This looks amazing and is something I'd love to use with my X1C however, I have a big question: When you do your guide on setting up tailscale, are you also going to show how to set up the raspberry pi as well? I'm really not familiar with pi's and seems like something that could use a good guide. If/when this gets an Android release, I'll definitely get it on day one.
Nothing is locked in yet, at the moment I need to resolve at issue with the X1C Camera Feed not working, after that it should be pretty much good to go. Many people are reporting great success with the beta so I encourage you to give it a try if you have the time.
Yes, I was made aware of this issue yesterday and I pushed out an update around 12 Hours Ago fixing it. Please make sure you are on V1.0 (3). If your TestFlight is set to automatic updates it should download and install itself otherwise you can force update it from the TestFlight App. I was testing on an A1 and the Access Code is always digits, I wasn't aware that the X1C used alphanumeric characters. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
I also would like to ask for an Andoid version. Unfortunately, nobody in my household is using apple anymore. I would love to test and use this app. Looks great in the demo. Is there any chance you speed up the android version? 😊
Thank you for your enthusiasm, your request for an Android Version has been noted. All of my software dev experience is coding for iOS, iPadOS and macOS so building something for Android would be completely new ground for me. So it's not going to be wildly fast. Priority one is to get X1C working in the iOS Version. Priority two is to ship the release build of the iOS Version. Then we'll go from there 👍🏻
Nice work! Looks like everything from the normal app minus the market works. I am still using Bambulab's cloud, but projects like yours make sure that we are more independent from the companies that create our hardware. Thank you!
Very cool... So if my understanding is correct, this is basically (by default) a LAN only Bambu printer manager without needing to have access to Bambu's cloud services (and in turn no access to MakerWorld etc), right? It's really sleek. Once it comes out of beta I'll give it a shot with my X1C! Great job!
Does it have a skip object feature like the Bambu Handy? If printing multiple objects on the same plate and one object fails, you can skip that object and let the rest print on.
It does not that have feature, I wasn't aware that featured existed but I guess I never used Bambu Handy that much. I'll add this to my list of things to look into 👌🏻
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words. There have been a few people requesting an Android Version, it's certainly on my mind when the iOS Version has been officially released on the App Store.
@@filmdrives6724 why would you spend the money on a Bambu printer to neuter it by disconnecting it from the thing that makes the printer what it is? The system isn't the hardware, its the software. If you want a Core XY Voron clone that isn't cloud connected, then buy/build a Core XY Voron and run Klipper. Why buy an X1 and then turn off what makes it what it is? If you don't like the closed eco system, than buy a different printer. The market is full of them.
This looks promising. Filling the void of mobile app in LAN mode. I got a small suggestion - can you indicate the files that has been cached when browsing the files?
Thank you! That is a great suggestion. I've added this to my list of things to build, I think that would be super handy. The cache indicator will likely be a small dot or icon or something like that.
Just a little update on this, I've built the indicator when browsing files so you can tell if something is cached or not. It's available on Version 1.0 (3) via TestFlight, if Automatic Updates are enabled it should be there when you next open the app otherwise you can force update from the TestFlight App.
I don't have a tutorial on setting up Tailscale on a Raspberry Pi but I do plan to record one in the near future. Essentially you want to search 'Raspberry Pi Subnet Router Tailscale' and you will find a bunch of information online of how to do it. I used a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W as that is what I had lying around but it means that my Subnet Router runs on WIFI, if I wanted best performance and I was purchasing a Pi specifically for this I would get a model that has an Ethernet Port so it can be hard wired into the WIFI Router.
There is always risk of losing functionality when something is built upon a closed ecosystem like this. Bambu doesn't provide any APIs to interact with their hardware. Many people have worked to reverse engineer how things work behind the scenes on Bambu Printers and I can't see them drastically changing things as that would involve significant engineering on their part. If a firmware update breaks functionality, I'll work to fix it, if it gets broken in a way that can not be worked around, you always have the choice to stay on an older firmware if you feel the newer firmware doesn't offer anything game changing in terms of new features.
