PreForm print preparation software helps configure 3D files for printing. Always ensure you are running the latest version of firmware and software before attempting troubleshooting. If you are experiencing an error message on a printer's touchscreen, check the support article for your printer to learn more:

• Form 4 generation error messages
• Fuse 1 generation error messages
• Form 3L/Form 3BL error messages
• Form 3/Form 3B error messages
• Form 2 error messages

PreForm warns you if an STL/OBJ/3MF file has flipped faces or other irregularities. When detected, the software offers to attempt an automatic repair. Check the support article Preparing a valid model in PreForm to learn more about what features cause a FILE IMPORT or BROKEN MODELS DETECTED error. Changes to the model's mesh may be necessary.

If the repair is successful:

1. Slice through the model to ensure that there are no unknown values causing holes or other irregularities.
2. Support your model.
3. Orient your model.
4. Save your model as a FORM file.

3Dconnexion 3D mice may not work correctly with older versions of PreForm due to driver incompatibilities. If you are having issues with your 3Dconnexion 3D mouse, update PreForm to version 3.11 or later.

When using PreForm on multiple monitors with different resolutions, the cursor may be offset from the true location on screen. To resolve, close out all instances of PreForm and restart the application. In rare instances where the issue persists, reinstall the latest version of PreForm.

If you update your printer’s firmware after adding a print job to its queue, the printer may be unable to print the job. If a queued job fails to print, remove it from the queue, update update PreForm,and reupload the print job.

Additionally, when updating either PreForm or your printer's firmware, you may be required to update the other to maintain compatibility and be able to print. Keep both PreForm and your printer's firmware fully up to date for best results

If the problem persists after reuploading your print job, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.

Sometimes PreForm’s orange Print button may display the disconnected USB icon even when your printer is connected and otherwise recognized as a device. This can happen if you have two instances of PreForm open.

To resolve:

1. Save your models as FORM files.
2. Close all instances of PreForm.
3. Reopen a single instance of PreForm.

Alternatively, if you only have one instance of PreForm open, you can restart your Form 1+:

1. Ensure that a print is not currently in progress on your printer.
2. Disconnect the USB cable from your computer.
3. Unplug the Form 1+ and wait 30 seconds.
4. Plug the Form 1+ back in.
5. Reconnect the USB cable into a different USB slot.

The most common causes of a software crash are out-of-date graphics card drivers and large STL/OBJ/3MF files. Make sure the file you import is not too large (100 MB or greater). Contact your computer manufacturer to update your graphics card drivers if you are experiencing frequent crashes.

The most likely reason supports will not generate is out-of-date graphics card drivers. Contact your computer manufacturer to update these and then resume with support structure generation.

Ensure you are using the latest firmware and software versions available.

To view the currently installed version of PreForm:

1. Open PreForm.
2. Click Help > About PreForm.
3. Check the support article PreForm downloads and release notes to ensure you are running the latest version of PreForm.

To view the firmware version currently installed on your printer:

1. On your printer's touchscreen, tap Settings.
2. View installed firmware:
   • On a Formlabs LFS printer (Form 3 or later), tap Settings > System > Printer Info.
   • On a Form 2, tap Your Printer > Settings > Printer Info.
3. Check the support article Firmware downloads and release notes to ensure you are running the latest version available.

To correct this error:

1. Ensure that a print is not currently in progress on your printer.
2. Unplug the printer and wait 30 seconds.
3. Plug the printer back in.
4. Save open files in PreForm as a FORM file.
5. Close PreForm.
6. Re-open PreForm.

We do not support running PreForm in a virtual machine. If you want to try running in a virtual machine, make sure you have 3D graphics acceleration turned on for best results.

To enable in VMWare:

1. From the menu bar, click Virtual Machine > Settings > Display.
2. Enable Accelerate 3D graphics.

If you are experiencing an issue opening PreForm on your Microsoft Surface Pro:

• Update your operating system to Windows 8.1 or later.
• Update your graphics driver directly from the manufacturer's website (e.g., Intel), rather than using the Microsoft updates.

To correct this error:

1. Clear disk space on your computer.
2. If your Windows username includes special characters such as accents or Unicode characters, create or log into an account that does not include those characters.

PreForm gets stuck on splash screen

When you open PreForm, it displays a splash screen with the software version number, copyright information, and a highlighted Formlabs product while it loads. Various software issues can cause PreForm to hang at this splash screen and not finish loading. To resolve this issue:

1. Uninstall and reinstall PreForm.
2. Uninstall the current version of PreForm and roll back to a previous version.
3. Try opening PreForm in compatibility mode.
4. Use the Windows Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter to uninstall PreForm and remove any associated registry keys, then reinstall PreForm.
5. If the issue persists, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller and attach the PreForm log file to your message.

PreForm fails to open with Application Error

As of PreForm version 3.29.0 and later, PreForm requires the installation of Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 to support Dental Workspace functionality in Windows. If the runtime library is not installed, PreForm cannot open and displays the error message PreForm.exe - Application Error.

To resolve this issue:

1. Download and install the latest Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 version for X64 architecture.
2. If the issue persists after downloading and installing Visual Studio, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.

A failed job upload with the message Calibration step failed generally indicates a connectivity problem. To resolve this issue:

1. Uninstall and reinstall PreForm, then try again. If you have multiple versions of PreForm installed, uninstall all copies and then install the latest version.
2. If you are trying to upload the job via Wi-Fi, try connecting to your printer via Ethernet or USB instead.

We are always working to improve our software and appreciate your help in spotting potential problems. If you encounter what you think is a software bug, check if you have the latest version of PreForm software installed. If the bug persists after updating PreForm, contact Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller with details, screenshots of your experience, and information about your operating system, PreForm version, graphics card, and processor. Our support team will resolve the issue as soon as possible.

To access the PreForm log file:

1. Open PreForm.
2. Click Help > Open Log Directory. The PreForm logs folder opens.
3. Attach the log.txt file when contacting Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.

To manually access the PreForm log file:

macOS

To download the PreForm log file on macOS:

1. Hold the Option key on your keyboard, and click the Go menu in the Finder menu bar at the top of the screen.
2. Select Library from the Go menu (while holding down the Option key) to access the hidden folder.
3. In Library, select the Application Support folder.
4. In Applications Support, navigate to /Formlabs/PreForm/Logs/log.txt.
5. Attach the log.txt file when contacting Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.

Windows

To download the PreForm log file on Windows:

1. Press the Windows key + E on your keyboard to open the File Explorer.
2. Follow the Windows instructions to show hidden files in the File Explorer.
3. In File Explorer, navigate to C:UsersUSERNAMEAppDataLocalFormlabsPreFormLogs, replacing USERNAME with your local user name.
   • If you're not sure what your user name is, navigate to C:Users to view a list of user names in use on the computer.
4. Attach the log.txt file when contacting Formlabs Support or your authorized reseller.

For information about printer and accessory logs, see Downloading and sending diagnostic logs.