Bambu, if you do this, I can’t run my X1C print farm, I’ve written my own control panel to manage prints for the PC in the print room - without it my workload sky rockets
Not to mention my use of orca is part of my workflow for new filaments.
I’m not baby sitting each printer because you want to push an update you clearly have ulterior motives for. They’ll be out the door, they have to be.
If you want to tackle security (which I’m not convinced you do, you’re using it as a scapegoat) , start with your cloud service… which has the security of a sieve.
So, the deal is, previously - meaning the past couple years, for the entire time that Bambu existed - Bambu printers could be used with any slicer that could talk to the printer. Orca was one of them, and there are very good reasons to choose it if that is what you need to do your work.
The problem is that that is not allowed anymore. It’s a big change. It has nothing to do with “works out of the box only with Bambu in a walled garden” because all the other slicers have always worked out of the box. There is no qualitative deficit using a different slicer, in fact, there is qualitative improvement in several situations (which you use the search function for here on the forum or on r/BambuLab or r/OrcaSlicer on Reddit to find if you are so inclined.)
Choice is the point. The problem is taking choice away, for no good reason. That is my opinion: there is no good reason to restrict third party slicer access to Bambu printers.
I think techies are tired of “cloud” anything and this thread shows that. Cloud connecting devices and software has been an annoying trend and just because google docs runs in the cloud doesn’t mean my bambu printer should too. The only services that benefit the end user by running in the cloud are services that are highly collaborative.
My bambu printer is not a collaborative service or device. I think many people don’t believe the recent security claims of Bambu and simply see this as a way to harness tighter control over its end users.
I personally don’t have too big of a problem with the walled garden approach if only it actually helps and has no connectivity issues. And then there’s also the privacy issues which I wont get into. This means the walled garden approach has to out weight the open approach by a large margin. I don’t think it is or is heading in that direction. And as such Bambu’s move is seen as hostile and selfish.
I’m probably not the only one who has had Bambu cloud connectivity issues and thought…let me try this “LAN only” mode… only to find out that Bambu made LAN only mode unuseable and not helpful essentially forcing end users to stay in the cloud. So it seems like Bambu purposefully nerfed LAN mode. I mean how else could they screw up such a simple solution?
If Bambu really wants to keep their user base intact all they need to do is fix LAN only mode and allow users to run their printers how they want in their own spaces. Purposefully making people run around with micro-sd cards until you break their spirit and they give up and join the cloud is kinda a crappy business model.
Just to mention a few:
Precise wall
Converte holes to polyholes
a few tweaking settings for Arachne is also missing.
a big one! Top and Bottom Surface flow ratio, letting you adjust just the top or bottom layer flow for that super perfect first or last layer!
Small area flow compensation
Not letting you adjust one wall threshold for top layers.
and a handful of briding and overhang settings are not even under the quality tap in bambu.
“Make overhangs printable” This is very useful due to a lot of people not designing good overhangs this is very useful to save time and plastic printing supports on some models.
I also belive that Scarf joint seam was in orca before it was in bambu.
All that is just from one tap in Bambu VS Orca slicer.
a lot of it is probably hidden under Advanced.
Right, as mentioned, Orca Slicer works with dozens… hundreds? of different 3D printers. It works very well with Bambu Printers also.
I know we are in a Bambu forum, but Orca Slicer is the bees knees, and if you happen to have (yes, this is a thing) more than one printer brand and model, Orca Slicer is a godsend, as it is one slicer, one workflow, for all your printers.
X1Plus is mostly just an interface enhancement, using the actual (closed source) printer control firmware downloaded from Bambu. So if you want to avoid the need for authorization, do it soon while you can still get firmware 1.08.00 from the Bambu servers.
Then vow to never change firmware.
I’m OK with that, I’ve been using X1Plus for about a year and a half with no problems and no real need for anything different.
I think you’re (we’re) going to have issues with new Bambu Filaments, unless you define them yourself I guess. In fact… I wonder how the AMS will act if you don’t update the printer firmware… what happens if you update the AMS firmware? Can you even update the AMS seperately?
Hmm, I gues sit should be possible. You can use newer Orca Slicer versions and not touch you Bambu Studio, but the AMS firmware comes via the the Bambu software…
This was a fear I had when I bought my P1S, but thought “There is always LAN mode”… but nope this will also break “Initiating a print job (via LAN or cloud mode).”
I have to admit, I’ve been lulled into the smooth workflow that Bambu Studio offered. But It looks like I’ll be turning off all future updates and going back to managing the process myself.
If they do go ahead with this, not only will I regret my purchase, but I will look into selling my A1 Combo, buying from Sovol maybe - and boycott BambuLab as much as I can.
Where’s the firmware update for Supertack plate that you can use with plate detection? Where’s the firmware update for dripping filament during pause? Where’s purge/flush volume adjustment inbetween prints?
…
Literally lots of things that you can do to make your customer happy, and yet you chose to [-some bad word-] your customer by limiting the feature of third party slicer.
My point is:
yes it is ok to not give us camera feed for thirdparty slicer. I can understand privacy yadayada.
But no, it is not ok to not give us ams filament info/preset control.
The decision to lock down the Bambu environment under the pretext of security is outrageous, and imposing it on everyone is completely unacceptable! It would have been far more acceptable to make this “security enhancement” optional, configurable via preferences.
From now on, I have decided not to apply any firmware updates, Bambu Studio updates, or Bambu Handy updates. Unfortunately, I am convinced that Bambu will eventually find a way to block its services (remote access, video streams, etc.) for machines that are not up to date.
Lastly, I want to clarify that when the time comes to replace my equipment, I will choose another brand. I even believe that Bambu’s decisions are accelerating my decision to switch to a different 3D printer!
SPD not working is kinda relatable due to the slow sensor read out, it’s very hard for the sensor to capture a clear image of spaghetti on bed. however if it’s enabled by parking the toolhead to poopchute (basically the A1 style) and let the cloud do its thing, then I don’t know why it would fail
Locking down the Bambu ecosystem under the guise of security is an unacceptable move, especially when it’s imposed on everyone. A far more reasonable approach would have been to make this “security upgrade” an optional feature that users could enable via their settings.
As a result, I’ve decided to stop applying firmware updates, as well as updates for Bambu Studio and Bambu Handy. Sadly, I fully expect that Bambu will eventually find a way to restrict access to its services (like remote control or video feeds) for devices that aren’t updated.
When the time comes to replace my equipment, I will opt for a different brand. In fact, I feel that Bambu’s recent decisions are pushing me toward switching 3D printer brands sooner rather than later.
