Orca Cloud Help Guide ¶

Orca Cloud is a centralized cloud platform for keeping your 3D printing profiles in sync and sharing selected profiles, bundles, and plugins with the community.

This guide walks new OrcaSlicer users through signing in to Orca Cloud, managing synced profiles, creating and managing Shared Bundles, browsing community bundles in Explore, subscribing to bundles, using Plugins to share or discover OrcaSlicer extensions, and updating account settings.

What is Orca Cloud? ¶

Orca Cloud keeps your OrcaSlicer profiles synchronized and gives you explicit ways to share profile bundles and plugins with other users. Shared Bundles can include printer, filament, and process profiles, while Plugins give creators a place to publish script or wheel-based extensions with descriptions, compatibility details, screenshots, and update history.

Before You Begin ¶

Before using Orca Cloud, make sure the following are ready:

• Use a supported OrcaSlicer build: Orca Cloud is available starting with the OrcaSlicer 2.4.0 release.

• Disable Stealth mode: Orca Cloud is not available while OrcaSlicer is in Stealth mode. Disable Stealth mode so the Orca Cloud login panel appears in Home View.

• Connect to the internet: Orca Cloud requires an active internet connection to sign in, sync profiles, browse Explore, and share bundles.

• Sign in or create an account: You need an Orca Cloud account before profiles, bundles, and subscriptions can sync across devices.

• Prepare your local profiles: Printer, filament, and process profiles sync from OrcaSlicer after you sign in. If you want specific profiles to appear in Orca Cloud, create or import them in OrcaSlicer first.

• Refresh sync when needed: If recent changes do not appear immediately, restart OrcaSlicer or use Sync Presets from the system file menu.

Orca Cloud Setup ¶

Start in OrcaSlicer, then sign in or create an Orca Cloud account.

1. Launch OrcaSlicer.

   

2. Click Login / Register.

   

3. Register by creating a new account, then click Create account.

   

4. You can also sign up with one of the available third-party options: Google, Apple, or GitHub.

   

5. After signing in, open Orca Cloud from cloud.orcaslicer.com or by clicking the Orca Cloud menu button in OrcaSlicer.

   

6. The Orca Cloud interface opens in your browser.

   

Profiles ¶

Profiles let you view and manage the printer, filament, and process profiles that sync automatically from OrcaSlicer after you log in to Orca Cloud. This keeps profile data available across different machines or OrcaSlicer instances without manually moving configuration files.

Navigate Profiles ¶

Use the Profiles page to inspect synced presets and review profile metadata.

1. Open the Profiles tab in the left side of the Orca Cloud web interface.

   

2. The Profiles interface shows all synced profiles in the left panel and the selected profile metadata in the right panel.

   

3. Each profile row shows the profile name, profile type, and last updated date and time.

   

4. Search for a specific profile, or filter the list by Printer, Filament, or Process.

   

5. Click the profile you want to review. In this example, only process profiles are shown because the Process filter is selected.

   

6. Use the options at the bottom of the metadata pane as needed:

   • Copy raw JSON: Copies the JSON contents so you can paste them into a local text editor while preserving the structure.

   • History: Opens version history for the selected profile.

Manage Profile History ¶

The History option lets you review previous versions of a selected profile, compare a version against the current profile, and restore a selected version when needed. Restored changes sync back to OrcaSlicer after restarting OrcaSlicer or using Sync Presets from the system file menu.

1. Click History next to Copy raw JSON.

   

2. The profile history interface opens.

   

3. Use the left timeline panel to select a file version. The right panel shows a side-by-side comparison between the selected version and the current version.

4. For easier tracking, click the Add Label icon to add a label and description to a version.

   

5. Hover over a label in the timeline to view the description as a tooltip.

   

6. Click Labeled Only to show only versions that have user-defined labels.

   

7. To update the current profile to a previous version, click Restore to selected in the top-right corner of the comparison panel.

