Ending the Wild West of Smart Spools
An open-source initiative by Prusa Research creating a single smart spool standard that works across all brands and ecosystems. This allows printers and users to read and write data directly on any spool, making 3D printing more reliable and intuitive for everyone.
3D printers have become incredibly user-friendly, but interaction with filament is still a very manual process. To improve the user experience and streamline the workflow, we need smart spools.
A smart spool carries all the important information about the material and its workflow, unlocking key features:
Instantly identifies the material type and color, significantly reducing user error and leading to a simpler, more reliable workflow.
Real-time data tracking, such as the amount of remaining filament, so you always know the exact status of your material.
Enables effortless inventory management and full traceability by allowing you to log custom data.
Some smart spools already exist, but they lack the core principles of universality and interoperability. It's like every brand suddenly decided to use a different filament diameter.
Smart spools are often locked to their specific hardware and filament. This makes them unusable with any third-party machines, forcing users into a closed ecosystem.
Many smart spools just refer to an online database, forcing you to rely on the manufacturer's cloud service. No internet? Your "smart" spool becomes dumb.
Current Smart Spools offer little to zero reusability. This read-only design prevents any updates to live data, and once the filament is depleted, you have no choice but to throw the 'smart' spool away.
: A new feature for GPS navigation allowed players to set "Avoid" pins to bypass specific roads during route planning.
If you have an older save file heavily reliant on outdated mods that never received a 1.36 update, or if your computer struggles to run the DX11 engine, SCS Software allows you to easily roll back your game version using Steam. Open your .
For international communities, the patch introduced robust . This allowed players to natively type non-Latin characters—such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Cyrillic—directly into the game's search boxes, profile creators, and text inputs without needing to copy-paste from external windows. Comparison Matrix: ETS2 1.35 vs. 1.36 Feature / System Euro Truck Simulator 2 (v1.35) Euro Truck Simulator 2 (v1.36) Graphics API DirectX 9 default (Experimental DX11 opt-in) DirectX 11 mandatory (DirectX 9 removed) Anti-Aliasing Basic legacy AA (Noticeable jagged lines) Improved SMAA (Crisp lines and wires) French Territory Mainland France expansions (A10-A6 roads) Corsica Island added (Free addition to DLC) Road Hazards Utterly predictable highway routes Dynamic Detours (Accidents/Closures) GPS Capabilities Standard point-to-point routing Avoidance pins (Custom bypass routing) Fleet Management Text-based tracking of hired drivers Visual tracking on the manager map Impact on Mods and the Community
While Update 1.35 was massive for map content—introducing the Germany overhaul region, French roads, and preparatory elements—Update 1.36 focused on fine-tuning the map boundary lines to support the concurrent release of the Road to the Black Sea DLC (featuring Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey). Corsica Added to the Base Map ets2 1.35 to 1.36 patch
: Before updating, manually copy your profile folder (found in Documents/Euro Truck Simulator 2/profiles ) to a safe location. This prevents progress loss if the update causes a crash.
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The lighting had changed. The gray asphalt of the highway wasn’t just a flat texture anymore; it had depth. The shadows of the trees lining the road weren't jagged patches of darkness but soft, realistic silhouettes that shifted as he drove past. The world felt less like a painted backdrop and more like a place. : A new feature for GPS navigation allowed
Overview
While the technical overhaul was a leap forward for the game engine, it caused major disruption for the modding community. Because v1.36 involved core system changes, .
The represents one of the most critical foundational updates in the history of Euro Truck Simulator 2 . Released by SCS Software, this specific update shifted the simulation's underlying engine technology, added massive pieces of free map content, and introduced dynamic gameplay elements that completely altered how players navigate the roads of Europe. For international communities, the patch introduced robust
: Introduction of detachable pins for trailers, enhancing the realism of the logistics simulation.
: The game fully transitioned from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11, offering better rendering and smoother frame rates.
, featuring six new cities and beautiful Mediterranean scenery.
Instantly read or write in any orientation. This eliminates the need to rotate the spool to find the "correct" position.
Stick a blank tag on any filament spool you own, flash it using your printer or a phone app, and simply re-use it once the spool is empty.
A single tag works even for 2kg spools, ensuring live data is always perfectly in sync. Two-tag designs cannot guarantee this.
A 3D printer or any compatible device instantly reads all data the moment the spool is loaded.
Instantly read or write in any orientation. This eliminates the need to rotate the spool to find the "correct" position.
Stick a blank tag on any filament spool you own, flash it using your printer or a phone app, and simply re-use it once the spool is empty.
A single tag works even for 2kg spools, ensuring live data is always perfectly in sync. Two-tag designs cannot guarantee this.
A 3D printer or any compatible device instantly reads all data the moment the spool is loaded.
Whether you're a manufacturer, developer, or 3D printing enthusiast, OpenPrintTag makes your workflow smarter.
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