homelab-docs/infrastructure/3D-PRINTING-SETUP.md

3D Printing - Shared Orca Slicer Setup

This document describes the setup for sharing Orca Slicer profiles across multiple computers in the homelab, while keeping installations local for best performance.

Overview

Goal: Family members can use Orca Slicer on their own computers with shared profiles for the AD5M printer, with files stored on OMV.

Approach:

• Local Orca Slicer installations on each computer (best performance)
• Shared profiles stored on OMV NFS/SMB share
• Shared STL library and gcode output folder on OMV

OMV Shared Folder Structure

Create the following structure on your OMV storage:

/srv/3DPrinting/
├── profiles/           # Shared Orca Slicer profiles
│   ├── filament/      # Filament profiles
│   ├── print/         # Print profiles (layer heights, speeds, etc.)
│   ├── printer/       # Printer profiles (AD5M config)
│   └── process/       # Process profiles
├── models/            # STL files library
│   ├── functional/
│   ├── decorative/
│   └── repairs/
├── gcode/             # Sliced output ready to print
│   ├── queue/         # Ready to print
│   └── archive/       # Completed prints
└── projects/          # Work-in-progress projects

OMV Setup Steps

1. Create Shared Folder on OMV

SSH into your OMV server (pve-storage or wherever OMV is running):

# Create the directory structure
sudo mkdir -p /srv/3DPrinting/{profiles/{filament,print,printer,process},models/{functional,decorative,repairs},gcode/{queue,archive},projects}

# Set permissions (adjust user/group as needed)
sudo chown -R fred:users /srv/3DPrinting
sudo chmod -R 775 /srv/3DPrinting

2. Create NFS Share in OMV

Via OMV web interface:

1. Storage → Shared Folders → Create

   • Name: 3DPrinting
   • Device: Your storage device
   • Path: /3DPrinting/
   • Permissions: fred (R/W), users (R/W)

2. Services → NFS → Shares → Create

   • Shared folder: 3DPrinting
   • Client: 10.0.10.0/24 (adjust to your network)
   • Privilege: Read/Write
   • Extra options: rw,sync,no_subtree_check,no_root_squash

3. Mount on Client Computers

Add to /etc/fstab on each client computer:

# Replace <OMV-IP> with your OMV server IP
<OMV-IP>:/export/3DPrinting /mnt/3DPrinting nfs defaults,user,auto,noatime 0 0

Mount the share:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/3DPrinting
sudo mount /mnt/3DPrinting

Or use SMB/CIFS if preferred:

# Add to /etc/fstab
//<OMV-IP>/3DPrinting /mnt/3DPrinting cifs credentials=/home/fred/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0

Orca Slicer Installation

On Ubuntu/Debian (including this computer)

1. Download the latest AppImage from GitHub:

cd ~/Downloads
wget https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer/releases/latest/download/OrcaSlicer_Linux_V2.2.0.AppImage
chmod +x OrcaSlicer_Linux_*.AppImage

2. Move to a permanent location:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/OrcaSlicer
sudo mv OrcaSlicer_Linux_*.AppImage /opt/OrcaSlicer/orca-slicer.AppImage

3. Create desktop entry:

cat > ~/.local/share/applications/orca-slicer.desktop <<EOF
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Orca Slicer
Comment=3D Printer Slicer
Exec=/opt/OrcaSlicer/orca-slicer.AppImage
Icon=orca-slicer
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Graphics;3DGraphics;
EOF

4. Launch Orca Slicer:

/opt/OrcaSlicer/orca-slicer.AppImage

On Windows

1. Download installer from: https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer/releases/latest
2. Run the installer
3. Default install location: C:\Program Files\OrcaSlicer\

On macOS

1. Download DMG from: https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer/releases/latest
2. Drag OrcaSlicer to Applications folder

Profile Sync Setup

Initial Profile Export (from homelab-command computer)

Once you have Orca Slicer installed with your AD5M profiles configured:

# Export profiles to shared location
cd ~/.config/OrcaSlicer  # or check actual config location
cp -r user/* /mnt/3DPrinting/profiles/

Profile Sync Script

Create ~/.local/bin/sync-orca-profiles.sh:

#!/bin/bash
# Sync Orca Slicer profiles with shared network storage

ORCA_CONFIG="$HOME/.config/OrcaSlicer/user"
SHARED_PROFILES="/mnt/3DPrinting/profiles"

case "$1" in
    push)
        echo "Pushing local profiles to shared storage..."
        rsync -av --delete "$ORCA_CONFIG/" "$SHARED_PROFILES/"
        echo "✓ Profiles pushed"
        ;;
    pull)
        echo "Pulling profiles from shared storage..."
        rsync -av --delete "$SHARED_PROFILES/" "$ORCA_CONFIG/"
        echo "✓ Profiles pulled"
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: sync-orca-profiles.sh {push|pull}"
        echo "  push - Upload your local profiles to shared storage"
        echo "  pull - Download shared profiles to your local config"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/.local/bin/sync-orca-profiles.sh

Profile Management Workflow

When you update profiles (any computer):

sync-orca-profiles.sh push

When starting on a new computer or to get latest profiles:

sync-orca-profiles.sh pull

Tip: Add to your shell aliases:

alias orca-push='sync-orca-profiles.sh push'
alias orca-pull='sync-orca-profiles.sh pull'

Orca Slicer Configuration

First Launch Setup

1. Launch Orca Slicer
2. Skip the configuration wizard (we'll import profiles)
3. Pull shared profiles: sync-orca-profiles.sh pull
4. Restart Orca Slicer

Configure Default Paths

In Orca Slicer preferences:

• Default output directory: /mnt/3DPrinting/gcode/queue/
• STL search path: /mnt/3DPrinting/models/

Printer Profile - AD5M

If starting fresh, configure:

• Printer: Generic Ender 3 or Custom
• Bed size: 220 x 220 mm (adjust for your AD5M)
• Build height: 250 mm (adjust for your AD5M)
• Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm (or your actual nozzle)

Workflow for Family Members

Printing a Model

1. Find or add STL file:

   • Browse /mnt/3DPrinting/models/
   • Or add new file to the models folder

2. Slice in Orca Slicer:

   • Open STL from models folder
   • Select printer profile: "AD5M"
   • Select filament profile (PLA, PETG, etc.)
   • Select print profile (quality level)
   • Slice and export to /mnt/3DPrinting/gcode/queue/

3. Send to printer:

   • Copy gcode to SD card, or
   • Use OctoPrint/Mainsail if you set one up (optional)

4. After printing:

   • Move gcode from queue/ to archive/

Sharing New Profiles

If someone creates a great new profile:

sync-orca-profiles.sh push
# Then others can: sync-orca-profiles.sh pull

Advantages of This Setup

✅ Performance: Native app speed, no web lag ✅ No Conflicts: Each user has their own instance ✅ Shared Knowledge: Everyone uses the same tested profiles ✅ Centralized Storage: All files in one place, backed up by OMV ✅ Easy Updates: Sync profiles when they improve ✅ Offline Work: Can slice without network (if files are local)

Optional Enhancements

OctoPrint Integration (Optional)

If you want to skip SD cards and print over network:

1. Install OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi or in a container
2. Connect to AD5M via USB
3. Configure Orca Slicer to upload directly to OctoPrint
4. Everyone can queue prints from anywhere

Automatic Profile Sync (Optional)

Add to crontab to auto-pull profiles daily:

# Add to crontab -e
0 9 * * * /home/fred/.local/bin/sync-orca-profiles.sh pull

Version Control for Profiles (Advanced)

Initialize git in the profiles folder to track changes:

cd /mnt/3DPrinting/profiles
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial profiles"

Troubleshooting

Profiles Not Showing Up

1. Check if share is mounted: df -h | grep 3DPrinting
2. Check Orca Slicer config location: May be ~/.config/OrcaSlicer or ~/.local/share/OrcaSlicer
3. Run sync-orca-profiles.sh pull manually

Permission Issues

# Fix permissions on shared folder
sudo chown -R $USER:users /mnt/3DPrinting
sudo chmod -R 775 /mnt/3DPrinting

Different Orca Slicer Versions

If different computers have different Orca Slicer versions, profiles may have compatibility issues. Keep all installations on the same major version.

Next Steps

• Set up OMV 3DPrinting share
• Mount share on homelab-command computer
• Install Orca Slicer on homelab-command
• Configure AD5M printer profile
• Test print and tune profiles
• Export profiles to shared location
• Install Orca Slicer on family computers
• Test profile sync workflow
• (Optional) Set up OctoPrint for network printing

References

• Orca Slicer GitHub: https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer
• Orca Slicer Documentation: https://github.com/SoftFever/OrcaSlicer/wiki