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OrcaSlicer supports Bambu printers already. Does anyone have any better sources for what this other fork supposedly did? EDIT: I’m not going to sit through ano

OrcaSlicer supports Bambu printers already. Does anyone have any better sources for what this other fork supposedly did? EDIT: I’m not going to sit through another angry Louis Rossmann video, but from what I can see someone tried to make a branch of OrcaSlicer that interacted directly with Bambu’s private cloud APIs to impersonate Bambu Studio. I don’t agree with the legal threats but this case is about connecting to their non-public cloud APIs, not connecting to the printer directly.

exitb 6mo ago
Some time ago the printers were able to communicate over both cloud and local protocols. Then, in a firmware update, they created distinct modes for those. You can still use the printers with OrcaSlicer, but in a mode that prevents being controlled by cloud too.
- ben-schaaf 6mo ago
  Note that at least for now you can also downgrade the firmware and use the "legacy" plugin with OrcaSlicer to fully restore functionality.
- hamdingers 6mo ago
  This is a feature. When I enable LAN mode I do not want Bambu to be able to control my printer. It remains astonishing to me that this is controversial. Not everyone has the knowhow to block internet access to their printer, so having a toggle in firmware is terrific. I've verified after turning it on that it never phones home. Couldn't be happier.
  - exitb 6mo ago
    It’s fully understandable to want that and exactly what I use too. It still sucks for people that did want to start their prints locally and control them over the app.
  - nullc 6mo ago
    Almost no one meaningfully isolates their bambu-- lots of people isolate the printer but bambu makes you run their mystery meat 'network plugin' on your host. Unless you're running qubes or some other virtualization setup their network plugin punctures whatever airgap you put around the printer and also gives them access to your system as well.
    - snailmailman 6mo ago
      I’ve been meaning to look into what the network plugin does more. I see in my dns logs lots of repeated blocked requests to a Bambu labs domain whenever I have orcaslicer open. I assume it’s so many because it’s getting blocked and retrying. I just print over lan though. Not using the Bambu servers (or the fork mentioned in OP) It works flawlessly.
  - josephcsible 6mo ago
    The issue isn't that there's a toggle to turn off the cloud protocol in firmware. The issue is specifically that they now require you to turn off the cloud protocol if you want local access.
jonpurdy 6mo ago
Very useful comment. I’ve had an A1 Mini for a year now and it has been my favourite purchase in years. Like when I got my first mobile phone, I feel like I’ll have some sort of 3d printer for the rest of my life. Bambu made it super easy and inexpensive for this to happen. I’m completely against bullying and attempts to lock out open source software from using 3d printers directly; if they locked out OrcaSlicer from direct control I’d have a big problem with that. But trying to interact directly with Bambu’s private infrastructure/APis seems reasonable for Bambu to block. I think a cease and desist might backfire on Bambu but i don’t think it’s unreadable. (Didn’t watch the video. Just getting context from parent comment. )
- stavros 6mo ago
  It's not like you have a choice, the printer doesn't work locally unless you enable LAN mode, and then it only works locally. Bambu make you pick either "closed servers" or "the mobile app doesn't work" for no reason. I'll chip in to this developer's legal defense fund because I want to be able to do whatever I want with my printer, and "I can't do what I want with my printer" is a bigger problem for me right now than "the developer made a TCP connection on my behalf to a server he didn't own".
  - switchbak 6mo ago
    But we’re geeks, we can run tailscale on the local lan and access it anywhere, no? Obviously that’s not for everyone, but that’s workable for savvy users, no?
    - hamdingers 6mo ago
      There's a wonderful Home Assistant integration that has all the monitoring features one could want.
    - stavros 6mo ago
      Yeah man I don't know, if the argument is "it's fine for Bambu not to make a trivial change to allow openness because I can set up a home Linux server that runs 24/7 with OpenVPN and iptables", I'll say this is the reason everything's closed now, because geeks like us didn't shout about it until the last of our hacked-together spit-and-duct-tape solution stopped working, by which point it was too late. I don't accept any "it's fine because you can hack around it". If it needs me to choose between their phone app working or privacy, it's not fucking open enough.
RobotToaster 6mo ago
Bambu's proprietary networking plugin uses the agpl libraries from slic3r/prusaslicer, by not releasing the source code they're violating the AGPL.
- X-Istence 6mo ago
  Where is the proof for that? I am interested in learning more about the network plugin! I was under the impression it did not use any AGPL code at all, and that it basically just talked HTTP.
dspillett 6mo ago
> I’m not going to sit through another angry Louis Rossmann video Try https://youtu.be/0tdZ5Z7nRDY?si=vjnJ90p6ba_Xik9B https://youtu.be/0tdZ5Z7nRDY?si=vjnJ90p6ba_Xik9B for a less emotive take on this specific case, and the closely related matter of Bambu's attempt to circumvent some of AGPL's protections.
- Aurornis 6mo ago
  Since you’re familiar with the topic, any sources that are not YouTube videos?
  - dspillett 6mo ago
    Not that contain any information not covered in the above, or aren't LLM summaries of summaries of the matter, unfortunately. At least not that I've seen thus far. Such is the current timeline, where everything has to be a monetizable video, slop, or both…
xattt 6mo ago
Although local LAN control is still unhindered, browsing the filesystem on the printer from the slicer is locked behind cloud mode. Getting cloud mode means using Bambu Studio. Getting Bambu Studio means one more notch in slowly getting locked into the walled Bambu garden.
- fileoffset 6mo ago
  doesn't the bambu have a built in FTP server?
  - xattt 6mo ago
    Well now, this is a nice surprise. I had no idea, as it’s not very obvious.
    - vablings 6mo ago
      There is FTP server, you can stream the camera feed and also there is mqtt for notifcations when a print stops/alarms out The local only mode is very good, it's not first class but for people who care its functional as all hell
jwr 6mo ago
> OrcaSlicer supports Bambu printers already No, it doesn't. It used to, but then Bambu Labs "for security reasons" (as always) removed access to their "network plugin". There is a lot of confusion around this, so: you lose access to bambu cloud, so quick upload, remote printing, remote monitoring of prints, synchronization of filament data, and lots of other useful features. You get a half-baked "throw it over the wall" way of sending files to your printer using a standalone Bambu executable (largely neglected). Note that this does not provide a way to synchronize the filament list to your slicer before slicing, which is useful and important. You also get a "developer/LAN mode", which is an either/or proposition. If you turn it on, you lose cloud features. No more remote monitoring of your prints using your phone. I find it very annoying that Bambu managed to implant this shallow take of "you can use LAN mode so things are fine" in people's minds.
- miladyincontrol 6mo ago
  I just use the bambu plugin to home assistant and I have 90% of the relevant cloud functionality. Is it perfect or the ideal solution? Not quite, but it does let me have a fully local bambu printer with any theoretical calling home blocked at a network level.
h4kunamata 6mo ago
OrcaSlicer is the fork, he just avoid touching BambuLab ecosystem. The other thing he released is a klipper firmware for the AMS, BambuLab of course are not happy.