I'm not too sure if it works with the X1Plus Firmware, I don't own an X1C and can not test this unfortunately. But if you have an X1C and the X1Plus Firmware support LAN Only Mode, please try it out and let me know how you go! I haven't made any decisions on pricing for the app as of yet. My plan was to put it out in beta, get a feel for the general interest, listen to user feedback and go from there.
All of the data that you enter into Bambu Companion is stored locally on your iPhone, that being IP Address, Access Code and Serial Number. Nothing is transmitted to any servers or stored online in anyway. The only caveat I would note is if you make an iCloud Backup, the app data will be stored in that iCloud Backup which is encrypted by default. In terms of how the app communicates with your printer, that all happens locally and will function on a WIFI Network that is not connected to the internet.
I have to say the app looks really clean and nicely laid out. Seems to work smoothly and I will give it a go since I have A1/Mini/P1S/X1C all to test with. Are you at all concerned calling it "Bambu Companion" will cause some issue from the company? Thank you for all the work you put in on this and sharing it with the community!
Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate that. Please do let me know how you go with the testing, particularly if you link up all of your printers and switch between them in the app. This is something I haven't been able to test myself as I only have an A1. In terms of naming, we'll see. It is designed to be used exclusively with Bambu Lab Printers so I feel like the name makes sense.
@@filmdrives6724 Great start. I'm also waiting for the Android version. How about the name OrcaCompanion? (with added in future support for printers that work in OrcaSlicer)
Here’s an idea: why not integrate external cameras or TAPO cameras and pull the feed from those instead of relying on the built-in ones, which are Total ShxT , That alone would be a great basic upgrade! Also, I’m a huge fan of Frigate AI NVR. We could add some kind of Raspberry Pi or any basic SBC to help with integration and allow the system to handle multiple cameras, or even train those cameras to detect anomalies in the prints or other complex processes. I’d definitely be willing to pay a one-time purchase of $50 or even $100 for something like that! Just please don’t make it subscription-based, LOL
Thank you for sharing your ideas, it's much appreciated. Someone else mentioned getting an RTSP Camera Feed into the app, I assume TAPO Cameras would work in a similar way. I've added this to my list of things to explore and build. I certainly understand that the in built cameras are far from great, but they are good in the sense that most printers have them and they don't require any extra setup or configuration which makes things easy. Frigate AI NVR is very cool, you'd definitely want to have something like that running on a Raspberry Pi unless you had a spare iOS Device that you could leave running indefinitely to monitor your prints. I'll add this to my list as well.
Wow. Very cool 😎. I had my X1 carbon in lan only mode for ond day and switched back to cloud mode because I was missing the connectivity to my phone. And now I see your app. Great. The only downside is that I'm an android user 😔..... Have to live with the cloud in China...
Thank you! I can certainly resonate with that, I come from a Prusa and OctoPrint background and have always had a local printer with a proper Web UI and Mobile App, you definitely miss it on the native Bambu ecosystem. If you have an iPad it will run on that, it's not optimised for iPad at this stage but will run the iPhone Version on the bigger iPad Screen Size. I'm certainly open to exploring an Android Version in the future 👍🏻
Yes, there is definitely a dark mode and it changes based on your iOS System Settings. So if your phone is in dark mode, the App's UI will be in dark mode. I should probably record the demo videos in dark mode given I've never had anyone ask 'is there a light mode', haha!
Love this, if there would be some way to incorporate the accessing of a NAS you could have a repository of all your 3mf files, may not be possible and I could think of a workaround but do love what this app stands to accomplish
Thank you very much for the kind words. That's an interesting idea. I guess you could do it manually if your NAS was connected to your local network as it should show in the iOS Files App. In Bambu Companion you tap a 3MF File and select Download, then you can use the Share Sheet and select Save to Files -> NAS and it should work. I'll add this to my list and have a think on it. The use case you're more thinking would be to upload and print, as in, select a 3MF from the NAS and send that to the printer?
