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AF3D V3.6.0

AutoFarm3D V3.6.0 - Preparing For Direct2Print™​

Release date: Mar. 23, 2023

What if your 3D printers could spring into action the moment a customer places an order on your online store? This is the vision of Direct2Print, and we're working hard to make it a reality.

With Direct2Print, your orders are received, managed, and printed automatically, and tracked in real time. Direct2Print will integrate with Etsy and Shopify, so customer orders get imported, put directly into the queue, and printed automatically. All you need to do is keep your printers loaded with filament and collect your parts when they're done.

Our aim with Direct2Print is to provide you with an automation platform for not just your print farm, but your entire 3D printing operation.

Join the Direct2Print waitlist for early access

3.6.0 Release Notes​

Here's what's new in 3.6:

New Updates

1. Files Page Filtering & Searching​

Finding files is now faster and easier with updated filtering and searching capabilities. You can now search your files by name and filter results by printer type, material, color, or any other SmartTag™.

2. Interactive 3D Gcode Previews​

AutoFarm3D now generates an image of every gcode file so you can easily see what you're about to print. If you click on the image, it launches an interactive 3D preview, so you can do a more detailed inspection of your gcode from any angle.

3. File Details Sidebar​

In AutoFarm3D, your files can now contain a lot more info than just gcode. Behind the scenes, a lot has changed. AutoFarm3D now stores detailed information about gcode files, including printing statistics, dimensions, time estimates, product SKUs, and other relevant data, which paves the way for Direct2Print, where this data will be utilized to create, track, and manage orders automatically. These stats will be visible in the sidebar of the files page, which will be updated in future releases.

The following image is a preview of what the sidebar will look like:

files page sidebar preview

4. Gcode Flagging and Production Notes​

Sometimes you need to fix a gcode file but don't have time. Now, you can flag the file for review and come back to it later. You can also write down any issues with the gcode and suggest fixes in the production notes.

This is especially useful for larger farms that are run by multiple people - these changes improve communicaton, especially when the people running the printers are different from the people slicing files.

5. Updated Networking Language​

We've updated the naming of Hubs to better describe the role of different hubs in the network. Here's a quick rundown of the changes:

  • Command Hub: the central Hub that runs the dashboard which everything on the farm connects to. Runs in Command Mode (formerly Beacon Service Mode)
  • Worker Hub: runs only the devices attached to it (printers / cameras). Runs in Worker Mode (formerly Beacon Attach Mode)
  • Print Farm Hubs: formerly called "Wireless Hubs". As it turns out, they're not particularly wireless because they tend to have USB cables connected to them and they also work with ethernet!

Installation Instructions​

This update requires a zip file upload and will only take a minute to complete.

  1. Navigate to your AutoFarm3D Dashboard.

  2. Click the logs button at the top of the dashboard. You should now be on the Software Center page.

    The browser url should be <IP ADDRESS>:3030 e.g. 192.168.1.123:3030

  3. Scroll down to Manual System Update, and upload the zip file for the device you are upgrading

    AutoFarm-3.6.0-raspberry-pi-updater.zip for RaspberryPi AutoFarm-3.6.0-rock64-updater.zip for the Rock64

info

Don't extract or unzip the file. Upload the .zip file directly.

AF3D 3.6.0 manual update

  1. Wait a few minutes for the update to complete.
  2. Repeat this process for each Pi/Hub in your farm.

If you need any help or run into any issues, please contact us at [email protected]