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Elegoo Neptune Thumbnails Plugin For Cura

License: AGPL v3

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General Info

Cura 5.X plugin for adding gcode thumbnail images for Elegoo Neptune printers. The following models are supported (for other models, see FAQ):

  • Elegoo Neptune 4
  • Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro
  • Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro
  • Elegoo Neptune 3 Plus
  • Elegoo Neptune 3 Max
  • Elegoo Neptune 2
  • Elegoo Neptune 2S
  • Elegoo Neptune 2D
  • Elegoo Neptune X

Additional features:

  • Display more information about the sliced model on the thumbnail
  • Use a graphical user interface for thumbnail configuration
  • Thumbnail preview in graphical user interface
  • Add thumbnails for Klipper (to display in the Neptune 4 (Pro) web interface)

Note: If you have some idea on how to improve the plugin or found a bug, feel free to create a GitHub issue for that

Installation

From GitHub (better option)

Note: You need to use the ElegooNeptuneThumbnails.curapackage from the latest release, that is linked below. Not the base.curapackage (that one is just for development and build purposes)

  1. Download the plugin here and drag the .curapackage file into the Cura window (like onto the build plate)
  2. Restart Cura
  3. Configure the plugin as shown in Usage
  4. If it isn't working, check the FAQ

From Cura Marketplace (not always the latest version)

Note: As review by Ultimaker takes pretty long (almost a whole month), the plugin could be outdated when installing it that way. For latest releases, checkout the installation from GitHub above

  1. Install the plugin from Cura marketplace
  2. Restart Cura
  3. Configure the plugin as shown in Usage
  4. If it isn't working, check the FAQ

Usage

Note: Settings are per printer, so if you switch the printer, you have to reconfigure the settings

  1. Open the thumbnail settings menu
  2. Configure thumbnail settings as you wish

Thumbnail Settings Overview

Setting Description
Enable thumbnails Includes a thumbnail of the object to the gcode
Printer model The printer model to generate thumbnails for (different models user different algorithms for generation)
Top left corner Information display option (see below) for the top left corner
Top right corner Information display option (see below) for the top right corner
Bottom left corner Information display option (see below) for the bottom left corner
Bottom right corner Information display option (see below) for the bottom right corner
Send anonymous usage statistics Enables the collection of anonymous usage statistics
Use current model(s) Use the current model(s) in the preview thumbnail

Information Display Options

Setting Description
Time Estimate Includes the estimated print time in the thumbnail
Filament Grams Estimate Includes the estimated filament usage in grams in the thumbnail
Layer Height Includes the layer height in the thumbnail
Model Height Includes the model height in the thumbnail
Filament Cost Estimate Includes the estimated filament cost (based on cost in filaments settings) in the thumbnail
Filament Meters Estimate Includes the estimated filament usage in meters in the thumbnail

FAQ

Does my printer support this plugin?

If your printer is in the settings dropdown, it should be supported. If your printer does support thumbnails, but it is not available in the dropdown, don't hesitate to open a GitHub issue and I will see what I can do.

Note: The "normal" Neptune 3 doesn't support displaying thumbnails, I have talked with Elegoo as there were many people asking for it.

Thumbnails are not generated. What to do?

  1. Make sure, that the plugin is installed correctly. Click "Marketplace" on the top right and then the settings gear on the top right. The plugin should be displayed under "Installed Plugins"
  2. Make sure, that thumbnails are enabled in the settings and the correct printer is selected

Why do thumbnails not change when printing another gcode file?

There seems to be a bug in older printer firmware versions which causes the thumbnail to not update if you start a print right after the last one ended. Restarting the printer in between prints seems to fix that. If this is the case for you, check your printer for firmware updates, which might fix the bug.

Is there PrusaSlicer support?

Yes, but only as a lite version because PrusaSlicer does not have enough possibilities for complex plugins. Check it out here

Development Guide

  1. Install requirements pip install -r requirements.txt
  2. Add cura folder from https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura to base directory (needed as lib)
  3. Add UM folder from https://github.com/Ultimaker/Uranium to base directory (needed as lib)
  4. Develop
  5. Create package python -m package_plugin (package will be under package_plugin/ElegooNeptuneThumbnails.curapackage)

Note: For some reason, QPainter will not accept all pngs. Usually, re-saving pngs with paint will fix problems (at least for non-transparent images)

Usage Statistics

The plugin will collect some anonymous usage statistics in order to make improvements easier. You can opt out of usage statistics by removing the checkbox in the thumbnail settings at any time.

Usage statistics are only related to an anonymous statistics id that is generated randomly when you install the plugin. No personal data is being collected. The statistics data, that is collected, is limited to the following:

  • Name of this plugin
  • Version of this plugin
  • The anonymous statistics id
  • The printer model from profile (e.g. "Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro")
  • The printer model selected (e.g. "Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro")
  • The information display options you are using (e.g. Layer Height)
  • Version of Cura
  • Operating system (e.g. Windows 10.0.22621)
  • Enabled state of thumbnails
  • Enabled state of Klipper thumbnails

Note: This list might change at some time, so keep an eye on it if you update the plugin. Be aware, that personal data will never be added to this list.

License

This repository uses code snippets and image encoding binaries from Elegoo Cura MKS Plugin and is therefore released under the AGPL v3 license.