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nodeslicer/doc/NODES.md

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Node & Socket Reference

Node Sockets

Socket ID Type Underlying Data Structure Purpose
SLICESOCK_Object bpy.types.Object Blender RNA Object Reference to a Blender Object
SLICESOCK_Float float Python float Numeric value
SLICESOCK_Int int Python int Integer value
SLICESOCK_String str Python string Text/Path value
SLICESOCK_Vector tuple Python tuple (3) XYZ or Euler rotation value
SLICESOCK_Mesh SlicingObject NumPy NDArray (Triangles) Internal mesh data (Transformed/Scaled)
SLICESOCK_Paths SlicePaths (list) List of paths (N, 3) + groups Generic toolpaths or slice boundaries
SLICESOCK_Gcode str Multi-line string Generated G-code text
SLICESOCK_Settings dict[str, str] Python dictionary Mapping of configuration fields to values
SLICESOCK_SettingsRo dict[str, str] Python dictionary Read-only merged configuration overrides

Detailed Data Types

SlicingObject (SLICESOCK_Mesh)

The SlicingObject class wraps a high-performance NumPy representation of a Blender mesh.

  • .mesh: A NumPy ndarray of type float64 with shape (N, 3, 3).
    • N: Number of triangles.
    • [i, 0:3, :]: The three vertices of the $i$-th triangle.
  • Coordinates: Transformed to world space and scaled by the Blender scene unit scale (multiplied by 1000 for mm-standard G-code).

SlicePaths (SLICESOCK_Paths)

A custom list subclass SlicePaths(list[np.ndarray]) containing toolpaths.

  • Content: Each np.ndarray has shape (N, 3).
  • Groups: Maintains a .groups list of integers mapping each path to a layer or logical group.
  • Extra Attributes: Maintains an .extra_attributes dictionary mapping G-code prefixes (e.g., S, M) to lists of NumPy arrays, enabling per-segment custom parameters.
  • Z-Awareness: Coordinates are stored as 3D (X, Y, Z) to maintain the correct layer height.
  • Topology: Generated and cleaned using pyclipper.

Gcode (SLICESOCK_Gcode)

A standard Python string containing formatted G-code.

  • Format: G0 for travels, G1 for extrusions.
  • Extrusion: Calculated as absolute E values based on Euclidean distance and a configurable EXTRUSION_RATE.
  • Metadata: Includes ;OFFSET_X= and ;OFFSET_Y= comments to allow reconstruction of original coordinates.

Nodes

All nodes are found in the Add (Shift+A) menu under the SliceNodes category.

Data & Input

  • Object: Blender object picker.
  • Float: Single float input.
  • Integer: Single integer input.
  • String: Single string/path input.
  • Settings: Read-only/write configuration settings dictionary.
  • Wipe Tower: Configures the Wipe Tower printbed position (wipe_tower_position) passed to 3MF metadata (Prusa_Slicer_wipe_tower_information.xml) without injecting into profile INI settings.
    • Position X: X coordinate of the wipe tower on the printbed.
    • Position Y: Y coordinate of the wipe tower on the printbed.
  • Offset Object: Configures the object placement transform offset (offset_object) applied to <item transform="..."> inside 3MF model build data (3D/3dmodel.model) without injecting into profile INI settings.
    • Offset X: X translation offset for the build item.
    • Offset Y: Y translation offset for the build item.
    • Offset Z: Z translation offset for the build item.
  • Printer Intrinsics: Configures bed size, extrusion/travel rates, retraction distance & feedrate, and Z-lift.
  • Gcode Block: Manual text area for entering raw G-code.

Geometry Processing

  • Get Mesh: Converts a Blender Object into internal SlicingObject format.
  • Rename Mesh: Overrides the internal metadata name of a SlicingObject, SlicingCollection, or SlicingGroup.
    • Geometry: Input geometry data.
    • Name: String input socket or property for the new name.
  • Transform Geometry: Moves, rotates, and scales a SlicingCollection or SlicingGroup relative to the origin.
    • Mesh: Input mesh data.
    • Translation: 3D vector specifying the translation offset.
    • Rotation: 3D vector/Euler rotation values.
    • Scale: 3D vector specifying scaling factors along the X, Y, and Z axes (defaults to 1.0, 1.0, 1.0).
  • Drop Geometry: Moves a SlicingCollection or SlicingGroup along Z so that its minimum Z sits at the specified value.
    • Mesh: Input mesh data.
    • Z: Target minimum Z coordinate (defaults to 0.0).
  • Get Paths: Extracts existing edges from a mesh as paths.
    • Extrusion Multiplier Attribute: Mesh attribute to use for per-segment extrusion rates.
    • Feedrate Attribute: Mesh attribute to use for per-segment feedrates.
    • Extra Attributes: Dictionary mapping mesh attribute names to custom G-code prefixes (e.g., opening_size -> S).
  • Path Offset: Offsets SlicePaths by a 3D vector.
  • Rotate Path: Rotates SlicePaths around the Z-axis.
    • Angle: Rotation angle in degrees.
    • Center: Optional center of rotation. If not provided, it defaults to the midpoint of the first layer.
  • Slice Shells: Slices a SlicingObject into 2D SlicePaths at a given layer height. Automatically aligns path seams to the sharpest concave angle (inner corner) of each layer. Supports rotation for slicing at an angle.
  • Buffer Shells: Offsets/buffers 2D SlicePaths. Supports rotated offsetting and multiple miter types.
  • Buffer Curve: Buffers open/closed curves using Shapely, allowing open path offsetting.
    • Cap Style: Style of the curve ends (Round, Flat, Square).
    • Join Style: Style of corner joins (Round, Mitre, Bevel).
    • Single Sided: Buffers only on one side of the curve if enabled.
    • Distance: The buffer distance.
    • Rotation: Optional Euler rotation for non-planar offsetting.
  • Offset Curve: Offsets/shifts open/closed curves by a distance using Shapely, producing parallel curves.
    • Join Style: Style of corner joins (Round, Mitre, Bevel).
    • Distance: The offset distance (positive for left side, negative for right side).
    • Rotation: Optional Euler rotation for non-planar offsetting.
  • Infill: Generates a cross-hatch grid or parallel lines clipped by boundary paths.
    • Infill Type: Switch between Grid (cross-hatch) and Rectilinear (alternating parallel lines).
    • Density: Distance between lines in units.
    • Infill Rotation: Base rotation of the infill pattern.
    • Layer Rotation: Rotation of the entire slice to align infill with specific planes.
  • Get Infill Mask: Computes the intersection of all closed paths in each group (layer) using Shapely.
  • Overhang Mask: Computes the accumulated overhang mask for each layer, propagating support requirements from top to bottom.
  • Boolean Paths: Performs 2D boolean operations (UNION, INTERSECTION, DIFFERENCE, XOR) on multiple slice sets.
  • Arrange Slicing Group: Arranges the slicing collections in a slicing group on the build plate using the libnest2d bin-packing library. It nests their 2D bounding boxes to prevent collisions.
    • Method: Switch between NFP (No-Fit Polygon placer + First-Fit selection), Bottom-Left (Bottom-Left placer + First-Fit selection), and DJD Heuristic (No-Fit Polygon placer + Dyckhoff's heuristic).
    • Allow Rotations: Toggle whether to allow rotating objects (by 90-degree steps) during nesting.
    • Bed X / Y: The build plate dimensions in mm.
    • Spacing: The minimum distance between arranged objects in mm.

