Slice and print without a slicer

You don't need a separate slicer to print what you made. Make → Print → Slice here turns the part into the file your printer runs (G-code), on your own computer, in a few seconds. It's free: no credits.

Slice it

1. Open your Thing, go to Make, then Print.
2. Pick your printer and check the part sits on the bed the way you want. Turn it if you like. Your design never changes.
3. Switch to Slice here.
4. Choose the print settings: Draft, Standard, Strong or Fine (see Slicer settings explained), and your material.
5. Press Slice.

You can also press ⌘K (Ctrl + K) and type slice.

Check the layer preview

When it's done, the view on the left shows the toolpaths, coloured by what they are: outer wall, inner wall, top and bottom, infill, bridges, supports, skirt or brim. Click a colour to hide it. Travel moves are hidden until you turn them on.

• Drag the layer slider to see any layer. Layers below it are dimmed.
• Press play to watch the part build up, layer by layer.
• Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom.

Next to it you get the print time, the filament (grams and metres), the material cost and the layer count. The time comes from the G-code itself: we play every move through the same kind of motion planner your printer's firmware uses (acceleration and corners included), so it's much closer than a distance-over-speed guess. Heating and homing add about a minute on top.

Read the warnings

The slicer tells you what it found, with the layers where it happens:

• Walls thinner than the nozzle. A wall narrower than one extrusion line won't print. Make it thicker in Build, or use a smaller nozzle.
• Overhangs without support. Something hangs out past 45° with supports off. Turn supports on in Advanced, or turn the part on the bed.
• Small contact with the bed. A tall part with a small footprint may come loose. Add a brim (Advanced → Bed adhesion) or lay it on a bigger face.

Download and print

Press Download. We also keep a copy with the Thing's exports (see Make → Export → Recent exports), so you can grab it again later.

Copy a download link makes a link that works for 10 minutes, handy for opening the file on the computer or phone next to your printer.

Ask the agent

Type it in the prompt bar: "slice this for my Bambu A1 in PETG, strong". The agent picks the printer, material and settings from your words, turns the part the way the printability check recommends, decides supports from the same check, and slices it on our servers. You get a summary and a card with Download and Preview layers. Slicing on our servers costs 2 credits (shown with the result); slicing in your browser stays free.

Start and end G-code

Every file starts with your printer's start G-code (heating, homing, a purge line) and ends with its end G-code. The built-in printers come with a safe, simple start sequence. Bambu Lab printers get a short sequence written for Solid Vibes, without Bambu Studio's calibration routines and without the AMS: for those, use Open in a slicer with Bambu Studio.

For your own printer, add it with Add a printer and open For Slice here: pick the firmware and paste the start and end G-code from your usual slicer. Placeholders such as {first_layer_bed_temp} or [first_layer_temperature] are filled in for you.

When to use your own slicer instead

Slice here covers single-material prints with the settings people use most. Use Open in a slicer for multi-colour or AMS prints, painted supports, modifiers, ironing, or anything you've tuned for years in your own slicer profiles. The 3MF opens there with your settings already set: see Open your print in your slicer in one click.

If slicing in the browser is too much

Very large or very detailed parts can take a while, or be too big for the browser. When that happens, the panel offers Slice on our servers (2 credits). The result is stored with the Thing's exports; the layer preview isn't shown for server slices.