// What it does
A vertical heat strip on the left edge of the viewport. Each pixel of the bar represents one print layer (slice). Colour shows swap count: dark = 0, amber = 1, orange = 2, red = 3+.
Status line reports total swaps across the whole print and the total flush waste (grams) given your purge volume.
Controls: Layer height (match your slicer), Flush volume (per-swap purge estimate), Show swap bar toggle.
// When to use it
- Cost estimation — see how much filament a multi-colour print will waste, not just consume.
- Iterating colour layout — re-arrange palette colours, raise boundaries, group regions to reduce swap density on busy layers.
- Catching disasters early — a bar that's mostly red means hundreds of grams of waste.
- Pairs with the auto-orientation suggester — same swap data.
// How to use it
- Check tab → Layers section. Set Layer height (default 0.20 mm) and Flush volume (default 200 mm³).
- Toggle Show swap bar. Strip appears on the left edge; status line shows total swaps and grams.
- Hover the bar for tooltip:
Layer N · X swap(s) · Z mm. - Make a change. Re-paint a region in a high-swap band to a colour that's already nearby. The bar redraws; total drops.
- Reorganise palette chips so adjacent print layers share colours.
// Tips
- Match your slicer's layer height exactly or counts will be off by ~20%.
- Flush volume is per swap. 0.4 mm Bambu nozzles use about 200 mm³; 0.2 mm uses far less.
- Some swaps are unavoidable — the bar tells you cost, not bugs. Aim for 'mostly dark' not 'all dark.'