Why the move is not a straight export and import
Cura and the newer slicers come from different code families. The OrcaSlicer README says it draws from Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer, with ideas inspired by Cura and SuperSlicer [16]. Bambu Studio says it is based on PrusaSlicer [15]. Creality Print says it was originally forked from OrcaSlicer [14]. So Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and Creality Print share ancestry with each other, while Cura is the odd one out.
That matters because each family stores settings in its own preset format. OrcaSlicer's import and export page describes its own bundle types: a printer config bundle (.orca_printer) that carries the printer with its linked filament and process presets, a filament bundle (.orca_filaments), and zipped printer, filament and process presets [1]. The page does not mention Cura or Cura profile files at all [1]. In practice that means you rebuild settings by hand rather than convert them.
Before you start, list the values you actually changed from the stock Cura profile. If your profile was the printer's stock profile plus a few edits such as wall count, infill, temperature, flow and retraction, those few values are what you carry across, and several of them should not be carried across unchanged because they belonged to the old hardware.
What transfers, file by file
Use this table to decide what to collect from your old computer before you uninstall Cura. The OrcaSlicer and Creality Print columns come from each project's documentation. The Bambu Studio column is limited to what its source repository states; check its import menu yourself.
| What you have from Cura | OrcaSlicer | Creality Print | Bambu Studio |
|---|---|---|---|
| STL, OBJ or STEP model files | Imports STL, 3MF, STEP, DRC, OBJ, AMF, SVG and ZIP files that contain a supported model [1] | Imports STL, OBJ, STEP and STP models [13] | The README lists STEP support [15]; other import formats are not stated there, so check the import menu |
| Cura project saved as 3MF | Geometry loads; any printer, material or process data OrcaSlicer cannot use is ignored and the model gets default settings [1] | Opens 3MF and CXPRJ project files [13]; we found no statement that Cura settings inside are applied | Not verified |
| Universal Cura Project (Cura 5.7 and later) | Still a 3MF, so the same rule applies: models load, foreign settings are dropped [1][12] | Same as above [13] | Not verified |
| Exported Cura profile | No documented import; OrcaSlicer's preset import expects its own bundles [1] | No documented Cura import; command-line options load process, printer and filament settings from JSON files [14] | Not verified |
| Old G-code files | Can be opened to view toolpaths only; G-code holds no printer, material or process information [1] | Not documented | Not documented |
Cura setting names and their OrcaSlicer equivalents
The Cura names below are the labels in Cura's own setting definitions file [11]. The OrcaSlicer names come from its wiki pages for each setting group [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Creality Print is an OrcaSlicer fork [14], so expect closely related names there, but confirm in your installed version before relying on them.
Two conversions trip people up. Cura shows flow as a percentage, while OrcaSlicer's Flow ratio is a decimal with a recommended range of 0.95 to 1.05 [10], so a Cura flow of 97% is an Orca flow ratio of 0.97. And OrcaSlicer's top and bottom Shell thickness is a minimum: if your layer count produces a thinner shell, OrcaSlicer adds layers, and setting the thickness to 0 turns that check off [4].
| Cura label | OrcaSlicer setting | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Wall Line Count / Wall Thickness (mm) [11] | Wall loops (an integer count) [3] | Orca sets walls as a count, not millimetres; copy the count Cura showed |
| Top Layers, Bottom Layers, Top/Bottom Thickness (mm) [11] | Top and bottom Shell layers plus Shell thickness [4] | Orca's thickness is a minimum that can add layers; 0 disables it [4] |
| Infill Density (%) and Infill Pattern [11] | Sparse infill density and Sparse infill pattern [5] | Same idea, new name; pattern lists differ between slicers |
| Z Seam Alignment [11] | Seam position: Aligned, Aligned back, Nearest, Back or Random [6] | Orca adds seam modifiers such as Seam gap and Scarf joint seam [6] |
| Initial Layer Horizontal Expansion (mm) [11] | Elephant foot compensation, plus separate X-Y hole and X-Y contour compensation [7] | Orca splits dimensional correction into first-layer, holes and outer contours |
| Build Plate Adhesion Type: Skirt, Brim, Raft or None [11] | Brim type (Auto, Mouse ears, Painted, Outer only, Inner only, Outer and inner, No-brim, Leading edge only) with Width [8] | Orca's Brim type list has no skirt or raft option [8], so set those separately rather than in one adhesion menu |
| Brim Width [11] | Width, labelled Brim ear radius when Mouse ears is selected [8] | Width is the distance from the model to the outermost brim line [8] |
| Retraction Distance and Retraction Speed [11] | Length and Retraction speed in the printer's extruder settings, overridable per filament [9] | Belongs to the hardware; do not paste an old printer's value into a new printer |
| Flow (%) [11] | Flow ratio, stored in the filament preset [10] | Divide by 100; recommended range 0.95 to 1.05 [10] |
| Printing Temperature (°C) [11] | Temperature in the filament preset; Orca treats it as a per-filament calibration [2] | Re-test on the new hotend rather than copying |
| Pressure advance factor, which Cura's definitions file includes but leaves disabled by default [11] | Pressure advance, stored in the filament preset [10] | Most Cura setups never showed it, so treat it as a new setting to calibrate before flow ratio [2] |
Which of your old values to keep, and which to throw away
Values that describe the part you want are portable: wall count, shell layers, infill density and pattern, seam preference, brim choice. They are decisions about strength and appearance, and they mean the same thing on any printer. Re-enter them in a new process preset built on the new printer's bundled profile.
