In this guide1 / 13
The center prepares the current Designer part. Calibration candidates retain their own export controls in Calibration; opening the center does not select or export a calibration sample.
Opening the page does not create a file, send a model to Companion or start a printer. An unavailable model can still be reviewed in Designer while the download history remains accessible.
Choose Export & downloads below the Designer preview, in the Studio Settings menu, through Workspace search or from My Workshop. The direct address is /studio?tool=exports.
Review the current Designer part, its selected printer and recipe, and the separate geometry, native-project and physical-fit statuses. Return to Designer or Print settings to make changes.
In Export files, choose Print package, 3MF model or STL geometry, then use the download button. Keep the useful extras offers Print recipe, Reference source ZIP when available, and the applicable fit-test or Calibration workspace action. Each download requires an explicit action.
Open Send to slicer for the existing Companion handoff, or Recent downloads to find a generated file request by filename or format. Download again is enabled only while the original bytes remain available in this tab.
The active print setup shows the printer, nozzle, material, slicer and fit profile. Geometry validation, native project verification and physical fit testing have separate statuses. The current model must finish preparing and pass its existing checks before model files can be exported.
Native project verification appears after Companion returns a project that passes Nexlock’s transfer checks. Physical fit Tested requires recorded evidence for the exact setup.
Calibration candidates have their own native 3MF preparation controls. Check the installed profiles and accept the intended build-plate setup before preparing the comparison. Use the selected sample’s native project download or Open in slicer action; a geometry-only test ZIP does not become a native project because it contains a .3mf file.
Companion prepares the exact selected sample or compatible shared geometry plate, checks its machine/nozzle and retained preset baseline, then returns the project for Studio to audit its geometry and requested settings. Open it as a PROJECT to load the native settings. Slice and inspect it before printing.
A changed preset baseline requires review and a new comparison. Downloading or opening a project does not mark a calibration sample printed or Tested.
| Option | Contains | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| STL | Prepared geometry | Import geometry and apply the recipe manually. No printer, material or color settings are embedded. |
| Ordinary 3MF | Prepared objects and visual metadata, with Nexlock recipe metadata on applicable exports | Import the geometry and use the print package as a reference when entering the recipe manually. |
| Print package / test ZIP | Geometry plus recipes and available process/filament files; contents follow the selected slicer workflow | Keep the files together and read the included instructions before applying settings. |
| Print recipe JSON | The current print setup and available fit/source information | Keep beside the model as a settings reference. It is not a model or a ready-to-print slicer project. |
| Reference source ZIP | Original catalog source and attribution, when the part has a Nexlock Brick System source | Use as a source reference. It is separate from the prepared, scaled or fit-adjusted export geometry. |
| Companion native slicer project | Prepared geometry combined with exact installed machine/nozzle presets and native process values | Open as a PROJECT in the selected vendor slicer, then inspect the slice. |
The current MOC page is Coming soon. Its experimental multi-part build planner, mixed-source plate ZIP and 3MF exports are not available in the Studio. Use Export & downloads for the current Designer part, or the calibration export controls for a selected test.
Retained build-preparation source does not activate a feature. Ordinary geometry exports and the supported single-source Companion handoff keep their existing behavior.
Export mesh checks and larger geometry fingerprints automatically use a verified Rust processing module when available. It loads in the background; the compatibility implementation keeps the same validation rules if loading fails or an input exceeds the accelerator budget. This speeds file preparation while preserving coordinates, source IDs, colors, recipes and existing Tested evidence. Physical print time and clutch still depend on geometry, the slicer recipe and the actual print.
Every STL/3MF export uses the same topology check, including individual parts, calibration candidates, plates, print ZIPs and the geometry sent to Companion. Coincident open source seams are joined by matching vertex indices while face coordinates, winding and colors are preserved. Already closed touching shells stay distinct.
The writer checks the actual indexed surface for closed, consistently oriented edges, nonzero triangle area and positive enclosed volume. Open, ambiguous or otherwise invalid surfaces stop export with a specific error; they are not silently capped, rescaled or smoothed. 3MF coordinates retain the prepared Float32 values without decimal truncation.
For a non-manifold warning from an older export, refresh Nexlock, regenerate the part or test, and export a new file. Remove the old object or open the new project in the slicer. Files already downloaded or open in the slicer are not rewritten. This export correction does not alter the selected fit values, print recipe, saved profiles or Tested evidence.
