X3D Studios documentation
Documentation for X3D Studios: generate a 3D model or upload your own, get a slicer-backed quote, and have our Austin print farm print and ship it.
X3D Studios turns an idea into a physical part. You describe a model or upload one you already have, we quote it from a real slice rather than a guess, and a Bambu Lab farm we own in Austin, Texas prints it and ships it. These docs cover every step of that, plus the HTTP API that does the same thing without a browser.
The numbers on these pages are read out of the code that runs the site. Where something is a limit, it says so; where a step is a person rather than an automation, it says that too.
Four ways in#
Pick the one that matches what you are doing. They share one account and one card on file, so you can move between them. Orders placed in the browser collect at /orders, and an order submitted over the API appears there too, with its own order code and public status page. You can upload a file and see its price before you have an account at all.
Generate a model from text or an image, review its printability, then send it to the farm or download it.
The machines, what fits on a plate, live lead times, and how machine time is sold by the hour.
Submit an order over HTTP with an API key: multipart in, an order code out, charged to your saved card.
Wire X3D into an AI agent, the Chrome extension, or your own Bambu Studio workflow.
What we print in#
Five materials, one all-in rate each. The rate covers filament and normal machine time together, so a 21g PLA part at standard quality costs 21 x $0.12 = $2.52 before shipping. Full detail is on the materials page.
| Material | All-in rate | Density | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLA | $0.12 / g | 1.26 g/cm³ | Display pieces, prototypes, anything that lives indoors |
| PETG | $0.12 / g | 1.27 g/cm³ | Functional parts that need some toughness |
| ABS | $0.12 / g | 1.04 g/cm³ | Heat and impact |
| ASA | $0.14 / g | 1.07 g/cm³ | Outdoors — it holds up to UV |
| Flexible TPU | $0.25 / g | 1.24 g/cm³ | Gaskets, grips, anything that has to bend |
What you can upload#
Two kinds of file reach the farm. A mesh is something we slice for you. A sliced file is one you already prepared in Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer, and we print it as exported — its own weight and time numbers become the quote.
| Extension | What it is | Sliced? | Size limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| .stl | Triangle mesh, millimetres | No — we slice it | 100MB |
| .glb | glTF binary mesh | No — we slice it | 100MB |
| .3mf / .gcode.3mf | Bambu Studio / OrcaSlicer export with the G-code inside | Yes | 40MB |
What an order costs#
Price is weight times the all-in rate for the material and quality, and nothing else for a normal single-colour part. Billable weight rounds up to the whole gram, the same way postage does, so a quote agrees with the whole-gram figure Bambu Studio shows. There is a $1.00 minimum per part.
- Bulk: 5 or more of the same part takes 5% off, 10 or more takes 10% off.
- Shipping: $7 standard within the US, free over $49.50, or $15 express. International is $30 flat, free over $500.
- Priority print: $5, or 10% of the items when that is more, once per order, if you want it printed first. Normal print is included.
- Machine time is billed on top in one case only: a file you sliced yourself whose measured hours far exceed what its weight implies. Nothing else adds an hourly line.
- Reserving a whole printer by the hour is a separate product with its own rates. See the reservations page.
Where to go next#
The shortest path from nothing to a printed part in your hands.
The whole pipeline end to end, and why the quote comes from a slice.
Cost, turnaround, formats, multi-colour, international shipping, failed prints.
Every number in the quote, and how each one is worked out.
Questions
What does X3D Studios actually do?
Two things. It generates 3D models from a text prompt or a photo, and it prints physical parts on a Bambu Lab farm in Austin, Texas that we own and run. Either half works on its own: bring your own STL and skip generation, or generate a model, download it and print it yourself.
How much does a print cost?
One all-in rate per gram covers filament and normal machine time: PLA, PETG and ABS $0.12/g, ASA $0.14/g, TPU $0.25/g. Premium 0.1mm layers cost 1.75x the rate. Billable weight rounds up to the whole gram, there is a $1.00 minimum per part, and US shipping is $7 standard, free over $49.50, or $15 express.
What files can I upload for printing?
STL and GLB meshes up to 100MB, 3MF models and Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer projects up to 40MB (a project can print in its own colours), and plates you sliced yourself, exported as .gcode.3mf, up to 40MB. A bare .gcode and an OBJ are not accepted on the print upload, though the free printability check does read OBJ.
Can I order prints from code?
Yes. POST a file and a shipping address to https://x3dstudios.com/api/print/orders with an x3d_live_ API key. The order is charged to your saved card and queued at the farm, and you poll it back by its order code.
Related guides
- 3D Printing Fulfillment: API vs Traditional Services3D printing fulfillment compared: a 3D printing API prices and queues a part in one call. See how RFQ bureaus and 3PLs differ on cost, lead time and risk.
- Startup Swag: Print-on-Demand Products for SaaS FoundersStartup swag ideas for SaaS founders, made print on demand: real unit costs at $0.12/g, a $1 minimum instead of a production run, and how to wire it in.
- Print on Demand API: Add 3D Printing to Your AppPrint on demand API guide: POST a file, an address and a key to the 3D printing API, get an order code and the amount charged back, then poll for status.