nozzlefox

Fix

Cura says “No Models in File” for a Bambu Studio 3MF

Published · How we check our guides

Short answer

Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer store each object in its own file inside the 3MF. Cura 5.10 and older don't follow those links, so they find no models. Update to Cura 5.11 or newer, or convert the 3MF to STL, which every version opens.

Why Cura finds nothing in the file

A 3MF file is a zip folder. Inside, a file called 3dmodel.model lists the objects on the plate. Most programs put the shapes themselves straight into that file.

Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer do it differently. They use the 3MF production extension: the main file only says “object 1 is in 3D/Objects/object_1.model”, and each object’s triangles live in its own file. That’s allowed by the 3MF standard, but Cura 5.10 and older don’t follow those links. They open the main file, see a plate with references and no triangles, and show No Models in File.

That’s why the same problem hits files downloaded from MakerWorld: they’re Bambu Studio projects. A 3MF saved by PrusaSlicer or Cura opens fine, because those keep the shapes in the main file.

Fix 1: update Cura

UltiMaker Cura 5.11 (released 31 October 2025) added import of Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer 3MF files, and every later version has it. Check your version under Help → About; if it’s 5.10 or older, install the current release from UltiMaker’s website. Your profiles carry over.

If you can’t update (a work computer, a printer that needs an older Cura, a company-managed install), use one of the fixes below. They work with every version.

Fix 2: convert the 3MF to STL (no software needed)

  1. Open the 3MF to STL converter and drop the 3MF on it. It follows the links inside the file, so Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and MakerWorld projects open with every object.
  2. Check the objects in 3D. Choose one merged STL, or one STL per object.
  3. Download, then open the STL in Cura. It comes in at the right size (3MF stores millimetres).

The conversion runs in your browser, so a paid or private model isn’t uploaded anywhere. If you prefer OBJ, the 3MF to OBJ converter keeps the colours too.

Fix 3: export from Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer

If you have the slicer that made the file, you can save it in a form any Cura understands:

  • File → Export → Export all objects as STLs (or as one STL). Right-clicking an object offers the same.
  • File → Export → Export Generic 3MF writes a plain 3MF “without using some 3MF extensions”: all the shapes in the main file, which older slicers can read.

What you lose (and keep) when you leave the Bambu project

Whichever way you get the model into Cura, Bambu Studio’s own extras stay behind, so set them again in Cura if you need them:

  • Painted colours and per-object filament choices. With one merged STL every part prints in one colour; export one STL per object if the model is made of separate coloured parts.
  • Supports, modifiers and height-range settings painted or added in Bambu Studio.
  • Plate layout and print settings: layer height, infill, speeds. Cura uses its own profile.

The geometry itself (every object, its position and its size) comes across exactly.

Still empty?

  • The file ends in .gcode.3mf. That’s a sliced print job, not a model. It holds printer instructions, and there’s nothing to slice again. See what a .gcode.3mf file is.
  • The download is incomplete. A 3MF is a zip; if it was cut short, nothing can open it. Download it again and check it in the 3MF viewer.
  • The model is tiny or huge. Rare with 3MF (it stores units), but common with STL. See STL in inches vs millimetres.