Imported objects don't have unique names anymore!

Bambu Lab Software Bambu Studio
1

Hi, after importing many similar (non-identical) parts into Bambu Studio, I can’t identify them by name anymore in version 2.8.2.61.

In CAD, suppose I have an object “Macro_Lever” with 10 different configurations. I use a macro to export all of them as “Lever 1.step”, “Lever 2.step”, etc. In previous Bambu Studio versions, these would import as objects also named “Lever 1.step”, “Lever 2.step”, etc. But now, they are all named “Macro_Lever”. Two of them need to be mirrored before printing, and I can’t figure out which two!

I also have four ring-shaped objects that I genuinely can’t tell apart after printing (without using calipers. They need to be in a known order on the build plate, but I can’t do that either.

2

It would be very helpful if you could post screenshots of the same STEP files imported into both versions of Bambu Studio, with the Objects list visible. That would give us a direct before-and-after comparison of the naming behavior.

It is possible to run two different versions of Bambu Studio on the same system by installing the second version into a different folder.

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The reason this is important is that testing the exact same STEP files in both versions isolates the Bambu Studio version as the variable. Otherwise, we can’t rule out differences in the STEP files themselves as contributing to the change in behavior. If you’ve already performed that comparison, please share those results with the community.

3

It would only be a work around (if it works) but you may have to try Lever1 or Lever-1, etc to see if maybe the space is causeing the issue.

Edit: I am guessing you can probably just copy and rename an existing file.

4

Hi Olias, this is the old behaviour that I preferred, in Bambu Studio 2.7.1.62 (the last version I used before updating).

Keys (Bambu Studio 2-7-1-62).3mf (423.7 KB)

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This is the behaviour in Bambu Studio 2.8.2.61. “Key top white” is the name of the object in CAD.

Keys (Bambu Studio 2-8-2-61).3mf (421.7 KB)

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5

Thanks for that additional data. It is the smoking gun we needed to explain what is going on.

This is an example of where AI does a very good job of analyzing this kind of problem. I passed both 3MF files through AI and had it compare their internal contents, then look at what changed in Bambu Studio’s STEP importer between versions 2.7 and 2.8.

What follows is my editorialized version of a much longer technical analysis. I tried to simplify it, so bear with me.

We verified that Bambu did not change the actual model geometry. The meshes contained in the two 3MF files are identical.

What Bambu changed is how Bambu Studio decides what name to display in the Objects list.

In Bambu Studio 2.7, the STEP importer used the STEP filename as the object name. So files named:

  • A key.step
  • B key.step
  • C key.step

appeared under those names.

In Bambu Studio 2.8, the importer now gives priority to the part name stored inside the STEP data by the CAD program. In these files, that internal part name is:

  • Key top white

So Bambu Studio 2.8 displays every object as:

  • Key top white

Think of it like an MP3 file. The filename might be “Track01.mp3”, while the song title stored inside the file is “My Song.”

  • Bambu Studio 2.7 displayed “Track01.mp3.”

  • Bambu Studio 2.8 displays “My Song.”

The important part is that the original A/B/C/etc. STEP filenames have not actually disappeared. AI was able to verify that they are still recorded in the 2.8 project. Bambu simply changed which piece of STEP metadata it uses for the visible object name.

I also tried to determine whether there was a way to restore the old filename-based behavior in Bambu Studio 2.8.2.61, but I could not find a user-facing option for it.

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Some possible workarounds:

I have not tested these myself since I no longer use Bambu Studio and have switched to Orca.

  1. If you control the original CAD files: Give each part/component a unique and meaningful name before exporting the STEP files.

  2. If you only have the STEP files: One possible workaround worth testing is to open them in FreeCAD, rename the imported parts/objects, and re-export them as STEP files. FreeCAD also uses the OpenCascade libraries - just as Bambu Studio does - so it may allow you to rewrite the internal STEP part names that Bambu Studio 2.8 is now using.

Again this is a theory and I have not tested, other’s with more direct OpenCascade experience may be able to comment.

Best long-term solution (This is on Bambu, not the user):

Bambu Studio should provide a STEP import option allowing the user to choose:

  • Use the STEP filename
  • Use the internal STEP part name

One thing that would still be useful to confirm: were the original STEP files all exported with the internal part name “Key top white”? If so, that would close the remaining loop.

6

That AI answer is all correct. Both of its suggested solutions would work, but an easier method is to post-process the .step files’ metadata with a script that just sets the metadata name to the file name for each file in a folder. But for now, I’m just downgrading Bambu Studio to the version I like.

And yes, it would be best if we got a user option to choose the import behaviour.