   

8. After restoring, Orca Cloud creates a new timestamp entry in the timeline and updates the current version to match the selected version.

   

Deleting Profiles ¶

You can delete synced printer, filament, or process profiles directly from the Orca Cloud interface. Once you restart OrcaSlicer or click Sync Presets, the deleted profiles will no longer appear.

1. Open the Profiles tab.

2. At the bottom of the left profile panel, click Edit.

   

3. Select the profiles you want to delete. You can select more than one profile at the same time.

4. Click Delete.

   

5. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete to remove the selected profiles.

   

Shared Bundles ¶

Shared Bundles let you choose exactly which profiles you want to publish. A bundle can include printer, filament, and process profiles, and it can be shared publicly through Explore or kept private for selected users.

Choose Bundle Visibility ¶

Before creating a bundle, decide whether it should be public or private.

• Public Bundle: Appears in Explore and can be discovered by other Orca Cloud users. Anyone who can open the bundle page can subscribe.

• Private Bundle: Does not appear publicly in Explore. Only users added to the private whitelist can open and subscribe to the bundle.

• Shared Link: A shared link can be sent for either public or private bundles. For private bundles, the recipient must be added to the private whitelist before they can access the link.

Create a Shared Bundle ¶

Use the Bundles tab to select profiles, describe the bundle, and decide whether it should be public or private.

1. Open the Bundles tab in the left side of the Orca Cloud web interface.

   

2. Click the + icon at the bottom-right corner of the interface.

   

3. The Share profile bundle interface opens.

   

4. In the left panel, review your synced profiles. Profiles are grouped by Printer, Filament, and Process.

5. Select the profiles you want to include. Use Show all or In your bundle to switch between all synced profiles and the profiles currently selected for this bundle.

6. Use the right panel to enter the bundle details:

   • Bundle Name: The public display name for the bundle.

   • Bundle Description: The main description for the bundle. You can include image and video links here.

   • Bundle Version (optional): A version label for the bundle.

   • Compatible Printers (optional): Search for compatible printers or use Generate compatible printers from selected profiles at the far-right end of the field.

   • Compatible OrcaSlicer Version (optional): Choose official OrcaSlicer release versions from the dropdown list.

   • Tags (optional): Add tags to make the bundle easier to discover in Explore.

   • Public / Private: Use the Public Bundle option to choose the visibility described in Choose Bundle Visibility. Enable it to make the bundle discoverable in Explore, or leave it unchecked to keep the bundle private and limited to whitelisted users.

   

   

7. Click Create to create the Shared Bundle.

   

8. After the bundle is created, Orca Cloud shows a sharing dialog with common social and messaging options. Anyone who opens the shared link will be taken to Orca Cloud and asked to subscribe to the bundle.

   

Edit Your Shared Bundle ¶

Created bundles appear under the Shared Bundles tab. Open a bundle to update its name, profiles, description, sharing settings, or private access list.

1. Go to Shared Bundles in Orca Cloud and click the bundle you created.

   

2. The bundle description appears with options to edit, share, delete, or manage the private whitelist.

   

3. Click Edit bundle to open the edit interface.

   

4. Make the required changes, then click Save.

Manage Private Lists ¶

When a bundle is private, you can grant access to specific Orca Cloud users through the private whitelist.

1. Go to Shared Bundles in Orca Cloud and click the private bundle you created.

2. Click Manage private whitelist below the Edit Bundle option.

   

3. The private bundle whitelist dialog opens. Add the usernames that should be allowed to access the private bundle.

4. Added users appear under Whitelisted Users. To revoke access, click Remove next to a username.

   

5. After users are added, Orca Cloud automatically sends them an email invitation to access the private bundle.

   

6. The recipient can click Open Private Bundle from the invitation to access the bundle.

Share a Bundle ¶

The Share option opens a dialog with preset social media and messaging options. You can also copy the bundle link manually and send it through another platform.

