STLZ - 3D Printing Digital Asset Manager 🚀

📦 Download Latest Release (Windows x64)

STLZ is a high-performance, locally-hosted Digital Asset Manager (DAM) designed specifically for 3D printing enthusiasts. Built with Modern WPF (.NET 8), it organizes STL, 3MF, and G-CODE files, provides automatic thumbnail generation, and performs advanced G-code analysis to calculate printing costs and time.

This project demonstrates the integration of modern desktop application patterns with system-level file operations and cross-language interoperability (C# + Python).

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▶️ Click above or visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yccCG2yYNDM

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📸 Gallery

Organize thousands of STL/3MF files with ease.

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🛠️ Tech Stack & Architecture

Core Technologies

• Framework: .NET 8 (C# 12)
• UI Framework: WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)
• Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel)
• Database: SQLite with Entity Framework Core 8
• Scripting: Python 3.10+ for 3D rendering and thumbnail generation

Key Libraries & Patterns

• Architecture:

  • MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel): Clean separation of concerns using CommunityToolkit.Mvvm.
  • Repository Pattern: Abstracted data access layer for SQLite operations, ensuring testability and decoupling.
  • Service-Oriented: Business logic encapsulated in dedicated services (e.g., FileWatcherService, PythonBridgeService).
  • Dependency Injection (DI): Fully managed via Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.

• Performance & Concurrency:

  • Asynchronous I/O: Extensive use of async/await patterns to maintain a responsive UI during heavy file operations.
  • Parallel Processing: Multi-threaded thumbnail generation using SemaphoreSlim for resource throttling.
  • UI Virtualization: Optimized ItemsControl and VirtualizingPanel for rendering lists with thousands of items.

• UI & Experience:

  • Advanced Data Binding: Complex XAML bindings with custom Converters (IValueConverter).
  • Custom Window Chrome: Fully custom window styling with minimize-to-tray functionality.
  • HelixToolkit.Wpf: Integrated 3D viewport for real-time model interaction.

• System Integration:

  • FileSystemWatcher: Event-driven architecture for real-time library synchronization.
  • Process Interop: Robust Process management for communicating with the embedded Python environment via stdin/stdout.

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🌟 Key Features

📂 Smart Library Management

• Real-time Sync: Utilizes FileSystemWatcher to verify library integrity and detect new files instantly.
• Archive Support: Reads and previews models directly inside .zip archives without extraction.
• Auto-Tagging: Intelligent categorization engine that tags models based on filename heuristics (e.g., "Benchy" -> "Calibration").
• Duplicate Detection: SHA-256 based file hashing to prevent duplicate imports.

🔍 Advanced G-CODE Analysis

• Cost & Time Calculation: Estimates print time and filament usage (grams/meters) by parsing G-code metadata.
• Slicer Detection: Automatically detects PrusaSlicer, Cura, OrcaSlicer, and more.
• Print Tracking: Track print status, actual print times, and rate your prints.

🎨 Modern UI/UX

• Custom Styling: Fully custom ControlTemplates for a cohesive Neon/Dark aesthetic.
• Drag & Drop: Drop files or ZIP archives directly into the app.
• Collections: Organize models into custom collections.
• System Tray: Minimize to system tray for background file watching.

🐍 Python Interop

• Hybrid Architecture: Leverages Python scripts for robust 3D rendering (using numpy-stl and matplotlib).
• Batch Processing: Efficient multi-threaded thumbnail generation for large libraries.

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🚀 Installation

Requirements

• Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
• .NET 8 Runtime (Included in release)
• Python 3.10+ (Required for thumbnail generation & G-code analysis)
  • Option 1 (Recommended): Use the Portable version, which includes its own Python environment. No setup needed!
  • Option 2: Install Python 3.10+ manually and run pip install numpy-stl matplotlib.

Running the App

1. Download the latest release from the Releases section.
   • Choose STLZ_v1.0.0_Portable.zip for the all-in-one experience.
2. Extract the ZIP file.
3. Run STLZ.exe.

Python Dependencies (for thumbnail generation)

pip install numpy-stl matplotlib

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👨‍💻 Build Instructions

To build this project from source:

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/buraksamisirin/STLZ.git
   cd STLZ

2. Restore Dependencies

   dotnet restore

3. Build & Run

   dotnet build
   dotnet run

   Or open STLİE.sln in Visual Studio 2022.

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📁 Project Structure

STLZ/
├── Assets/           # Application icons and images
├── Converters/          # WPF value converters
├── Data/           # Database context and keywords.json
├── Helpers/  # Helper classes (DragDrop, etc.)
├── Migrations/          # EF Core database migrations
├── Models/            # Data models (Model3D, Gcode, etc.)
├── PythonScripts/     # Python scripts for thumbnail generation
├── Repositories/        # Repository pattern implementation
├── Services/            # Business logic services
├── Themes/              # WPF styles and resources
├── ViewModels/   # MVVM ViewModels
└── Views/               # WPF Views (XAML)

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🔒 Security Features

• File Validation: Comprehensive path traversal and file type validation
• Input Sanitization: All file paths and names are sanitized
• No External Data: All data stored locally in SQLite database
• Log Sanitization: Error messages are sanitized to prevent path disclosure

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

1. Fork the project.
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature').
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).
5. Open a Pull Request.

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📝 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

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👤 Author

Burak Sami Sirin

• GitHub: @buraksamisirin

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Developed with ❤️ for the 3D printing community - 2025