GregValiant

It's still broken. Adaptive Layers has also caught the bug. retraction_hop_enabled = extruder.getProperty("retraction_hop_enabled", "value") and adaptive_layers = global_container_stack.getProperty("adaptive_layer_height_enabled", "value") Everything else seems fine and works as expected.

"Certainly something wrong in your code." Cuq, putting it up here where everybody can see that I'm banging rocks together isn't helping my self-esteem. I had "UM.Application" instead of "Cura.CuraApplication". Curious that it worked with "True" but not with "False".

I have another question. I've been playing with a post for altering Z-hops. I want it to exit when Z-hops are not enabled in Cura (or adaptive layers are enabled, or extruder count >1, but those are OK). ("extrud" is the extruderlist) When Z-hops are enabled in Cura retraction_hop_enabled = (extrud[0].getProperty("retraction_hop_enabled", "value")) results in retraction_hop_enabled = True but when Z-hops are disabled in Cura it results in: "TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable" and exits. I have tried several things but I've been unable to get around this so any help would be appreciated. (My normal system of blindly pushing buttons until I find one that works has let me down.)

@Torgeir are you familiar with this failure?

Yes, it's a shot with the build plate rolled over so the camera is pointed at the sky (if there was a sky).

It's so simple and so complicated. The block has properties and the model has properties. An "Infill Mesh" will interact with a model and change certain things, and as a "Cutting Mesh" the same block will interact with the real model in a different way. Here is a little Cutting Mesh in the bigger model. The cutter is set to single wall, If you look closely you will see that the small block does indeed have a single wall but the portion of the real model that it has cut still has it's 3 walls - they go around the little block. A problem is that the little block will leave scars on the exterior of the model as it is "cutting" the model and so what it is really doing is leaving a pocket in the model. So that pocket has 4 walls - 3 of the regular model and one wall from the cutting mesh. It's the scar on the exterior that I don't like. I'm a firm believer that the slicer should be excellent at slicing the model I give it. If I want the model to be different, I give it a different model. Cura is an excellent slicer, but it will never replace a CAD program. My advice therefore is to alter your model so that area only has a single wall, or you will need to live with some of vagaries of trying to modify a model in a slicing app. It can be done...but it's complicated.

You might have the Mesh Fixes setting "Remove all Holes" turned on. Another possibility would be a problem with the model itself. Cura has a plugin called Mesh Tools available in the Marketplace. With that loaded it gives Cura some repair ability. MS 3D Builder is a pretty good repair tool, and there are online repair services. That looks like "remove all holes" is on.

Nope. From the base printer definition file "fdmprinter.def.json": "adhesion_type": "label": "Build Plate Adhesion Type", "settable_per_extruder": false I guess I can see what you want. If you have 3 different custom profiles that were identical to each other except for the Bed Adhesion extruder then that would be about the same thing. It's one mouse click to set it, but that's what you have now.

This is with compatibility mode turned on. This 2D rendering has some advantages. This is with it turned off. This 3D rendering has some advantages. If your system has dual video systems and an app like the Nvidia Control Panel then you can set it to allow Cura to use the more capable video system and you should get the 3D rendering. If SuperSlicer doesn't require OpenGL 4.0, and your system doesn't support OpenGL 4.0, then yes, SuperSlicer could render in 3D and Cura in the flat view.

That looks like you are in Compatibility Mode. Cura defaults to that when the video system doesn't support OpenGL 4.0, or the Computer doesn't assign Cura to a more capable video sub-system (if there is one), or, the Preferences / Configure Cura/ Viewport Behavior setting "Force Layer View Compatibility Mode" is ticked. If it's on then turn it off. The other two are harder to fix. It could be your operating system or your video drivers.

The post-processor "ChangeAtZ" can make changes to several settings but the Z-hop isn't one of them. Likewise as you have found out, no travel settings are settable using a modifier. I played with a post-processor for changing the Z-hop height between certain layers but I haven't looked at it in a couple of years. Actually, the reason I'm posting here is that when Cura paints a model with polka-dots it indicates that the model has errors. There are repair utility apps and on-line repair services for model files. For that model it doesn't appear to make a difference in the slicing, but getting in the habit of checking and repairing models can save time and confusion down the road.

Ribs and gussets would be good. If it broke as a metal part then your FDM replacement will need all the help it can get.

