I have a file that I painted using Bambu Studio. But I’d like to go back and do some editing on the shape (particularly, hollowing it out). When I try to export from Bambu Studio and then import into Fusion 360, Fusion says it can’t read that file. Is there a way to do what I want? I particularly don’t want to lose the color information.
The only way to export is via STL.
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How did you create the 3MF file to begin with? Did you export it from Fusion 360 as an STL file? If you did there is no way to recreate the same parametric data that created the file in the first place. You could translate it into a STEP file but that takes quite a bit of effort and would be a long tutorial, not a quick answer.
As far as the color data goes. That is non-portable information when it comes to exporting it back into CAD. What you you could try is a long shot. An OBJ file supports material definitions. What you could try is one of the numerous online file conversions and convert the 3MF file into an OBJ file. This obviously will be a trial and error proposition. OBJ conversion should produce a .OBJ and a .MTL file for the material definitions. Material definitions typically are used to denote the physical properties of the CAD object like, is it copper, steel, wood, plastic etc. But Color is one of those properties. Again, this is a lot of trial and error and it might be quicker to just regenerate the colors in the slicer.
In Bambu Studio, it gives me an option to export as “generic mtf.”
The file was first generated with AI, if memory serves an a .obj file (no coloring applied). Then successfully imported into Bambu Studio and some necessary automated cleanup performed. Then I did some painting in Bambu Studio and successfully printed the object. Then I used the “export” function in Bambu Studio and selected “generic 3mf.” But that file won’t load into Fusion 360.
To be clear, are you referring to AI as in Artificial Intelligence or Adobe Illustrator? It sounds like the format you used to import into Bambu Studio was a DXF file. Understanding the steps you took before importing it into BS would be helpful.
It’s worth noting that in this type of workflow, it’s always beneficial to understand the capabilities of the file formats you’re using and to save intermediate copies so you can reconstruct your work if needed. This is why I only export CAD files using STEP. For example, as you know, when you import a STEP file, it’s converted from a series of mathematical arcs, circles, lines, and planes into a 3D mesh. At that point, all parametric data is lost, and reversing that process is impossible without expensive reconstruction software. The closest I’ve come is using Meshmixer, but even that is far from perfect—I still have to import the STEP file and manually redraw the CAD elements.
If you have the paid version of Fusion 360, the Prismatic Mesh conversion looks fantastic—but that’s only based on what I’ve seen in videos. I’ll bet in real life, it’s not quite so perfect. 
But for what you want to do which is preserve colors, I’m afraid that without the original data, there isn’t an easy way to reconstruct it.
But what if I told you that a 3MF file is just a specialized ZIP file and that if you rename the file with the .ZIP extension, you can navigate it like any folder. Then what you can di is investigate that archive to see what STL, OBJ and MTL files may have been copied into the 3MF file. You might get lucky. Why do I say “lucky”? Because if the file is a GCode exported 3MF, it no longer has the isolated STL or OBJ mesh and then your screwed. There is no way back.
Exporting as an stl removes the color information, correct? The whole point is that I’m trying to keep the added color information.
I may be wrong but I don’t think this is possible.
AI as in Artificial Intelligence. As I said, it was exported as .obj and .mtl files. Not DXF. I’ve no need to convert it back to a STEP file. A mesh is fine.
The internals, converting back from .zip, is a .model file. What does look strange is some of the paint values. For example:
There are several lines with these long strings for paint color.
If you can export it from Bambu Studio (BS) into Fusion as STL and work to modify it (I don’t know if this is possible since I haven’t exported anything from BS to Fusion), then you can export out the modified version as a new STL, then go back to BS to click at the painted model and try ‘Replace with STL’ and choose the new modified STL to replace it. Still not sure if the color will be retained, but it may be worth a try since the only modification seems to be hollowing out the model.
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I import from Orca to Fusion often. I can import the 3mf file directly, or export an object to an stl file, then import the stl file into Fusion.
There is a huge drawback to importing either type of file into Fusion. The objects are imported as mesh objects, and you must convert them to regular bodies before you make any changes. There can often be tens of thousands of faces, so the conversion sometimes takes so long to process, it stops Fusion. Then you have to kill off Fusion in task manager and start all over again.
It is also often impossible to modify one of these converted bodies if they are not simple objects. You can not import properties like colors. Even moving a complicated object can make you think your computer has crashed.
When I can, I import the file, convert objects to regular bodies, then use the bodies as templates to draw true fusion versions of the objects.
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Thanks for the info. It’s certainly not my regular workflow. I’d already modified the file to have far fewer faces, to that wouldn’t be a problem. But if color is lost, that defeats my goal, but good to know so that I don’t waste my time.
I wasn’t talking about importing colors into Fusion (that’s not possible). I was talking about replacing the painted model in BS with the new STL which has the body hollowed out (as OP indicated what the modifcation is), and see if the painted color can be retained.
Check out the ‘Replace with STL’ fuction in BS if one hasn’t used it before.
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I checked out “Replace with STL”. I never knew that was possible. Pretty cool.
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