UltiMaker Cura 4.5-beta

Beta release of the upcoming 4.5 version. We usually release the final release +/- 2 weeks after the beta. Please let us know of any remaining issues, so we can fix the 'criticals' and 'blockers' before the final is out!

Ultimaker Cura 4.5 beta

February 11, 2020

Usability

Ultimaker Marketplace sync. Plugins and print profiles downloaded from the Ultimaker Marketplace will now become associated with your Ultimaker account when logged in. If changes are detected in your installation after logging in, an option to sync a list of available packages will become available. You can also add packages to your installation using the web-based Ultimaker Marketplace ↗.

Layer preview number. The layer slider number in preview mode is now at the top, instead of on the left, for a neater fit next to the settings panel.

Project name in window title. In the same way your browser shows the page title next to the name of the application, Cura now shows the name of the loaded file in the title bar.

Slicing enhancements

Fuzzy skin outside only. When enabled, this option prevents fuzzy skin inside holes. This way you can still fit your prints around other things – useful for printing grips or similar applications.

Brim distance. This new setting contributed by smartavionics ↗ allows you to define a gap between the brim and the model for easier brim removal and reduced chance of leaving a mark on the finished piece.

'Skin Edge Support' settings. It’s now possible to add an extra line inside your infill that supports the edge of the skin better. Two new settings contributed by smartavionics ↗ control this feature: ‘Skin Edge Support Thickness’ and ‘Skin Edge Support Layers’. Find these under ‘Infill settings’.

Bridge over low density infill. smartavionics ↗ has contributed a new setting that determines if the infill density in a location is lower than the specified infill density, skin and walls above it should be treated as bridging.

Shared heater. A new ‘Shared heater’ checkbox has been added to the machine settings page to support printers that have one nozzle and one heater, but multiple feeders. When enabled, heating and pre-heating procedures act differently so that the nozzle doesn’t cool down for the stand-by temperature or the initial/final printing temperatures. Contributed by smartavionics ↗.

Material mixing. A new post-processing script can be used to mix materials if you have a mixing nozzle. Mix materials of different colors in order to print in a different color than either of your currently loaded materials. Contributed by Hrybmo ↗.

Infill mesh planning. Another contribution from smartavionics ↗ optimizes the order in which infill meshes print their parts. It now takes the previous location into account instead of always the starting location.

Automatic extruder values. Automatic extruder values are now added for dual extrusion when slicing via the command line.

Gamma correction for lithopanes. Loading an image file into Cura creates a heightmap that can be used to make lithopanes. BagelOrb ↗ has altered the method of calculating this to apply gamma correction, so that the lightness of the pane is more truthful to the original lightness.

Support for alpha channels in ImageReader. Added support for images with transparency, such as PNGs. When using an image with transparency, the contours of the transparent layer will be followed. Contributed by BagelOrb ↗.

Performance improvements

Speed up plugin loading. fieldOfview ↗ has contributed a code optimization to load plugins faster on start. Mileage may vary, but Cura’s startup speed should see a marked improvement.

Crash logging. We switched to a more robust provider for crash analytics, so we can develop a more stable product for you. We also added some extra datapoints to crash reports.

Scene re-rendering. A new performance enhancement that limits re-rendering of the application interface from ‘constant’ to ‘only-when-necessary’.

HTTP request handling. Previous versions used different ways of handling HTTP requests. This version uses a unified method, for better performance.

Jobnames less sensitive to being touched. A contribution from fieldOfview ↗ has fixed an issue where the jobname in the bottom-left of the scene is no longer made static by clicking on it. If you load a model and change to another printer, the prefix is now correctly updated.

Property checks on instance containers. A new speed optimization for reading setting values from profiles.

New printer definitions

Native support has been added for the following third-party printers. Find them in the ‘Add printer’ list.

BeamUp S. Contributed by BeamUp 3D ↗.

Anet3D. Contributed by springtiger ↗.

Lotmaxx. Contributed by sm3dp ↗.

eMotionTech. KOUBeMT ↗ has contributed updates to eMotionTech materials and the Strateo3D printer.