After last week’s news of a coming new software release from Simplify3D, reactions have been all over the map.
The news related to Simplify3D, a producer of a popular and powerful 3D print job preparation tool. The tool was unbeatable when it was first released in 2013, but the company has mysteriously not released the promised new version 5 for over three years.
During that interval some Simplify3D users have abandoned the product, moving to other tools that have caught up to Simplify3D, such as Ultimaker Cura or PrusaSlicer. Many have come to believe Simplify3D will never release V5.
The news came from our conversation with Simplify3D representatives, who for the very first time indicated they are finalizing the V5 software and in fact have begun working on marketing materials for an eventual formal announcement. This is quite different from any information we’ve received from the company in the past, which had been “we’re working on it.”
After the news appeared on our pages there were many reactions. Skepticism, anger, misunderstanding and curiosity were the themes seen in many responses. Let’s take a look at what people are thinking.
Extreme Skepticism
There were plenty of responses of this type, where readers have simply given up on the product because of the extreme time delays. The trust they had in Simplify3D has withered away over these last three years, and there are many who do not believe it will ever be released.
Many People Still Like and Use Simplify3D
In spite of many commenters dismissing Simplify3D as irrelevant, moving on and wondering why everyone hasn’t done the same, there are still a large number of users of Simplify3D. Many of them believe V4 still provides better functionality in some areas than current alternatives.
Curious Interest
While there were many skeptics, a large proportion of responses expressed interest in V5 and are curious about the new features that might be available. For this group, the trust has not yet evaporated, and the size of this group might surprise the skeptics.
Anger
Simplify3D will have a challenge to deal with some customers that are upset over the delay and future upgrades to their product.
Questions About Pricing
It was long ago announced by Simplify3D that V5 would be a paid upgrade, and many people seem to have missed that — understandably, because it was three years ago. In the interim the ongoing freely downloadable releases of PrusaSlicer and Ultimaker Cura have convinced some that software must be free. A no cost solution is clearly attractive, but for many users — particularly those in business — the cost of an upgrade is negligible and they will focus more on functional benefits available in V5.
Misunderstanding About Marketing
Some seem to believe that slicing software has to be priced at zero otherwise no one would buy it. However, they may not be aware that there are many 3D printer manufacturers that bundle Simplify3D into their product, and THEY are paying Simplify3D for the right to do so — even today. Not all purchases are made by individuals; the market for 3D print software is larger than it may seem.
Assumptions About Functionality
Unfortunately Simplify3D has not yet described in any detail what functionality might appear in V5. With that vacuum of information, some people assume V5 will be much the same as V4 and therefore uncompetitive.
This is something we simply don’t know yet. It could be that V5 has only minor benefits, or it could be game-changing. The company certainly has had the time and development resources to produce a revolutionary product, but we don’t yet know if they have actually done so.
People Don’t Want to Switch Slicers
Surprisingly there were many responses of this type, where people expressed a desire to just keep 3D printing using their existing configurations. For them, using Simplify3D V4 is a routine matter they don’t intend on changing. While some responders are quick to jump on the latest release of software, there are many others that instead focus on operations and leave the upgrades until the bitter end.
Going Forward
What should we make of all this? It seems there is considerable sentiment in every direction regarding this software. My thought is to take the news as a data point that moves us an unknown distance closer to a V5 release, and that we should wait yet more time for Simplify3D to release specific details on V5.
Then we can make some proper assessments.
You seem a bit defensive.
If this is for real, how come Simplify3D DOESN’T HAVE A SINGLE WORD ABOUT IT ON THEIR WEBSITE?
No banner on the front page (although they do have a banner “New! Simplify3D Version 4.1 just released!”… you know, back in May 2019)
No blog post (despite promising back in 2019 that they would give us frequent updates on new features in v5).
No forum posts. Users on their forum are deriding this announcement, and the S3D moderators aren’t responding.
If a new release was mere weeks away, they should be trying to generate enthusiasm in their user base. Instead… silence. 100% fake.