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 target 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 exported 3MF is still valid — the slicer will just open with its current defaults and you'll configure the printer and filaments manually as usual.

Where Profiles Live

Slicer Profiles are managed in Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → 3MF → Advanced tab. 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 from a 3MF File

You need an existing .3mf file that was exported by the target slicer with printer and filament settings embedded. Files downloaded from maker communities or exported from your slicer's project are good sources.

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

The profile is stored in Blender's config directory (3mf_slicer_profiles/) as a JSON file. It persists across projects and Blender sessions.

Tip

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

Managing Profiles

In the Advanced preferences tab, each profile entry has:

  • Rename — change the display name without affecting the underlying data
  • Delete — removes the profile file with a confirmation dialog

Profiles are not tied to any specific .blend file — they're user-level preferences, 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 detected), a Slicer Profile dropdown appears in the export dialog.

The dropdown lists all 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 a profile and its embedded config files get written into the exported archive. When the slicer opens the file, it reads those configs and sets up the printer and filaments automatically.

Note

If no profile is selected, the export still works — the slicer just won't have printer-specific settings pre-loaded. For Orca exports, a set of reasonable default filament colors is written regardless.

Round-Tripping Configs from Import

If you import a 3MF that was made by a slicer, the addon stashes the embedded config files as Blender text blocks under .3mf_config/. These are used automatically on re-export — you don't need to create a profile for round-trip workflows.

Profiles are most useful when you're creating new multi-color 3MF files from scratch in Blender and want to target a specific printer without first importing a reference file.