Cura, or Ultimaker Cura is an popular open source 3D printing software. It is categorized as a slicer, or slicing software, used to convert the 3D model to the format which the 3D printer understands.
Suppose that you had an STL file that contains the modeled object, Ultimaker Cura converts the model into a series of thin layers and produces a G-code file containing instructions which a typical 3D printer can process.
Ultimaker Cura works with most of the popular 3D formats such as .STL, .OBJ, .X3D, .3MF (as well as image formats such as BMP, GIF, JPG and PNG). Thanks to its simple interface and easy to use workflow, beginners would have no problem getting started. The application also incorporated advanced features for seasoned professionals such as printing time estimation, third-party plugins upport, material changing, etc.
In this article, we will show you how to install Cura on Ubuntu, specifically the latest version – Ubuntu 20.04. The guide is applicable to older versions of Ubuntu and many other Linux distro based on Ubuntu, such as Linux Mint or Pop! OS.
Install Cura on Ubuntu using snap
Snap is the new way of installing software on Linux systems, introduced by Canonical, who owns Ubuntu. With snaps, you can install all of an app’s dependencies with a single command, and updates are automatic and resilient. Plus, apps run in their own isolated sandbox, thus minimizing security risks.
If your Ubuntu version is higher than 16.04, snap is already installed and ready to go, you don’t have to do anything else. For those who don’t want to check OS version, Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04 and 20.04 LTS has snap built-in. But in case you’re running legacy Ubuntu versions, as well as Ubuntu flavours that don’t include snap by default, snap can be installed from the Ubuntu Software Centre by searching for snapd or running the following command.
sudo apt install snapdIf you are installing snap for the first time, it is advised to install the core package to make sure that all the basic features of snap works fine. In order to do that, run the following command in any terminal window :
sudo snap install coreYou will see something like this
core 16-2.51.4 from Canonical✓ installedCode language: CSS (css)Now that snap is properly set up, all you need to do to install Cura is running the command below :
sudo snap install cura-slicerOnce the installation completes, you will see Cura show up on Ubuntu applications drawer.
Install Cura on Ubuntu using Software Manager
The preferred method to install pretty much everything in the Linux world is to use a series of commands, but if you’re not yet familiar with the command-line interface, you can always install popular software using the built-in Ubuntu Software Manager.
First, press the Super key on the keyboard (Super is the Windows key on most keyboards) to open up the GNOME applications drawer. Then, search for Ubuntu Software Manager.
On Ubuntu Software Manager window, click the search button on the upper left corner, then search for “ultimaker cura“. Select Ultimaker™ Cura from the search result and click Install.
Once the installation completes, you will see Cura on Ubuntu applications drawer.
We hope that the information above helped you successfully install the Ultimaker Cura on your Ubuntu system. We’ve also covered other software installation for Linux, such as How to install Chromium browser in Debian, How to install CMake, Airflow and ADB/fastboot on Ubuntu, in case you’re interested. If you have any suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment below.