Delete a Bundle ¶

Delete a bundle only when you are sure it is no longer needed. Deleting removes the bundle and cannot be undone.

1. Open the bundle and click Delete bundle below the Manage private whitelist option.

   

2. Review the warning confirmation dialog. Confirming the delete action permanently removes the bundle.

   

Explore ¶

The Explore tab lets you browse bundles shared by the community. When you subscribe to a bundle, it syncs to OrcaSlicer the next time you log in or restart OrcaSlicer. If the bundle creator publishes an update, OrcaSlicer notifies subscribed users with a notification tip.

Discover Community Bundles ¶

Use the Explore page to find bundles by search, filters, and sorting options.

Search ¶

Search directly by bundle name, or describe what you are looking for in the search field.

Filter ¶

Use filters to narrow results by printer or tag. This helps you find bundles that match a specific printer, material, workflow, or requirement.

Active filters appear above the search bar. Remove a search keyword or filter chip to widen the results again.

Sort ¶

Sort Explore results by Most subscribed, Most likes, Recently Updated, or Alphabetical order.

Subscribe to a Bundle ¶

Subscribe to a community bundle when it matches your printing setup or workflow.

1. Click Explore.

2. Search for your desired requirement.

3. Review the displayed bundles and choose the one that best meets your needs.

4. Open the bundle.

5. Click Subscribe at the bottom-right corner of the web interface.

   

Share a Community Bundle ¶

You can share a public community bundle with contacts or followers so they can subscribe to it. Open the bundle, then click Share below Subscribe to use one of the social or messaging presets, or copy the link and share it directly.

Subscribed Bundles ¶

The Subscribed Bundles tab displays all bundles you have subscribed to. After you subscribe to a bundle from Explore, it appears under Subscribed Bundles.

Unsubscribe from a Bundle ¶

Unsubscribe from a shared bundle when you no longer want it to appear in your Subscribed Bundles list.

1. Open the Subscribed Bundles tab.

2. Click the bundle you want to unsubscribe from.

3. Review the bundle description and details.

4. Click Unsubscribe at the bottom-left of the panel, below the changelog section.

   

5. After unsubscribing, the bundle no longer appears under Subscribed Bundles.

Plugins ¶

Orca Cloud Plugins let OrcaSlicer users share, discover, subscribe to, and manage plugin listings through Orca Cloud. A plugin can be a Python script or wheel package that extends OrcaSlicer workflows, such as adding a utility script or post-processing capability.

This section focuses on the Orca Cloud web experience: creating a plugin listing, reviewing plugin details, discovering community plugins, subscribing to plugins, and managing subscribed plugins.

What are Plugins? ¶

Plugins are add-ons for OrcaSlicer. They can be shared through Orca Cloud so other users can discover them, review compatibility details, subscribe to them, and activate them from OrcaSlicer's Plugins window when signed in with the same Orca Cloud account.

For creators, a plugin listing gives the plugin a clear home: name, description, plugin files, screenshots or media, version, changelog, tags, supported operating systems, and compatible OrcaSlicer version.

For users, Plugin Hub provides a central place to find plugins without manually passing around loose script or wheel files.

Before You Begin ¶

Before using Plugins, make sure the following are ready:

• Sign in to Orca Cloud: Use the same Orca Cloud account in the web portal and OrcaSlicer.

• Use a current OrcaSlicer Nightly build: Plugins are available as a Beta feature in Orca Cloud and currently work only with current OrcaSlicer Nightly builds. Stable releases without the Plugins feature will not show or load Orca Cloud plugins.

• Prepare your plugin file: Plugin uploads support .py and .whl files.

• Use a supported target OS suffix: Orca Cloud expects plugin filenames to include a supported target OS suffix, such as my_plugin_win_x86_64.whl. Supported suffixes are:

  • macOS: macosx_arm64, macosx_x86_64, macosx_universal, macosx

  • Linux: linux, linux_arm64, linux_x86_64

  • Windows: win_arm64, win_x86_64, win

  • Universal: any

• Review compatibility before subscribing: Check the plugin type, supported OS, and compatible OrcaSlicer version before subscribing.

