// What it does
Layerpaint exports your model as a Standard 3MF using the Materials Extension — the same format every modern slicer accepts for multi-material work. Each palette colour becomes a filament slot, and every triangle in the mesh is assigned to one of those slots. The slicer takes it from there.
The exported file also embeds Layerpaint's own paint state, so you can re-open the 3MF later in Layerpaint and continue editing without losing any of your work.
// When to use it
- The final step of every project — once paint, boundaries, and refinement are done.
- Before printing any multi-colour job on Bambu (AMS, AMS Lite, AMS 2 Pro, AMS HT), Prusa MMU3 or MMU2S, Anycubic ACE Pro, or Creality CFS.
- Sharing a paintable model with another Layerpaint user — they can re-open the 3MF and the paint comes back.
// How to use it
- Run the cleanup pass first. Open the Check tab → Show discard risk. Any patches narrower than your nozzle will get silently dropped by the slicer if you don't fix them — see Discard-risk overlay. Click Process discards to fix them all at once.
- Set the build orientation. Open the Export tab → Build orientation. Make sure the up-axis matches what your slicer expects (usually Z). If an orange auto-suggester banner appears, take it — it usually saves filament. See Build orientation.
- Click Export 3MF at the top-right of the painter. The file downloads, named after your project.
- Open the file in your slicer. Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, or PrusaSlicer all show a "Standard 3MF Color Parsing" dialog — accept it.
- Confirm the colour mapping. Each Layerpaint palette slot is now assigned to a slicer filament slot in palette order. Slice and print.
// Tips
- Save the .layerpaint file too. The 3MF preserves paint, but auto-partition settings, palette names, brush tweaks, and undo history don't all round-trip. Use Save As… alongside the export — see Save / Save As / autosave.
- Filament order matters. The slicer maps filament slots in the order Layerpaint exports them — your palette order. Reorder palette chips first if you want a specific filament slot to print first. See Reorder, remove, replace a slot.
- Smaller files for sharing. Tick Simplify at export only to ship a decimated 3MF without losing your hi-res working mesh. See Simplify at export only.
- Swap counts feel off in the slicer? Check that the slicer's filament order matches your palette order, and that Layer height in Layerpaint's swap-bar matches the slicer's value. See Swap bar.
Always run discard risk before export
This single check prevents more failed multi-colour prints than any other step. The slicer will throw away paint slivers narrower than your extrusion line — your printer never sees them. Five seconds in the Check tab; minutes saved at the printer.