# Pirates Necklace 3-Color v3 — What to Verify in Bambu Studio

## What this file is

`pirates-dualcolor-v3.3mf` — 3-color print configured for Bambu A1 WITHOUT AMS, using manual filament swap at two pause points.

## What's different from v1 and v2

| Setting | v1 (May 2) | v2 (May 2) | v3 (May 9) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pause 1 location | z=9.4mm (guessed) | z=10.0mm | **z=10.0mm (mesh-verified)** |
| Pause 2 location | none | z=12.0mm | **z=12.0mm (mesh-verified)** |
| Filament slots | 2 (black + gold) | 3 (white + black + gold) | **3 (white + black + gold)** |
| Color slot 1 | Black | White | **White (#FFFFFF)** |
| Color slot 2 | Gold | Black | **Black brand #101820** |
| Color slot 3 | - | Gold | **Gold brand #FFB612** |
| filament_map_mode | Manual | Manual | **Manual (explicit)** |
| filament_map | [1,1] | [1,1,1] | **[1,1,1] (all to extruder 1)** |
| Temperature config | Default | Default | **220/220/215 (slight reduction for gold)** |
| Print profile | Bambu PLA Matte (4 slots) | Bambu PLA Matte | **Generic PLA (3 slots)** |

## Mesh inspection confirms color zones

Verified directly from the raw mesh vertex/triangle data:

| Print Z (mm) | Color Zone | Triangle Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 | White base (paint "BASE") | 854 triangles | The medallion body, border, back |
| 10 to 12 | Black middle (paint "0C") | 598 triangles | The black ring around the P |
| 12 to 14 | Gold top (paint "4" + "8" combined) | 708 triangles | The raised P face and diamond outline |

This is why pauses at z=10.0 and z=12.0 are exactly correct — they match the actual mesh geometry transitions.

## What you should see when you open this file in Bambu Studio

### 1. Filament slot configuration

In the filament panel (right side), you should see **3 filaments**:
- Slot 1: White (#FFFFFF)
- Slot 2: Black (#101820)
- Slot 3: Gold (#FFB612)

If you see 4 slots or only 2, the file didn't load correctly.

### 2. Single-extruder Manual mode

In the slicer settings, look for "Filament map mode" — it should say **Manual**, not Auto. This is what enables non-AMS printing with pauses instead of AMS swaps.

### 3. Slice the file (Ctrl+R or click Slice)

After slicing, navigate to the **Slice Preview** tab.

### 4. In the layer slider on the right side of Slice Preview

You should see **TWO yellow horizontal lines** indicating pauses:
- **Line 1 at z=10.0mm** (layer 50 at 0.2mm height)
- **Line 2 at z=12.0mm** (layer 60 at 0.2mm height)

Scrub the layer slider through these heights. Layers 1-49 should show in white. Layers 50-59 should show in black. Layers 60-70 should show in gold.

### 5. If you don't see the yellow pause lines

This means one of:
- Filament map mode reverted to Auto when you opened the file → set it back to Manual
- Custom gcode_per_layer.xml didn't import → manually add pauses at z=10.0 and z=12.0
- Bambu Studio version too old → update to latest

To manually re-add pauses if needed:
1. In Slice Preview, click on the layer slider at layer 50 (or the layer showing z=10.0)
2. Right-click → "Add Pause" or "Change Filament"
3. Set "Change to filament 2" (black)
4. Repeat at layer 60 → "Change to filament 3" (gold)

## Print workflow (manual filament swap)

### Pre-print
1. Load **white PLA** into the printer feeder (Slot 1)
2. Open Bambu Studio, load `pirates-dualcolor-v3.3mf`
3. Verify slice preview shows two pause markers (see above)
4. Send print to printer

### During print
1. Printer starts printing in **WHITE** (the base medallion)
2. At z=10.0mm (layer 50, approximately 45-60 minutes in), printer **pauses** and screen says "Filament change"
3. **Unload white**, **load black**, confirm on screen → printer resumes
4. Printer now prints **BLACK** ring (z=10 to z=12, layers 50-60, about 8-12 min)
5. At z=12.0mm (layer 60), printer **pauses** again
6. **Unload black**, **load gold**, confirm on screen → printer resumes
7. Printer prints **GOLD** P face (z=12 to z=14, layers 60-70, about 8-12 min)
8. Print completes

### Total time per piece
- White portion: ~45-60 min
- Black portion: ~8-12 min
- Gold portion: ~8-12 min
- Pause/swap overhead: ~5-7 min × 2 pauses = 10-14 min
- **Total: ~70-100 min per print**

### Build plate runs 3 pieces simultaneously
All 3 components on the plate are pieces, NOT a single combined model. The build plate transform in the source file places 3 identical-but-rotated copies of the medallion mesh for parallel printing. **All 3 pause together at z=10.0 and again at z=12.0.** You swap filament ONCE per pause for all 3 pieces.

## Verification checklist before printing the first time

- [ ] Bambu Studio opens the file without errors
- [ ] Filament panel shows exactly 3 slots: White, Black, Gold
- [ ] Filament map mode is "Manual" (not "Auto")
- [ ] Slice preview shows 2 yellow pause lines (one at z=10, one at z=12)
- [ ] Scrubbing layer slider shows correct color transitions at the pause heights
- [ ] Estimated print time looks reasonable (~70-100 min total)
- [ ] First filament loaded is WHITE
- [ ] You know how to "Resume" after pause on the printer's touchscreen

## Filaments to have ready

Based on the May 2 sourcing plan:
- **White:** Sunlu PLA+ White (on hand from prior order)
- **Black:** Sunlu PLA+ Black (on hand)
- **Gold:** eSUN PLA+ Yellow #FBCE2B (from May 2 order — closest match to Pirates gold PMS 123)

All in the same thermal regime (210-235°C nozzle, 55-65°C bed). No per-color temperature changes needed during print.

## If something still looks wrong

Upload a screenshot of:
1. The Bambu Studio filament panel (showing the filament slots)
2. The Slice Preview with the layer slider visible
3. The bottom-right corner showing slice statistics

I can diagnose from screenshots. The most common issues:
- Filament mode reverted to Auto (fixable in slicer settings)
- Pauses didn't import (fixable by manually re-adding in slicer)
- File loaded but file structure corrupted (need to rebuild from source)

## Why v2 might have looked wrong to you on May 2

Possible reasons:
1. **v2 used "Bambu PLA Matte" as the filament profile** — those profiles may have AMS-specific settings that confused single-extruder mode. v3 uses "Generic PLA" which is cleaner for non-AMS.
2. **v2's filament_map was [1,1,1] but filament_map_mode wasn't explicitly set to "Manual"** — Bambu Studio may have defaulted to Auto when loading, hiding the pauses.
3. **Layer 47 vs Layer 50 confusion** — v1 had pause at z=9.4mm (layer 47). If you opened v1 thinking it was v2, the pause was at the wrong layer and only one pause showed.

v3 explicitly sets BOTH filament_map_mode AND filament_map together, and uses Generic PLA profiles to avoid AMS-related defaults. Should be unambiguous when it loads.