Slicer Panel | Reference

The slicer panel slices BRep geometry for FDM 3D printing. It operates directly on the kernel's boundary representation, analyzing surfaces, overhangs, and wall thicknesses to recommend print settings and flag manufacturability concerns before you export G-code.

Opening the Slicer

Open the slicer from the workspace selector in the left sidebar, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on macOS). The panel appears on the right and immediately begins analyzing the selected part. If no part is selected, it slices all visible parts as a single print.

Print Settings

Layer Height

layer_heightnumber (mm)required

Vertical thickness of each printed layer. Typical range is 0.1mm to 0.3mm. Lower values produce smoother surfaces and finer detail but increase print time proportionally. The default is 0.2mm, which balances quality and speed for most parts.

The slicer validates layer height against the nozzle diameter. Layer height should not exceed 80% of the nozzle diameter (so a 0.4mm nozzle supports up to 0.32mm layers). Values outside this range trigger a warning.

Walls

wall_countintegeroptional

Number of perimeter walls. Default is 3 (1.2mm total wall thickness with a 0.4mm nozzle). More walls increase strength and surface quality at the cost of print time. Structural parts typically use 4-5 walls.

Infill

infill_percentinteger (0-100)optional

Fill density for the part interior. Default is 20%. Common values: 10-15% for decorative parts, 20-30% for general use, 40-60% for structural parts, 100% for maximum strength.

infill_patternstringoptional

Internal fill pattern. Options: grid (default, good all-around), gyroid (isotropic strength, good for flexible parts), honeycomb (high strength-to-weight), lines (fast but directional), triangles (strong in compression), cubic (3D isotropic).

Top and Bottom Layers

top_layersintegeroptional

Number of solid layers on the top surface. Default 4. More layers eliminate pillow artifacts on low-infill parts. Minimum 3 recommended.

bottom_layersintegeroptional

Number of solid layers on the bottom surface. Default 4. The first layer is printed slowly with higher extrusion to ensure bed adhesion.

Support

support_typestringoptional

Support generation mode: none (no supports), normal (supports from build plate and part surfaces), buildplate_only (supports only from the build plate). Default is none.

support_anglenumber (deg)optional

Overhang angle threshold for support generation. Faces steeper than this angle from vertical receive supports. Default 45 degrees. Most FDM printers handle up to 45-50 degrees without support; bridge detection handles short horizontal spans separately.

Bed Adhesion

adhesion_typestringoptional

Bed adhesion helper: skirt (outline around the part, does not touch it), brim (single-layer extension from the part's base perimeter), raft (multi-layer platform under the part). Default is skirt.

Skirt is the least intrusive -- it primes the nozzle and lets you verify first-layer height without affecting the part. Brim adds surface area to the first layer, which helps parts with small footprints or sharp corners that tend to warp. Raft provides the strongest adhesion but leaves a rougher bottom surface.

Printer Profiles

Select a printer profile to load machine-specific defaults for build volume, nozzle diameter, temperatures, speeds, and acceleration limits. See Printer Profiles for the full list of built-in profiles.

profilestringoptional

Printer profile name. Built-in options: generic, bambu_x1c, bambu_p1s, bambu_a1, bambu_a1_mini, ender3, prusa_mk4, voron_24. Default is generic.

Temperature

print_tempinteger (C)optional

Nozzle temperature. Depends on filament type: PLA 190-220C, PETG 230-250C, ABS 230-260C. Loaded from the printer profile by default.

bed_tempinteger (C)optional

Bed temperature. PLA 50-60C, PETG 70-85C, ABS 90-110C.

DFM Analysis

The slicer includes a Design for Manufacturing analysis overlay that highlights potential print issues directly on the 3D model. Each issue type is color-coded:

Color	Issue	Description
Red	Unsupported overhang	Faces exceeding the support angle with no support enabled
Orange	Thin wall	Walls thinner than the nozzle diameter
Yellow	Bridge	Horizontal spans between supported regions
Blue	Small feature	Features smaller than the nozzle diameter that may not print

The DFM overlay is visible in the viewport whenever the slicer panel is open. Toggle individual issue categories on and off from the DFM section of the panel.

Smart defaults

Enable smart defaults with the toggle at the top of the slicer panel. The slicer analyzes the part's BRep geometry -- overhang angles, wall thicknesses, minimum feature sizes -- and recommends layer height, infill, support, and wall count settings. You can override any individual setting after smart analysis runs.

Layer Preview

The layer preview slider at the bottom of the slicer panel scrubs through the sliced layers. Drag the slider or type a layer number to jump to a specific height. The viewport switches to a cross-section view showing:

Perimeter walls in the part color
Infill paths in a lighter shade
Support material in a contrasting color
Travel moves as thin dotted lines (toggleable)

The layer preview updates as you change settings, so you can immediately see the effect of increasing wall count or changing infill pattern.

Export

G-code

Export sliced toolpaths as G-code for direct printing. The output includes start/end G-code sequences from the printer profile, temperature commands, and the full layer-by-layer toolpath.

outputstringrequired

Output filename. Use .gcode extension.

3MF

Export as 3MF format, which bundles the model geometry, slice settings, and printer profile into a single file. 3MF is the preferred format for Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer.

outputstringrequired

Output filename. Use .3mf extension.

CLI Integration

The slicer is also available via the CLI:

vcad slice bracket.vcad -o bracket.gcode --profile bambu_x1c
vcad slice bracket.vcad -o bracket.gcode --smart --explain
vcad slice bracket.vcad -o bracket.3mf --layer-height 0.1 --infill 30 --support

The --smart flag runs BRep analysis and recommends settings. Add --explain to see the reasoning behind each recommendation. CLI flags override smart defaults. See CLI Commands for the full parameter reference.