Cura Software, not able to import self sliced files or read gcode

[Mattgwar 0]

I loaded up an .stl file and had to make some physical size adjustments, saved it, printed prototype, and all was good.  I went back to load the file and duplicate to better use my full build plate only to find I can not open gcode file.  I found the pluggins listed I have no idea how to either activate them or if they are supposed to be active already.  If so what am I missing?

 

Any and all help appreciated.

Thank you for your time

[gr5 964]

For Cura, STL is the input.  gcode is the output.

 

It sounds like you want to save a 3rd thing - the settings and placement and so on that created the gcode.  There is a great feature in Cura to do this.  It's called "save project".  I do this for every thing I slice and print so I can get back to the exact settings and placement of the part and so on.  In addition of course I save the STL file.

 

Later you can load the "project" and it even includes where you placed the file, how you rotated it, how you scaled it, and all the settings.  It's a very useful feature.

[gr5 964]

You can look at gcode files but that's about it.  There are also 3rd party viewers such as http://gcode.ws

[Mattgwar 0]

I am unable to find "save project" I can save file to removable disk or to file.   It saves only as gcode.  I am unable to save the .stl as an .stl after I modify it with cura 2.3.1.  Also, Yes I am trying to reload the modified file, so I can duplicate and arrange a few of them on the buildplate.  I have learned now that I need to make note of the settings and changes in advance or find this "save project" you speak of =).

[gr5 964]

Ah.  Okay. Well if there is no "save project" under the file menu then you must have cura 15.* or older (from 2015).  

Which is a very good version.  

 

In that version you can't save the object and it's position and it's rotation.  What you *can* save is all the other settings (brim versus skirt, layer height, etc.  Everything).  In fact it is ALWAYS automatically saved in the last line of the gcode file.  It's not human readable.  What you do is in cura you can say "load profile from gcode..." and choose a gcode file and it loads up all your settings so they are identical to those of that earlier slicing you did.

 

But you might want to switch to cura 3.0 (cura 3.1 has a bug severe enough that I would avoid 3.1 and go right to 3.2 when it comes out).

[Mattgwar 0]

Thank you for the help and heads up.