How long to slice?



  • I have just started using MatterControl and like it, except for how long it takes to slice. I have used other slicers including Cura (many versions) Slic3r, Slic3rPE, IdeaMaker, and Craftware for a few. All of those slicers can slice a model, even a complicated model, in less than two minutes. MC on the other hand, takes tens of minutes. I currently have a slice going that has taken 20 minutes already and is only just half way done. It looks like there are several phases it goes through, but the really slow one is "Writing layers". Please tell me this isn't normal.

    The machine is a desktop machine running Windows 10 Pro OS on an I7 processor with 16GB RAM. It's an older I7, maybe 3rd gen, but it handles the other slicers with ease, and Fusion 360 as well. With nothing else running on the machine, the task manager shows CPU utilization running 15-20%, memory usage relatively flat at around 30%, and Ethernet usage looks like a rather scraggly saw tooth bouncing between 0 and 50%.


  • MatterHackers

    Hey @xeddog

    Well those results are something to look into I think but I do have a comment. I would not say that ideaMaker is all too fast, I have plenty of experience at watching it chug through a large model and take 10-15 minutes when I run a good sized print.

    My main question is, how large of an STL file are you using to slice?

    I could not speak towards the other slicers, other than ideaMaker, as I have not actually used them before. was the same model tried on all of them?



  • I did a little testing with different slicers today. All on the same machine, using settings as close to each other as I could get them, same models in same positions, nothing else running on the machine.

    Cura 3.6 - 30 Seconds
    IdeaMaker 3.3.0.2343 - 20 seconds
    Craftware 1.20 - 15 seconds
    MatterControl 2.0 - 19 MINUTES


  • MatterHackers

    Thanks for the feedback.

    We have been focusing our development efforts on many things for this release, and have not had the speed of slicing high on the list. It is something that we have started focusing on more, and it will improve dramatically in the coming updates.

    If you wish to file any specific issues, doing so in GitHub helps a lot. That way our developers can track progress.

    The next release (due out in the beta feed within a week or two) already improved speed a bit, and there are lots more improvements we are planning.


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