Qidi Studio: add a pause and swap filament colors

Setting the pause in Qidi Studio

1. 1

   Slice it once

   Hit Slice plate. You land on the Preview tab, with a tall layer slider down the right side.

2. 2

   Scroll up to the color change

   Slide the top handle upward until you reach the lowest layer that has only the second color in it. On a name sign, that's usually where the letters start rising off the base. The slider's label gives you two numbers: the layer and its height in mm.

3. 3

   Drop in the pause

   Right-click the handle marked + and pick Add Pause. A small marker shows up on that layer, and the printer will stop right before it begins.

4. 4

   Re-slice and send it

   The pause makes the old slice stale, so press Slice plate one more time. Then print or export the way you normally do.

Which layer, though? The first one in the new color. Here's how to spot it.

Your printer's stop command

Qidi's profiles come with the pause command set:

When the printer stops

Load your first color and start the print. Once it reaches the pause:

1. 5

   The printer parks

   A Q1 Pro pulls the filament back, raises the head, parks it at the front, and switches the hotend off.

2. 6

   Heat first, then swap

   Use the screen to bring the nozzle up to temperature first; filament won't budge from a cold one. Unload, load color two, and purge until no old color shows.

3. 7

   Resume

   With the purged string cleared away and the print left alone, tap Resume. The printer heats back up and primes before it continues.

Changed your mind? Taking the pause out

Slide back to the layer with the marker and click the × that sits next to the handle. (A right-click on the handle also offers Delete Pause.) Slice once more afterward.

Things that trip people up

• Since the Q1 Pro lacks an M600 macro, scripts from other slicers that rely on it (Cura's Filament Change, say) won't do a thing here. Use Add Pause.
• Can't click Add Pause? The print sequence is probably set to By object. Change it to By layer under the process settings and the option comes back.
• Don't pause in the first 2 or 3 layers. A thin print waiting that close to the bed can cool off and peel up.

Quick answers

My Q1 Pro paused and the filament won't come out. Why?

Qidi's PAUSE macro switches the hotend off so it can't ooze, and that leaves the filament stuck. Warm it back up using the screen, then unload. When you press Resume, it returns to printing temperature by itself.