This is SOOO cool! Thank you very much for this! I'm testing the app as I type. But please please don't make it a subscription - I'm happy to pay a one time fee tho.
No problem, glad that you think it's cool! I will be interested to hear your thoughts once you've given it a good test. I haven't made any decisions on pricing for the app as of yet but I hear you.
That's a good idea, it seems that a few people who are setup via a Home Assistant Integration run things this way. I've added this to my list of things to build into the app, thank you for the feedback.
@@aeonjoey3d It seems that the X1C uses RTSP for it's camera feed which is why it currently does not work in Bambu Companion. I plan to work on this over the next few days. The good news is that the X1C Camera Compatibility uses the same tech stack as adding a standalone RTSP Stream so this is certainly something that could be added in the future.
to use it the printer has to be in lan only mode ? so basically if i want to use the cloud and use this app for emergencies when their cloud is crashing, so when that happens i have to switch the printer to lan only mode ?
Yes, to use Bambu Companion the printer must be in LAN Only Mode. If you wanted to use Bambu Handy via Bambu Cloud normally and then swap to this when their cloud has issues, yes, you would need to switch the printer to LAN Only Mode. Many people prefer to not have their printer always connected to the cloud and opt to use LAN Only Mode exclusively. This is how I've run my printer since I've had it, I used Bambu Handy once to see what it was about and to update the firmware. The rest of the time my printer runs on my home network and I interact with it from Bambu Companion or via Bambu Studio on Desktop to slice and send prints.
No do not pay attention to this other post - watch the full video he explains how to setup for external access. No need for Bambu Handy, that defeats the whole purpose
Thank you! I've only tested it on my Bambu A1 so I'd like to run it in beta for a little while to ensure it is stable and works with all other Bambu Printer Models. The public beta is open now so you can try it right away, the link is in the video description 👌🏻
How does it communicate if I may ask? Did you reverse engineer the network communication between bambu studio and the printer while in lan mode? Or is it solely MQTT?
Bambu Companion uses a number of different protocols to communicate with the printer. MQTT is used for Printer Status and for Sending Instructions to the Printer. FTPS is used for CRUD Functions related to the Printer's SD Card. Linux's X11 Windowing System is used to receive a Camera Feed from the Printer. Bambu documents some of this and the network ports used on their Wiki under 'Printer Network Ports'. There was certainly an element of reverse engineering that went into figuring it all out and a lot of trial and error.
looks amazing, cant wait for a release, seems like a nice alternative to not wanting your printer cloud enabled, and still be able to control it and see its status from your phone
Thank you! Absolutely, that was my motivation for building the app. It seemed crazy that I couldn't run my printer privately and use all of the features that I know it is capable of. Apple has approved the beta but there seems to be a crash which didn't occur at all during testing. Once I fix that it should be available for testing 👌🏻
Thanks Tony! It's 100% local, we don't even have a cloud per se and nothing is stored on there. Bambu Companion communicates with the printer directly over WIFI. If you use Tailscale it communicates via VPN using the WireGuard Protocol 👍🏻
@@nguyenucquangtuan1682 In LAN Only Mode your printer communicates directly to your iPhone, so no interaction with any cloud whatsoever. Bambu Companion uses a number of different protocols to communicate with the printer. MQTT is used for Printer Status and for Sending Instructions to the Printer. FTPS is used for CRUD Functions related to the Printer's SD Card. Linux's X11 Windowing System is used to receive a Camera Feed from the Printer. Bambu documents some of this and the network ports used on their Wiki under 'Printer Network Ports'.
Glad to hear you're finding Video Assist useful! If you have any questions you can get in touch from the app, tap the Settings Icon in the Top Right, Scroll Down to Support -> Contact Us. Happy to help!
I did experiment with simulated slow motion playback and reverse playback but it wasn't that smooth using Apple's Video Frameworks, it will require some further investigation. If you have any questions or queries you can get in touch from the app, tap the Settings Icon in the Top Right, Scroll Down to Support -> Contact Us. Happy to help!
