Release notes for 0.8.3 (2012-06-13)

This release aims to fix pending bugs and address stability. A number of contributors helped with patches and testing. Note: the Mac executable requires OS X 10.6. I’m working on a 10.5 package; meanwhile, Mac Leopard users can use 0.7.2b.

New features:

• new advanced options to customize extrusion width for first layer, perimeters and infill
• new separate speed setting for top solid surfaces
• new algorithm to fill gaps (corners, little regions, vase walls only allowing for an odd number of loops etc.)
• experimental support material generation for DLP in SVG export

Improvements:

• better detection of thin walls
• avoid perimeter collisions
• accept both relative and absolute values for extrusion width, first layer speed, first layer height (relative values can be expressed as percentage, e.g. 80%)
• allow to load multiple files at once in the plater
• always ask confirmation when overwriting existing STL files
• warn user when an object can’t be split
• pass config options as environment variables to post-processing scripts

Changes:

• renamed “Perimeters” to “Perimeters (minimum)” to avoid confusion caused by automatic additional perimeters
• renamed bottom layer speed to first layer speed for consistency
• always set bed temperature after first layer if first layer temperature is set

Bugfixes:

• fixed regression causing many bridges to be extruded with a wrong direction
• fixed regression causing skirt to be limited to the first layer
• fixed regression causing some models not to be sliced correctly
• fixed regression causing SVG export to be incomplete
• arc compensation was applied to non-circular holes too, causing them to be too large
• retraction wasn’t triggered when moving between infill of different islands using low density infill
• fixed slic3r-console.exe (on Windows) not working in previous 0.8.x releases
• Z wasn’t lifted when changing layer
• the preview area was not updating to the largest side of the build plate
• the Export SVG… menu item was not working
• Growl notifications now work from the plater too