Manual 3MF preserves the model. The slicer uses its own installed machine and process settings until you configure them.
Choose your model and nozzle in Nexlock and prepare the part.
Open Export & downloads and download STL or 3MF geometry. Use the print package to keep the Nexlock recipe beside the model.
Import the geometry into the slicer listed for your printer. Choose your installed printer, nozzle, plate and filament, then set the process values from your recipe manually.
Review the sliced preview and print a representative test before saving a Tested fit.
For a printer and slicer combination with native-project support, finish preparing the current mesh and resolve validation errors.
Select the correct printer, nozzle, material and saved or candidate recipe.
Open Send to slicer in Export & downloads. With Companion paired, choose Open in the named slicer or Download slicer project.
Companion resolves the installed exact model/nozzle profile and applies the supported process overrides while preserving native machine G-code.
The website audits the prepared project’s supported transferred settings. Read any mismatch or missing-preset error before proceeding.
In the slicer, choose Open as project if prompted. Verify printer, nozzle, layer height, flow, temperatures, walls, infill, cooling and placement.
Slice and inspect mating walls, studs, bridges, bases and supports. Use the actual slice for time and material estimates.
A website printer entry alone is not a complete native machine profile. The native assembler needs the installed slicer’s exact machine/nozzle/material resources and refuses an unsupported substitution.
For an unavailable native preset, update or configure the installed slicer, choose the complete resources folder, or use geometry-only export with manual setup. Catalog entries labeled Manual import and custom FDM printer entries use manual slicing. The Companion roadmap tracks possible future native integrations.
The three-fit download creates separate variants of the current Designer part only when that general comparison applies. Separator designs and specialized stud or interlock modes use their own workflow instead.
Use Calibration for controlled candidate ranges, matching recipes and recorded physical results. Downloading a comparison does not establish that any candidate has been printed or passed.
Recent downloads keeps up to 30 generated Nexlock file requests. Search by filename or narrow the list by format. A request confirms that Studio handed the file to the browser; it does not confirm that a save completed, that the file opened in a slicer, or that a print finished.
History is local to this browser and site. It is separate from private Projects, Companion Activity and your browser’s complete download history. Installer links, static software downloads and files created directly in the desktop app are not collected by this generated-file history.
Only limited metadata is retained between visits: the file name, media type, size, request time and a record identifier. Generated file bytes are kept temporarily in memory for Download again when they fit the session cache. They are not uploaded or stored in browser history storage.
The tab can retain files up to 12 MiB each within a 24 MiB total memory budget. Download again requests the exact cached file and creates a new request row, even if the current design has changed. After a reload, or when a file is too large or has left the cache, export again from the relevant design or calibration workflow. A history row alone cannot reconstruct an older model or recipe.
Use the remove control on one history entry, or choose Clear history and confirm when you no longer need the list. These actions remove the corresponding temporary copies but do not delete files already saved on your device, private Projects or Companion output. If browser storage cannot be read or written, follow the displayed message; unread stored history is preserved until you explicitly choose to clear it.
| What you notice | What to do |
|---|---|
| A requested file is not in your Downloads folder | Check your browser’s Downloads list, save prompt, chosen folder and any blocked-download message. Nexlock cannot inspect the destination folder or confirm a completed save. |
| Download again is unavailable | The original bytes are no longer in this tab’s memory or were too large to retain. Reopen the intended design and recipe, then make a new export. |
| The center cannot export the current model | Return to Designer and resolve the current source, geometry or print-setup message. An earlier successful download does not validate later edits. |
| The slicer opens a 3MF without the expected machine settings | Check which export path produced it. An ordinary model 3MF is different from a Companion-prepared native project; apply the recipe manually or use a supported native handoff. |
| History is missing after changing browsers or clearing site data | The list is browser-local. Use your saved files or reopen a private Project; the center does not synchronize download history between devices. |
Companion saves prepared projects locally, initially under Downloads/Nexlock unless you choose another output folder. Short generated filenames reduce path and character issues. These files are separate from private Projects and legacy saved parts on the website.
Nexlock does not turn an arbitrary model into G-code by renaming it. The slicer performs slicing for the selected printer. Companion can request opening a project, but it does not automatically start the printer.