PrusaSlicer 2.8.1-rc1

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Summary

​This is first release candidate of PrusaSlicer 2.8.1, which mostly fixes bugs found in 2.8.0.

Improvements with respect to 2.8.0

• Based on the feedback received after 2.8.0 release, the menu bar was reinstated and the menu no longer hides under a button. Thanks everyone for the feedback, it was very helpful and it will be taken into consideration during possible UI-related decisions in the future. #12943
• When logging-in with the PrusaAccount using third party authorization (Google, Apple, Facebook), an external browser window is opened so the user is not forced to enter their credentials into windows created by PrusaSlicer.
• The built-in web engine no longer remembers the user after logout.
• There are two new parameters: Filaments->Advanced->Abrasive material and Printers->Extruder->High flow nozzle. Both flags will be used to check whether a sliced G-code is compatible with the given printer (abrasive material requires hardened nozzle) and also to ensure that "Set as current" function in PrusaSlicer-embedded Prusa Connect will select the suitable profile for the given configuration.
  Note that this feature is supported since MINI/MK4/XL firmware version 6.2.0-alpha1, and that the implementation in Prusa Connect is not completely finished yet, meaning that the dialog where printer is selected does not use this information - it will later start working without the need to download a new slicer version.
• Automatic orientation of bridges has been improved. Issues with unanchored bridges caused by inconvenient choice of their angle should now occur less frequently, although there is still a large class of scenarios where the solution is suboptimal.
• The output of --query-printer-models command line option was extended to contain bed shape and dimensions. Note that custom bed shapes are currently not supported.
• The 'new version available' notification can now be used to direct the user to our website, instead of just downloading the executable. As of now, we release two different Linux AppImages, so the user needs to be able to choose which one they want to download.
• A new infill type called Zig-zag was created. It behaves the same as Rectilinear, except that the pattern is aligned between layers (Rectilinear is optimized for short travels, which leads to inconsistencies). The new infill may thus take slightly longer to print because of that, although the effect will be negligible in most prints. It is possible that Rectilinear and Zig-zag will be merged into a single infill type in one of the upcoming releases. #12613

Bugs fixed with respect to 2.8.0

• General improvement of Prusa Connect / PrusaAccount session stability. There were scenarios which led to uncommanded logouts from PrusaAccount, some resulting in partially blank Prusa Connect screen and requiring application restart to fix. The problems occurred after being logged on for a long time, after waking the PC up from sleep, or when internet connection was unstable.
• Fixed missing G-code preview on setups using older GPUs (#12908).
• Some settings were not applied when overridden per object (#12916).
• Fixed adding SVGs as parts/modifiers. This was broken in 2.8.0 (#12915).
• Fixed UI glitch resulting in disappearing text in edit boxes after editing (#12932).
• Fixed incorrect capture of keyboard input, which led to some keys being ignored (#13043).
• Physical printer configured to use username/password authentication no longer asks the user for the credentials when opening the Physical Printer page (#12921, #12933).
• Notification informing about the user having logged in into PrusaAccount occasionally showed even when the user was in fact logged in for a long time already (#12963, #13166).
• macOS specific: Fixed incorrect tooltips (Ctrl instead of Cmd). #12898
• Object shells incorrectly stayed visible after switching from FFF to SLA and back.
• Fixed rotation slider in SVG tool when "Use surface" option was active (it incorrectly reverted to original position when released).
• Changing Dynamic overhang speeds settings did not trigger G-code regeneration as is should have.
• Fixed loading of specific OBJ files (#12157).
• Fixed a crash when scaling to fit in specific cases (circular bed and objects with parts).
• Fixed an infinite loop during infill generation stage occurring in rare cases (#11426).
• 'Export Plate as STL/OBJ Including Supports' no longer exports non-printable objects.
• Fixed zero velocity G-code commands when the pressure equalizer was combined with spiral vase mode. This bugfix was ported from OrcaSlicer. Thanks to @Noisyfox, @SoftFever and everyone involved.
• Fixed incorrect Color Changes placement after reslicing in certain cases (#13008).
• Reduced number of emitted M106 G-codes when dynamic fan speed on overhangs is enabled. Too many commands were generated even when the fan speed barely changed or did not change at all. #11981, #11856
• Fixed missing update when adding Color Change with supports enabled.
• Fixed crash when loading specific 3MFs containing Color Changes (#13038).
• Adaptive layer height feature did not work when Z shrinkage compensation was used.
• Windows specific: Fixed incorrect initialization of drag and drop in Object list, when dragging mouse over it with the mouse button pressed (#13062).
• Fixed unexpected autoselection of SLA printer in Configuration Wizard in certain cases (#13058).
• Fixed couple of usability issues with the vertical slider in preview (hovered ticks selection and reaction to mouse wheel) (#12944).
• Fixed unexpected deceleration on overhangs with dynamic overhangs speed enabled.
• Line infill did not generate at all when maximum anchor length was set to zero.
• When seam position was set to Random, the algorithm would occasionally place the seam on a bridging perimeter.
• Fixed erratic placement of seams occassionally happening with specific object geometry.
• Fixed a problem in STEP file loading, which resulted in errors in the geometry of the loaded model (#12271, #12122).
• Using certain fonts for the text embossing led to project files which PrusaSlicer was not able to open anymore (#13123).
• Custom G-codes are not allowed to contain certain keywords which PrusaSlicer uses for internal purposes. The check that these keywords are not present was not working in the previous version. It is now fixed.
• Fixed artifacts sometimes appearing in the "Actual speed" preview. The artifacts were a result of long-existing bug in the G-code processor, the "Actual speed" preview just made them visible. The bug could have led to incorrect time estimates for specific G-codes.
• Fixed three distinct crashes in Configuration Wizard occurring after a specific sequence of steps.
• Fixed a long-existing bug in the cooling logic, which resulted in zero or possibly negative extrusion commands in very rare cases.
• Downloading from Printables did not work when the download folder contained non-ASCII characters.
• Fixed selection of print host type in Physical Printer dialog. PrusaLink was missing in the list for several printers which actually support it. This also caused several other glitches (#13286).
• The Connect status dots in the Printer Settings dropdown did not show for SLA printers.
• Custom printer profile created in Config Wizard could be saved under a name clashing with a system profile name.
• "Rename preset" button was inadvertently not shown in the UI when physical printer profile was selected.
• Windows specific: Fixed a bug causing issues when PrusaSlicer configuration folder path contained non-ASCII characters.
• Number of toolchanges did not show in the "Sliced info" box when wipe tower was disabled (#6832).

Translations

• Updated internal dictionaries (CS, PL, DE, IT, ES, FR, JA)

IMPORTANT note for Linux users

PrusaSlicer now depends on WebKit library, which greatly complicates its distribution. Latest Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40) ship with newer version of WebKit than older (but still supported) distros. Bundling WebKit into the AppImage is difficult and may not be possible.

Therefore, we now provide two separate AppImages, both depending on webkit library. You may need to install the respective package before you are able to run PrusaSlicer.

Build	min libwebkit2gtk version	distributions examples
older-distros	4.0	Ubuntu 22.04, Fedora 39, Debian 11
modern-distros	4.1	Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Debian 12

The AppImages can extract themselves when run with --appimage-extract command line parameter.

It is quite likely that PrusaSlicer will switch only to Flatpak deployment from the next version on. The AppImage made sense when it could be used in the "bundle what you need, distribute a single file" way, but having to distribute several different AppImages and maintaining the required build infrastructure (and still worrying about what needs to be updated when some Linux distribution update is released) means burning time that we would much rather invest into actual work on PrusaSlicer.