nodeslicer/doc/NODES.md

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_Mesh	SlicingObject	NumPy NDArray (Triangles)	Internal mesh data (Transformed/Scaled)
SLICESOCK_Slices	list[np.ndarray]	List of closed paths (N, 3)	Closed manifold contours (Inside/Outside defined)
SLICESOCK_Paths	list[np.ndarray]	List of paths (N, 3)	Generic toolpaths (No defined interior)
SLICESOCK_Gcode	str	Multi-line string	Generated G-code text

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, 4, 3).
  • N: Number of triangles.
  • [i, 0:3, :]: The three vertices of the $i$-th triangle.
  • [i, 3, :]: The face normal 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).

Slices (SLICESOCK_Slices)

A list[np.ndarray] (each (N, 3)) containing the results of the slicing operation.

• Content: Guaranteed to be closed loops forming a valid manifold boundary.
• Z-Awareness: Coordinates are stored as 3D (X, Y, Z) to maintain the correct layer height.
• Topology: Generated and cleaned using pyclipper.

Paths (SLICESOCK_Paths)

A list[np.ndarray] (each (N, 3)) containing generic toolpaths.

• Content: Can be open or closed segments.
• Z-Awareness: Coordinates are stored as 3D (X, Y, Z).
• Source: Typically generated from Slices boundaries via the Slices to Paths node.

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.

Nodes

Input Nodes

• SLICENODE_InputFloat: Single float input.
• SLICENODE_InputInt: Single integer input.
• SLICENODE_InputString: Single string/path input.
• SLICENODE_InputObject: Blender object picker.
• SLICENODE_GcodeBlock: Manual text area for entering raw G-code.

Processing Nodes

• SLICENODE_GetMesh: Converts a Blender Object into internal SlicingObject format.
• SLICENODE_SliceShells: Slices a SlicingObject into 2D Slices at a given layer height.
• SLICENODE_BufferShells: Offsets/buffers 2D Slices using a "Distance" parameter. Buffers each Z-layer independently to maintain 3D structure and uses winding rules to correctly handle nested holes.
• SLICENODE_SlicesToPaths: Extracts the boundaries of Slices to create Paths.
• SLICENODE_PathsToGcode: Converts Paths into G-code blocks.

Joiner Nodes (Variable Inputs)

• SLICENODE_JoinMesh: Merges multiple SlicingObject instances into one.
• SLICENODE_JoinPaths: Merges multiple paths.
• SLICENODE_JoinGcode: Concatenates multiple G-code strings with newline separators.

Action Nodes (Executable)

• SLICENODE_GcodeToFile: Writes G-code string to a file on disk.
• SLICENODE_GcodeToMesh: Decodes G-code and creates a Blender mesh (Edges) for visualization/debugging.
• SLICENODE_LoadGcode: Reads a G-code file from disk into a string.
• SLICENODE_Test: Triggers evaluation for debugging purposes.