G-code preview and simulation in 3D Printing - Mini Project: Build & Apply

G-code Preview and Simulation

📖 Scenario: You are working with a 3D printer and want to understand how the printer will move and build your object before starting the actual print. G-code is the language that tells the printer what to do. Previewing and simulating G-code helps avoid mistakes and saves material.

🎯 Goal: Build a simple step-by-step G-code preview and simulation setup that shows the printer's planned movements and extrusion commands in a clear, organized way.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list of G-code commands representing printer movements and extrusion

Add a variable to track the current extrusion amount

Process the G-code commands to simulate the printer's actions

Complete the simulation by summarizing the total extrusion and movements

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

3D printing requires careful planning of printer movements and extrusion to produce quality parts without wasting material.

💼 Career

Understanding G-code preview and simulation is important for 3D printing technicians, engineers, and hobbyists to optimize prints and troubleshoot issues.

1

Create the G-code command list

Create a list called gcode_commands with these exact strings representing printer commands: "G1 X0 Y0 Z0 F1500", "G1 X50 Y0 E0.5", "G1 X50 Y50 E1.0", "G1 X0 Y50 E1.5", "G1 X0 Y0 E2.0".

3D Printing

# Create the list gcode_commands with the specified G-code strings
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use square brackets to create a list and include each G-code command as a string inside quotes.

2

Add extrusion tracking variable

Create a variable called current_extrusion and set it to 0.0 to track the amount of filament extruded during simulation.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G1 X0 Y0 Z0 F1500",
    "G1 X50 Y0 E0.5",
    "G1 X50 Y50 E1.0",
    "G1 X0 Y50 E1.5",
    "G1 X0 Y0 E2.0"
]
# Create current_extrusion variable set to 0.0
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use a simple assignment to create the variable and set it to zero with a decimal point.

3

Simulate extrusion from G-code commands

Use a for loop with variable command to go through gcode_commands. Inside the loop, check if the string "E" is in command. If yes, extract the extrusion value after "E" and update current_extrusion to that float value.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G1 X0 Y0 Z0 F1500",
    "G1 X50 Y0 E0.5",
    "G1 X50 Y50 E1.0",
    "G1 X0 Y50 E1.5",
    "G1 X0 Y0 E2.0"
]

current_extrusion = 0.0

# Loop through gcode_commands and update current_extrusion when 'E' is found
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Split the command by spaces, find the part starting with 'E', then convert the number after 'E' to float.

4

Complete simulation with summary

Add a final comment line that summarizes the simulation by stating: # Total extrusion after simulation: {current_extrusion} where {current_extrusion} is the variable holding the extrusion amount.

3D Printing

gcode_commands = [
    "G1 X0 Y0 Z0 F1500",
    "G1 X50 Y0 E0.5",
    "G1 X50 Y50 E1.0",
    "G1 X0 Y50 E1.5",
    "G1 X0 Y0 E2.0"
]

current_extrusion = 0.0

for command in gcode_commands:
    if "E" in command:
        parts = command.split()
        for part in parts:
            if part.startswith("E"):
                current_extrusion = float(part[1:])

# Add a comment summarizing the total extrusion
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Write a comment line starting with # and include the current_extrusion value exactly as 2.0.