Plugins Overview ¶

The Plugins area is available from the left navigation in Orca Cloud. During the Beta period, the Plugins navigation item is marked with a Beta badge.

1. Open Plugins from the left navigation.

   

2. Use the three plugin tabs at the top of the page:

   • Shared Plugins: Plugins you have created or shared.

   • Subscribed Plugins: Plugins you have subscribed to.

   • Plugin Hub: Community plugins you can browse and subscribe to.

3. Use Search plugins to find a plugin by name or description.

Shared Plugins ¶

Shared Plugins shows plugin listings owned by your account. Use this area to create a plugin listing, review your published plugins, edit plugin details, share a plugin link, or remove a plugin.

Create a Plugin ¶

1. Open Plugins, then select Shared Plugins.

2. Click the + button in the bottom-right corner.

   

3. In the Create plugin dialog, add one or more plugin files.

   

4. Drag and drop .whl or .py files into Plugin Files, or click the upload area to browse.

5. Add a Plugin Image if you want the listing to have a recognizable thumbnail. Supported image formats are PNG, JPG, WEBP, or GIF, up to 2 MB.

6. Check the Name field. Orca Cloud can parse the name from the first selected plugin file, but you can edit it before publishing.

7. Write a clear Plugin Description. Use the editor toolbar to add headings, lists, links, images, video links, code blocks, or tables.

8. Set the plugin Version, Type, and Compatible OrcaSlicer Version.

   

9. Add a Changelog so users can understand what changed in the release.

10. Add Tags separated by commas, such as utility, calibration, or quality.

11. Decide whether the plugin should be public.

    

12. Enable Public Plugin if you want others to discover the plugin in Plugin Hub.

13. Click Create plugin.

Edit a Plugin ¶

Use Edit plugin when you need to update plugin details, replace files, add a new version, change the description, update tags, or adjust visibility.

1. Open Shared Plugins.

2. Click the plugin you want to update.

   

3. Click Edit plugin.

4. Review Current Plugin Files. You can keep existing files, remove files, or upload replacements.

   

5. Add additional .whl or .py files if needed. Orca Cloud allows up to 20 plugin files, with a maximum size of 100 MB per file.

6. Update the plugin image, name, and description as needed.

7. Update the version, plugin type, compatible OrcaSlicer version, changelog, tags, and public visibility.

   

8. Click Save changes.

Publish from GitHub ¶

Connect a GitHub repository to a plugin you own, and every GitHub release in that repository publishes a new plugin version to Orca Cloud automatically. No tokens or secrets are involved: each workflow run proves its identity with a short-lived credential signed by GitHub itself (OIDC trusted publishing).

Connect the repository first:

1. Open Shared Plugins and click the plugin you want to publish from GitHub.

2. Click Edit plugin.

3. In GitHub publishing, enter the repository as owner/repository and click Connect.

Then add this workflow to the connected repository as .github/workflows/publish-orcacloud.yml:

name: Publish to OrcaCloud

on:
  release:
    types: [published]

permissions:
  id-token: write
  contents: read

env:
  # Space-separated globs matching the plugin files to upload (.whl / .py).
  PLUGIN_FILES: "my_plugin_any.py"

jobs:
  publish:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      # Optional: build your plugin here so PLUGIN_FILES exist, e.g.
      # - run: pipx run build --wheel

