Snapmaker Studio checks it against your real printer before you slice — tells you what is likely to go wrong, fixes what it can prove, and shows you exactly what changed. Snapmaker Orca still does the slicing.
Free, open source, and entirely on your computer. No account, no cloud, nothing uploaded. Your original file is never modified.
The Intelligence Layer for Open 3D Printing.
Independent open-source project — not affiliated with or endorsed by Snapmaker. "Snapmaker" is a trademark of its respective owner.
Entered in the Snapmaker U1 Innovation Fund, Phase 1 — one of 41 projects in the running. Entry submitted 24 June 2026; being listed is not an endorsement. What the entry says, and how the project has moved since: docs/innovation-fund/SUBMITTED_ENTRY.md.
What is it? A local desktop app that reads a 3D project file and finds problems that stop prints — before you slice it.
What problem does it solve? You download a project and your slicer says
out of bounds. Studio says which object, which edge, how many millimetres,
why — then moves it in a new copy and lists exactly what survived.
Why isn't it another slicer? It doesn't slice and won't. Snapmaker Orca slices; Studio is the step before, and hands the file over.
What does it actually do? Reads a project's real contents; compares it against the printer it can see on your network; corrects only what it can justify; accounts for every element of what it changed; costs the print from figures the file already carries; and names the community tool that fits your file.
Why does Snapmaker's openness make this possible? The U1 runs Klipper and Moonraker and publishes what it can do — so Studio can ask the machine itself rather than guessing from a model name.
And when it can't know something, it says so. Stock firmware doesn't report which nozzle is fitted, so Studio says "check this yourself" — never "unsupported".
Recorded from the installed application — no slides, no reconstruction. An out-of-bounds object found and moved, a copy prepared, every change accounted for, and six colours planned against four toolheads. No printer is connected in the recording, so it also shows what Studio says when it cannot reach one: "Studio can't tell", and what to do about it.
⬇ Download Snapmaker Studio v0.4.0-beta.24 for Windows — one click, no Python, runs offline. Windows 10/11 x64.
This is a beta and is published as a pre-release, so it deliberately links the version by name rather than "latest" — GitHub's "latest" points at the newest stable release, which is older. Every build ever published is on the Releases page.
Verify it before you run it:
- Release: v0.4.0-beta.24
- Installer:
Snapmaker.Studio_0.4.0-beta.24_x64-setup.exe - Size: 16,263,985 bytes
- SHA256:
50fc5434e266f0b8c025336410534d019f8d41c0ec5190290024c702126cbf26
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\Snapmaker.Studio_0.4.0-beta.24_x64-setup.exeThe installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen will show "Unknown publisher". That is expected for this beta — verify the hash above, then choose More info → Run anyway. Why it is unsigned, and what is being done about it: docs/CODE_SIGNING_POLICY.md. Full instructions and uninstall: docs/windows-install.md.
Canonical release values live in docs/RELEASE_METADATA.md; what was verified, and how, is in docs/TRUST_STATUS.md.
Studio's whole claim is that it tells you the truth about your file and your printer, and says "I can't tell" when it cannot. Every time it gets that wrong, the claim is weaker — so a wrong analysis is the most useful thing you can send.
→ Tell us what it got wrong — two questions: what Studio said, and what was actually true. Or start a discussion if you would rather just mention it.
The desktop app — local-first, dark-first. The whole workflow in one place: Understand → Validate → Prepare → Monitor.
| The problem, named exactly | The fix, in a new copy — and where Studio says it can't tell |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| What survived preparing the copy | Six colours, four toolheads |
 |
 |
Frames from the beta.24 recording above, on the sample project in examples/demo_u1_showcase.3mf — reproduce them with docs/innovation-fund/JUDGE_WALKTHROUGH.md. Submission package: docs/innovation-fund/FINAL_SUBMISSION.md.
