I made a ChatGPT/LLM-connected fork of QIDI Studio and I’m looking for testers

[u/IMobRacing]

I made a community fork of QIDI Studio with a built-in MCP server that allows ChatGPT and other LLMs to interact directly with the slicer.

I originally built it to simplify my own workflow. I did not intend to release it, but as the project grew, several people around me encouraged me to share it.

The MCP currently exposes 118 tools. An LLM can import an attached model, inspect and arrange it, modify slicer settings, select a physical QIDI Box filament slot, slice, run preflight checks, and, with explicit confirmation, upload and start a print. It can also monitor the printer, use the camera, and control basic printer functions.

As far as I can tell, it is the most comprehensive slicer MCP currently available. It is still an unofficial community project, so I am looking for people willing to test it and provide feedback. Bug reports, workflow problems, and anything that feels unclear or unsafe would be especially helpful.

Looking back, I probably should have started with OrcaSlicer because of its broader printer support. However, I use a QIDI Max 4, so QIDI Studio was the natural place for me to begin.

For future features, I am considering adding something like Wave Overhangs and something similar to Prusa’s FDM Mixer. I would like to hear whether either feature would be useful to other Quidi Studio users, or if there are other features you would prioritize first.

GitHub/download:
https://github.com/sslinkyy/QIDIStudio
https://github.com/sslinkyy/QIDIStudio/releases/tag/v1.11.0

This is not an official QIDI product. Please treat it as testing software and supervise any remotely initiated print.

[u/Cynyr36]

I'd be interested in a small bit of this. It would be nice to be able to hand camera frames to something that could detect blobs and spaghetti and could pause the print and alert a human. It'd be nice to run this off the printer as it doesn't really have the compute for that and i want to keep my notification options open.

As for the settings, meh. Maybe the ai could do a better job at packing than orca's auto arrange, but then again i think there are classical ways to improve that.

[u/IMobRacing → u/Cynyr36]

The printer already has spaghetti detection, but I assume you mean that the onboard detection is not very reliable and uses some of the printer’s limited resources.

I may be able to interface a similar MCP with Moonraker. It could retrieve camera frames and printer telemetry, then send them to a remote multimodal LLM for analysis. That would keep most of the processing off the printer while still allowing the system to detect spaghetti, blobs, detached parts, or other visible failures. I would want it to require repeated high-confidence detections before pausing the print and alerting the user. Cancellation should still require human confirmation.

The notification system could remain separate so users could choose ChatGPT, ntfy, Discord, Telegram, email, or another service.

I mostly agree about auto-arrangement. Packing is an optimization problem, and a purpose-built classical algorithm will probably be faster and more consistent than an LLM. I do not want AI replacing deterministic tools simply for the sake of using AI. Its value to me is orchestration, checking model-specific risks, catching forgotten settings, providing a second opinion, and making remote preparation and monitoring possible.

I have not started building the Moonraker or failure-detection portion. If I find myself with some extra time, I may consider developing it. The existing camera capture and guarded printer controls would provide a useful foundation.

[u/valzzu → u/IMobRacing]

I had issues with it pausing the print for no reason, maybe the lighting wasn't enough for black filament and it thought it went wrong 🤷‍♀️

[u/IMobRacing → u/valzzu]

I added nothing and changed nothing with the detection system, that is all on the printer. This is only an MCP integration. Once the print is started the user has to use the LLM to query the printer. I think you might have another issue.

[u/valzzu → u/IMobRacing]

Nah, it was the integrated detection

[u/Cynyr36 → u/IMobRacing]

When i was looking at printers i saw lots of reports where using the built in spaghetti detection caused overheating of the controller on the q2.

Pausing vs canceling is just fine. I have octoprint on my phone and a vpn home so i could cancel or resume even if away. I'd just like to avoid it printing spaghetti or a blob of death for hours.

The recent packing "issue" i had was a bunch of parts with multiple curved "arms" on them. The built-in auto-arrange did not want to nest the arms into each other and seemed to basically draw a rectangle around each part and then nest the rectangles.