I have another couple of questions regarding Cura... I want to get the "initial_extruder_nr" from Cura in a post-processor. Getting the "extruders_enabled_count" would be a bonus. What do I need to import? What would be the syntax?

There are no dumb questions. I strive not to give dumb answers. The entire USB Printing thing isn't very sophisticated. Cura looks for a port it can open and then tries several baud rates and sends M105 each time. When it gets a response that it understands, then it uses the port. The printer isn't very complicated either. It will accept most any connection (whether it understands it or not is another question). As you probably suspected, that leaves us with your new laptop. The screenshot below is the Windows 11 device manager. If you squint you can see that "Ports Com and LPT lists a single port as "USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM3)". The COM number will change depending on which port I have the printer plugged in to. But the port driver (in my case it's the "USB-SERIAL CH340" driver) is what allows the computer to "see" the printer. If the driver included with Cura isn't right for your hardware then that is likely the problem. Do a internet search for "USB to SERIAL" port drivers and you should come up with something that will work. My laptop is a couple of months old and has the 3.0 USB ports and I haven't had a problem. The "USB Printing" plugin isn't maintained as no UM printers use it and no contributors/collaborators have attempted to try and bring it up to date/fix it. A main reason is what you are running into and that is the ridiculous amount of hardware and driver combinations out there both in the computers and in the printers. Printing via the cloud or Octoprint seems to be much preferred (I'm an SD card guy). For the most part - if USB Printing works that's great. If it doesn't then it doesn't.

That is often caused by errors in the model. If you zoom in to your image you can see that there are a couple layers missing below the large gap. In addition, Cura has determined that the area requires Top and Bottom layers which is telling us that it is calculating the lower and upper as separate parts and with a little sliver in between. Here is the message from MS 3D Builder: Here is the repaired model sliced. Here is where that leg attaches (allegedly) to the frame. I think the little step there is an indication of what the problem is. Here is the repaired model. Pbase-0.zip

I'm not very familiar with the UM machines but in general... I suppose #1 is using a different material for the support so it doesn't stick to the model as well. That will allow you to break it away or dissolve it, without harming the model. Under Material Settings are "Support Flow" and "Support Interface Flow". I found that running them at 90% created a weaker structure that was easier to collapse and remove. On a small model (like you show there), it's going to need "Support Wall Count" at 1. When "Connect Support Lines" is checked then a second wall is created around much of the support and so it's stronger. You will need to experiment and look closely at the preview to insure the your support won't need its own support. If you must grow support from the model itself, and the model and support are the same material - have the "Support Top Distance" at 1X layer height but the "Support Bottom Distance" set to 2X layer height. That will leave a cleaner bottom surface and make it easier to remove. You really can't change the Support Top Distance much as it directly affects model geometry. A cold interface won't allow the "Roof" to stick to it as well. (To toot my own horn, I have a plugin in the works to address finer control of the fan). Putting the interface down at a slow speed allows it to cool off before the roof goes on. On a small part like you have there, your going to be bouncing off the Minimum Print Speed anyway so you don't have a lot of flexibility there. Floor and roof interfaces at least 4 layers thick can help. If nothing else, it allows easier access for a hobby knife to get in there to pare it away. You will need to play with the "Interface density" to find an optimum. It will be denser for small parts and less dense on large parts. In the end though, a good set of "support removal tools" is a must. Being able to work the support out of tight places and leave the cleanest surface possible is a learned skill and requires some practice. @MariMakes is from UM and is a moderator here. She does a lot of work with smallish models and may have a take on the support issue as well.

It isn't something a lot of people are proud of. That's especially true when the problem is self-inflicted. Perusing the Creality Ender 3 group and some other "basic" printer groups on Reddit will certainly turn up a collection of disasters. Searching by "Disaster Name" may be worthwhile. Unfortunately, my prints are all models of perfection (HA!) so I can't really help.

That's good. If you have to go further things get complicated.