      - name: Publish release to OrcaCloud
        run: |
          set -euo pipefail
          oidc_token="$(curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_TOKEN" \
            "$ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL&audience=orcacloud" | jq -r .value)"
          version="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
          changelog="$(jq -r '.release.body // ""' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH" | head -c 4000)"
          metadata="$(jq -cn --arg version "$version" --arg changelog "$changelog" \
            '{version: $version} + (if $changelog == "" then {} else {changelog: $changelog} end)')"
          args=(-F "metadata=$metadata")
          shopt -s nullglob
          for file in $PLUGIN_FILES; do
            args+=(-F "files=@$file")
          done
          if [ "${#args[@]}" -eq 1 ]; then
            echo "No plugin files matched: $PLUGIN_FILES" >&2
            exit 1
          fi
          status="$(curl -sS -o response.json -w '%{http_code}' \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $oidc_token" \
            "${args[@]}" \
            https://api.orcaslicer.com/api/v1/plugin-publish/releases)"
          cat response.json
          echo
          [ "$status" = "201" ]

Set PLUGIN_FILES to match your plugin files. If the files are built rather than committed, add a build step before the publish step and point PLUGIN_FILES at the build output, for example dist/*.whl.

To publish a new version:

1. Push your changes to the repository.

2. Create a GitHub Release with a tag such as v1.2.0. The tag must be a semantic version greater than the plugin's current version.

3. Publish the release. The workflow uploads your plugin files, the tag becomes the new plugin version, and the release notes become the changelog.

The same file rules as manual uploads apply: .py and .whl files with a target OS suffix such as my_plugin_win_x86_64.whl or my_plugin_any.py, up to 20 files and 100 MB per release. If a workflow run fails, the reason from Orca Cloud is printed in the run's log on GitHub: a 401 means the repository is not connected to exactly one of your plugins, and a version error means the release tag is not higher than the plugin's current version. Re-running a successful release is safe and fails without side effects.

Share a Plugin ¶

Use Share to copy or send a plugin link.

1. Open the plugin detail page.

2. Click Share.

   

3. Choose a sharing option, or use Copy sharing link to copy the plugin URL.

Delete a Plugin ¶

Use Delete plugin only when you no longer want the listing to be available from your account.

1. Open Shared Plugins.

2. Click the plugin you want to remove.

3. Click Delete plugin.

4. Review the confirmation message carefully before deleting.

Plugin Hub ¶

Plugin Hub is where users discover community plugins.

Discover Community Plugins ¶

1. Open Plugins, then select Plugin Hub.

   

2. Use Search plugins to search by plugin name or description.

3. Use the filter control to filter by OS or Tags.

   

4. Use Sort by to change the order:

   • Most subscribed

   • Most likes

   • Recently Updated

   • Name A-Z

5. Each plugin card shows the creator, plugin name, description, plugin type, likes, comments, and subscribers.

Review a Plugin ¶

Open a plugin before subscribing so you can confirm it is appropriate for your setup.

1. Click a plugin card in Plugin Hub.

   

2. Review the plugin description and attached media.

3. Check the metadata panel:

   • Version: The plugin release version.

   • Updated at: When the listing was last updated.

   • Plugin Type: The type of plugin, such as Script or Post Processing.

   • Supported OS: The operating systems supported by the plugin.

   • Compatible OrcaSlicer Version: The minimum OrcaSlicer version required.

   • Tags: Keywords added by the creator.

   • Changelog: Release notes for the plugin version.

4. Review comments if you want additional context from the creator or other users.

Subscribe to a Plugin ¶

Subscribing adds the plugin to your Orca Cloud account so it can be installed and activated from OrcaSlicer's Plugins window.

1. Open Plugin Hub.

2. Search or filter until you find the plugin you want.

3. Open the plugin detail page.

4. Confirm that the supported OS and compatible OrcaSlicer version match your setup.

5. Click Subscribe. If the button shows Unsubscribe, the plugin is already attached to your Orca Cloud account.

6. Open OrcaSlicer and sign in with the same Orca Cloud account.

7. Open File > Plugins.

8. Click Refresh if the plugin list has not updated.

9. Check the plugin's Activate box. OrcaSlicer installs or loads the plugin as needed.

Subscribed Plugins ¶

Subscribed Plugins shows the plugins attached to your Orca Cloud account.