Not a slicer. It doesn't slice, and won't. Snapmaker Orca slices; Studio is
the step before that. When Orca says out of bounds, Studio says which object,
which edge, how many millimetres, and why — then offers to move it in a new copy.
Not a dashboard. U1Hub, OctoPrint and Fluidd start when a file is ready to print. Fluidd already ships on your U1 and Studio does not try to replace it. Printer Hub answers a different question: is this printer ready for this specific project?
Not a converter. A converter tells you one word: converted. Studio tells you what stayed byte-for-byte identical, what it changed and why, what it could not carry over, and — kept separate on purpose — what it could not check at all. It only says nothing was lost when the audit proves that for your file.
Studio reads your project and names the community tool that fits it — OrcaSlicer, Snapmaker Orca, U1Hub, Fluidd, the toolkits people actually use — so a beginner does not have to know the whole ecosystem before they can use any of it. The registry is a data file: adding a tool is a small pull request, not a code change. See docs/EXTENDING.md and docs/innovation-fund/OPEN_ECOSYSTEM.md.
MIT licensed. Local-first: no cloud, no account, no telemetry, nothing uploaded. Every third-party project Studio recommends or interoperates with is listed with its licence in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.
Everything below was verified against the published beta.24 installer, not against a development build. Commands, counts and full reports: docs/TRUST_STATUS.md.
| What | Result |
|---|---|
| Installed-application acceptance, driven through the real UI | 21/21 |
| Read-only verification against a real Snapmaker U1 | 13/13 |
| Regression tests against genuine OrcaSlicer / BambuStudio / PrusaSlicer projects | 34 tests |
End-to-end pipeline self-check (u1convert selfcheck) |
15/15 |
| Backend / desktop / TypeScript / Rust | 663 · 247 · clean · clean |
Reproduce any of it yourself: docs/innovation-fund/JUDGE_WALKTHROUGH.md.
Studio is advisory. It does not slice, it does not promise a successful print, and it never controls your printer on its own. An earlier internal corpus of 112 files produced structurally valid U1 profile copies (PROOF.md); that number measures structure, not print success, and the checks above are the stronger evidence.
Your printer already knew which filaments are loaded. Studio was telling U1 owners "this printer does not report which filaments are loaded" while the printer was reporting all four, in a shape Studio was not looking for. The first session against real hardware found it. Studio now reads every loaded slot, colour and sub-type included, and Before you slice compares the materials your project needs against what is actually on the machine.
And it confirmed the honest unknown is honest. Stock firmware really does not report which nozzle is fitted. That check still reads "Nozzle size — check this yourself", and that is now known rather than assumed.
Every message that names a problem says what to do about it. When the fidelity report cannot account for something it tells you to compare the copy against your original in Snapmaker Orca and report it — Studio failing to explain its own change is a bug. Something Studio cannot read is labelled "Not checked — Studio can't read it", which is not the same as "this is fine". Toolhead, the word all the colour planning rests on, is explained before it is used.
Open a project by handing it to Studio. Studio accepts an .stl or .3mf
path on its command line, so a file can be sent to it from a shell, a script, or
a shortcut.
This build was checked as an installer, not as source. Twenty-one checks run against the installed application through its real window; thirteen more against a real U1, read-only. See docs/TRUST_STATUS.md.
See RELEASE_NOTES.md · docs/innovation-fund/ · docs/EXTENDING.md.
beta.23 added the project-to-printer preflight, the fidelity audit, the fix
ledger with a way back to your original, colour planning for more than four
colours, correct preset labelling, and u1convert selfcheck. It withdrew
multi-plate repositioning: a review reproduced a case where it placed a plate off
the bed while reporting success, and plate spacing is not recorded in the file, so
the feature was removed rather than patched.
Everything before that — the Doctors, Printer Hub, the model browser, the cost tools, and the wording passes that made them readable by a beginner — is in CHANGELOG.md, release by release.
