Discounting the software that runs the printer itself (“firmware”), there are two main categories of software to consider: 3D design tools and slicers.

The slicer software takes a 3D model and turns it into information the printer can render in molten plastic. There are lots of options but with a BambuLab printer, the only straightforward choice is BambuStudio. For some people, that is a problem but it works well enough for my needs and does all the things I would want a slicer to do, like let me fine tune how the spaces inside the model are filled or drop a pause into the printing so I can swap to a different colour of filament (handy for making text stand out).

You don’t necessarily need 3D design software, as long as you are content to just print off models other people have designed. For me though, the ability to design and print custom solutions and enhancements for my environment is a major part of the game. There are many choices although even the simplest can feel like they have a steep learning curve; others feel more like trying to climb an overhang. Trying to create a 3D model with accurate dimensions on a 2D screen is a mentally challenging task.

I have dabbled in 3D design software in the past but, since January, have mainly been using OpenSCAD. At a couple of points, when I felt I was hitting a brick wall, I have tried TinkerCAD (an online tool) and FreeCAD but both have managed to quickly convince me that perhaps OpenSCAD wasn’t so hard after all!

OpenSCAD is definitely software that appeals to people who think like programmers. You write a script in plain text and then run it to see the results. Other people might find it better to stick with more visually orientated tools. However, the big step forward in my learning was discovering the BOSL2 library. Pretty much all the things I had been struggling to do with standard OpenSCAD, like rounding off edges and neatly putting several different objects next to each other, are made trivial. Like Perl, it makes easy things easy and hard things possible (which will mean something to many programmers and probably not so much to most other people).

For my purposes, OpenSCAD with BOSL2 has been a brilliant tool. I don’t think I regret all of the first period when I was just trying to work within the constraints of the bare, official release but I wouldn’t have lost out by going straight to a development snapshot (not as scary as it sounds) from the OpenSCAD Downloads page and I could have benefited from getting started with BOSL2 (under Libraries) a little earlier. With the development version, I would also recommend turning on the Manifold 3D rendering back-end, which greatly speeds up rendering compared to the default CGAL (Edit | Preferences | Advanced).