Formware 3D (Windows Only)
Up until now, every single Slicer I mentioned was free, but this is sadly not the case with Formware 3D since it costs $154.95 for a single license for personal use and $359.95 for two licenses for commercial use, however, it does provide you with a free trial where you can see if it fits your needs or not.
Formware 3D has all the functionality you would expect from a slicing software, such as being able to rotate, scale, mirror, repair, hollow and clone your models as well as having an easy way of adding supports, dragging supports around and editing them with ease, arranging and organizing the models to be printed, and more.
You can also hollow your mesh to save printing material as well as create drainage holes for the resin to easily flow out, and more.
Formware is arguably the best slicer out there for making jewelry, which is why most people who make 3D printed jewelry use it.
Lastly, it supports .stl, .slc, .obj, .ply, .amf, .photon, .photons, .cbddlp, .cws, .gcode formats and in only available on Windows.
PrusaSlicer
PrusaSlicer (formerly known as Slic3r Prusa Edition or Slic3r PE) is best LCD DLP resin slicer and Prusa’s own in-house developed slicer software based on the open-source project Slic3r. After that, with the release of their Original Prusa SL1 Resin 3D printer in 2018, they’ve added masked SLA (MSLA) mode into PrusaSlicer.
PrusaSlicer provides various editing functions such as scale, rotate and especially cut prints. Supports can be generated automatically and then edited manually under “points” mode. Besides, various settings include print, material, printer are available too.
Pros:
- Years of iteration from FDM experience
- A relatively large user group of 3D printers
- Clear UI
- Mid-level supporting algorithms
- Support for exporting.STL
Cons:
- Old-style UI
- The current functional details for SLA
PreForm (Windows, Mac)
is another Free slicer for resin printers with it’s main selling point being the “One Click” printing setup which allows you to set up your print’s layout, orientation, and supports automatically with just one click, so that you can print successfully without any specialized training.
However, it does offer in-depth manual controls where you can adjust supports and all their settings, such as density and size, as well as other settings to fine tune the end-result, such as adjusting the layer thickness differently throughout the whole printing process; If you want some layers to be thicker than other, this slicer lets you do that.
Again, just like the previous two slicers on this list, PreForm also has the ability to rotate, scale, mirror, repair, hollow and clone your models as well as adding supports with ease.
It’s also designed to be used for printing farms where you’re using FormLabs printers since you can easily send prints to each SLA printer via WiFi, and all of this can be controlled remotely from the FormLabs online Dashboard.
Lastly, it supports .stl, and .obj formats.
PrusaSlicer (Windows, Mac, Linux)
PrusaSlicer, formerly known as Slic3r Prusa Edition or Slic3r PE, is Prusa’s own “in-house” developed slicer software that is open-source and that also works on Windows, Mac, and even Linux.
In Slic3r, some features and settings were not as easy to find as one would’ve hoped, but with PrusaSlicer they decided to revamp the entire interface to provide you with an easier- and more intuitive workflow in order to save time and avoid unnecessary headaches.
PlusaSlicer also has the ability to rotate, scale, mirror, repair, hollow and clone your models as well as adding supports with ease in a custom way.
Additionally, the PrusaSlicer isn’t only designed to work with resin printers, like the Prusa SL1, but it also works with all of their other printers, and it even features profiles for other 3rd party printers as well!
ChiTuBox Slicer
ChiTuBox is a free, powerful, and easy to use 3D printing slicer software. It’s simple and easy to understand user interface makes it convenient for beginners and allows them to use its features without any hassle.
This slicer has jaw-dropping capability when it comes to multiprocessing, and you will realize this at the time of uploading 3D models, slicing models, and adding supports to the models.
When I first got my resin 3D printer, I thought I was stuck with the clunky slicer called the Anycubic Photon Workshop, the proprietary software that is used with Anycubic brands of resin machines.
Luckily, with a bit of research I ran into the ChiTuBox Slicer, which could handle models a lot easier and cleaner. I had many crashes when using the Photon Workshop, but after changing over, those crashes ceased to exist!
I think the best thing about ChiTuBox is the speed and easy navigation you get with it.
Lychee Slicer and PrusaSlicer feel like they have larger learning curves, especially when you are a complete beginner to 3D printing and haven’t touched an FDM filament printer before.
They do have many useful features that you can enjoy in your 3D printing journey.
In addition to its one-click support generating features, it provides many other features such as rotating, scaling, mirroring, hollowing, etc.
The slicer allows you to preview the model in a layer-by-layer view so that it can analyze the printing process and see if there is any improvement needed.
Major Features of the ChiTuBox
- Very Fast Slicing Speed
- Auto Arrange Feature
- Efficient UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface)
- Supports STL files
- Auto-Generate Supports
- Supports 13 Languages
- Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Pros of the ChiTuBox
- It has the capabilities of solid supports generation with perfect density.
- Includes hollowing command for hole creation purposes.
- Includes a “List” feature to provide an easier workflow while working with multiple models
- With the auto-arrange feature, it can arrange the models on the build plate perfectly.
- ChiTuBox slicer is compatible with almost all types of resin 3D printers.
Cons of the ChiTuBox
- You are required to create an account in order to download the slicer.