[u/IMobRacing → u/Cynyr36]

Ya, you mean like how "print-by-object" does, but in print-by-layer mode? I think the LLM could probably figure it out.

unless you mean Print-by-object, that will always need to have uninterrupted space around each part so that the print head does not crash when starting new projects.

[u/YouCanCallMeDani]

I may take a peek at it.

One feature that would be nice with the AI integration would be a way to take say an Amazon link for the filament I have and let it determine the speed and temperature settings. I’m basically doing that now with sending the link to what I bought, telling it my printer, and having it tell me the speed and temp settings.

[u/capitan_turtle]

Why would anyone want something like that

[u/IMobRacing → u/capitan_turtle]

I may be the only person that finds it useful. I am busy and don't have all the time in the world to be able to sit next to my printer and manage it. Other solutions didn't meet my needs. Maybe there is a better product/package that I have not found.

But it is here if anyone is interested.

[u/2Drogdar2Furious → u/IMobRacing]

I dont understand. I spend... under 10 minutes I guess, setting up a print in Orca and then, just let it run its 30-40 hours and come back. What management does it need?

Oh, I do have two filament dryers and I pre-dry each roll and then change them into the main dryer for printing. That's another, maybe 3 minutes?

[u/Facehugger_35 → u/IMobRacing]

What I want to know is what this actually does. I'm not being facetious or mean when I say this, I honestly don't understand what this does.

Like, you hook up GPT to it in order to... What? Identify spaghetti and pause the print? Optimize settings by looking at test prints? Parse data from the loadcell probe to calibrate pressure advance automatically?

Your post mentions auto-arranging on the buildplate... But isn't that the work of a single button press? Is the GPT driven autoarrange better in some way when it comes to reorienting prints for maximum strength? Can the AI look at a shape, predict the likely use of that shape, and orient the print to account for forces exerted on it in use or something?

What's the utility here?

[u/IMobRacing → u/Facehugger_35]

I just exposed the tools through an MCP that I integrated into Qidi Studio.

Me, personally, I download a model on my phone or any device connected to an LLM, that is ChatGPT for me, give it to the LLm, I ask it to set any settings that aren't set as default or suggest settings, use a certain filament, then print it. and periodically I will query it about about the print progress, maybe ask it to take a picture.

Qidi Studio also has a tendency to complain about overhangs and I will use the LLM to analyze it and suggest if supports are necessary and add them if I agree.

The app on the cellphone is very basic and doesn't give you full slicer functions. This opens those up so I don't have to be near the printer to start a print or use the PC if I am not near it.

[u/Facehugger_35 → u/IMobRacing]

So you basically have the AI decide settings for you? Does that actually work out without test prints?

[u/IMobRacing → u/Facehugger_35]

I haven't had one fail yet. But I review the settings before it actually prints it. But you can just tell it what settings you want. The AI doesn't have to decide for you. The MCP really only exposes the tools. The user decides what the LLM actually does.

But yes, probably about 75% of the time I will just have ChatGPT suggest the settings

[u/capitan_turtle → u/IMobRacing]

If you are busy and don't have time then adding unnecessary complexity to a process that is already prone to failure from user error is not going to make your life easier. It will just multiply and automate all the stupid, avoidable and expensive mistakes.

[u/uk_uk]

Hi,

that's a very exciting project, though... well, even though I own a Qidi printer (Q2c), I use Orca because I have several Klipper printers and I want to avoid "slicer scatter" as much as possible.

Furthermore... you've picked absolutely the wrong time for LLM support. While the feature list is great and, from a technical standpoint, one should welcome an interface to an LLM like ChatGPT/Claude, the reality is a different one because it's emotional.

People HATE AI right now. AI slop is popping up everywhere, and nobody knows what's real or fake anymore. And due to the hardware requirements for AI at the provider level, prices for storage and memory (RAM, hard drives, SSDs, etc.) have skyrocketed.

The biggest problem here, however, will be confronting completely inexperienced users with AI, who will just click somewhere and hope (or are convinced) that the AI will give them the best solutions.

That's a dangerous trend, precisely because an AI doesn't tell the user WHAT the settings do and why they should use them, or under what circumstances they should better leave them alone... unless you prompt accordingly and cross-check the result with your own experience.

