OrcaCubic

OrcaCubic is an experimental fork of OrcaSlicer for the Anycubic Kobra X, adding local network printing and support for its four-slot filament system.

It combines OrcaSlicer's slicing workflow with selected printer-integration ideas from Anycubic Slicer Next and KX-Bridge. The goal is a single desktop application for slicing, material matching, LAN upload, print start, monitoring, and printer control.

Download the current Windows installer, Windows portable build, or Linux AppImage from GitHub Releases.

The current Linux package targets x86-64 Ubuntu 24.04 and compatible distributions. Download the .AppImage, make it executable, and open it:

chmod +x OrcaCubic_Linux_AppImage_*.AppImage
./OrcaCubic_Linux_AppImage_*.AppImage

Linux packaging is new and has passed the automated build, package-integrity, dependency, and extraction checks. The Kobra X Device dashboard and physical print workflow still need validation on a Linux desktop, so use the Linux package as an experimental release and report any issues.

The Windows release is currently unsigned. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning; verify the SHA-256 checksums published with the release before running it.

• Connects to the printer over your local network.
• Sends sliced jobs directly from OrcaCubic.
• Lets you check and change which ACE slot will be used for each color before printing.
• Keeps the printer's connection information private on your computer.

Before a multi-material job starts, OrcaCubic shows the project tools and live printer slots so each sliced color can be assigned explicitly. It auto-suggests compatible slots by material and color, allows manual changes, and blocks invalid material mappings instead of silently choosing another slot.

The Device tab provides an Anycubic-style dashboard with:

• live print progress, layer, elapsed time, and remaining time;
• opt-in camera streaming and chamber/camera light controls;
• nozzle and bed temperatures, fan control, cooldown, and preheat presets;
• Quiet, Standard, Sport, and Ludicrous speed modes;
• pause, resume, and cancel controls;
• X/Y/Z movement, homing, motor release, extrusion, and retraction;
• a controlled Run G-code File workflow;
• device information and printer alerts;
• movement controls locked while a job is printing or paused.

• From Slicer sends the current OrcaCubic filament definitions and colors to the printer's four slots.
• To Slicer imports the printer's live slot materials and colors into the slicer.
• Solid, gradient, and luminous color definitions are supported.
• The material picker includes material, brand, finish, swatches, custom colors, and spool preview.
• Material cards update when a slot is changed directly on the printer.

• Print upload and startup are handled in the background to prevent the crash seen in early builds.
• Private printer connection information is not shown in error messages or logs.
• The camera remains off until you select Start Stream.
• Movement and extrusion controls are disabled while a print is active or paused.
• Your selected color-to-slot assignments are preserved when the print starts.

1. Put the Kobra X and the computer on the same trusted local network.
2. In OrcaCubic, select or create the Anycubic Kobra X printer profile.
3. Open Printer settings → Physical printer.
4. Choose Anycubic as the print host type and enter the printer's LAN IP address.
5. Use Test to verify the direct connection.
6. Slice a plate, select Print, review the material-to-ACE mappings, and start the job.

• Hardware validation currently covers only Kobra X firmware 2.0.1.9.
• The printer may still perform some preparation steps when a Remote Print calibration option is disabled because those steps are controlled by its firmware.
• Windows releases are not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may display a warning.

• Flatpak package: planned as a future Linux installation option after its application identity, sandbox permissions, and Kobra X connection workflow have been validated. See the Flatpak validation checklist.
• Anycubic Cloud printing: investigated as a possible optional connection mode for printing outside the local network. It is not implemented or supported yet. See the cloud-printing investigation and validation checklist.

See BUILD_WIN.md to build OrcaCubic on Windows. Additional upstream build information is available in the OrcaSlicer documentation.

OrcaCubic exists because of these projects and their contributors:

• OrcaSlicer — the upstream slicer and foundation of this fork.
• AnycubicSlicerNext — reference for Anycubic-oriented workflows, UI behavior, and printer integration.
• KX-Bridge — Kobra X LAN protocol research and bridge behavior that informed this integration.

Thank you to all maintainers, reverse engineers, testers, and contributors who made that work available.

OrcaCubic follows OrcaSlicer's GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 terms. See LICENSE.txt for details.

OrcaCubic is an independent community project. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anycubic or the OrcaSlicer maintainers.