- Design looks quite boring and monotone, but gets the job done nicely
Conclusion
Even though slicers for resin printers aren’t all that common or as easy to come by as FDM slicers, there still are plenty left that can definitely help you get professional results with them.
I’d recommend starting with Chitubox, but every slicer on this list has something different to offer, so make sure to get the one that suits your needs.
Does Cura work for resin printers?
Cura is mainly designed to to be used with FDM printers and won’t work with SLA printers.A better alternative is to use Chitubox, Lychee, Z-Suite or Formware 3D since these are all slicers designed for 3D printers that work with resin.
MeshMixer
Meshmixer is a free 3D printing software that allows the users to easily create, correct, and modify your 3D print models.
Depending on its existing volume, features, and easy to use tools, it is an ideal choice for creating 3D models properly with high precision.
Unlike the common CAD models, the 3D polygon mesh models are represented by the infinity of vertices, faces, and edges that can ultimately define the spatial shape or occupying space of the 3D models.
This great Teaching Tech video goes into a tutorial on how to merge some CAD files from Thingiverse to 3D print.
Common CAD software that are widely used by 3D printer users may not be able to represent the models in meshes and this is the point where MeshMixer is utilized.
This is a unique software that not only have several features that you’ll find in common slicer software, but also the other meshing properties for its main use.
Major Features of the MeshMixer
- Hollowing or Holes Creation
- Drag and Drop Mesh Mixer to Join Objects
- Auto Surface Alignment
- 3D Surface Stamping and Sculpting
- 3D Patterns and Lattices
- Branching Support Structure
- Hole Filling and Bridging
- Mirroring and Auto Repair
- Precise 3D Positioning with Axis
- Mesh Smoothing
- Available for Windows and macOS
Pros of the MeshMixer
- Easy to use and operate
- It can easily handle/machine the large model without any hassle
- Comes with an efficient support structure processing
- It is extremely reliable and perfect for hollowing or hole creation tasks
Cons of the MeshMixer
- It is not able to create G-Codes for the common SLA 3D printers
- May require a moderate level graphics card for heavy processing
NanoDLP Slicer
The NanoDLP slicer is another best LCD DLP resin slicer that will give you great features for SLA/SLS/DLP 3D printing. This Slicer is compatible with all the operating systems like Windows, Linux, Mac, and Raspberry Pi. Thus, the Slicer is one of the most compatible and rugged ones in the market. Here are a few of the amazing features of the NanoDLP that you must know about.
The functioning is smooth, including working on Raspberry Pi. Furthermore, the Slicer contains many features like dimming, hollowing, infill, and AA support. The slicer acepts STL, SLC, SVG, OBJ and PNG type files, its not just a slicer you can use also use it to control your 3D printer.
Pros
- Compatible with a large number of hardware and platforms.
- Provides smooth transitioning features on the Raspberry Pie
- Improved print quality
- Free
Cons
- The model cannot be rotated in discreet steps
- Rendering is based on the browser which often slows the process
Need help installing NanoDLP on the wanhao duplicator 7 or any other printer have a look at this article.
Z-SUITE
Z-SUITE is Zortrax’s comprehensive slicing and 3D printing farm management software which is optimised for Zortrax Inkspire. Also, it is compatible with third-party LCD 3D printers. As a result, it provides powerful model analysis capability including automatic triangle mesh repair, thin walls detection, overhangs highlighting and overgrowth correction.
With Z-SUITE, lots of editing functions can also be reached like rotation optimisation, hollowing, infilling, splitting, replication, etc. Besides, supports are automatically generated to match the model’s geometry and can be edited manually to prevent failed prints. Above all, Z-SUITE is a wireless command centre of smart, reliable Zortrax 3D printers with Wi-Fi capability. In other words, connect all devices into a 3D printing farm and start working more efficiently.
Pros:
- A one-way operation process
- UX from importing print to slicing it
- Rich functions
- Comprehensive display information
- Embedded with self-built model library
Cons:
- The supported algorithm is average
- The menu layout is not intuitive
- Detail treatments are just so-so
- Only support unauthorised CBDDLP format
- Can’t export.STL
Mango Slicer
Mango Slicer is one of the most popular white-label 3D model preparation solutions available in the market. The software is flexible and allows compatibility with a number of hardware platforms.
A few of the outstanding features of the Mango slicer include; compatibility for beginners and advanced level experts alike. Plus you can manage your own printer and resin library on the browser for free. Moreover, you can export your templates in .obj and .stl modes. Thus, you can directly send these files to your printer via the internet.
Pros
- Provides real-time preview of the completed design
- Resin economical mode algorithms make your printing efficient and economical
- Auto-support features make the design more substantial by adding supports
PreForm
The PreForm is Formlabs’ free software that uses advanced, proprietary calculations to generate supports and optimise print settings for each printed part. Above all, it’s primary functions are scale, orientation, support, and layout. Also, these features combine into one workflow with the one-click print feature. You can select multiple printers and easily upload your print using Wi-Fi.
Pros:
- Simple operation process
- Meets most of the basic requirements
- Excellent automatic support
- Prompt guidances in place
- A nice fit for Formlabs printers
Cons:
- The degree of freedom and openness is not that high
- Unable to export.STL so that non-device users can’t use it