New here? See docs/innovation-fund/JUDGE_OVERVIEW.md and docs/WHAT_TO_TEST_FIRST.md.
Studio does not replace Snapmaker Orca, FOrcaSlicer, OrcaSlicer ImageMap, U1 Print Hub, the Snapmaker U1 Toolkit, the MakerWorld converters or Fluidd. It works out when they are the right tool for the file in front of you, which is the part nobody can do for themselves before they have already learned all of them.
| What Studio read in your file | What it says |
|---|---|
| More than one nozzle diameter | FOrcaSlicer — this project already uses mixed nozzle sizes, which is what that fork is built for |
| Image-texture parts | OrcaSlicer ImageMap — most slicers throw this data away; that fork can print it |
| Toolpaths already inside the project | U1 Print Hub — the next step is a printer, not a slicer |
| Bambu-family settings from a model site, for another printer | MakerWorld to Snapmaker U1 — converting at download time keeps the creator's profile intact |
| Nothing unusual | Snapmaker Orca. Studio says so plainly rather than manufacturing a reason |
Each suggestion shows the reason Studio read from your file, the tool's licence, and a caution when the project describes itself as experimental. Studio never installs anything, never launches a tool on its own, and only calls a tool installed when it found the executable on your computer.
Maintain one of these tools? Studio's description of your project is one JSON
object in
backend/snapstudio_core/data/ecosystem.json.
Correcting it — or asking to be removed — is a small pull request; the schema and
the rules are in docs/EXTENDING.md. None of these projects
has endorsed Studio, and Studio does not claim otherwise.
Designs from popular slicers and model sites don't always open cleanly on a given printer — and novices often can't tell why, or whether a file will even print. Snapmaker Studio closes that gap: open any design and get a plain-language read on what's in it, a readiness check, and a prepared U1 profile copy (review in Orca before slicing) — with a fidelity report that shows, element by element, what stayed identical, what Studio changed and why, and what it could not check. The Snapmaker U1 is the first printer target; the workflow is built to grow across ecosystems.
- Design Health — real geometry analysis of the actual mesh: watertight check, hole detection, manifold/normals integrity, overhang → supports prediction, stability/tip-risk, and bed fit — each as a badge with what was found, why it matters, and what to do. Volume + an honest material estimate too. Slice-free, cross-ecosystem, in plain language.
- Project Intelligence — read-only design data: dimensions, volume, triangle count and complexity, detected materials/colors, object and plate counts, and the source ecosystem. No guesswork, no fake data.
- Validation Center — a readiness check that answers the questions a novice actually has: will it print, what's preserved, what changes, and what's at risk? — now backed by the Design Health geometry checks above.
- Prepare — make a U1 profile copy in one click — review in Orca before slicing. Originals are never overwritten; every change is recorded.
- Printer Hub — discover a networked Snapmaker U1 over its open, LAN-trusted interface and watch live status: print state, progress, bed and toolhead temperatures, history, health. Safe control: pause, resume, cancel, upload sliced gcode, and start — start/cancel/emergency-stop each require an explicit confirmation. Studio never auto-starts a print and uploads sliced gcode only (it does not slice).
- Design Library — everything you open is checked, scored, and kept with its full history, so you always know what's ready.
- Engine + CLI — the same workflow as a pure-Python engine and
u1convertCLI for scripting and automation.
- Design-first and novice-friendly. It explains a design in plain language and surfaces likely print risks — before you ever open a slicer.
- Local-first. Everything runs on your machine. No cloud, no account, no upload.
- Multi-ecosystem foundation. Bambu, OrcaSlicer, and plain STL are first-class today; PrusaSlicer files are detected (full preservation is on the roadmap). The engine is built around a source-neutral model so more ecosystems can follow.
- Preservation, proved per project. Preparing a copy is followed by a fidelity report: what is byte-identical, what changed and why, what was not carried over, and what Studio could not verify. Studio only says nothing was lost when that audit proves it for your file — and a conversion fails outright on any change the engine cannot account for.
