# Slicenv

> A fast native front‑end for the slicers you already trust. Arrange plates, edit profiles, inspect G-code layer by layer and send the job to your printer. OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio does the slicing. Same engine, same G-code — a much lighter app.

Slicenv is independent and not affiliated with Bambu Lab or the OrcaSlicer team.

- Version: 0.1.6 (released 2026-11-12)
- Licence: AGPL-3.0-or-later, free
- Platforms: Linux x86_64 (primary), Windows 10/11 x64 (unsigned), macOS (experimental, unsigned)
- Requires: OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio as the slicing engine (not bundled; the first-run wizard can download an official build)
- Interface languages: English, Ukrainian
- Author: Borys Kharchenko (https://borys.app/)
- Website: https://slicenv.borys.app/ (English), https://slicenv.borys.app/uk/ (Ukrainian)
- Source: https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv

## What it is

The engine is the part of a slicer you trust with your prints, so Slicenv keeps it. It runs the official OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio as a separate process and replaces only the heavy shell around it.

With the same engine, version and settings you get the G-code that engine would give you anyway.

- **Several versions side by side.** The manager finds installed engines, downloads official builds, verifies their SHA-256 and switches between them.
- **Every profile your engine has.** Printer, process and filament profiles come from the engine. The editor adds illustrated help for each setting.
- **Nothing bundled.** Engines are not shipped inside Slicenv. If none is installed, the first-run wizard downloads an official build.

## What you do in it

- **Prepare — Arrange the plates.** Plates, objects, parts and modifiers. Move, rotate, scale, auto-orient, arrange, measure, cut — with undo and redo.
- **Slice — Hand the plate to the engine.** Slicenv calls the engine’s command line and reads its progress. Pick the engine and its version per project.
- **Preview — Read the G-code.** Layers and line types, sliders for layer and move, time and filament per line type. Or Photo mode: the plate as a finished print.
- **Print — Send it.** Pick the printer as a card, get a warning if the model does not match, set the options that printer supports.

## Printers

- **Local network: directly.** Written in pure Rust. No plugin and no account for printing on your own network.
- **Internet: hand-off to Bambu Connect.** Slicenv passes the sliced file to Bambu Connect, which sends it to the printer. Bambu Connect exists for Windows and macOS; there is no Linux version, so on Linux you print over the local network.
- **Cloud monitoring: optional.** Status, history and camera over the cloud need Bambu’s closed plugin. It is downloaded only with your consent. Linux x86_64 and Windows x64.
- Works with Bambu Lab A1, P1, X1 and P2S printers.
- Klipper via Moonraker: the code exists, tested only on an emulator so far.
- AMS slot mapping in the print dialog is not supported yet.

## Measured numbers

| Metric | Slicenv | Bambu Studio 2.7–2.8 | OrcaSlicer 2.4–2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main window after launch | 0.21–0.22 s | 1.4–1.6 s | 0.8–4.0 s |
| Memory at idle (PSS) | 82–88 MB | 919–970 MB | 762–887 MB |
| Open a 3MF: 1M triangles, 4 plates | 0.8 s · 278 MB | 10.2 s · 1335 MB | not measured |
| CPU at idle | 0.2–0.3 % | 1.1–1.2 % | 0.4–1.3 % |
| Slice a small plate until layers show | 0.86 s | 0.45 s | not measured |
| Slice a heavy plate | 3.38 s | 0.84 s | not measured |
| Camera orbit: one core / GPU | 12–13 % / 18–21 % | 11–16 % / 5–9 % | not measured |

Measured 2026-11-08, before 0.1.6, on a Ryzen 7 7840HS with Radeon 780M, 64 GB, CachyOS, GNOME 51. Reproduce with tools/bench/compare.sh in the repository.

**Why slicing is slower.** The engine runs as a separate process: Slicenv writes the project out, starts the engine’s command line and reads the G-code back. Inside Bambu Studio the same engine is already loaded in memory. The 3D view is drawn off-screen and copied into the window, which makes orbiting cost more GPU.

## What it does not do

- **It doesn’t slice.** There is no slicer of its own. You need OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio; that adds about 377–530 MB on disk if you don’t have one.
- **It doesn’t print through Bambu Cloud.** Over the internet — hand-off to Bambu Connect; on the local network — directly. Bambu Connect has no Linux version, so on Linux printing is local-network only.
- **No AMS slot mapping yet.** The print dialog does not let you remap AMS slots.
- **Unsigned Windows and macOS builds.** Windows SmartScreen warns on first run. macOS builds are experimental.
- **Klipper is unproven.** Moonraker support has only met an emulator, not a real printer.

## AI agents

Slicenv ships an MCP server (`slicenv-mcp` and HTTP inside the app). An agent can open a project, move objects, slice and read the statistics; its edits share one undo history with the human. Documentation: https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/blob/main/docs/MCP.md

## Install

- Arch Linux (AUR): `yay -S slicenv-bin`
- Nix: `nix run github:arximus88/slicenv`
- All files: https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/latest

- [slicenv-0.1.6-1.x86_64.rpm](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-1.x86_64.rpm) — 32 MB
- [slicenv-0.1.6-aarch64-macos.dmg](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-aarch64-macos.dmg) — 26 MB
- [slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-linux.tar.gz](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-linux.tar.gz) — 33 MB
- [slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-macos.dmg](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-macos.dmg) — 28 MB
- [slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-windows-setup.exe](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-windows-setup.exe) — 17 MB
- [slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-windows.zip](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64-windows.zip) — 24 MB
- [Slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64.AppImage](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/Slicenv-0.1.6-x86_64.AppImage) — 31 MB
- [slicenv_0.1.6-1_amd64.deb](https://github.com/arximus88/slicenv/releases/download/v0.1.6/slicenv_0.1.6-1_amd64.deb) — 22 MB

## Roadmap (wishes, no dates)

- Engine comparison: one model in different engines and versions, side by side
- A first-run wizard that asks for your printers and filaments
- AMS slot mapping in the print dialog
- Klipper tested on real printers
- Signed builds for macOS and Windows