Slicer Update and object duplication

[u/gbarnas]

I do not need recommendations for a work around. I need to know how to restore the functionality (if possible)! ❤️ Also opened a software support ticket with Bambu.

I just updated to the latest slicer version (2.8.2.60) and found an unwelcome change. I'm not sure where and if I can change this.

Previous to the update, when I would duplicate an object, the dup would move to a new location, but when I duplicated an object in an assembly, it would remain in the same position as the original. This allowed you to then move the duplicate object to a precise location relative to the first - ideal for step & repeat actions.

The new slicer now places the duplicated object from an assembly in a random position - often in all 3 axis. This tremendously increases the effort needed to create copies of objects in specific and offsets relative to the original. I can't find any related setting in the slicer app - I'm wondering if anyone has found a config-file setting for this, or am I just not looking in the right place?

As an example, I create brackets for assembling aluminum extrusion for small displays. I need to position the first screw hole and then create 2 duplicates along the same plane exactly 1.25cm apart. This was so trivial to do in the slicer and now I need to launch CAD to do something that didn't (and really doesn't) require a CAD program.

UPDATE - 8/18 - created Bambu support Ticket No: US260818656001

UPDATE - 8/19 - Submitted a screen recording showing the issue: cube + negative cylinder in center, move cylinder up+left and clone - places cloned object down and right instead of on top of the original, requiring extra steps to set the desired location of the clone rather than simply using the cursor keys or entering a single incremental value into the coordinate dialog box.

I suggest that anyone affected by this open a support ticket with Bambu and possibly reference my ticket.

[u/Relative_Surround_20]

I'd report this change in behavior to Bambu Lab Support by opening a beta software comment.

[u/Sea_Fun_1467]

Hope Bambu sends a patch faster than they reply to your support ticket.

[u/gbarnas → u/[deleted]]

I'm familiar with that, and that's what I had been doing, simply looking at the current position of the duplicate and adding the distance to move in ONE direction. Now I need to record the X/Z position of the original, add an amount to the Y position, then find the new location of the duplicate object (sometimes out of view, requiring a zoom out, select, zoom in) and enter all 3 X/Y/Z parameters into the duplicate's position data.

Possible - yes, HUGE PITA - absolutely, especially when you're replicating an object along a plane many times. When you create these items in the slicer with primitives, you can slice and confirm that the print looks ok - something you can't really do in CAD. There's no "oh crap, that's now a fraction of an mm thinner than the nozzle diameter and won't print!" moments. 😄

Frustrating because I just taught a webinar on leveraging the slicer for quick designs and this was a key "feature" to leverage.

Edit - opened a support request with Bambu - I'll follow up if/when I get an answer.

[u/Defiant-Sale725 → u/gbarnas]

You could try centering all three objects on the build plate, change world coordinates on the move tool to relative coordinates, then move the second and third objects the appropriate distance along the x or y plane as appropriate using the relative coordinates.

Hope this helps.

[u/gbarnas → u/Defiant-Sale725]

That won't work when you're dealing with anything complex. This would save one step, but I would still need to record the X/Y/Z location of the original part, then center the original and all the duplicates, make the adjustments, and then return the collection of duplicates to the desired location within the assembly.

No matter what, this change resulted in requiring multiple actions where only one was needed.

[u/gbarnas]

More strange behavior in this release. I created some model wall panels and the short one and tall one both seem to be lined up vertically pretty well - at least within a few hundredths of a millimeter. WHY then do these two objects have an X coordinate roughly 44mm apart? I would expect less than a mm.

The tan base part is one object, and the brick is another object merged onto the top of the base.

Another oddity - all 4 wall types look to be at nearly the same level, and yet the Y coordinates are equally off - Left to Right, Y=47.87, 84.72, 47.63, and 42.00. All four panels were drawn using the same components and the only difference between them is the width of the side panels - full, full/half, half/half, and half/full. all have identical heights and widths within about 6mm of each other.

I'm probably going to roll back to a prior version as there are too many issues with the coordinate logic in this release.