{"id":164487,"date":"2022-03-09T17:04:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T09:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=164487"},"modified":"2023-01-10T16:17:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-10T08:17:59","slug":"cura-fuzzy-skin-setting-what-it-is-how-to-use-it","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/cura-fuzzy-skin-setting-what-it-is-how-to-use-it","title":{"rendered":"Cura Fuzzy Skin Setting: What It Is & How to Use It"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cura’s fuzzy skin feature generates a rough exterior surface on 3D prints. Learn when to use it, how it works, and what settings control it!<\/p>\n

All\u00a03D slicers\u00a0offer settings to let users control how a 3D model should be converted into\u00a0G-code<\/a>\u00a0and printed on their machine. While most slicers carry basic 3D printing settings (e.g.\u00a0layer height<\/a>,\u00a0infill density<\/a>,\u00a0print speed<\/a>), some advanced programs have more complex features to experiment with. Ultimaker Cura, a popular open-source 3D slicer program for\u00a0FDM<\/a>\u00a0printers, is loaded with these special features, usually located in the \u201cExperimental\u201d category.<\/p>\n

One of these special Cura settings is \u201cFuzzy Skin\u201d, which generates a rough surface texture on the exterior surfaces of a part. This setting is often used for 3D printing structures that need to have a good grip on another surface and produce a lot of friction. Of course, many users also use this setting because it looks cool, and some have even found\u00a0that it\u2019s great for\u00a0hiding other imperfections<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll go over Cura\u2019s fuzzy skin setting, but most of this information also applies to other slicers with similar features. We\u2019ll first discuss how this slicing feature works and then get into how you can use the different fuzzy skin settings in Cura.<\/p>\n

How It Works<\/h3>\n
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The fuzzy skin feature wobbles the nozzle to produce the rough wall texture (Source: UltiArjan via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As pictured above, the fuzzy skin setting in Cura yields a rough surface texture on the exterior walls. The slicer achieves this by telling your printer to move the nozzle back and forth while printing outer walls.<\/p>\n

The effect is an uneven texture, similar to what a print might look like if the nozzle was unintentionally vibrating. However, the printer\u2019s wobbly motion is completely controlled. The reason the texture looks like a printing artifact is the seemingly random placement of the points where the nozzle jitters.<\/p>\n

The fuzzy skin Cura setting only generates fuzzy skin on the sides of prints, not the top and bottom surfaces. Fuzzy skin also only appears on the outer walls because if the entire model were printed with a wobbling nozzle, the part would be extremely weak.<\/p>\n

Although fuzzy skin involves more motion for your printer, the print time doesn\u2019t change significantly, which is great. You also might expect the printer, specifically the motors, to make more noise went the machine is printing the fuzzy skin due to the quick changes in the printing direction.\u00a0According to users<\/a>, it\u2019s not noticeably louder, but this may also depend on your machine\u2019s\u00a0stepper motor drivers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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How to Use It<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fuzzy skin is more practical for parts that need a lot of friction, like grips (Source: spookycromch via Reddit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Now that you know how this feature works, let\u2019s get to how you can use all the different settings.<\/p>\n

Before we get started, make sure that you\u2019ve installed Cura, preferably the latest version, but any version after V2.1 should work. Also, ensure that you\u2019ve set your visible Cura settings to \u201cAll\u201d. If you\u2019re having trouble locating these settings, they can all be found in the \u201cExperimental\u201d section in Cura, or with a search for \u201cfuzzy\u201d.<\/p>\n