Full Spectrum Snapmaker Orca

[LukeH]

So I have given in to the hype and ordered myself a Snapmaker U1 tool changer printer. 

Still at least a couple of weeks before my unit turns up, but meanwhile I was looking at the Discord server (as you do), and came across something really interesting.

One of the users who already has their printer noticed that, much like with 2D (paper) printing, if the printed a thin layer of one colour, followed by a thin layer of a different colour, it would look as if there was a layer of a third, different colour. For example, alternating lines of red and green looked as if it was printed in yellow filament.

Some members of the Snapmaker community immediately ran with it and forked a version of Orca they called “Full Spectrum” Snapmaker Orca, where they could use filaments of four colours (since that was a how many tools the U1 has) to produce prints with many more than 4 colours (like 16 colours in one case). 

You can see some of the results in the Redit: https://www.reddit.com/r/snapmaker/comments/1r0i56r/full_spectrum_full_color_slicer_fork_of_snapmaker/

I’m guessing the technique would work for all tool changers. In fact for the Prusa XL, it would be even better because it could use CMYKW (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, and White) for a full range of colours, rather than choosing between CMYK or CMYW (or RBGK and RBGW).

The cost is time, since the layers need to be thin (so the Orca version automatically switches from 0.2mm layer heights to 0.1mm or smaller layers for the blended colours).

[vr...@optonline.net]

One COULD take it one step further - and USE the purging within prints - like when you do color changes - since - at that point - there is ALWAYS a Transitional color within the purges - if you look at Poop Chute output. Then one could really go kinda crazy - and in theory - if controlled VERY Carefully - via the slicer - it MIGHT be possible to have Hundreds to Thousands(based upon matching various filament colors) of output color variations. For instance - doing the purges WITHIN the object - like it could be part of Infill. Then - only have SMALL spots of color at the perimeters - which could potentially then have a face of an object with hundreds of colors! Think of it like a "V" shape - you ONLY see the bottom tip of the "V" on the outside of the part - and the wide top of the V is inside the part. Heck - I could easily see using AI to potentially Post Process a part - to properly create that effect!!!

 

Anyway - I know it's a Wild idea - but, potentially viable - albeit a Limited Use Case!

 

-K

 

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[Kurt]

I like to tell folks that I do my best thinking on the Can or in the Shower. Why? Cause, as a humanoid that must complete those tasks - it's Alone Time - and time to contemplate reality. Although, in my case this morning - it made me late getting out of the shower - but, I still got to work on time...

So - I was thinking - w/4 spools - we have 12 filament combos - as outlined like this:

Now - if you then command the printer to print these kind of interlocking "U" shapes - each representing a Purge between filament changes like this:

Sorry if that sketch is a bit Sketchy. But, you would essentially do like 12 U-shapes. Then, you take a pic of it - and give that to AI - it would then be able to determine color transitions - which would then be applied to a Slicer algorithm - or, a Post-Process type algorithm. Lastly, best infill to do is this one I used at VisionMiner - the one that does all the square type of squiggles(maybe it's like Hilbert curve?). So, most printing would start in the Infill area, and for each section, part of the drawing would be the perimeter. Or - as Whitney noted in last Podcast - one would print ONLY Infill - and NO perimeters. This may sound confusing - but, I kinda have the algorithm process in my head - and If only I could actually implement it - but, sadly - I need an AMS type unit...

-K

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[Luke Hartfiel]

Kurt, 

There is no poop/purge - the Snapmaker U1 is a tool changer unit - each colour has its own dedicated print head and extruder, just like the Prusa XL (Prusa XL effect at P2S combo money). I suspect this is only worthwhile with the speed of a tool changer (a tool changer is like 10 seconds from stopping printing, a short prime, then back to printing, compared to like 90 seconds for a cut, rewind, feed new filament, purge, etc).

Also, there is more than 12 combinations available, since the algorithm allows for combining up to three different filaments. Plus, you can still just use the original four loaded colours. 

Attached is an example print from the Redit (not my print or photo). In this example they used red, yellow, blue and black as the loaded colours, and generated green, purple, and orange.

Apparently it mixes colours using the Kubelka-Monk theory.

Luke

On 25 Feb 2026, at 12:27 am, Kurt <kurt.the...@gmail.com> wrote:



I like to tell folks that I do my best thinking on the Can or in the Shower. Why? Cause, as a humanoid that must complete those tasks - it's Alone Time - and time to contemplate reality. Although, in my case this morning - it made me late getting out of the shower - but, I still got to work on time...

So - I was thinking - w/4 spools - we have 12 filament combos - as outlined like this:

<image.png>

Now - if you then command the printer to print these kind of interlocking "U" shapes - each representing a Purge between filament changes like this:

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[Kurt A 3d]

As you go down this rabbit hole consider looking at the "TD" of your filaments (see fillamentcolors.xyz ) - and hue forge ---  

Kurt-A

[markni...@gmail.com]

Kurt,

I'm not sure I understand what this has to do with your hemeroid.

