Slicer Meta Parser

A TypeScript library for parsing metadata from 3D printing slicer files

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Supported File Formats

File Format	Extension	Description
G-Code	.gcode, .g	Standard G-Code files from various slicers
GX Binary	.gx	FlashForge binary format with embedded thumbnails
3MF Archive	.3mf	ZIP-based 3D manufacturing format with metadata

Supported Slicers

Slicer	Detection	Metadata Support
FlashPrint	Header-based	Full support for printer model, filament type, timestamps
Orca-FlashForge	Header-based	Advanced metadata including detailed filament tracking
OrcaSlicer	Header-based	Block-based metadata with Base64 thumbnails
Legacy GX	Format-based	Binary format with embedded G-Code parsing

Feature Coverage

Feature	G-Code	GX Binary	3MF Archive
Slicer Detection	Yes	Yes	Yes
Version & Timestamp	Yes	Yes	Yes
Print Time (ETA)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filament Usage (mm/g)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filament Type	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filament Color	No	No	Yes
Multiple Filaments	Limited	Limited	Yes
Printer Model	Yes	Yes	Yes
Thumbnail Extraction	Base64	Binary	Base64
Support Detection	No	No	Yes
Model File Names	No	No	Yes
Plate Images	No	No	Yes

Parsing Capabilities

Capability	Description
Auto-Detection	Automatically detects file type based on extension
Universal Interface	Single function handles all supported formats
Slicer Identification	Determines slicer type from file headers
Metadata Extraction	Parses comments and embedded metadata blocks
Thumbnail Processing	Extracts and decodes Base64 encoded images
Unit Conversion	Converts filament usage to meters automatically
Filtered Results	Shows only filaments actually used in print
Binary Parsing	Handles GX binary format with embedded G-Code
Archive Processing	Unzips and parses 3MF container structure

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Installation

Configure npm to use the GitHub Packages registry by adding the following to a .npmrc file in your project root:

@parallel-7:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com/

Install the package:

npm install @parallel-7/slicer-meta

You will need to authenticate with GitHub Packages to download private packages.

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Basic Usage

The primary method for parsing slicer files is the parseSlicerFile function, which automatically handles all supported file formats:

import { parseSlicerFile } from '@parallel-7/slicer-meta';

async function main() {
  try {
    const filePath = 'path/to/your/file.gcode';
    const metadata = await parseSlicerFile(filePath);

    console.log('Slicer Info:', metadata.slicer);
    console.log('File Info:', metadata.file);

    if (metadata.threeMf) {
      console.log('3MF Specific Info:', metadata.threeMf);
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to parse file:', error);
  }
}

main();

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Advanced Usage Examples

Parsing G-Code Files

import { GCodeParser } from '@parallel-7/slicer-meta';

async function parseGCode() {
  const parser = new GCodeParser();
  await parser.parse('path/to/your/file.gcode');

  console.log('Slicer Info:', parser.slicerInfo);
  console.log('File Info:', parser.fileInfo);
  console.log('Print ETA:', parser.slicerInfo?.printEta);
  console.log('Filament Used:', parser.fileInfo?.filamentUsedMM, 'mm');
}

parseGCode();

Parsing 3MF Archives

import { ThreeMfParser } from '@parallel-7/slicer-meta';

function parse3MF() {
  const parser = new ThreeMfParser();
  parser.parse('path/to/your/file.3mf');

  console.log('Printer Model:', parser.printerModelId);
  console.log('Support Used:', parser.supportUsed);
  console.log('Model Files:', parser.fileNames);
  console.log('Filaments:', parser.filaments);

  if (parser.plateImage) {
    console.log('Plate thumbnail available');
  }
}

parse3MF();

Parsing GX Binary Files

import { GXParser } from '@parallel-7/slicer-meta';

async function parseGX() {
  const parser = new GXParser();
  await parser.parse('path/to/your/file.gx');

  console.log('Printer Model:', parser.fileInfo?.printerModel);
  console.log('Filament Type:', parser.fileInfo?.filamentType);

  if (parser.fileInfo?.thumbnail) {
    console.log('Thumbnail extracted from binary format');
  }
}

parseGX();

Working with Multiple Filaments

import { parseSlicerFile } from '@parallel-7/slicer-meta';

async function analyzeFilaments() {
  const metadata = await parseSlicerFile('path/to/multi-filament.3mf');

  if (metadata.file?.filaments) {
    metadata.file.filaments.forEach((filament, index) => {
      console.log(`Filament ${index + 1}:`);
      console.log(`  Type: ${filament.type}`);
      console.log(`  Color: ${filament.color}`);
      console.log(`  Used: ${filament.usedM}m (${filament.usedG}g)`);
    });
  }
}

analyzeFilaments();

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Available Parsers

Parser	File Types	Use Case
GCodeParser	.gcode, .g	Universal G-Code parser with auto-detection
FlashPrintParser	.gcode	FlashPrint-specific G-Code files
OrcaFlashForgeParser	.gcode	Orca Slicer / Orca-FlashForge files
GXParser	.gx	FlashForge binary format files
ThreeMfParser	.3mf	3MF archive files (optimized for Orca Slicer)

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Return Data Structure

Slicer Metadata

Field	Type	Description
slicerName	string	Name of the slicer software
slicerVersion	string	Version of the slicer
sliceDate	string	Date when file was sliced
sliceTime	string	Time when file was sliced
printEta	string | null	Estimated print time
slicer	SlicerType	Enum identifying slicer type

File Metadata

Field	Type	Description
thumbnail	string | null	Base64 encoded thumbnail image
filamentUsedMM	number	Total filament used in millimeters
filamentUsedG	number	Total filament used in grams
filamentType	string	Primary filament material type
printerModel	string	Target printer model
sliceSoft	SlicerType	Slicer type enum
filaments	FilamentInfo[]	Array of detailed filament info

3MF Specific Data

Field	Type	Description
printerModelId	string	Printer model identifier
supportUsed	boolean	Whether support structures are used
fileNames	string[]	Array of model file names in archive
filaments	FilamentInfo[]	Detailed per-filament information
plateImage	string | null	Base64 encoded plate preview image

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