News from MyMiniFactory: they are building powerful open source slicing software for resin 3D printing.
MyMiniFactory has been one of the leading sources for online 3D models for over a decade. Their original approach, which they still use today, is to carefully curate all models submitted to their site — quite unlike most other 3D model repositories.
More recently, they’ve also focused on resin 3D printing by addressing the needs of model designers. They provide a platform, expert advice and other features to enable designers to create their own brands and communities. The strategy has been quite successful, and today MyMiniFactory has tens of thousands of designers in their ecosystem.
In their work with designers, they’ve identified a series of issues with current resin slicing software.
There are plenty of resin slicing software options, but they typically have the same issues:
- Subscription fees
- Paywall-Locked features that are essential
- Silent data collection, likely for AI training
- Security issues
- Work with only certain vendor products
In the FFF 3D print world, these issues have more or less been solved. Today you can use any of PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, or others to prepare jobs using fully open source tools that are auditable and safe from data collection.
MyMiniFactory believes resin 3D printing deserves the same treatment, and they’re doing so by launching a new initiative to create the “SoulCrafted Slicer”, an open source project. Here’s their rationale:
At this point the software does not exist; they are simply organizing the project and gathering funding. However, some of the features they wish to create in the SoulCrafted Slicer include:
- Advanced support generation (automatic and manual)
- Support painting for precise placement
- Multiple support types (tree, branch and contour)
- Boolean operations (merge, subtract, intersect models)
- Intelligent hollowing with drain holes
- Multi-plate management
- Universal printer compatibility (CTB, PWM, Photon, and more)
- Island detection and repair tools
- Anti-aliasing
- Cross-platform support
- And more
If you look carefully through this list there’s a pattern. They are focusing on the very functions that often mess up resin 3D print jobs. If you don’t get the supports or hollowing correct, you’ve failed. When other slicers don’t have these features — or require subscriptions to access them — designers have problems.
MyMiniFactory is solving problems for designers with this venture.
Their goal is to develop the software during 2026, with a release date of Q1 2027.
For now, they are gathering cash to power the venture and making key decisions, for example, the open source license to be used. Their goal is to raise US$500K (US$100K of which has already been provided by MyMiniFactory) to complete the project. So far they have raised well over US$100K from nearly 300 participants.
They are also offering designers on their platform to donate a percentage sales to the project, which surely will generate a considerable sum.
The project looks extremely interesting, and in theory could supercharge the resin 3D print environment significantly. Today that realm is gradually falling into walled gardens with questionable motives, and that’s not a good thing.
If you’re doing resin 3D printing — even if you don’t use MyMiniFactory — you might want to help out on the project by providing funds or expertise for their work.
Please read the full details at the link below.
Via MyMiniFactory
