Alternatives to ideaMaker
Prepare 3D models for printing with Raise3D's slicer. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
ideaMaker
Prepare 3D models for printing with Raise3D's slicer.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as ideaMaker.
UltiMaker Cura
The most widely used free slicer for filament 3D printers, with profiles for hundreds of machines.
UltiMaker Cura is open source under LGPL-3.0 and includes profiles for hundreds of printers, so it is less tied to one manufacturer's hardware than ideaMaker.
PrusaSlicer
Prusa Research's slicer, based on Slic3r, for both filament and resin printers and no account required.
PrusaSlicer is open source under AGPL-3.0, needs no account, also handles resin printers, and has profiles for printers well beyond Prusa's own range.
OrcaSlicer
A slicer built around calibration, with temperature towers and flow tests you run from inside the program.
OrcaSlicer is open source under AGPL-3.0, with profiles for Bambu, Prusa, Voron, RatRig and Creality machines and built-in calibration tests.
Bambu Studio
Bambu Lab's slicer, built on PrusaSlicer, with project-based workflows, multi-material painting and remote printer monitoring.
Bambu Studio is open source and adds multi-material painting and remote monitoring, but it is built around Bambu Lab printers and pushes you towards a Bambu account.
SuperSlicer
A PrusaSlicer fork with extra fine-tuning settings, generated calibration tests and better thin-wall handling.
SuperSlicer is an open-source PrusaSlicer fork with fine-grained surface settings and generated calibration prints, maintained by one person, with its last stable release tagged in 2024.
Simplify3D
Prepare and preview print jobs with a commercial 3D slicer.
Simplify3D is a commercial slicer that requires a paid license and an appropriate printer profile, with configurable processes and support-generation controls.
KISSlicer
Fast, compact slicer that converts STL models into G-code for filament printers.
KISSlicer is a fast, simple closed-source slicer whose free version handles one extruder only, with multi-extruder printing behind paid Pro or Premium licences.
IceSL
Slicer with built-in modelling that turns STL files into printer-ready G-code.
IceSL is free but closed source and adds a scriptable modeller for procedural geometry. It comes from a research group, with thinner documentation and profiles.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Teaching Tech 3D Printer Calibration
Web-based 3D printer calibration walkthrough with a gcode generator for custom test towers and prints.
OctoPrint
Control and monitor a 3D printer from a browser.
