I’m considering buying an X1C Pro model. Before I drop that kind of cash I have questions.
First, I tried running the slicer under Linux (under Wine). It put up a blank Setup screen (all white), which isn’t a great start. So I’m assuming I really do need to dust off my old Windows machine. So: does the slicer run under Windows 7? If not, deal breaker, I’m not buying Windows 10+ just to use this printer.
Next, I see a LOT of issues here, but then, this is a place for issues. Is the software generally rock solid, or am I in for a lot of troubleshooting?
Finally… I have vision problems and rebuilding hardware isn’t something I’m interested in. I need a printer that works out of the box, doesn’t spaghetti too often and isn’t going to need to be rebuilt every time there’s some issue. I’m abandoning a Prusa because of issues like that. Is this my printer or should I keep looking?
Ruthlessly honest answers appreciated/ Thanks!
Official linux builds of Bambu Slicer are in the releases section of their Github: Releases · bambulab/BambuStudio · GitHub
Aside from periodic cloud service outages (there’s one right now, and slicing to an SD card and walking it over works in this case), I have had zero problems with Bambu Studio. The X1C, Bambu Studio, and Bambu Handy are top notch in this price range. I have had minimal print issues, and when I have it has been while trying trickier filaments from other manufacturers. Bambu’s own filaments get their configuration via an RFID in the spool, while you need to set up 3d party filaments when you load them. I’ve had to do some drafts/iterations to tweak settings in this case, but no more than any other printer I’ve used, and in many cases less.
I did see the Linux version, but when I pulled the Appimage down, it immediately failed because it didn’t like the versions of Linux libraries I had installed (and I’m on the latest g++). I didn’t dig into it (I don’t like hunting down installation issues) and when I saw the Linux stuff wasn’t even supported, I abandoned that approach. Between that and it failing under Wine, I got a very bad vibe.
But your comments on reliability are promising.
Why does this thing need a cloud? I have wifi in my house, can’t a PC communicate directly with the printer? I dont’ mind moving things around on SD cards, but requiring the internet seems… sloppy.
Windows 7 ok?
I agree that it would be best to have the software directly interface to the printer rather than relying on cloud services. I suspect it’s for analytics purposes more than anything, which is not my favorite assumption. Overall it’s a smaller gripe when the service is working which has been almost all the times I’ve tried using it since I got my printer a month or so ago, but looking at the history on the bambu status site makes me realize it has been down about 2x per month recently, which isn’t stellar.
If you have a license of windows 7 on the pc you can upgrade to 10 for free. Ive done it multiple times as recently as two weeks ago.
upgrade to 10
Windows 7 at least worked and didn’t spy on you. 10 and on, no. I don’t need this 3d printer that badly.
Bambu needs to get serious about Linux. Windows is not the way and hasn’t been for years.
Linux has about 1/10th the install base as Windows. Like it or not, Windows is most definitely the way and has been for years. Bambu would be crazy to invest as heavily in Linux as Windows. The ROI (in terms of the users this enabled) is a pittance compared to Windows.
You can run Linux on Windows. Isn’t there a way to run Windows on Linux? Set up a sandboxed Windows install and run the slicer from there if you’re worried about the OS “spying”.
Ive been running Bambu Studio on Linux Mint from the get go without issues until the last update to Studio at that point I had to upgrade my version of Linux Mint to 21.2 I had been using Linux Mint LMDE 5. I was due to upgrade so I didn’t have a issue with doing it.
I think all the failures I have had could be credited to something that I did not the printer itself. I did however start having issues with the cold plate and PLA I would have to wash it each time with hot water and Dawn to get prints to stick. The High Temperature Plate took care of that issue and no glue to boot, Think I’m working on my 4th week now and have been more than happy with the X1C Combo.
I have been using Linux without any problem, bambu studio and orca slicer, they both work great.
Ok, this is promising.Thanks.
Same here. Running Bambu Studio on Ubuntu (using the appimage) and it works quite well. The repair model feature doesn’t work but apart from that I haven’t had any issues. IMO Linux Support definitely is not a showstopper any more if you have any means of repairing broken meshes (I use Blender for this).
Using the latest Bambu Studio and Orca Slicer in Linux Mint 21.1. M$ Win10 is on another partition for CAD purposes only, BS and OS both work in there too.
Spent a few hours yesterday and this morning playing w/ Bambu Studio and Orca Slicer on an Ubuntu image out of curiosity piqued by this conversation and I can say that both appear to work without trouble for me. I don’t think having the open source OS depend upon software without commercial support seems way out of line, personally. It’s a niche in a niche, really, so that it works easily for me is a huge plus, imo.
And that number includes server workloads. Linux on the workstation is between 2-3%.
Huh?
I have worked in Enterprise IT for over 20 years, specializing in client-server operating systems. I am currently an architect level engineering resource focused on both infrastructure and security, and can unequivocally say as someone with deep technical knowledge of the OS that Windows in any version does not “spy” on you, nor is Windows “not the way” for the majority of consumer and enterprise customers.