- Open printer opportunity. The U1 runs open, LAN-trusted firmware, which lets Studio provide local Printer Hub monitoring and user-confirmed control/send without cloud accounts.
| Input | Status | Result |
|---|---|---|
Bambu / Orca .3mf project |
✅ supported | prepared Snapmaker U1 .3mf (review in Orca) |
.stl model |
✅ supported | prepared Snapmaker U1 .3mf (review in Orca) |
PrusaSlicer .3mf |
🚧 detected | read & understood; full conversion planned |
.obj / .glb |
🚧 planned | — |
First printer target: Snapmaker U1. Open the result in Snapmaker Orca to slice and print. More printer targets are planned — see the roadmap.
Most people just install the desktop app (above). For scripting, the engine ships a CLI. Install from source (PyPI package coming later):
pip install -e backendThen, using the bundled example:
# Understand any file first — read-only, never modifies it
u1convert doctor examples/sample_cube_U1.3mf
# Prepare a U1 profile copy from a plain STL (review in Orca before slicing)
u1convert repair examples/sample_cube.stl -o my_part_U1.3mfOpen the result in Snapmaker Orca to slice and print. More samples live in
examples/.
Everyday commands:
u1convert repair model.3mf --mode u1 -o model_U1.3mf # prepare a U1 profile copy
u1convert validate model_U1.3mf # check integritydoctor is a read-only readiness check — it never modifies your file:
$ u1convert doctor model.3mf
Verdict : REPAIRABLE
Score : 90/100
Project type : Bambu/Orca project
Snapmaker U1 compatible : yes
Notes :
- incompatible slicer value: wall_filament=0
Recommended action: Run `u1convert repair <file> --mode u1` to prepare a U1 profile copy.
Read-only check - no files were modified.
Verdicts: READY (loads as-is) · REPAIRABLE (run repair) · CONVERTIBLE (an STL — run repair) · HIGH_RISK (not a usable project). Add --json for machine-readable output.
diff is a read-only comparison — handy to see what preparing a file actually changed:
$ u1convert diff original.3mf converted.3mf
Structure : +2 parts / -0
Geometry : unchanged
Objects 1->1 Plates 1->1 Colors 4->5
Painting : 0 -> 0 painted triangles
Settings : 37 changed, 0 added, 0 removed
printer_model: 'Bambu Lab P1S' -> 'Snapmaker U1'
... (use --json for the full list)
It reports structure, geometry, settings, and counts. Add --json for the full machine-readable diff.
Local-first, no network. Layers:
- Engine —
snapstudio_core, pure Python (no net, no UI): detect → understand → validate → prepare, preserving geometry/painting/color. A source-neutral canonical model is the seam for multi-ecosystem support. - Local API —
snapstudio_api, a loopback (127.0.0.1) JSON server, request-authenticated, frozen with PyInstaller into a single sidecar binary (no Python install needed). - Desktop app — Tauri (Rust) + React + TypeScript. Spawns the sidecar as a child process (zero orphans on exit) and talks to it over loopback.
- CLI —
u1convertexposes the same engine for scripting/automation.
Workflow everywhere: Understand → Validate → Prepare → Monitor —
validation is mandatory and never removed. Full detail in
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.
Shipped (beta): desktop app (Project Intelligence · Validation Center · Prepare · Batch · Design Library · Printer Hub monitor + user-confirmed control/send), engine + CLI, one-click Windows installer with bundled engine.
Next:
- Preserve PrusaSlicer multi-material through preparation (detection ships today)
- OBJ and GLB input
- More printer targets beyond the U1
- A stable API for third-party integration
See CHANGELOG.md for release history and
docs/ROADMAP.md for the full plan. Nothing above overstates what
ships today: multi-printer support and full Prusa preservation are roadmap, not done.
Issues and pull requests are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md.