I have a 3D printer, and I don't get it at all. I have yet to need to print something remotely, and can't think of a scenario in which I would want to.
I guess if you have reason to want process pictures?
I guess if you have reason to want process pictures?
These are the plugins I love so far. I guess it depends on which printer you have but these are all amazing for my uses.
Edit: plus visualization for auto-bed leveling is amazing trying to fine tune the printer bed.
I now have a Prusa Mini, which is quiet and small enough to live in a cupboard in my office. It's far more reliable and the print time estimate is so accurate that I don't need Octoprint any more. It also has a USB port instead of SD card, so walking across my office with a USB stick is a viable alternative to sending jobs directly from my desktop browser.
So I guess it depends on your printer - if it's noisy, large, unreliable or you have lots of them, Octoprint is a godsend.
It depends what you envisage by 'remotely', I don't imagine ever starting a print while not at home, but I do want to sit at my computer, slice, and send straight to the printer; without faffing about with a USB stick.
1) It isn't pleasant to be near many industrial machines. Chemical vapor/off-gassing can be a real problem, so on top of the usually loud metal-component motion systems/gantries you have loud evacuation/exhaust fans. One place to deal with webcams/remote features on many machines at once is convenient.
2) Real time notifications create less machine downtime. A thermistor failed so a machine stopped mid-print? This time can be salvaged by a notification to browser or mobile for quick repair rather than discovering the issue by returning to the machine at the supposed end-time and being greeted with a non-finished print.