Utility & Joiners

  • Join Mesh: Merges multiple SlicingObject instances into one.
  • Join Paths: Combines multiple SlicePaths. Supports Sequential or Interleaved modes.
  • Join Gcode: Concatenates multiple G-code strings.
  • Join Settings: Sequentially merges multiple override dictionaries. Later inputs overwrite earlier ones for matching keys.
  • Integer Math: Simple integer operations (Add, Multiply, etc.).

Action & I/O

  • Paths to Gcode: Converts SlicePaths into G-code blocks.
    • Header: Toggles the generation of standard NodeSlicer G-code headers and units setup.
  • Load Gcode: Reads a G-code file from disk.
  • Gcode to File: Writes G-code string to a file on disk.
    • Automatic Binary Conversion: If the G-code contains the comment ; binary_gcode = 1, the node automatically converts the output to Prusa's binary G-code format (.bgcode) using MeatPack encoding and Heatshrink compression.
  • Mesh to PDF: Generates a 1:1 true-scale 2D top-view (+Z orthographic) vector PDF from a SlicingGroup or SlicingCollection with a custom grid and background color.
    • Geometry: Input socket accepting a SlicingGroup, SlicingCollection, or SlicingObject.
    • Folder: Target folder or PDF file path on disk.
    • Wireframe: Checkbox to render all projected 3D wireframe edges.
    • Boundary (1 Face): Checkbox to render open mesh boundary edges owned by only 1 face.
    • Contour: Checkbox to render outer boundary silhouette contour.
    • Crease Angle: Checkbox to render crease lines above specified dihedral angle.
    • Bounding Box: Checkbox to render the 2D bounding box rectangle of each SlicingObject.
    • BBox Color: Color picker for the bounding box rectangle lines (default blue).
    • Show Name: Checkbox to render the object name to the right of the rightmost vertex of each SlicingObject.
    • Bounding Box Sizes: Checkbox to render 2D bounding box size dimensions (e.g. X: 120mm Y: 230mm or X: 1.2m Y: 2.3m) next to each object label.
    • Line Width (mm): Stroke width in millimeters for the exported lines.
    • Margin (mm): Margin around the geometry grid in mm.
    • Background: Color picker for the canvas background.
    • Wireframe: Color picker for the wireframe lines and grid.
  • Baserow Submit: Sends G-code and metadata to a Baserow database.
    • Host: Baserow host URL.
    • Token File: Path to a file containing the Baserow API token.
    • Table ID: The ID of the target Baserow table.
    • Record ID: Optional ID of an existing record to update.
    • Gcode Field: The name of the attachment field in Baserow.
  • Airtable Submit: Sends G-code and metadata to an Airtable base.
    • PAT File: Path to a file containing the Airtable Personal Access Token (PAT).
    • Base ID: The ID of the target Airtable base.
    • Table ID: The ID or name of the target Airtable table.
    • Record ID: Optional ID of an existing record to update.
    • Gcode Field: The name of the attachment field in Airtable.
  • PrusaSlicer Slice: Exports the current mesh and configuration to a 3MF file and calls PrusaSlicer to generate G-code.
    • Executable: Path to the PrusaSlicer executable.
    • Object: The Blender object to slice.
    • Config: PrusaSlicer configuration (from the PrusaSlicer Config node).
    • Gcode: Output socket providing the generated G-code string.
  • Gcode to Text Block: Creates a new Blender text block containing the G-code and opens it in any active text editors.
  • Gcode to Preview Mesh: Decodes G-code and creates a Blender mesh ("Debug" object) for visualization.
  • PrusaSlicer Preview: Launches PrusaSlicer's built-in G-code viewer to visualize a G-code string.
    • Executable: Path to the PrusaSlicer executable (default: flatpak run com.prusa3d.PrusaSlicer).
    • Gcode: Input socket for the G-code string to preview.
  • Test: Triggers evaluation for debugging purposes.