When Creality first went to the 4.2.x mainboards they were OK. Then they changed to the newer TFT type LCD displays. The firmware of the display didn't play nice with the firmware of the mainboard. As a consequence, no commands that send messages to the LCD work on those printers. That includes M0, M1, M117, M600 and a couple of others. If you follow the link below there is a workaround that uses Search and Replace to add several gcode lines that can get M25 to work. Another workaround is to use the "Gcode after pause" box in Pause at Height to add "G4 S300" (where "S" is in seconds) to pause the print. The down side is that G4 is a timed pause and if you make it too long, you can't shorten it. If you make it too short then the print can resume in the middle of changing colors. You also need to be standing there when the pause occurs. I'm attaching a gcode file that is a pausing test. Open it in a text editor and you'll see that I've commented out a couple of different types of pause commands. ; ;G4 S60 ;M0 ;M25 M0 S60; Do the actual pause ; By adding or removing semi-colons from the front of the lines maybe you will find something that works. There are no heating commands or extrusions in the file. The nozzle just runs around at a height of 10mm and then is supposed to pause. There is a more involved workaround in THIS THREAD. GV Pause Test.gcode

Thanks Dustin. That's what I was thinking. Pulling a running fan around an area (or for layers), that don't need/want cooling probably isn't a good idea but adding a second fan port might have cost .10 Euro.

You have at least two post processors running. Did you print a temp tower recently? Cura does not directly add the lines in bold below. They are from at least one post-processor. Since the second M117 line immediately erases the first M117 from the LCD screen I'm guessing at least two post processors. The temperature lines may be from a third and the fan line might be from a fourth. Are you using OctoPrint? M117 INDICATOR-Layer5M117 DASHBOARD_LAYER_INDICATOR 6;TYPE:CUSTOM LAYERM104 S220M106 S182.1;TYPE:WALL-INNER;MESH:Body1.stl

I don't know if there is a "scale" setting for the platform or not. I have made my own using MS 3D Builder. You could alter that one as well. The file used is in the "C:\Program Files\Ultimaker Cura 5.2.1\share\cura\resources\meshes" folder and is probably the "creality_ender3.3mf" file. It's 235 x 235 x 3. You really need to check your definition file to see what file is actually being loaded. It's in the definitions folder and will have a line like this which is from the Ender 3 definition file. "metadata": { "quality_definition": "creality_base", "visible": true, "platform": "creality_ender3.3mf" },

Make sure you don't have "Remove all Holes" enabled. A project file is the best way to show what's going on. Load the model, set Cura up to slice, and use the "File | Save Project" command and then post the 3mf Project File here.

This is making my head hurt. The Kodak version of Cura has a post-processor running (ChangeAtZ) and at layer 82 the temperature jumps up to 255. This is a very high temperature for a lot of materials. To the left of the "Slice" button should be an icon with a "<|>" icon. If it has a red circle with a number in it then you have a post-processor active. You can click on the button and next to the post processor will be an "X" button. That's the close button for the post-processor. You mentioned movement to the mid-point of the bed and as you have seen - that is in the Gcode in both versions as it is part of the StartUp G-code. What isn't in the StartUp is that other movement you mentioned with the Z movement of the build plate. That appears to be something that is being handled either by the firmware, or there is an "Extruder StartUp G-code" defined in Cura. I'm guessing it's in the firmware or it would do it at every tool change. The StartUp gcode is pretty sparse. Because you don't have any temperature callouts in the main StartUp G-code, Cura is putting them in at the very beginning prior to that line ";Kodak Begin". That means on the one hand you aren't really controlling the heating sequence but Cura does heat the "Initial extruder". One of the problems with dual extrusion is what do you do when you have a single extruder print? I'm not sure. If you plan the startup gcode for dual extrusion and run a single extruder print then an unused extruder will be drooling across your print. If you don't heat both extruders then a dual extruder print will start out with one of the extruders cold. One of my workarounds for that was to install additional instances of the printer. One for extruder1, another for extruder2, and a third for dual extrusion. Each has it's own startup gcode so the printer starts correctly for the particular print. For example I print TPU at 12mm/sec so the purge lines that were designed for PLA are way to fast. No problem. I use my Ender 3 Pro TPU printer and everything goes smoothly. I just found it easier than fiddling with settings all the time.

Hello to all. I don't have a multi-extruder printer to play with so I'll ask. Consider a Dual Extruder printer with separate layer cooling fans for each hot end. Here is a code snippet: T0 M106 S255 P0 (...) T1 M106 S255 P1 What is the T0 fan speed at this point? Did the tool change automatically turn it off? Cura does not seem to turn fans off at tool changes. Slightly different: T1 (...) T0 M106 S255 What is the T0 fan speed here? Does the M106 act on the Active Extruder or would it require the P parameter to explicitly call out the fan number? Some clarification would be appreciated. Google and MarlinFW has not been much help.