[Luke Hartfiel]

Kurt A,

Hueforge is similar, I guess, except with Hueforge it basically produces a flat image, and you look down through all of the semi-transparent layers to see different colours. This is more a surface effect, a bit like a 2D paper printer (particularly a colour laser printer) using adjacent dots of coloured toner to get different colour effects on a page, without actually physically mixing the colours.

As it turns out, I read somewhere that the creator of Hueforge offered assistance with this Full Spectrum Snapmaker Orca idea. 

On 25 Feb 2026, at 6:55 am, Kurt A 3d <kur...@gmail.com> wrote:

As you go down this rabbit hole consider looking at the "TD" of your filaments (see fillamentcolors.xyz ) - and hue forge ---  

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[Bryan Eckert]

Wonder if I could get that working on my H2C since the slicer is forked off. That's pretty cool.

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[Kurt]

Glad that comment was NOT aimed at me - but, at the Doppleganger! Not sure where you got the Hemorrhoid reference though...

-K

[markni...@gmail.com]

Kurt 1,

That comment was aimed at you.

Must be my dyslexia, I misread humanoid as hemerroid.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

OMG Mark - you made me laugh SO HARD! 

Yeah - Humanoid - Now Look into the Void!!!

-K

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Luke - I am NOT your Father!

And - YEAH - I blew it BIG TIME! My concept was NOT for a Tool-Changer. I had things mixed up in my head - as I KNOW a Tool-Changer does NOT need to Purge. Well, in fact, it in theory kind of does - but, not the same as an AMS. The IDEX machines at Essentium - were kinda like tool changers - just 2 heads. But, when a Head had to prep to print - we WERE doing purges - in prep to bring a head in to print. I was DEEPLY involved with that - before the co. imploded - Sadly...

-K

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Darn - I wanted to also say - that BIRD looked AMAZING with the Mixed colors - the Purple and Orange looked GREAT! I am AMAZED at this technique and what they can do - I am truly Blown Away!!!!

Thanks Luke for Sharing! 

Sorry I blew it with my original replies - Totally in the Wrong direction...

BUT - My idea still holds GREAT Value for an AMS type unit printer!!!

-K

On Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 2:51:48 PM UTC-5 Luke Hartfiel wrote:

[Luke Hartfiel]

Kurt,

It could be done with an AMS, I suppose, but the killers would be the time cost (adding hundreds/thousands of 90-second filament changes adds up) and filament waste.

Regards,

Luke

On 25 Feb 2026, at 12:12 pm, Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

Darn - I wanted to also say - that BIRD looked AMAZING with the Mixed colors - the Purple and Orange looked GREAT! I am AMAZED at this technique and what they can do - I am truly Blown Away!!!!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/58a51bc3-5af4-4fee-8eef-df012a935609n%40googlegroups.com.

[Luke Hartfiel]

Bryan,

You probably could, but I’m not sure what the benefit would be? It is going to be crazy slow on a H2C…

On 25 Feb 2026, at 7:50 am, Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com> wrote:



Wonder if I could get that working on my H2C since the slicer is forked off. That's pretty cool.

On Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 2:51 PM Luke Hartfiel <lhar...@gmail.com> wrote:

Kurt, 

There is no poop/purge - the Snapmaker U1 is a tool changer unit - each colour has its own dedicated print head and extruder, just like the Prusa XL (Prusa XL effect at P2S combo money). I suspect this is only worthwhile with the speed of a tool changer (a tool changer is like 10 seconds from stopping printing, a short prime, then back to printing, compared to like 90 seconds for a cut, rewind, feed new filament, purge, etc).

Also, there is more than 12 combinations available, since the algorithm allows for combining up to three different filaments. Plus, you can still just use the original four loaded colours. 

Attached is an example print from the Redit (not my print or photo). In this example they used red, yellow, blue and black as the loaded colours, and generated green, purple, and orange.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/CANjNy1VBChTAxPv3Zn0mBVRsyPxnBWw_zGzz_W%3DCTesUTHVNJQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Bryan Eckert]

Luke, that would depend on the changes. Swaps between the extruders take less time than the U1 or XL toolhead swaps. Like the mandala print that took his toolchanger 8 some hours, my H2C did in 5.5 hours because I set it up to have most swaps between the two extruders.

This particular print would take a bit since there is mixing of multiple colors on a lot of the layers. But a model mixing 2 colors into 3 colors would be faster.

[Luke Hartfiel]

Bryan,

If you were using two filaments to produce three colours, which is the only time on a H2C you wouldn’t engage the AMS, it would probably still take longer than on a tool changer, since in order to simulate a 0.2mm layer of the third colour, you would need to print at least two 0.1mm layers of the two filaments, where for a third colour the tool changer would just print one 0.2mm layer of a third filament. From the videos I’ve seen, it seems to take at least 10 seconds or more for the H2D or H2C to switch from the left to the right nozzle (or vice versa, from when it stops printing the model to when it is back printing the model). Longer than a tool changer takes to change tools, plus it would have to do it twice, for every double layer of simulated colour, compared to once for the tool changer.

On 26 Feb 2026, at 1:18 am, Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com> wrote:



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