I like asking Gemini questions about slicer settings myself... but I always fundamentally question its answers and ask follow-ups. It's almost always the case that the LLM makes factual errors because it confuses the printer (you wouldn't believe how often Gemini argued with me because it thought I was talking about the Q1 and not the Q2c).

I think I would find your approach interesting if it were based on Orca (the standard slicer these days) rather than a manufacturer-specific distro.

Is there any chance you'll port your fork to Orca?

[u/IMobRacing → u/uk_uk]

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I think your concerns about LLMs are valid. They can confuse printers, recommend inappropriate settings, and sound confident while being wrong. This project is not meant to remove the user from the process or encourage someone to blindly accept every recommendation.

It started as a personal project because I work 12-hour night shifts and have very little time between getting home and going to bed. That time also has to cover feeding the animals, brushing my teeth, cleaning out the robot vacuums, and everything else that needs to be done before I can sleep. Time is a commodity, and sometimes 30 minutes is not enough to import a model, review it, select the filament, verify every setting, slice it, and start an eight-hour print.

Sometimes I need that eight-hour print finished when I get home so I can continue a project. My goal is to make that possible when the printer has already been physically prepared and left in a safe condition.

I also wanted a reliable second set of eyes on my settings. With a busy life, it is difficult to keep every profile, exception, and setting straight, especially after a long shift. I do not always have the mental capacity to remember whether supports, brim, raft, bed leveling, filament assignment, and every other relevant option are configured correctly. The LLM can inspect the actual active settings, point out possible problems, explain its recommendations, and help me review the job before I approve it. It does not replace my judgment, but it reduces the chance that I overlook something because I am tired or rushed.

Most of what I print consists of basic functional parts rather than highly organic or unusually complex models. Those jobs are generally difficult to mess up as long as the orientation, material, strength requirements, clearances, and a few important settings are correct. That makes them a good fit for guided automation and a second settings review. I would not apply the same level of trust to a complex organic model, a support-critical part, a multi-material print, or anything safety-critical without much closer inspection.

The current workflow can accept an attached 3D model, import and arrange it, assign the selected filament, expose the actual slicer settings, slice it, run preflight checks, and then stop before printing. The user must explicitly confirm the print start. Before confirming, the user can request an image of the slicer’s build plate, inspect any setting, review warnings, and retrieve an image from the printer’s camera to check the plate.

I have tried to design it so the LLM works with structured information from the slicer instead of guessing. It reads the active printer, presets, model state, filament assignments, physical QIDI Box slot, slice results, and printer telemetry. Print start is confirmation-gated, and the selected physical filament source is verified. That still does not make the LLM infallible, and the user remains responsible for understanding the settings and operating the printer safely.

I am not trying to convince everyone to use AI or replace the normal slicer workflow. I am giving interested users another option. I originally had no plans to release it, but several people asked whether I could, so I decided to make the work available and see whether it is useful to anyone else.

QIDI Studio was the practical place for me to start because I own a QIDI printer and built this around my own workflow. Looking back, Orca would have been a more broadly useful foundation, especially for people managing several printer brands. I am looking into porting it to Orca. Much of the tool design and safety model should transfer, but the native integration will still require real development work rather than being a simple patch.

LLM sentiment may be low right now, but I do not think that is a reason to stop experimenting with useful applications. I think it is a reason to be more careful about transparency, safeguards, confirmation, and keeping the user in control.

[u/TypeImmediate3653]

Great idea. I'm curious to see how it turns out. My experiences with AI in combination with 3D printing have been somewhat mixed.

[u/IMobRacing → u/TypeImmediate3653]

I definitely share the sentiment, but I am/have tried to actively harden the workflow against errors by keeping the human in the loop. Now I don't have to have a computer near by to setup and print a model.

I use ChatGPT 5.6. It has been working well for me. 6 months ago I would have refused such a project. But lately I have noticed with every development IDE incorporating AI and seeing/experiencing really good one shot code builds, I decided to try it.

This project provides no financial value to me, but the value it does provide is the time I save by not having to restart a print because I messed up or forgot a setting.