Values that describe the old hardware are not portable: retraction length and speed, flow, temperature, and anything you set to work around a worn part. OrcaSlicer files retraction under the printer's extruder settings [9] and flow ratio and pressure advance under the filament preset [10], which is a hint that they depend on the machine and the spool, not the model. Start these from the new printer's profile and calibrate.
Worked example: an Ender owner's Cura profile has Wall Line Count 3, Top Layers 4, Infill Density 15%, Flow 96% and a long retraction. On the new printer, set Wall loops 3, top Shell layers 4 and Sparse infill density 15% in a copy of the bundled process preset. Do not enter 0.96 as the flow ratio yet; that number corrected the old extruder. Leave the bundled flow ratio, leave the bundled retraction, and run the calibration sequence below. If the flow test lands near 0.96 anyway, fine, but you will know why.
Calibration prints to re-run after switching, in order
OrcaSlicer's calibration guide gives a suggested order, says each test builds on the ones before it, and says to repeat the filament tests for each new filament [2]. Creality Print lists auto calibrations for all printers and includes a pressure advance calibration pattern test [14]; if your printer has its own automatic input shaping calibration, the Orca guide says to use it because it is usually more accurate than the manual test [2].
| Order | Test | What it fixes | When to repeat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temperature | Nozzle temperature, which affects viscosity, flow and adhesion [2] | Each new filament [2] |
| 2 | Max volumetric speed | Highest flow the hotend sustains; use 10 to 20% below the result and do not trust the spool's figure [2] | Each new filament [2] |
| 3 | Pressure advance | Line ends; done before flow ratio because it is most often set wrong or never calibrated [2] | Each new filament [2] |
| 4 | Flow ratio | Dimensional accuracy and layer adhesion; usually a small adjustment [2] | Each new filament [2] |
| 5 | Retraction | Stringing; defaults often work, so test only after pressure advance and flow ratio [2] | Each new filament, though defaults often work [2] |
| Optional | Cornering, input shaping, VFA, adaptive pressure advance | Printer-level tuning of corners, ringing and fine vertical artifacts [2] | After the filament tests; repeat after hardware changes [2] |
| Last | Tolerance | How accurately parts fit; depends on everything above [2] | After the other tests [2] |
Switching checklist
Work through this before you retire the old machine, so you can still look up a value if a print on the new printer looks wrong.
- Copy your model folder (STL, STEP, OBJ, 3MF) to the new computer; models import directly [1][13].
- For each Cura profile you care about, write down the handful of values you changed from the stock profile, using the Cura labels in the table above.
- Re-save any Cura project you still need; Cura 5.7 and later can save a Universal Cura Project that keeps only model-specific settings and modifier meshes [12], which is a tidier archive, though Orca will drop those settings on import [1].
- Install the new slicer and pick the new printer's bundled profile rather than building one from scratch.
- Duplicate the bundled process preset and enter your portable values: wall loops, shell layers, infill, seam, brim.
- Leave retraction, flow ratio and temperature at the bundled values until you have calibrated.
- Run temperature, max volumetric speed, pressure advance, flow ratio and retraction tests in that order for your most-used filament [2].
- Export your finished presets as a bundle so the work survives a reinstall; OrcaSlicer uses .orca_printer and .orca_filaments bundles [1].
- Keep old G-code only as a reference; it can be viewed but carries no settings [1].
Questions before you decide
Can OrcaSlicer import my Cura profile?
OrcaSlicer's import documentation describes importing its own preset bundles and model files and does not mention Cura. When a 3MF carries printer, material or process data it cannot use, OrcaSlicer ignores that data and loads the model with default settings.
What is the OrcaSlicer name for Cura's Wall Line Count?
Wall loops. OrcaSlicer sets walls as an integer count rather than a thickness in millimetres, so copy the count that Cura showed under Wall Line Count.
How do I convert Cura's Flow percentage to OrcaSlicer?
OrcaSlicer uses a decimal Flow ratio in the filament preset, with a recommended range of 0.95 to 1.05, so 97% in Cura is 0.97. On a new printer, run the flow ratio calibration rather than copying the old value.
Which calibration should I run first on a new printer?
OrcaSlicer's calibration guide suggests temperature, then max volumetric speed, pressure advance, flow ratio and retraction, repeated for each new filament, with tolerance testing last after everything else.
Is Creality Print related to OrcaSlicer?
Yes. Creality Print's repository says it was originally forked from OrcaSlicer, which itself draws from Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer. Cura comes from a separate code family, which is why its profiles do not carry over.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Import and export Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Calibration guide (suggested test order) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Walls (strength settings) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Top and bottom shells Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Infill Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Seam settings Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Precision (elephant foot and X-Y compensation) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Brim Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Extruder retraction (printer settings) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- OrcaSlicer Wiki: Flow ratio and pressure advance (filament settings) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- UltiMaker Cura source: fdmprinter.def.json setting labels Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- UltiMaker Support: How to use a Universal Cura Project Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Creality: Creality Print quick start guide Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- GitHub: Creality Print repository README Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- GitHub: Bambu Studio repository README Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- GitHub: OrcaSlicer repository README Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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