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After slicing completes, the Slice Preview interface allows you to inspect each layer of your sliced model to verify everything looks correct before printing.

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Preview Interface

The slice preview is displayed in the Slice Operation panel after a successful slice operation.
The preview appears almost instantly after slicing completes since mslicer is optimized for speed - typically just 2-10 seconds for most models.

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Preview Features

Layer Navigation

Scrub through layers one at a time or jump to specific layers

Zoom & Pan

Zoom in to inspect fine details and pan to view different areas

Island Detection

Detect and highlight disconnected geometry that may fail during printing

Print Statistics

View estimated print time and resin volume

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Layer Navigation

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Layer Slider

The vertical slider on the left side of the preview allows you to scrub through layers:
  • Drag the slider to move through layers
  • Click anywhere on the slider to jump to that layer
  • Current layer is highlighted with a rounded rectangle handle
Implementation (slice_operation.rs:270): 
let slider = Slider::new(&mut result.slice_preview_layer, 1..=info.layers as usize)
    .vertical()
    .handle_shape(HandleShape::Rect { aspect_ratio: 1.0 })
    .show_value(false)

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Layer Counter

The layer counter shows the current layer and total layer count: 
0042/1234
  • Use the up arrow (⌃) button to increment the layer
  • Use the down arrow (⌄) button to decrement the layer
  • Or drag the number to quickly scrub through layers
Layers are numbered starting from 1 (not 0) for user-friendly display.

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Zoom and Pan Controls

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Zooming

Scroll with your mouse wheel or trackpad to zoom in and out:
  • Zoom is centered on the cursor position
  • Zoom range: 0.5x to 10x
  • Smooth scrolling supported
Implementation (slice_operation.rs:241): 
let scroll = ui.input(|x| x.smooth_scroll_delta);
result.preview_scale = (result.preview_scale + scroll.y * 0.01).clamp(0.5, 10.0);

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Panning

Drag with the mouse to pan the view:
  • Works at any zoom level
  • Preview offset is maintained when changing layers
  • Smooth dragging with instant visual feedback

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Reset View

Click the ⌗ Reset View button to return to the default zoom and position: 
result.preview_offset = Vector2::zeros();
result.preview_scale = 1.0;

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Layer Rendering

Layers are decoded and rendered on-demand for efficient memory usage.

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On-Demand Decoding

When you navigate to a new layer (slice_operation.rs:204):
  1. Check if the current layer needs updating
  2. Allocate a buffer for the layer data
  3. Decode the layer from the compressed format
  4. Decode any annotations (islands)
  5. Upload to GPU for rendering
if result.last_preview_layer != result.slice_preview_layer {
    result.last_preview_layer = result.slice_preview_layer;
    let size = (width * height) as usize;
    
    let mut layer = vec![0u8; size];
    let layer_idx = result.slice_preview_layer - 1;
    result.file.decode_layer(layer_idx, &mut layer);
}
Only the currently visible layer is kept in memory, allowing preview of files that would be tens of gigabytes when fully decompressed.

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Island Detection

Islands are disconnected chunks of material that may fail during printing because they’re not attached to anything below them.

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Running Island Detection

Click ⊕ Detect Islands to analyze the sliced model: 
⊕ Detect Islands
Island detection can take 10-30 seconds depending on model complexity and layer count. It runs as a background task.

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Island Visualization

In the Preview:
  • Disconnected regions are colored red
  • Islands are overlaid on the normal layer display
On the Slider:
  • Layers containing islands are marked with red indicators
  • The current layer handle expands to show islands clearly
  • Jump directly to problematic layers
Implementation (slice_operation.rs:293): 
for i in 0..info.layers {
    if annotations.contains(i as usize) {
        // Draw red indicator on slider
        let rect = Rect::from_center_size(pos(t), Vec2::new(width, slice * 2.0));
        painter.rect_filled(rect, 0, ISLAND_COLOR);
    }
}
Island detection results are stored in the annotations layer, which is decoded separately from the main layer data.
The bottom toolbar shows important print statistics: 
🕐 2h 34m
Estimated total print time based on:
  • Exposure time per layer
  • Lift and retract speeds
  • Layer count
  • First layer vs. normal layer exposure settings

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Resin Volume

💧 24.35 ml
Estimated resin consumption in milliliters (ml):
  • Calculated by counting lit pixels (voxels)
  • Converted to volume using printer resolution
  • Displayed in cubic centimeters (1 cm³ = 1 ml)
Implementation (slice_operation.rs:152): 
let volume = result.volume.get::<Centimeter>(); // cm³ = ml
ui.label(format!("{DROP} {volume:.2} ml"));
These are estimates. Actual resin usage may vary due to supports, hollowing, and printer-specific factors.

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Completion Summary

After slicing completes, you’ll see a summary: 
Slicing completed in 4.23s!
Showing:
  • Total slicing time
  • Number of layers generated
  • Success status

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Saving and Exporting

From the slice preview, you can:

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Save to File

Click 💾 Save to save the sliced file:
  1. Choose a location and filename
  2. The file extension is automatically added
  3. File is written with progress tracking
Large files (500MB+) may take 10-30 seconds to write depending on your storage speed.

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Send to Printer

Click ✉ Send to Printer to upload via network (requires Remote Print):
  1. Select a connected printer from the list
  2. Enter a filename
  3. File is uploaded and sent to the printer
See Remote Printing for details.
Only .goo and .ctb formats support the preview interface. SVG and NanoDLP formats do not show previews.

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Supported Formats

Preview support by format:
FormatPreview SupportNotes
GOO✓Full preview support
CTB✓Full preview support
NanoDLP✗No preview available
SVG✗Vector format, no raster preview

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Performance Tips

Fast Layer Switching

Layers are decoded on-demand, so switching between layers is instant

GPU Accelerated

Preview rendering uses GPU shaders for smooth zoom and pan even at high resolutions

Slicing Engine

Learn how the slicing engine works

Remote Printing

Send sliced files directly to your printer

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