And where does and where does not video work?
Oh man. I just spent the last several hours trying to do the same thing as John. Thank you for posting these instructions on how to upload Gcode. As a new user I don’t think I quite realized there was a difference between Astro Print and Astro Box Web UI. And yes, being able to upload Gcode to the cloud would be very helpful.
thanks and looking forward to my new AstroBox
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How do you think we could’ve made this better?
Hey Daniel
Here are my initial thoughts:
I think for starters, in addition to the video at https://www.astroprint.com/abt-setup, you need clear images and step by step instructions. Happy to send some awesome examples of this. Also, you might storyboard the process of different types of users who purchase this and recommend a “best case practice” for any of these users. Example: pro users who own their slicing software should approach it like this, maybe thingverse printers do it like this, and multi printer farms do it this way.
Your mission is certainly more difficult if certain features don’t exist on all platforms. Like if mobile doesn’t support streaming of desktop doesn’t support GCODE. It’s confusing when they all look the same, but yet work slightly different.
The other thing that caught my attention, as a first time user, was the (lack of) hierarchy of commands within the AstroPrint web interface. I wasn’t sure where to go first and its not laid out like anything I’m use to. All the apps visually appear to be equally as relevant. What I wanted to do was to upload a file and print it, however it wasn’t super intuitive to me how to do that. The “design uploader” and file manager seem similar in function and yet very different. Almost like they could be combined. And the print command is hidden beneath a dot dot dot?
I hope you take this all as constructive. I do product design for a living and I’m forced to deal with out of box experiences all the time. Anyway I’m excited to finally have a way to easily keep an eye on overnight prints.
Lemme know if you ever want to follow up offline.
-ryan
Hi, I just wanted to +1 on this thread. I found the separation of all the different modes/layers very confusing. It was quite a learning curve and frankly, ironically just forgetting it all and going to Octoprint was simplier/easier for me. I do still use Astroprint Cloud with the Octoprint plugin, as the key feature is that I can easily access screenshots (but no video, awwww) of my prints remotely away from local network without mucking with routing settings, VPN, reverse proxies, etc.
Now I’ve figured out that there’s three distinct pieces, all with their own, list of what they can and can’t do, and it was very confusing as a user.
- Astroprint Box -> Can get gcode, store model files. Need to sync with Cloud. Can sync profiles with cloud, but not necessary (possible to create duplicates). Some portion Needs Astroprint Cloud Login. Weirdly, print to Astrobox does not work in Cura via API (ie using Cura’s octoprint plugin), but works fine using S3d and slic3r. Shrug
- Astroprint Cloud. Needs login. Can monitor via cloud, but didnt realize for the longest time I can monitor direct via box instead on the local network for a better and faster experience
- Astroprint Desktop. Needs Astroprint Cloud Login if you want to use the cloud features. Works locally otherwise.
I like to think that I’m very comfortable with technology and can learn things fast (I do work at Google as an technical employee), but I found getting in to the ecosystem very confusing.
What would help is more interactive up front documentation on what portion does what, and what situation you want to use it. Also make it more clear when you’re crossing platforms. The buttons look the same, and only by paying close attention to the URL bar did I realize I was being booted/shunted to the cloud
For example.
If youre on local network and want to get super deep and detailed with latest version of Cura 3.2.1, do this, and that (ie, generate gcode, connect to Astrobox, upload gcode. Warn me to not connect to cloud up front and bang my head against that, because the upload files icon looks idenical)
If you’re on the go, your family member just asked for a benchy toy they saw on thingiverse, do this: login to cloud.astroprint.com, go to thingiverse, search for it, add it, cloud slice, print, monitor from remote to make sure first layer sticks. The key thing here is that one doesn’t need to mess with the astrobox directly.
And +1 also for enabling gcode upload to cloud. I like using my 32-core desktops @ work to run cura to custom slice complicated models, preview layers, vs my (relatively) underpowered home computer which doesnt fully support OpenGL 4.1. Once I got the gcode, its not straightforward to get it to the astrobox outside of the local network.
On the go, when I need to pop out a quick toy print or some print I don’t care much about, thats when I use the upload model to cloud and leave it to the cloud slicer in Astroprint to deal with and print.
Thanks for the great input guys! We’ll huddle around and come up with ways to de-complicate this.
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Thanks to the other users…i thought I wasn’t " getting it" I never know which program/access type/interface let’s me do what. I’m not enough of a computer geek to know when and if I am logged in the box, can I go on the web while logged in the box…and how does the mobile app fit into all this? And I still can’t find time lapse…so frustrating, as I feel it could be a great tool, but I just am not understanding. Even a simple table matrix of what interface allows what would be a good step. And can’t we just call them Astroprint Mobile, Astroprint Web and Astroprint Direct? Astrobox is the plastic case filled with electronics. The naming is frustrating. If you want to crowd source questions and suggestions, I am submitting my application to be on the team in the Smart, Inexperienced User that Hoped Astroprint Was Plug and Play. Thanks for listening
It does not. Only if you’d like to use it with your cloud files and print to your cloud connected printers
Sorry, Desktop does not require a cloud login, but you can connect it to the cloud if you would like. For me, it was nice because for some reason on that particular day and time (I’ve not been able to reproduce consistently) my Astrobox desktop was not able to see/print to my local astrobox, but could reach it via the cloud, so I was able to workaround not being able to print locally.
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As of today, you can also upload GCODE to the cloud and manage it there.
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Hey Daniel,
When you say “cloud” do you mean I can upload GCODE to “Design Uploader” or Design Library"?
thanks!
The new design library
ok, good thing, but the problem is that when I try to send it to astrobox, to be able to print it, the cloud tells me that there was a problem sending it to the printer. The only way I can solve this is to pass the GCODE via USB and it’s not good at all.
If I can use the cloud, it would be better, without doing too many laps
It certainly would be and that’s the way it’s supposed to work. What is the software version on your AstroBox?
Yes, that’s the right place