View Subscribed Plugins ¶

1. Open Plugins, then select Subscribed Plugins.

   

2. Click Refresh if a newly subscribed plugin does not appear immediately.

3. Use Search plugins to find a subscribed plugin by name or description.

4. Click a plugin card to open its detail page.

   

5. Review the plugin description, attached media, comments, version, supported OS, compatible OrcaSlicer version, tags, and changelog.

Unsubscribe from a Plugin ¶

Use Unsubscribe when you no longer want the plugin attached to your Orca Cloud account.

1. Open Subscribed Plugins.

2. Open the plugin you want to remove.

3. Click Unsubscribe.

4. If the plugin was already loaded in OrcaSlicer, open File > Plugins in OrcaSlicer and use Delete/Unsubscribe from the Plugins window to remove it there as well. Use Refresh if the plugin list has not updated after making changes.

Plugins FAQ ¶

Creator Badges ¶

Creators earn a rosette badge as their shared bundles and plugins gain subscribers. The badge appears next to the creator's name on Explore and Plugin Hub cards, on bundle and plugin pages, and on the creator's public profile.

Badge Tiers ¶

Your badge is based on the total number of subscribes across everything you have shared — bundles and plugins combined:

• Bronze — over 300 subscribes.

• Silver — over 1,500 subscribes.

• Gold — over 10,000 subscribes.

• Orca — key contributors and users with over 100,000 subscribes.

Badges update automatically as your subscribe total grows — there is nothing to claim or configure. Hover over any badge to see its tier and the achievement behind it.

Settings ¶

Settings gives you one place to update your account profile, app preferences, security options, and feedback settings in Orca Cloud.

Open Settings ¶

1. Click User settings in the left navigation.

2. Review the account shown under Signed in to confirm you are editing the correct Orca Cloud account.

Update Your Profile ¶

Use Avatar and Profile details to control how your account appears in Orca Cloud.

1. To update your avatar, click Upload image under Avatar. Supported image formats are PNG, JPG, WEBP, or GIF. Images can be up to 2 MB and 4096 x 4096 px.

2. Click Edit profile under Profile details.

3. Update Display name, Username, Description, or optional donation links.

4. Click Save profile.

   

Donation Links ¶

Donation links are optional profile fields. Add them if you want visitors to your public Orca Cloud profile to see a Support Me area.

1. In Settings > Profile details, click Edit profile.

2. Add the full URL for any donation option you want to show, such as Ko-fi donation link, PayPal donation link, or Patreon donation link.

3. Click Save profile.

4. Open your public user profile to confirm the donation buttons appear under Support Me.

   

Preferences ¶

Use preference controls to customize how Orca Cloud behaves for your account.

• Cookie preferences: Choose Essential only or All to manage cookie consent.

• Product feedback: Open the feedback form to share feedback, report bugs, or suggest features.

• Language: Choose the app language. Available options currently include English, Simplified Chinese, and Russian.

• Appearance: Toggle the app between light and dark theme.

Send Product Feedback ¶

1. In Product feedback, click Open feedback form.

2. Choose a feedback type: Feedback, Bug report, or Feature suggestion.

3. Write the details. The details field supports up to 5000 characters.

4. Optionally attach up to 5 images. Supported formats are PNG, JPG, WEBP, or GIF, up to 2 MB each.

5. Click Submit feedback.

   

Security ¶

Use security controls to update your password or manage passkeys.

1. Click Change password under Password.

2. Enter your current password, new password, and confirmation.

3. Click Update password.

   

4. To manage passkeys, click Manage passkeys under Passkeys.

5. Use Add passkey to create a device passkey or security key. Use Refresh passkeys if the list does not update.

   

Sign Out ¶

Click Sign out to end your current Orca Cloud session on this device and return to the sign-in screen.

Delete Account ¶

The Delete account area is in the danger zone. Use it only if you intend to permanently delete your Orca Cloud account and related Orca Cloud records.