detail if those fine details are close to the ArcWelder resolution setting, but the smoothing is great.
Example:
If I print something with large smooth surfaces like a vase or the wings of a dragon figurine, then this has a huge positive impact. Smooth surfaces are noticeably smoother.
If I print something with lots of small detail, like a small figurine with fur, then the curve fitting algorithm will end up smoothing out the fur a little and it will be ever so minorly less detailed.
In general I think that the 'pros' significantly outweigh the 'cons'. The better smooth surfaces are very noticeable but the minor loss of fine detail was only noticeable when holding two models next to each other and comparing directly.
If I'm printing large simple shapes this is huge a improvement. If I was printing something with both fine detail and larger smooth surfaces I think I would go with ArcWelder on. If I am printing a small part with lots of fine detail I will turn this off.
I am getting 35%-45% gcode compression. Their example of 95% compression will only happen in very specific situations. It is all about curve fitting to your gcode paths while staying withing tolerances. Their test file is a 0% fill cylinder so just about ever gcode segment is a circle segment which can be matched very well. If you test this with say a cube that has no curves at all, you will see 0% compression...
Frankly I don't care much about the gcode compression... If you do not have the patience to wait for a print 3D printing might not be a great hobby for you. I'm excited about possibility of smoother prints. I'll report back in a few hours with results.
I completely agree. My interest is on the quality of print. I'm not concerned about file size.
Edit: Though was curious what effect it would have on a typical, non-curve centric print.
So if I was printing for profit the print speed issue would be interesting... but frankly I don't see how it becomes a factor... printing so fast that I am causing buffer underruns on the processor?!?! I mean maybe if I was printing large structural parts and did not care about surface finish? But most of the printing I do is small detailed parts and the name of the game is super slow and a tiny layer height... like 30mm/s and 0.05mm. This is what I do for printing figurines for table topping etc... I did print a Legolini (very fun) and I had it cranked up to 120mm/s and 0.2mm height... and that was with the stock 8bit processor in my E3Pro. I just can't see going much faster without the print going to shit.
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