What is orcaslicer?

This repository is Snapmaker Orca, a free program called a slicer, used with 3D printers. A slicer takes a 3D model file and converts it into the exact step by step instructions, called G-code, that tell a 3D printer's motors and nozzle how to move to physically build the object layer by layer. Without a slicer, a 3D printer cannot use a model file directly. Snapmaker Orca is built for FDM printers, the common type that print by melting and extruding plastic filament. The README shows it supports Windows, Mac (both Apple Silicon and Intel chips), and Linux, with download links, installers, and specific setup steps for each operating system, including some extra permission steps needed on Mac to open the app the first time. For anyone comfortable with development tools, the README also documents how to compile the program from source code on each operating system, listing required tools such as Visual Studio, Cmake, and various libraries. There is also a note recommending certain configuration lines for people using Klipper, a separate 3D printer firmware, to enable extra features like object exclusion. The project has a long lineage: Snapmaker Orca is forked from an earlier Snapmaker Orca build, which came from Bambu Studio, which itself was forked from PrusaSlicer, which traces back to an older project called Slic3r built by the RepRap community. It also borrows features from another slicer called SuperSlicer. The whole chain is released under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3, meaning that if this software or any part of it is used in a product, even one only accessed over a network, the source code for that product must also be made available under the same license. One optional add-on, a networking plugin for BambuLab printers, uses separate non-free code and is not required to use the main program. The project welcomes bug reports, feature requests, and code contributions through GitHub Issues or email.