I wasted plenty of time trying to find out why those Studio updates keep making such a big mess, resulting in printing problems and worse…
Turns out that a logical approach was required…
Windows is NOT the smartest operating system when it comes to installing, removing and updating software.
I still claim Bambu could do a much better job but a lot of the problems are a combination of Windows being dumb and Studio not really checking things…
For starters you do need a working IE or Edge on your system.
You can block most of it in your firewall if using LAN only mode.
This however is quite logical indeed as Studio gives you plenty of error messages when the IE/Edge stuff is not available.
A bit trickier was finding out why old 3MF files, access codes and such got messed up together with seemingly unusable print settings, default or custom…
What I did was to set up a few VM’s with a plain Windows and all required things to then install Studio to check how or if it works as advertised.
5 different Studio versions installed on 5 VM’s and they all worked as advertised, with their known flaws and all.
Connecting to the printer was more or less straight forward in all 5 systems as well.
I did not figure out why Studio sometimes fails to write the access code into the config file but it seems that with the latest version (at least) this is optional as Studio still finds and uses the printer without the lines for the access code in the config - go figure…
Here’s the thing though:
As soon as I started to copy over the user files and folders from a previous Studio install things quickly got ugly.
Windows does not keep a history of versions for files coming from third party programs.
And Studio as far as I can see does NOT check for compatibility issues.
It comes down to the grandfather, father, son approach with the files.
For example the filament profiles all link back to just a few default configs, same for most machine settings.
This can result in Studio getting conflicting settings.
Like when a profile you created from defaults is used on a newer Studio version where some defaults you changed are different.
Different for the base configuration that is.
But even something as simple as your support settings can get messed up this way.
Far worse however is when these configuration issues start to affect how Studio works with files and the printer connection(s).
No problem loading a perfect 3MF to get an unacceptable print from it, while the same 3MF with an older Studio version prints flawless.
Ok, after all this blah blah to highlight some of the reasons - how to fix these issues ???
Surprisingly simple…
All it takes is a CLEAN installation.
Meaning to uninstall the previous Studio version, including the user settings and to start from scratch.
Of course it does help to export your changes first or take a bunch of screenshots.
What about those custom settings, profiles and all this ?
For minor Studio updates they are not much a problem unless Bambu had to fix bugs in related areas.
For a major update though it is best to start from scratch.
Securing your custom filament and profile settings can be as simple as just noting down what you changed from the defaults.
On the new install you then created these again by making the required changes and saving it with a new name.
As we now have a half decent system to deal with our filament calibrations it makes sense to do a proper filament calibration and to save those k-factors with corresponding file names.
Unless you do have a ton of custom print profiles all this can be done in under 30 minutes.
What about those old 3MF files…
They are still a headache…
I find it best (for my own files) to use the original 3D files.
Where this is not possible it is best to just fully ignore what comes with the 3MF and to sync the AMS followed by switching to your own print profiles while again ignoring all changes the old 3MF suggested.
This way the model will be sliced with what works on the installed Studio version and will produce the expected results.
Tricky part is custom supports…
Still works fine in most cases but sometimes the added or blocked support areas get lost somewhere.
Do check your sliced model before printing if custom supports were created.
Do I still blame Bambu for the hassles and the many struggling users ?
Of course I do but no more than for other companies and their update policies and updates.
What I would really appreciate is sort of a 3MF converter included in Studio.
Whenever you load a 3MF you get the choice of whether to use the included settings and profiles or your own.
Through that also the option to NOT end up with confusing settings and profiles that suddenly start to accumulated just because you saved the file once the print came out fine…
Worst case example - a multi colour/material print as a full menu with several plates.
Here literally every single model and plate can come with specific settings and/or profiles.
If not careful with what you save you end up with a mess.
Being able to use the ‘converter’ would mean all settings that differ from the defaults could be highlighted and applied to your own print profiles and settings IF required.
Bambu could then also include a backwards check to correct what was changed through firmware or Studio updates.
Set your colours, select your profiles and select whether or not you do need whatever the creator deemed required.
All up I can say that most things can be fixed if you worked out why they failed.
It is a bit of a hassle but IMHO worth it.
A clean Studio install with the matching firmware on the printer does work as advertised.
An update for Studio while keeping all custom things can create problems you might chase up for weeks while still unable to fully rectify them.