File formats
G-code
Also known as: gcode · g-code · codigo g · código g · .gcode · .bgcode
Short definition
G-code is the instruction file the printer executes line by line: where to move each axis, how much filament to extrude and what temperature to hold at each moment.
Full definition
It is the end product of slicing and the only thing the printer truly understands. An STL or a 3MF is not 'printed': it is sliced to produce G-code, plain text with thousands of instructions of the form 'move to this coordinate while extruding this much material'. Because it is tied to the specific machine and material it was generated for, G-code made for one printer should not be run on another: bed coordinates, temperatures and start-up commands differ, and in the worst case the nozzle crashes into the bed. Prusa also distributes a compressed binary variant with the .bgcode extension.
Related terms
- SlicerA slicer is the program that cuts a 3D model into horizontal layers and generates the G-code with the paths, temperatures and speeds the printer will execute.
- STLSTL is a file format that describes a 3D object's surface as a mesh of triangles, with no colour, no units and no printing information.
- 3MF3MF is a modern file format that, on top of geometry, stores colour, materials, units, object hierarchy and sometimes the slicer's full settings.
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