For the most part, we use SkeinForge under ReplicatorG to print parts here at ToyBuilder Labs. But with the announcement of a few new features, including the easier-to-use raft and support structure, we've decided to give this latest version a try.
Our first test print with a raft shows a really nice improvement with the way the raft works -- the raft peels off very easily, and the flat areas on the bottom of the printed object is much flatter. (The perimeter, though, suffers from lack of adhesion and required some cleanup.)
MakerBot is clearly working hard to make the user experience for the Replicator 2 and 2X printers to be an easy process for non-technical folks to get successful prints right away. While highly technical users may lament the loss of control (or, at least, easy access to adjusting parameters), for most folks that will be printing non-structural parts, using the default setting will work well.
For technically oriented operators, it's almost too easy and dumbed down, though. You cannot specify the filament diameter, for example, through the standard controls. While that's not a problem for casual printing with (say) 10-15% infills, that could be a problem for those of us printing solid parts. For those users, MakerWare still relies on SkeinForge for a more customized print job.
We'll update this blog post with a bit more details as we get a few more prints under MakerWare.