Hello! The app is lloking amazing! I am really interested about buying your video assist app. I work as Video assist in Barcelona shooting mostly comercials. I have some questions about the capabilities of the app. What i need as a video assist is a large amount of sdi outputs to provide image signal to a minimum of 3 to 5 monitors at the same time, providing them live and playback feedback. Ithink the way to do this is connect a hdmi to sdi conversor to have this quantity of sdi outputs that I need, right?
Thanks for the kind words! Video Assist on iPad support a clean video out via HDMI (USB-C to HDMI) or AirPlay. Many crew members have had success with running USB-C to HDMI for their output into a HDMI to SDI Convertor and then running SDI Feeds from there. The Decimator Boxes are probably one of your best options as you'll be able to plug in HDMI from the iPad and then run 4 SDI Outs from there. You can also re-clock the signal using their in-built scaler. Video out on the iPad is at 60Hz and can not be modified unfortunately so your output from video assist will be 1080p60. You could also just go HDMI Output to a Blackmagic HDMI to SDI Convertor for 1x SDI Out and then just loop through one monitor to another, the option above obviously provides more flexibility.
Looks like an amazing product! Do you have a similar app available for Android tablets? The lower operating temperature of iPads would push me towards a ruggedized tablet.
Thanks Greg! Currently there isn't an Android Version of Video Assist, it's made for iPadOS Only. I'm not quite sure what you are specifically referring to in terms of lower operating temperature?
Ultrastudio uses the Blackmagic DeckLink Drivers which are only available for macOS, there is no iPadOS version of these drivers thus the hardware does not work. I've spoken with Blackmagic and they are aware of this use case and the user demand for using an UltraStudio Mini on the iPad.
Thank you for the support, I'm glad to hear that it's working great for you! You shouldn't have to purchase it again from the Mac App Store, it's a single binary so it should all be treated the same no matter what device your iCloud Account is logged into. For reference, Video Assist isn't officially supported on macOS at this stage. Apple does allow 'Use iPadOS App on macOS' but in my tests a lot of the backend doesn't translate correctly when using Apple's Mac Catalyst. The UI shows correctly but once a USB Capture Device is connected the app crashes in macOS.
I am thinking about buying it right now, but the only feature I really miss is having the opportunity to enable luts as my Fujifilm camera is not able to send an HDMI signal with built in lut.
Video Assist does have color correction options in the way of Brightness, Saturation, Contrast, Tint and Warmth. I've got an update in the works that allows for RGB Correction too which is great for dialling in White Balance. LUTs will come in a future update but for the time being you may be able to get by with the color correction options.
It depends on your build. I run a lightweight build which uses a USB-C Splitter to provide 2x USB-C Ports on the iPad. I use one port for the HDMI Dongle which connects to the Teradek and provides a video feed. I use the second port to connect a D-Tap to USB PD Box which if fed from a V-Lock Battery, this provides enough power to maintain and charge the iPad at full brightness.
Yes, that is certainly the plan. I first need to port the image processing pipeline to use Apple's Metal Framework and then things such as LUTs and Focus Peaking will be possible.
Can you make a lite version that is cheaper for people who just want to use it as a primary screen for gaming, steam deck, small NUC PC etc? The main features that would be useful are resolution selection, refresh rate selection, and screen scaling ( since outputs can be wonky). It would serve more people and be a great intro into your well thought out and powerful app. I just want an app that will be ultra low latency, and this seems to be it, but it's way to expensive for my use case.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, it's helpful to know more about your use case. When iPadOS 17 launched a number of apps released on the App Store using the new UVC Capabilities. Many of them don't have the same selection options for Resolution and Frame Rate, etc. and I can't speak to their implementation of latency. But many of these apps are available for free, I suspect one of those may be more suited for your use case. I do plan to release a 'Lite' Version in the future but it's going to be more a demo version of the full fledged Video Assist App. It'll provide all of the same functionality but video outputs and recorded video will be watermarked. The intention of this is to allow people to try the app for free and then decide if they are happy to pay for the full version.
