--clone-objects
"1,3,1"Clone each input file's geometry the specified number of times into the scene before arrangement, with a per-file ceiling of 512 copies; requires --load-filaments and cannot be combined with a 3MF primary input or --assemble.
Details
--clone-objects takes a comma-separated list of integers, one per input file, and controls how many total copies of that file's geometry are placed into the scene before slicing. A value of 1 means one copy (the original, no duplication); a value of 3 means the original plus two additional clones, for a total of three objects. The maximum supported count per entry is 512. The list must have exactly as many integers as there are input files, or the CLI aborts with an invalid-params error.
Cloning happens at model-load time, before arrangement. The slicer iterates over every object in the loaded file and, for each clone beyond the first, inserts a full independent copy into the model. Each copy is renamed by appending a _N suffix: the original becomes name_1, the first clone becomes name_2, and so on. Because cloning requires non-3MF inputs, and non-3MF inputs always trigger the arrange step, all resulting objects are laid out on the build plate automatically.
Three hard constraints apply. First, --clone-objects requires --load-filaments to be present; the CLI rejects the invocation if filament presets are not supplied. Second, the flag is incompatible with a 3MF as the primary input file: a 3MF carries its own embedded plate layout and config, and the CLI refuses to apply cloning or per-object filament overrides to it. Third, --clone-objects cannot be combined with --assemble; both try to restructure the object list in incompatible ways.
Examples
"1,3,1"
// first file: 1 copy (no cloning)
// second file: 3 copies (original + 2 clones)
// third file: 1 copy (no cloning)Watch out for
- ▲ The integer is the total copy count, not the number of extras. A value of `1` is a no-op; `2` adds one clone.
- ▲ The list length must equal the number of input files exactly. A mismatch is a fatal error, not a silently ignored mismatch.
- ▲ The flag only works with non-3MF inputs (STL, OBJ, and similar). A 3MF as the first input file blocks it unconditionally, even if other inputs are non-3MF.
Sign up for free today
No credit card required. Connect unlimited printers and get production automation running in minutes.