Cura Machine Settings files for AnyCubic Predator

thingiverse

**Note:** <b><i>For customizing the mesh or bed image be aware that:</i></b> 1. file names and file locations are important 2. the mesh files are stored in the <b>meshes</b> folder 3. the image files are stored in the <b>images</b> folder 4. the predator.def.json file is stored in the <b>definitions</b> folder 5. you can change the file names to match the names stored in the predator.def.json file or you can change the names in the predator.def.json file to match the names of your files these are the lines in the predator.def.json file <b>"platform": "predator_platform.obj", </b> (this is the mesh) <b>"platform_texture": "predator_image.png",</b> (this is the image) <b><u>Updates:</u></b> <b>09/17/2020:</b> After fighting with 4.7 and 4.71 trying to get the platform mesh and image to display I finally think I have it figured out. I think Cura 4.7 introduced something that conflicted with the larger mesh that I used in 4.6. I'm not sure what it was but I have made a smaller mesh that now appears to work. The smaller mesh was not showing the shaded bed very well using the smaller jpg image I uploaded and I finally figured out it had something to do with the Alpha channel. The White background of the jpg was covering the rest of the mesh. using the transparent png file this does not happen. I therefore removed the jpg background and replaced the mesh (obj) with a cleaner one that works with the png file and displays properly on 4.7 This version does not appear to work properly on 4.6 For some reason the bed mesh will display but the image will not. I am unclear at this point why this is happening. I will investigate when I get more time. If you want to use a smaller jpg image file I have uploaded a blue_predator_image.jpg file that you can try on 4.7 It will colour your mesh blue and leave the bed with the black circle. Either rename the file appropriately or change the name in the def.json file to match. Please comment if you have any insights or have issues. <b>08/12/2020:</b> This update relates to the previous update. I have made some changes to the low poly mesh I uploaded yesterday. I believe these are improvements over the other file. The new file will replace the previous file. I also am including a jpg bed image that is smaller than the png file I had originally uploaded. These two files will require the predator.def.json file to be edited to reflect the new mesh and image file names. see the previous update for details. <b>note: the jpg file needs to have the extension .rename removed from the file name. Not sure why jpg files don't display in the file lists.</b> <b>08/11/2020:</b> Cura 4.7 should include the Predator machine profile thanks to Curso for uploading it. The mesh might not display the image if it is an STL. If you want the bed image to display on the mesh in Cura you will need to alter the mesh to an OBJ file. With Cura 4.7 it appears that they have limited the acceptable mesh size, so an image will not display if the mesh is too large. I have therefore uploaded a low poly mesh that will work in 4.7 I appologize for the quality of this mesh as my laptop is currnetly disassembled so I do not have all my files at hand to do this properly. When I get it back together I will look more closely at the mesh and see if I can make any improvements. To alter the mesh file you will need to edit the predator.def.json file and change: "platform": "predator_platform.stl", to "platform": "predator_platform.obj", you will also need to place the predator_platform.obj file in the meshes folder Make sure you change the name of the obj file to match the name you provide in the predator.def.json file. <b>21/04/2020:</b> My original simpler predator mesh was not aligned correctly. The newer version of Blender made this a little easier for me to adjust. I believe I have done a better alignment job with my latest upload. I have renamed the two meshes with V1 and V2. The V2 should be a better alignment to the bed. This may not be an issue if your computer screen is small but if you are using a larger display you may notice the difference. <b>18/01/2020:</b> I thought that some people may prefer a slightly cleaner look. I added a new mesh that only includes the Predator bed and corners (no uprights) and an image. I have difficulty moving objects precisely in Blender so hopefully I have the base and the image aligned properly. I tried to get the base match exactly with the Cura base but it may be off a little. On the previous mesh both the predator base and the image are slightly below the Cura build plate. When I get a chance I will try and adjust that. To use the new mesh you can either change its name from simple_predator_platform.obj to predator_platform.obj and save it in the meshes folder. or you can also edit the predator.def.json file so that the mesh name matches the new name. If Cura is running when you make the changes you will probably need to restart it. <b>1/01/2020:</b> For those that can't figure out how to rename a file and change its file extension, I have placed a copy of the predator_image.png file in the comments section. I haven't tested it in my setup but the file that downloads is the same size so I assume it will work. <b>31/12/19:</b> Corrected a typo for the main definition file that was wrong in my summary. The file name is predator.def.json Also there appears to be a problem when renaming the png file. Apparently it is not recognized even after the name has been changed on some machines. I am not sure why that is as it works fine for me. One suggestion is to rename the file before it is extracted from the zip. An alternative is to provide your own image file. The