Useful Octoprint Plugins

Overview

Octoprint has been one of the best 3D printing tool to make printing a lot easier. The software runs on a Raspberry Pi which I use OctoPi as a dedicated setup and gives remote access to a 3D printer.

Here are some plugins I use to make it even easier.

Firmware Updater

Allows firmware updates to be applied via Octoprint. I’ve tested this twice with no issues so far. The alternative is to connect a computer via USB.

Prusa Leveling Guide

This plugin providese a visual view of the printer bed level. I like it because it gives you turns in decimal so if it says 0.5 then you should turn the bed screw half way in a specific direction. It can also be set to raw values as well as showing the deviation. It works best on a mobile device to allow view and turning quickly.

PrettyGCode

This is not as accurate drawing of the layers as the out of the box gcode viewer however you can see a three dimensional view of the model with the print head position like you see in STL previews on websites. It’s a nice to have and see what file you’re printing.

Spool Manager

I started using Filament Manager before finding out it seemed like an abandoned project and the author of Spool Manager kindly forked it to maintain it. Spool manager helps manage the amount of filament is left and shows a warning if it thinks there isn’t enough for a print. I’m still playing with this one to get it right.

Exclude Region

Allows you to stop printing a part of a model. The region would apply vertically so anything in that selected area will not continue. This is really good if you’re printing multiple parts at the same time and one of them starts to fail.

Octolapse

Gives a far smoother timelapse compared to the out of the box timelapse system. Another nice to have and once installed, it replaces the out of the box version.

Here’s an example of an Octoprint time lapse using the default settings.

This one using Octolapse.

Arc Welder: Anti Stutter and GCode Compression

It modifies your gcode to make smother movements and reduces the amount of gcode the printer has to process. More details in this video:

Summary

Some useful ones from managing filament through to print saving plugins which may help you like they have for me on my maker journey.

How to setup OctoPrint! (+ best plugin recommendations)

About Danny

I.T software professional always studying and applying the knowledge gained and one way of doing this is to blog. Danny also has participates in a part time project called Energy@Home [http://code.google.com/p/energyathome/] for monitoring energy usage on a premise. Dedicated to I.T since studying pure Information Technology since the age of 16, Danny Tsang working in the field that he has aimed for since leaving school. View all posts by Danny → This entry was posted in FDM and tagged 3d print, 3d printer, filament, Fused deposition modeling, octopi, Octoprint, petg, pla, prusa, prusament, slicer. Bookmark the permalink.

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