Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer • Hacker News Board

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#51

Post by MBCook » Sat, May 30, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC

wongarsu wrote: post #47

imtringued wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. This requires you to control both filaments independently directly at the extruder. Dual direct drive for a single nozzle sounds like an engineering nightmare. The extruder head is going to be huge. There is also the obvious problem of how to stirr the filament. Printing temp…

Minuteman on youtube has a four extruder single nozzle setup for speed printing. He occasionally uses multiple colors, and they basically don't mix in the nozzle. The cross section of an extrusion looks like a pie chart You would need special nozzle geometry that encourages mixing, and likely much higher temperatures. And any such mixing geometry will trap some filament. Switching from dark to light colors might requ…

Imagine trying to clean that out if it jams.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#52

Post by MBCook » Sat, May 30, 2026, 1:34 PM UTC

throawayonthe wrote: post #28

it's very cool stuff but sorte by definition not 'full-spectrum' :p

That was the name of the original open source project that kicked this off for all printers.

It’s a reference to that.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#53

Post by LadyCailin » Sat, May 30, 2026, 1:55 PM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #50

Priv4cyM4773r5 wrote: post #29

> Your Privacy Matters - Prusa Research value your privacy Please accept 28 Advertisement cookies with 1+ year expiration to play one YouTube video...

You can read the entire article without that, it explains everything really well. It’s not like many companies in the world where the video IS the article and they just assume no one reads.

The article looks LLM-ey, which was really off putting for otherwise interesting content.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#54

Post by tedd4u » Sat, May 30, 2026, 2:26 PM UTC

LadyCailin wrote: post #53

MBCook wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can read the entire article without that, it explains everything really well. It’s not like many companies in the world where the video IS the article and they just assume no one reads.

The article looks LLM-ey, which was really off putting for otherwise interesting content.

"If the model predicts wrong on your filaments, that’s a data problem, not a model problem. We need more measurements."

…

"… there’s a real path to a proper perceptual colorspace model in the spirit of Mixbox or Spectral.js – predictions that are correct by construction across the full ratio space, not patches on residuals. None of this is hard. The math exists. It’s a data problem."

…

"Not in some distant future. Now. The hardware exists. The slicers exist. The filaments exist."

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#55

Post by naasking » Sat, May 30, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC

MayeulC wrote: post #31

Hmm, I am not in the 3D printer space anymore, but I am surprised they went with alternating layer per layer, as that severely limits resolution. It's probably the simplest way to achieve reproducible results, but I can think of a few other ways: * the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why. * together with alternating…

> the simplest is just mixing filaments, like one mixes paint. The article doesn't spell out the reason it doesn't work, I am curious as to why.

Plastic flow is laminar, where colour mixing requires turbulence. If you make a turbulent nozzle, it's basically impossible to print reliably with it (the pressure used to push filament out of the nozzle is mostly absorbed/redirect into turbulence).

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#56

Post by WillAdams » Sat, May 30, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #21

londons_explore wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Photo reproduction should be the target here... And it looks like the software support needs work too - the obvious way to do it is being done able to import a jpeg or png to project or wrap onto the surface, a bit like texture maps in video games.

> Photo reproduction should be the target here... There's an app called Hueforge that produces models that color mix to reproduce photos: https://shop.thehueforge.com/ It's been around for years. There are databases of filaments with their TD values and color measurements to use. The blog really sells Prusa's attempts to do this with their own PLA, but there's a long history of color mixing in the community with exte…

That looks/feels a lot like the Cerilica Truism approach (arbitrary mixing).

Will have to keep it in mind for when I get a printer which does nozzle/toolhead switching.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#57

Post by isoprophlex » Sat, May 30, 2026, 3:22 PM UTC

Is this the future now? Actually interesting content that's barely readable because an LLM turned it into linkedin broetry?

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#58

Post by dawnerd » Sat, May 30, 2026, 4:32 PM UTC

isoprophlex wrote: post #57

Is this the future now? Actually interesting content that's barely readable because an LLM turned it into linkedin broetry?

I had to quickly scroll down to see if it was just one part but no it’s all of it. Way too much useless fluff only an LLM would produce.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#59

Post by MBCook » Sat, May 30, 2026, 4:33 PM UTC

wongarsu wrote: post #48

MBCook wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re not limiting you, the community work this is based on doesn’t either. Yeah they’re going to sell sets for easy use but it’s just color mixing. If you know the filament colors, which is what the filament database is for, you’ve got all the info you need. And you’re only limited in quantity by how many filaments you can load at once. A full INDX setup on a Core One is 8. I thought you could daisy chain Bambu AM…

The newer Bambu printers (H2D and X2D) allow up to 25 colors. One nozzle connected directly to the spool holder, then the other to four 4-spool AMS 2 Pror and 8 single spool high-temp AMS HT

Oh I didn’t know they had 8 spool models. Thanks for replying with the correct details.

I’d hate to see the cost of all that though.

Re: Print with dozens of colors: Our new open-source ColorMix for PrusaSlicer

#60

Post by huhkerrf » Sat, May 30, 2026, 4:33 PM UTC

isoprophlex wrote: post #57

Is this the future now? Actually interesting content that's barely readable because an LLM turned it into linkedin broetry?

I find it fascinating that in less than a decade "bro" somehow turned into a very specific meathead or stoner stereotype, to now include everyone from Sam Altman to your local girlboss marketer.