exitb 6mo ago

Some time ago the printers were able to communicate over both cloud and local protocols. Then, in a firmware update, they created distinct modes for those. You can still use the printers with OrcaSlicer, but in a mode that prevents being controlled by cloud too.

ben-schaaf 6mo ago
Note that at least for now you can also downgrade the firmware and use the "legacy" plugin with OrcaSlicer to fully restore functionality.
hamdingers 6mo ago
This is a feature. When I enable LAN mode I do not want Bambu to be able to control my printer. It remains astonishing to me that this is controversial. Not everyone has the knowhow to block internet access to their printer, so having a toggle in firmware is terrific. I've verified after turning it on that it never phones home. Couldn't be happier.
- exitb 6mo ago
  It’s fully understandable to want that and exactly what I use too. It still sucks for people that did want to start their prints locally and control them over the app.
- nullc 6mo ago
  Almost no one meaningfully isolates their bambu-- lots of people isolate the printer but bambu makes you run their mystery meat 'network plugin' on your host. Unless you're running qubes or some other virtualization setup their network plugin punctures whatever airgap you put around the printer and also gives them access to your system as well.
  - snailmailman 6mo ago
    I’ve been meaning to look into what the network plugin does more. I see in my dns logs lots of repeated blocked requests to a Bambu labs domain whenever I have orcaslicer open. I assume it’s so many because it’s getting blocked and retrying. I just print over lan though. Not using the Bambu servers (or the fork mentioned in OP) It works flawlessly.
- josephcsible 6mo ago
  The issue isn't that there's a toggle to turn off the cloud protocol in firmware. The issue is specifically that they now require you to turn off the cloud protocol if you want local access.

