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If you’re into resin 3D printing, you’ve probably heard of theChiTu Systems到现在为止。
Based in Shenzhen, ChiTu Systems develops the boards that power many of the most popular resin 3D printers on the market, including systems developed byElegoo,Phrozen， 和Epax 3d. ChiTu Systems is also the company behind Chitubox, which is one of the most commonly used resin slicers out there today. The firm recently rolled outChitubox Pro, a paid version of the Chitubox Basic slicer with additional CAD file format compatibility, new auto support functionality, and more. Chitubox Pro comes at a cost of $169 per year.
In the midst of the Pro rollout, ChiTu Systems encrypted some of its newer LCD boards to only work with its new ctb file format, a format that can only be generated using either Chitubox Basic or Chitubox Pro. This means that some consumers using ChiTu-based resin 3D printers could only slice their 3D files using the Chitubox slicer, whereas previously they could utilize third-party alternatives such asLychee Slicer和PrusaSlicer.
Naturally, this kicked off quite the community uproar, with consumers far and wide expressing disdain for the decision to encrypt the boards. Unfortunately, there’s still plenty of confusion regarding the specifics of the encryption, such as which printers will be affected and in what way.
I spoke with ChiTu Systems to clarify the information (and misinformation) surrounding the locking of the boards.
哪个3D打印雷电竞app下载机被锁定用于使用Chitubox？
So which 3D printers are affected by the ctb encryption? ChiTu Systems told 3D Printing Industry that printers running the company’s new higher-resolution boards (resolutions of 4K+) will need to have their files sliced in either Chitubox Basic or Chitubox Pro. This is because the ctb file format was developed specifically for those new high-resolution boards and can only be generated using Chitubox. Systems running the 4K+ boards include theElegoo Mars 3, thePhrozen Sonic Mega 8K， 和theEPAX E10-5K.
具有亚4K LCD分辨率的较旧系统Elegoo Mars 2 Procan continue using third-party slicers and will not be locked into Chitubox. However, ChiTu still recommends updating the firmware of these systems to use the latest version of Chitubox Basic (V1.9.0) as it offers new features such as resting time and TSMC (Two-Stage Motion Control).
It’s worth noting that users can still use third-party slicers to support and orient their models and export the files as STLs, which can then be imported into Chitubox. For the affected printers, the actual slicing of the files will still need to be done in Chitubox, however.
The full list of Chitubox-supported 3D printers can be found here.
Will anyone be forced to use the paid Chitubox Pro slicer?
Back in early July 2021, 3D printing YouTuberUncle Jessyreleased a video titled ‘Will you be forced to use Chitubox Pro?’. The video covered the locking of the ChiTu boards, with Uncle Jessy stating, “It appears like ChiTu Systems will be forcing you to use Chitubox Pro if you want to slice prints on new resin 3D printers for $169 a year”. With 184K subscribers to his name, Uncle Jessy is certainly a prominent voice in the 3D printing community, so it’s not hard to see how this caused a stir.
Thankfully, this turned out to not be the case. No ChiTu-based 3D printers will be forced to use the subscription-based version of the slicer. The confusion stemmed from a miscommunication issue that ChiTu has now taken responsibility for. For reference, all new 4K+ printers currently require either Chitubox Basic V1.9.0 or Chitubox Pro to run.
ChiTu told 3D Printing Industry, “There was a misunderstanding and we didn’t make things clear enough.” The company goes on to explain that V1.9.0 was not yet ready when some users received their new 4K+ printers from the manufacturers. Upon testing the printers, users found that Chitubox Basic V1.8.1 or earlier didn’t work with these printers, leading them to believe that Chitubox Pro was the only option. Now that Basic V1.9.0 has been rolled out, those printers should be usable without the paid slicer.
该公司还确认，Chitubox Basic将永远免费使用，并将继续得到补丁和更新的支持。
什么是Chitubox CTB SDK？
桌面3D打印几乎是开源社区的代名词。在这一点上，我们非常习惯于免费软件，以至于一家公司反对谷物并关闭曾经免费的产品足以保证干草叉和火炬。在这一点Reddit民意调查, almost 90% of respondents said they would not buy a ChiTu-based resin 3D printer if it meant that they were locked into using just the Chitubox slicer. Thischitu系统的请愿书，以取消加密CTB文件格式also appeared recently, and has garnered over 860 signatures.
为了应对负面的社区反应，Chitu Systems宣布将发布Chitubox CTB软件开发套件（SDK）。根据公司的说法，免费SDK将是一个文件格式交换工具，它将允许其他切片机直接导出CTB文件，这意味着那些从理论上锁定的打印机不应该再锁定了。
The SDK is yet to be released but Elegoo, a close partner of ChiTu Systems, has already发表声明证实了其存在. Elegoo writes, “We have had a joint preliminary communication with Lychee and Chitubox: Lychee will conduct internal tests on the SDK provided by Chitubox and will eventually determine the subsequent cooperation scheme depending on the test results. We also hope and welcome more community members, developers, and software manufacturers to join the testing process.”
诚然，SDK的匆忙发布感觉就像是损害控制，但总比没有好。是否可以解决问题，还是赢得树脂3D打印机用户的心仍然有待观察。如果有的话，整个磨难应该是尊重社区根源的课程。Consumer 3D printing wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for open-source and Chitubox has contributed massively to this since its launch in 2017. But anti-competitive practices like locking a product down with a proprietary ecosystem can only do harm by stifling innovation.
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Featured image shows Chitubox, one of the most widely-used resin 3D printer slicers out there. Image via ChiTu Systems.