name has to be predator_image.png unless you change the name in the predator.def.json file to something else. You need to ensure that you have file name extensions selected (checked) in order to be able to see the extensions in Windows. Anyone who works with different files should have this set as their default but windows hides extensions because they think it confuses users. <b>20/12/19:</b> Noticed that the draft profile default layer height was set at 3.5 instead of 3 (I set all heights at multiples of 1 except for very fine @0.05) so I have adjusted the draft profile to maintain the pattern. If you already have the files installed you can simply adjust the info in predator_draft.inst.cfg to reflect what you want. *Rather than waiting till I can complete it to a higher standard, I decided to release this so others can test it out and let me know what needs to be fixed. This is working for me but I am still in the process of trying to locate information about the Predator in order to improve the basic machine settings and profiles. I have only had my Predator for a few days. Currently the mesh and images display properly on Cura 4.4.0 (which is what I am using) and the default profiles and basic machine settings appear to be working as expected. The profiles are just the very basic shell. You will need to create your own working profiles from these. Feel free to try this out and let me know if you find problems.* *Be aware that Cura is not happy when there are configuration issues or profile changes it doesn't like. I would recommend that you make a backup of your current AppData folder for Cura so you can restore it if you need to. I will not be able to walk you through what is necessary to fix damaged profiles. This is especially important to those of you with multiple profiles or multiple machines. If you are brand new to Cura and have not set much up, you can always do a reset to clear out any existing profiles and machines and essentially start with a fresh Cura install.* *You can comment here on Thingiverse or on a couple of the Predator FB groups of which I am a member.* This is a set of files that will place the AnyCubic Predator in the default Machine Settings list for Cura. The files define the basic settings of the AnyCubic Predator for slicing and will display the base of the Predator printer in Cura. The mesh is complements of NexxCat who did a fantastic job modelling the Predator. I chopped off the top for better viewing in Cura. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4026409 You can also add any image file you like to the bed of the Predator by replacing the bed image file with a file of your choice. You will need to find an image file you want to use and save it as a png file with a transparent background. I have uploaded a single image file you can used but you will need to rename it. The file is called ***predator_image.png.stl*** You need to rename it to ***predator_image.png*** and store it in the Images folder. All files are placed in the Users AppData folder in Windows within the Cura folder. The location of these files can be found by selecting ***Help*** from the Cura menu and selecting ***"Show Configuration Folder"*** Within the folder for the current version of Cura are several other folder that you will be using. These include: ***Definitions*** (predator.def.json) ***Extruders*** (predator_extruder_0.def.json) ***Meshes*** (predator_platform.obj) ***Images*** (predator_image.png) ***Quality*** (inside the Quality folder make a new folder and call it ***anycubic_predator***. place all the cfg files in that folder. predator_XXXXX.inst.cfg [6 files])*** Place the proper files within the proper folders. If the folders do not exist you can create them. When you restart Cura you should be able to create a new printer by selecting Predator from within the AnyCubic list of printers. The new printer will display the Predator platform and the image that you chose to include. The ***predator.def.json*** file contains default information about your printer such as the default start and end gCode. If you want to customize it you can edit the file with a text editor. Once changes are made to the file you will need to restart Cura for those changes to take effect. The start and end gCode is set as a default in this file. You can manually change it in this file and it will work for all machine setups you create after that. You can also manually adjust the start and end gCode in a machine that is already set up by doing it directly in Cura. If you would rather not have custom default profiles for the Predator you can turn this feature off by setting ***"has_machine_quality": true*** to ***false*** in this file. If you use Cura for more than one printer you may not want to do this as your profiles will be able to be used interchangeably and you may have unexpected results. All the files are stored in the user's AppData area of the computer and do not change Cura and its program files. Cura will use these files if it finds them when it starts. If it can't find the files they will have no effect. If you don't want to use them or want to just test them out, you can simply delete them when you are finished with them or just move them into a folder you create that Cura will not recognize. If you have made printers from this machine setup you may have to delete any config files associated with these machines if it causes any issues. If Cura throws a configuration error, either fix the problem or remove any files you have added. Cura will revert back to what it was like prior to adding the files. Please take care when making changes or using these files. I do not guarantee that these will work for you. Use at your own risk.