Objects, parts, and plates in the Cloud Slicer
Objects, parts, and plates in the Cloud Slicer
The Cloud Slicer organizes your scene into objects, parts, and plates. Understanding the difference helps when you edit models, assign filament, add modifiers, or work with multiple build plates.
What an object is
An object is a model item on the build plate. A normal imported STL or OBJ usually appears as one object.
Objects can be selected, moved, rotated, scaled, duplicated, locked, deleted, and assigned slicer settings when object settings are available.
What a part is
A part belongs to an object. Multipart models can have several parts under one parent object.
Parts can be used for:
- Separate model geometry inside one object
- Text added to an existing object
- Negative parts that cut into an object
- Parameter modifiers
- Support blockers
- Support enforcers
In the Objects list, expandable parent objects show their parts underneath.
What a plate is
A plate is a build plate inside the slicer workspace. It represents one printable plate for the selected printer or machine profile.
When multiple plates are enabled, the Objects list groups objects by plate. You can switch the active plate by selecting it in the list or on the build plate view.
How the Objects list is organized
Click Objects to open the object list.
The list groups items like this:
- Plate 1, Plate 2, and so on
- Objects on each plate
- Parts under their parent object
- Outside, for objects that are not assigned to a plate
Each object row can show actions such as lock, delete, filament selection, and settings when those actions are available.
Parent objects and child parts
When an object has parts, the parent row represents the object group. Expanding it shows each child part.
Selecting the parent selects the object group. Selecting a child part lets you work with that specific part where the tool supports part-level editing.
Part types
The Cloud Slicer supports several part types:
Part type | What it does |
|---|---|
Model part | Adds normal printable geometry |
Negative part | Cuts material out of the parent object |
Parameter modifier | Applies slicer setting overrides to a region |
Support blocker | Prevents supports in that region |
Support enforcer | Forces supports in that region |
These part types are available from the right-click menu when the selected item can accept parts.
Plates and slicing
The Slice button slices the active plate. If the active plate has no objects, the slicer cannot start a slice for that plate.
Switch plates before slicing when you want to prepare a different plate.
Related articles
- The Cloud Slicer feature: slice prints directly in SimplyPrint
- Object settings and part settings explained
- How to move, rotate, scale, duplicate, remove, and lay models flat
- How to use multiple plates in the Cloud Slicer
Updated on: 26/05/2026
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