My current environment has thousands and thousands of virtual and physical servers, and Windows workloads make up 98% of those. Workstations are about 90% Windows, 5% Mac, and the remaining 5% Linux but in the form of an OEM build for thin clients with the sole purpose to - you guessed it, connect to a Windows VM instance. This is for a retailer, whose entire POS environment runs on Windows down to the cash register. Granted, consumer builds of Windows 10 include bloatware and SaaS connected services not in enterprise builds - but still, nothing even close to spyware. I would be exponentially more concerned with mobile apps on your phone or tablet than a mainstream workstation operating system…
Feel free to run Linux for your own reasons - I certainly have no personal stake in the matter. But it is not accurate to think the vast majority is in the same boat or has the same requirements in this matter. To this end, most companies do not release consumer products with Linux support simply because the market to justify the cost simply does not exist. When Linux is supported, it is a bonus but certainly not expected.
Sorry, but I just had to have ChatGPT turn this into a family friendly version of the Navy Seal copy-pasta:
"What the hell do you think you’re blabbering about, you clueless keyboard warrior? Let me enlighten you about my background. I’ve toiled away in the trenches of Enterprise IT for over two decades, honing my skills in client-server operating systems. At present, I hold the esteemed position of an architect-level engineering resource, focusing on both infrastructure and security. And let me tell you, with utmost certainty, that your claims about Windows are as baseless as they come.
In my line of work, I deal with a mind-boggling number of virtual and physical servers. And guess what? A whopping 98% of them are Windows workloads. As for workstations, approximately 90% of them run on Windows, while Mac and Linux make up the remaining sliver. But don’t get your knickers in a twist just yet—those Linux systems are OEM-built thin clients, designed solely to connect to Windows VM instances. Even the very fabric of a prominent retailer’s point-of-sale environment relies on Windows, right down to their cash registers. So, spare me your nonsense about Windows being some sort of spyware.
If you’re genuinely concerned about privacy, let me set the record straight: you should be far more worried about the mobile apps infesting your phone or tablet than a mainstream workstation operating system like Windows. There are far greater dangers lurking in the digital realm than the exaggerated tales you spin.
Now, let’s address your misconceptions. Look, feel free to dabble in Linux for your own personal reasons—I couldn’t care less. But don’t delude yourself into thinking that the vast majority of people are sailing the same boat or have identical requirements. Most companies don’t prioritize Linux support for consumer products because, frankly, the demand simply doesn’t justify the cost. Sure, Linux compatibility may occasionally be seen as a welcome bonus, but it’s certainly not the norm. So, before you go spreading your misguided notions, take a moment to educate yourself with actual facts.
And let me be crystal clear: while I may not possess the pedigree of a Navy Seal, I assure you that I have the knowledge and expertise to demolish your feeble arguments. So, think twice before challenging someone who wields true understanding and experience. Your empty words won’t hold up against my unwavering precision, kid."
Yeah. I was going to mention that I have as a habit always run a process monitoring tool that watches for TCP connections. I periodically run down the list to check to see what’s connecting to what. I have never seen anything that made me worry, that wasn’t coming from some 3rd party software I had installed. The OS itself does very little telemetry communication with Microsoft and what it does do is primarily restricted to checking for updates and reporting crash dump data (which it doesn’t do unless you tell it to). You can install Windows on a PC and never connect it to a network when you’re done and it’ll run just fine. In fact, I have an old MiniITX Win7 box dedicated to my CNC milling machine that I built about 10 years ago and haven’t connected to the network once since (because the network interface generates interrupts that screw with the timing of the CNC control system, I have to run it with no live network connection).
I am very interested to hear more about the interrupts on the NIC causing timing issues with the CNC controls? Is this being caused by blocking CPU waits causing the motion system to fall out of sync?
Would this be resolvable with closed-loop positioning feedback?
In the early days of PC-based CNC, the designs used the PC’s parallel printer port as a bit-banged interface to drive the stepper motors. So accurate motion control depends on accurate timing, the steppers have to move together and they have to move at a uniform speed. But when the NIC is running, it generates interrupts that screw up the timing of the program that drives the CNC and I get geometry errors in the finished workpiece.
Nowadays, you can get a USB dongle that does all the timing with its own dedicated processor and this eliminates the sensitivity to the host computer’s background processes. I just haven’t bothered to upgrade since what I have works just fine. However, at some point the HDD in my miniITX will die and I will have to rebuild the PC and at that point, I will update the controller to USB so I don’t have to worry about real-time control with an OS that was never designed for that purpose.
Is this purely because of the age of the software, surely modern NICs do not create process blocking interrupts and waits otherwise that’d seriously affect performance right?
I suspect current versions of Windows will behave the same way. Windows is not a Real Time OS, it was never designed for “process control” where accurate timing is a necessity, and for CNC where the PC is doing all the path generation and stepper motor control, accurate timing is critical. I could just turn off the NIC, but it’s far easier to just disconnect the RJ45 except for when I need to transfer something to or from the PC from my workstation.