jonpurdy 6mo ago

Very useful comment. I’ve had an A1 Mini for a year now and it has been my favourite purchase in years. Like when I got my first mobile phone, I feel like I’ll have some sort of 3d printer for the rest of my life. Bambu made it super easy and inexpensive for this to happen. I’m completely against bullying and attempts to lock out open source software from using 3d printers directly; if they locked out OrcaSlicer from direct control I’d have a big problem with that. But trying to interact directly with Bambu’s private infrastructure/APis seems reasonable for Bambu to block. I think a cease and desist might backfire on Bambu but i don’t think it’s unreadable. (Didn’t watch the video. Just getting context from parent comment. )

stavros 6mo ago
It's not like you have a choice, the printer doesn't work locally unless you enable LAN mode, and then it only works locally. Bambu make you pick either "closed servers" or "the mobile app doesn't work" for no reason. I'll chip in to this developer's legal defense fund because I want to be able to do whatever I want with my printer, and "I can't do what I want with my printer" is a bigger problem for me right now than "the developer made a TCP connection on my behalf to a server he didn't own".
- switchbak 6mo ago
  But we’re geeks, we can run tailscale on the local lan and access it anywhere, no? Obviously that’s not for everyone, but that’s workable for savvy users, no?
  - hamdingers 6mo ago
    There's a wonderful Home Assistant integration that has all the monitoring features one could want.
  - stavros 6mo ago
    Yeah man I don't know, if the argument is "it's fine for Bambu not to make a trivial change to allow openness because I can set up a home Linux server that runs 24/7 with OpenVPN and iptables", I'll say this is the reason everything's closed now, because geeks like us didn't shout about it until the last of our hacked-together spit-and-duct-tape solution stopped working, by which point it was too late. I don't accept any "it's fine because you can hack around it". If it needs me to choose between their phone app working or privacy, it's not fucking open enough.

RobotToaster 6mo ago

Bambu's proprietary networking plugin uses the agpl libraries from slic3r/prusaslicer, by not releasing the source code they're violating the AGPL.

X-Istence 6mo ago
Where is the proof for that? I am interested in learning more about the network plugin! I was under the impression it did not use any AGPL code at all, and that it basically just talked HTTP.

dspillett 6mo ago

> I’m not going to sit through another angry Louis Rossmann video Try https://youtu.be/0tdZ5Z7nRDY?si=vjnJ90p6ba_Xik9B https://youtu.be/0tdZ5Z7nRDY?si=vjnJ90p6ba_Xik9B for a less emotive take on this specific case, and the closely related matter of Bambu's attempt to circumvent some of AGPL's protections.

Aurornis 6mo ago
Since you’re familiar with the topic, any sources that are not YouTube videos?
- dspillett 6mo ago
  Not that contain any information not covered in the above, or aren't LLM summaries of summaries of the matter, unfortunately. At least not that I've seen thus far. Such is the current timeline, where everything has to be a monetizable video, slop, or both…

xattt 6mo ago

Although local LAN control is still unhindered, browsing the filesystem on the printer from the slicer is locked behind cloud mode. Getting cloud mode means using Bambu Studio. Getting Bambu Studio means one more notch in slowly getting locked into the walled Bambu garden.

fileoffset 6mo ago
doesn't the bambu have a built in FTP server?
- xattt 6mo ago
  Well now, this is a nice surprise. I had no idea, as it’s not very obvious.
  - vablings 6mo ago
    There is FTP server, you can stream the camera feed and also there is mqtt for notifcations when a print stops/alarms out The local only mode is very good, it's not first class but for people who care its functional as all hell

jwr 6mo ago

> OrcaSlicer supports Bambu printers already No, it doesn't. It used to, but then Bambu Labs "for security reasons" (as always) removed access to their "network plugin". There is a lot of confusion around this, so: you lose access to bambu cloud, so quick upload, remote printing, remote monitoring of prints, synchronization of filament data, and lots of other useful features. You get a half-baked "throw it over the wall" way of sending files to your printer using a standalone Bambu executable (largely neglected). Note that this does not provide a way to synchronize the filament list to your slicer before slicing, which is useful and important. You also get a "developer/LAN mode", which is an either/or proposition. If you turn it on, you lose cloud features. No more remote monitoring of your prints using your phone. I find it very annoying that Bambu managed to implant this shallow take of "you can use LAN mode so things are fine" in people's minds.

miladyincontrol 6mo ago
I just use the bambu plugin to home assistant and I have 90% of the relevant cloud functionality. Is it perfect or the ideal solution? Not quite, but it does let me have a fully local bambu printer with any theoretical calling home blocked at a network level.

h4kunamata 6mo ago

OrcaSlicer is the fork, he just avoid touching BambuLab ecosystem. The other thing he released is a klipper firmware for the AMS, BambuLab of course are not happy.