V0.3 Usage

Pre-Flight Checklist

1. Is the proper version of OctoPrint installed and configured correctly? If not, here are the instructions.. Note that Octolapse requires OctoPrint 1.3.7 or higher.
2. Is Octolapse installed? If not, you can learn how to install Octolapse here. Make sure you follow the Steps prior to installation and the Steps after installation
3. Have you copied your current slicer settings into your Octolapse printer profile? You should update your profile settings any time you change your slicer settings for best results. See this link for details.
4. Have you done a test print with test mode enabled? This is recommended.

Start Your Octolapse!

Be sure to check over your settings. This can be done quickly within the Octolapse Tab.

Once Octolapse is enabled, and you've selected your configuration, you're all set! Your first print should be something fast and easy, like the 50mm tower from this excellent collection. A link to the file is here. I recommend that you use the default settings for the Stabilization (Fixed - Extruder at Center) and Snapshot (Layer Change) profiles. Vase mode or multi-color prints are not advisable for your first octolapse, since they require a bit more configuration to get them right.

When you upload your gcode to OctoPrint, make sure you upload it to the local drive, and not to the printer's built in SD card. Printing from the printer's internal SD card is not supported. You can filter from the file browser in Octoprint by clicking the wrench icon and selecting 'Only show files stored locally'.

After the print starts Octolapse will do its magic. You'll be able to tell that it is running by looking at the Octolapse Tab. Hover over the icons to see a tool tip that will help you interpret the meaning of each icon. Additionally, the second O in OCTOLAPSE in the menu bar will change to a camera icon while the timelapse is active.

Within the Tab you'll be able to see when a snapshot is triggered and when it is completed. You'll also see a running total of the number of snapshots taken as well as how much time the snapshots have added to the print.

You might also want to take a look at the various info panels available within the Octolapse tab, they can be quite useful for understanding how Octolapse works and for debugging any issues. You can enable/disable each panel from within the Main Settings or within the Octolapse Tab under Current Settings. The Info Panels will only display during a print when Octolapse is enabled and running and will hide automatically when not printing.

If Octolapse detects a critical issue and cannot start the timelapse, it will report the issue and cancel the print automatically, letting you know why the print was stopped. If you want to print anyway, you'll need to disable Octolapse within the Main Settings page. In general, Octolapse will not cancel a print once it's started, even if there is an exception. Instead it will (hopefully) disable the timelapse and continue the print.

Once the print is completed, cancelled, or otherwise ended, Octolapse will inform you that your timelapse is rendering via the web client. If synchronization is enabled, your video will be available within the default timelapse plugin, otherwise your timelapse will be in the Octolapse data folder.