Guide · Section 6

Slicer Profiles

A Slicer Profile is a saved snapshot of the printer and filament config extracted from a 3MF file. When you embed one in an export, the slicer opens the file with the right printer selected, the right filament colors pre-assigned, and print parameters already dialed in.

Without a profile the export still works — the slicer opens with its current defaults and you configure everything manually as usual.

Making a Profile

Making a slicer profile is as easy as saving a .3mf from your slicer and loading it into the addon, you can use any past project with the settings you want to capture, or make a quick file just for this purpose:

  1. Open your choice of slicer, then ensure your have the correct printer, filaments, and slicer settings you want to capture
  2. Save or export that project as a .3mf file, go to File → Save Project As in Orca/Bambu and PrusaSlicer.

Where to Add Your Own Profiles

Slicer Profiles are managed in Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → 3MF → Advanced. Each saved profile shows its tag (Orca/Bambu or Prusa), a display name, and the detected machine or vendor name from the original file.

Loading a Profile

You need an existing .3mf exported by your target slicer with printer and filament settings embedded.

  1. Go to Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → 3MF → Advanced
  2. Click Load Profile from 3MF
  3. Browse to a .3mf from your slicer
  4. The addon reads the embedded config, detects the slicer vendor and machine name, and prompts for a display name (defaults to the filename)
  5. Click OK to save

Profiles are stored in Blender's config directory as JSON files and persist across projects and sessions.

Tip

The easiest source is a project you've already set up and sliced. Export it as a .3mf from Orca or PrusaSlicer, then load it here — you get your exact printer profile, including any customizations you've made.

Managing Profiles

Each profile entry in the Advanced tab has a Rename button to change the display name, and a Delete button that removes the profile file after confirmation.

Profiles are user-level preferences, not tied to any specific .blend file — they're available in every project.

Using a Profile on Export

When exporting with Material Export Mode set to Paint Segmentation (or Auto when paint data is present), a Slicer Profile dropdown appears in the export dialog. It lists saved profiles filtered by the selected Slicer Format:

  • Profiles tagged Orca/Bambu appear when Orca Slicer / BambuStudio is selected
  • Profiles tagged Prusa appear when PrusaSlicer / SuperSlicer is selected

Select one and its config files are written into the exported archive. The slicer reads them on open and sets up the printer and filaments automatically.

Good to know

If no profile is selected the export still works — the slicer just opens with its own defaults. For Orca exports, a set of reasonable default filament colors is written into the file regardless.

Round-Tripping Without a Profile

If you import a 3MF that came from a slicer, the addon stashes the embedded config files as Blender text blocks under .3mf_config/. These carry through automatically on re-export — no profile needed.

Profiles are most useful when you're building a new file from scratch in Blender and want it to open in the slicer fully configured, without first importing a reference file.