Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers users the simplest and most convenient experience, whether they are beginners or professionals. With the new interface, preparing your 3D
printed models will be easier than ever.
With the new possibilities opened up by third-party plugins, we decided to move from 2.7 to 3.0 to mark this new era perfectly. Serving over a million users worldwide,
our software has been designed to be a solution for professionals adopting 3D printing workflows.
Ultimaker Cura 3.0 offers:
Brand new UI. Prepare prints using intuitive sliders with recommended settings, or individually adjust over 200 unique slicing parameters with custom settings for quick and easy print setup.
Reduced print time and material consumption. The recommended mode features new preset settings aimed at saving print time, material usage, and material costs.
Professional plugin collection. Seamlessly integrate Ultimaker Cura into your workflow. Use industry-standard CAD software packages (like SolidWorks and Siemens NX),
or develop your own custom plugins to meet your specific needs.
Below are some features, improvements, and bug fixes in Ultimaker Cura 3.0:
Improved UI
Ultimaker Cura 3.0 features a completely updated UI and color scheme.
Faster startup speed. Startup speed has been reduced by half compared to previous versions.
Redesigned splash screen. The splash screen has been redesigned to match the new interface.
Sliders. The recommended mode now uses sliders to change slicing parameters:
• Layer height and print speed. Easily control print quality proportionally to print speed.
• Infill. Infill density can now be easily increased to 10% using a slider.
Easily control print functions with intuitive sliders.
Rasterized build plate. The print bed can now display 10mm and 1mm scales for more precise model positioning.
The print bed now displays 10mm and 1mm scales for more precise model positioning.
Printer button. The printer button has been changed from a label to a button, and the button color has been changed to match the new color scheme.
Layer view position. The layer view dropdown has been moved from the bottom left to the top right.
Print time position. The print time position has been moved from the bottom right of the 3D viewer to the left of the Print over network/Save to file buttons.
Tab width. The width of the tab function will change based on font space (supporting multiple languages).
Third-party plugins and CAD integration
Third-party plugin functionality. Professionals can now gain more functionality from Ultimaker Cura with self-developed plugins to streamline their workflow.
Compatible plugins for SolidWorks and Siemens NX are currently available and can be found in the plugin browser. Plugins can be installed with a single click and will update automatically when in use.
SolidWorks integration. Compatible with SolidWorks 2016 and above, this plugin enables seamless integration between the two software.
Prepare your design in SolidWorks.
Click the "Export to Ultimaker Cura" button.
Open Ultimaker Cura, import your design, and prepare for slicing and printing.
Siemens NX integration. Designs created in Siemens NX can be sent to Ultimaker Cura with the click of a button. If the design is modified in Siemens NX,
it can be updated in Ultimaker Cura by clicking the button again. This plugin is compatible with Siemens NX 10 and 11.
New slicing features
Gradual PVA support. Print time and material consumption are reduced by printing less PVA infill in the support structure and decreasing it towards the top. This also reduces
the time for PVA to dissolve. In (extra) fine and normal quality settings, PVA infill layers will print with double thickness, further reducing print time.
Infill becomes denser at the edges, requiring less support material.
The print on the left was sliced using Cura 2.6. The print on the right was sliced using Ultimaker Cura 3.0. Note that the print on the right has less dense
support - the support gradually increases in density upwards and towards the edges.
Z-seam alignment. Gives the user control over where to place the seam - hiding it in convex corners or easily removable locations. This does not affect the seam position if corners are sharp.
Concentric infill. Compared to other infill types, fractal pattern infill requires minimal retraction.
This is useful for flexible materials as it causes fewer material elongations during extrusion. The internal structure provided gives flexible models greater resistance,
maintaining a "soft" characteristic in all directions.
Concentric infill in Ultimaker Cura Print example using TPU 95A
Quarter cubic infill. Similar to tetrahedral (octal) infill, but half of the lines are moved to half the period. This pattern sacrifices some rigidity of octal
infill for greater toughness.
Remove tiny surface width. Removes thin surfaces from the model to prevent print nozzle deflection, which in turn prevents vibrations. The absence of vibrations also improves the print quality of slight overhangs.
Surface expansion distance. Cutting steep overhanging surfaces makes the print less robust.
By expanding the appearance of wall thickness, the feature will be better supported. Additionally, features like towers on top of infill will be stronger.
Increase surface wall count. This feature is now enabled by default. Printing extra surfaces directly on top of infill can lead to gaps and curling.
This is reduced by first printing walls around the surface, and also increases print speed.
Minimum surface extrusion. Prevents Ultimaker Cura 3.0 from filling small gaps that might already be filled, reducing thin lines, and resulting in better top
details and faster printing.
PVA retraction. Increased PVA retraction length during print nozzle changes. Combined with a reduced retraction distance and slightly higher maximum count,
this ensures reduced stringing and more reliable results. The minimum travel distance for retraction is reduced, and the maximum count is slightly increased. Significantly reducing print
time.
Bug fixes
With the help of our community, we have resolved the following issues:
• Custom material profiles will no longer be sent to Ultimaker Cura when connected to a printer
• Synchronize z-hop with changing layers
• Memory leak on MacOS
• Printer name not loaded when file is opened
• Doodle3D Wifi box selected by default on non-Ultimaker 3 machines
For a comprehensive breakdown of features and new developments, please check Ultimaker Cura 3.0 on Github.
New to Ultimaker Cura? Our quick start guide video below will show you how to set up your 3D print model.
Be the first to see the advantages of Ultimaker Cura 3.0, download it today!
https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/51439-welcome-to-ultimaker-cura-30