So i have a 3D printer, and i have linux on a laptop but im struggling to find good 3D print-related software to use on linux or maybe i havent looked hard enough? Im pretty much a beginner to both linux And 3d printing, also using Ubuntu Mate if that matters on a old thinkpad.
So i need a 3d print slicer/way to print to my printer, i also need a simple 3d modeling software (ive tried blender but found it too hard and heavy for me and my laptop). It would help if all suggested software were open source or something like that.
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Orcaslicer hands down.
For 3d modelling software, they all suck or have an unreasonable cost for what they offer. Openscad is something at least.
Freecad is my daily driver and it’s pretty usable. Recently, it’s improved a lot, to the point it is now just mildly annoying.
Is that improvement past the 1.0 release? That update was great but it still needs some work and unfortunately I’m not the right kind of programmer to help either.
I tried a snapshot release a few weeks ago, there are new features, but nothing too significant for me. I’m mostly running a stable 1.0 release, but 1.1 should be released very soon, we’ll see if it’s a big jump, like 1.0 was. Still a long way to go tbh, especially in terms of QoL improvements. I’m talking - why is it so hard to just extrude some text. Why browse for a .ttf file in 2026? Things like that.
I’ve had pretty good results with Wings3D actually, as opposed to Blender. For proper CAD you can try Solvespace, which also sucks but at least has so little to it that you can learn to use it if you remember the idea of solving systems of equations at all.
Prusa slicer, orcaslicer, I’ve used both on Linux, runs native.
Prusa slicer was in the repos, orca slicer I had to download the app image.
Also openscad, freecad, also work for 3d modeling and should be in your distro’s repositories.
OpenSCAD works. I’ve played with it but not actually printed anything (no printer).
I only do technical CAD design, so FreeCAD works fine. It’s no AutoDesk, but it has gotten good for my project scale.
Slicing is done with Cura.
Printing I’m mostly living off copying to SD card like a barbarian, but I’ve used Octoprint on a Raspberry Pi board in the past. I even had the time lapse camera videos working. It was a nice setup.
Some of my kids do more advanced sculpture work with Blender and other tools.
Freecad has gotten really good. Its not as intuitive as autodesk shit but its free from their greedy clutches and always online requirements
For creating models: Blender is tops, openSCAD and Open CAD are good but a lot more technical.
For basic stuff, most slicers have objects and negative connects that you can sculpt I’ve something functional. I made a basic model last week for a thing I needed only in the slicer.
For slicer software: sometimes 3d printer brands customize a more common software to tune it to the specific machine. I’m a fan of Orca, but Cura and PrusaSlicer are also really good.
All of these are available as FOSS on Linux.
Lychee slicer runs on Linux as does bambu studio, but the latter isn’t much use if you don’t have a bambu printer. Also FreeCAD for design
Lots of good suggestions here, I’ll add Blender. For artsy oriented models, and there is a 3d print add-on with a few cool features.
or you can model functional mechanical parts with blender like some masochist (definitely not me)
Most software on that front works. I usually just use Cura for slicing.
Orca Slicer, 100%
Thats what i used on Windows; I honestly didn’t know it was on linux?
Yep, it had native Linux versions, and is even available as a flatpak (though not through Flathub iirc)
Some have gotten fusion 360 working via wine: https://github.com/cryinkfly/Autodesk-Fusion-360-for-Linux
Blender is Linux native, and it’s great for sculptures- not as great for making parts CAD style, but you can make it work: https://www.blender.org/download/
Cura seems to have native Linux support: https://linuxvox.com/blog/cura-linux/
Prusa slicer is also Linux native: https://www.prusa3d.com/page/prusaslicer_424/
Octoprint is of course Linux native, and I use it from a docker container. Can also work well from a pi. https://octoprint.org/
I use Fusion 360 + Cura + Octoprint myself, but I’m on mac. It’s really only the CAD software that I can’t recommend a native solution personally, but I have heard of a number of these: https://itsfoss.com/cad-software-linux/
Good luck!!
I’ve used Cura in Linux, can confirm it worked fine for me.
If you pay for Fusion360 or have a student account, you can run it from the browser. I’ve run it on a crappy dechromed chromebook that way without issue.
P.s. fusion is free for personal non commercial, but I haven’t tried that version in browser, might not be possible.
It isn’t. The “browser version” is actually streaming a VM running on one of autodesk’s computers.
Cura’s a fantastic slicer, but kindof a terrible program. They gave up on ARM support a while ago. And their dependency situation is majorly out of control. To the point that Gentoo has literally given up on supporting it and maintaining a working package.
They still support ARM Mac version- I wonder if it’s just non-Mac Arm they’re giving the cold shoulder to?
Ages ago when I still bothered with Octoprint, Cura Engine could be installed as a module, and you could slice an STL on a Raspberry Pi through Octoprint. I quickly gave up on that as a stupid gimmick because you pretty much always need to do adjustments in the plater, but once upon a time Cura could do it.
I recently discovered Dune3D for simple cad. Very fun to use, and easy to learn.
Every slicer I’m aware of runs on Linux. I’ve got PrusaSlicer and slic3r installed right now. Cura is on Flathub. Hell, Simplify3D does or did offer a Linux version, though it was one of those janky .run installers where they translate the Windows install process as literally as possible to Linux.
As for modeling software, depends on what kind of modeling. I tend to use FreeCAD, but it’s mostly suitable for engineering and not art.
I was new to 3d around 4years ago, and even newer to Linux.
Fusion is often mentioned but I prefer Onshape. Fusion isn’t just a simple download and install (even on windows its a pain), but Onshape runs in the browser so I can use it on ANY PC, ans its never struggled.
The tools in both are pretty much the same, sometimes with different names. Theres plenty of onshape tutorials online, and the help pages are good.
For the free version of Onshape you can have unlimited files, but they are technically available publically. Other onshape users can search and use them, but unless your planing on selling them or use it for work who cares.
Fusion brought in a limit a while ago for free accounts to have like 10 “active” documents.
You can also start with Tinkercad online, but once you learn Fusion/Onshape and parametric design its much better.
If your into writing code you can use scad on linux. Its an interesting way to design but I can see its benefits.
For a slicer Orca has been fine on linux. Not sure if it works with printers outside Bambu.
I use cura as slicer and onshape for modeling. Onshape is browser-based and I found f360 to be a bit more intuitive, but it’s fully featured and works well.
I’m running a flatpak version of Orca Slicer on Kubuntu 24.04. Personally, just prefer Orca after trying out a couple others. Found that it worked under Mint, and the 24.04 versions of Ubuntu and Kubuntu. Newer distros using Wayland instead of X11 seemed to have issues (which some people running Cura or Prusa slicers saw as well). Not everyone, but plenty of folks had software lock up at startup, or the build plate preview would just be a blank page. Might be a video driver problem, possibly depending upon if you use nvidia or AMD. I couldn’t find any real answers.
If there’s a slicer you prefer, you may have to find a Linux distro that it works under. Or if you are running a distro you’re sticking with, try slicers until you get one that runs. It seems to be hit or miss for people without any good reason for what does and doesn’t work.
