How to prepare a 3D model for printing on Linux with Cura

Cura is one of the best 3d printing tools out there. It supports tons of great features and is easy to use. This guide will go over how you can use Cura to prepare a 3D model for printing on Linux.

Installing Cura on Linux

You must install the Cura application on your Linux PC before you attempt to use it to print files. To set up Cura on your Linux system, please follow our in-depth guide on how to install Ultimaker Cura on Linux.

Configure your printer with Cura

After installing Cura on your Linux PC, you’ll need to configure it to work with your printer. Every 3D printer has specific hardware and settings, and it must be set right in the app or prints could fail.

To correctly configure your printer with Cura, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Launch the Cura application on your Linux PC and click on the “Get Started” button inside of the app. Selecting this button will start up the configuration wizard in Cura.

Step 2: Click on the “skip” button inside of the “Ultimaker Account” page. After configuring your printer with Cura, we will deal with the sign-in process later.

Step 3: After moving past the “Ultimaker Account” page in the configuration wizard, you will see “Add a printer.” If you have a networked printer, Cura will find it and you can add it.

Otherwise, find the “Add a non-networked printer” button and select it with the mouse.

Step 4: Once you’ve selected the “non-networked printer” menu, Cura will show you a list of available 3D printers that are supported. Look through the list and select your exact model.

For example, to add the Ender 5, you’d go to “Creality3D” in the “non-networked printer” menu, click on it and select “Ender 5.”

Step 5: Once you’ve selected your printer in the menu, Cura will display the “Machine Settings” window. In the “Machine Settings” window, Cura will configure your printer settings based on pre-defined configurations. It will also configure your extruder.

Leave the settings at default, unless you know what you are doing. Then, click on the “Next” button to move to the next page in the guide.

Step 6: After configuring your printer in the Cura “Machine” settings area, find the nozzle area (under Generic PLA), and click on it. Then, set it to the size of the extruder nozzle you are using on your printer.

Unsure about how large your extruder nozzle is? Leave the settings on the default configuration. For example, 0.4mm should work well enough.

Sign in

While it is not required to use Cura, you should sign in as you’ll have access to the marketplace, extensions, etc. To sign in, find the “Sign in” button in the top-right corner. Then, click on it, create your account and log into Cura using your credentials.

Download a model

There are many places you can download a pre-made model to use in Cura. One place is Thingiverse.com. To download a model from this website, do the following.

Step 1: Find the “Search Thingiverse” search box and click on it with the mouse. Then, type in your search term. For example, to find something related to “Star Wars,” you’d type that into the search box. Finally, press Enter to view the search results.

Step 2: Look through the search results for the model you like, then click on it with the mouse to access its “Thing” page. Once on the “Thing” page, look for the blue “Download” button and select it with the mouse.

Step 3: Upon selecting the download button, Thingiverse will show you all available STL model files for the “Thing.” Download each file individually. Be sure to also read the instructions associated with the model so it prints right.

Slice the model

You must slice your model to print it with Cura. Slicing means converting the model from a 3D model file to a 3D printer-friendly G-code file. Here’s how to do it.

First, find the “File” button and click on it with the mouse to open up the “File” menu. Then, find the “Open File(s)” button and click on it with the mouse. Lastly, browse for the STL model file(s) you’ve downloaded from Thingiverse to import it to Cura.

Once the model file is imported to Cura, go through the settings and configure your print to the suggested settings for the model. Then, find the “Slice” button and click on it to convert your print to G-code.

After slicing your print, click on the “Save to disk” button to save your G-code file to your computer. Alternatively, save your file directly to an SD card or USB flash drive by selecting the “save to external” button.