Bugs in Cura 15.04.5 / Linux

[asb 7]

Hi,

the current relase of Cura 15.04.5 / Linux has inherited the bug from the previous version that does not send the active object to the printer. Instead of printing, it just tries to save the file as gcode file on a randomly chosen USB connected drive.

It would be nice if Curea would be able to print directly on a connected printer.

The other issue is weirder. Cura appears to have some built-in size/complexity limiations or other major issues to process STL files that are larger than a couple of MB. If you run into such a case, the progress indicator in the GUI does not indicate any progress or does not show up at all. does not have any effect and neither opens a file dialog to select a file name or location, nor does it write GCode.

This bug is nasty because Cura doesn't give any feedback to the user; you don't know if it has crashed and it gives no error message in the GUI, it just does not write GCode. Though you can still click on menu items or rotate the active object.

If I start Cura from shell, I get this error message:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "/usr/share/cura/Cura/gui/mainWindow.py", line 85, in

self.Bind(wx.EVT_MENU, lambda e: self.scene.showSaveGCode(), i)

File "/usr/share/cura/Cura/gui/sceneView.py", line 346, in showSaveGCode

if not self._engine.getResult().isFinished():

AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'isFinished'

If Cura can not process large/complex files, I'd like to know where these limits are.

Thanks!

[nallath 1,124]

I've never had any issues saving large g-code files with the old Cura. The new one is expected to go into open beta next week.

[asb 7]

…whatever the "new one" might be.

However, Cura 15.04.5 / Linux can not even process STL files STL files with a relatively moderate size of ~5 MB, ~50000 vertices, ~100000 faces (from Blender), and that sucks big time :-(

[nallath 1,124]

I've never had any problems with processing larger files in old / new Cura on Linux.

[berndjm 16]

However, Cura 15.04.5 / Linux can not even process STL files STL files with a relatively moderate size of ~5 MB, ~50000 vertices, ~100000 faces (from Blender), and that sucks big time :-(

 

Can't confirm this, just processed a part with 6,8 MB, 68446 vertices, 136879 faces without problems or noticable time consumption.

If it didn't work for you, there must be an other reason than the file size ...

[asb 7]

Can't confirm this, just processed a part with 6,8 MB, 68446 vertices, 136879 faces without problems or noticable time consumption. If it didn't work for you, there must be an other reason than the file size ...

Operation to repeat: Make model in Blender, scale and verify in Netfabb, largest side ~220 mm, export to STL. Load STL into Cura. Processing in Cura will take about ten minutes, every time I change a parameter like infill or print speed. Then rotate the object to fit into the build space. Then cura will stop recalculating the estimated time & filament consumption and it will be impossible to write Gcode.

Another annoyance in Cura is that it doesn't check if the object fits into the build volume. 220 mm exceed the build volume of UM2+ (specs: 223 × 223 × 205 mm) when the longest side is upside. Cura will just not proces such a modelwithout telling anything.

[asb 7]

Actually, it's a lot worse. The UM2+ seems to not have a useable build volume of 223 × 223 × 205 mm, as specifications suggest. My object is 179 x 220 x 203 mm and the UM2+ just exited with an error message when trying to print a radically simplified object that Cura could process:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Cura does not warn that the 179 x 220 x 203 mm object can not be printed in the 223 × 223 × 205 mm build space. I am not printing with brim. And even if I did, why doesn't take Cura care of these calculations? It knows which printer I'm using and it should be able to do some math.

Second try. Scaled the object down even more. Now it's 177 x 217 x 200 mm. Guess what? The UM2+ stopped again with the error message:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Third try. Scaled the object down even more. Now it's 176 x 216 x 199 mm. And of course, the UM2+ stopped again with the error message:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Last try. Scaled the object down to 175 x 215 x 198 mm. The longest side with 21,5 cm is the smallest size I can use. And of course, the UM2+ stopped again with the error message:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Why the heck can I not print a low poly object with 175 x 215 x 198 mm in 223 × 223 × 205 mm build space?

At least in it's endless failures and notorious unrelyability the UM2+ one can rely on the UM2+.

This is beyond annoying :-(

[asb 7]

Yea, Cura is too stupid to calculate max print size. Let Cura scale the object with the "Maximize" button. Result:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Try to reduce number of lines in the "Expert settings". Cura allows a minimum of "1".

Turn object on the build plate sideways 90° and hit "Maximize" again. Result:

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Now scale down manually. Objects just can not be 21,5 cm long, neither in X, Y, or Y axis.

ERROR: Tried printing out of printing area.

Wasted half a day trying to guess what the real build volume of the UM2+ might be.

Again, no success and lots of filament trashed for nothing.

And what exactly does this piece of junk consider "printing area"? Where it stopped with this error is pretty much in the middle of the print bed!

Edited April 15, 2016 by Guest

[nallath 1,124]

It's actually the firmware that gives these issues