Top Layer not identified as top layer if not flat

[Flyingkiwi69 0]

Hi,

 

I have an issue that I'm trying to work out, I done a bunch of searching and haven't been able to find the answer.

When slicing something that does not have a flat top layer Cura doesn't seem to identify the top layer and as a result prints only the number of layers equal to the Wall Line Count.

I can force it to more layers by increasing the Wall Line Count but then all walls are unnecessarily thick.

For example I have number of Wall Line Count set at two, the Top Layers set to 6, a slightly off level top layer will print two layers instead of 6.

Is this by design?  And if so how do I get the 6 top layers without increasing the number of walls?

 

Cheers,

Jon

[gr5 1,450]

Cura *does* identify "top" layers as top layers.  The term in cura is "top layers" and sometimes "skin".  So for example if you print a wedge such that the top of the part is a gentle slope, you can print with only a single "wall line count" and say 20% infill but if your layer height is 0.2 and the the top thickness is 0.8 you will get 4 "top layers" (that's a setting in cura that normally auto calculates).  You will see these 4 layers as tightly compact diagonal pattern just like the bottom most layer.

 

Maybe you could post screen shots of the part and where you think it's not doing top layers.

 

It's possible that the "normals" in your STL file are backwards for the top of your part.  Did you use Sketchup?  If so and the top of your part is gray then right click on that top layer and choose "reverse faces" (or something like that) such that it is white.

[Flyingkiwi69 0]

Thanks for the reply.

It seems that the best way to fix this is to increase the wall count, I was previously using 2 now 3, that way I always get a minimum of 3 on top which is enough to fill in the holes.

 

It happens will all models that I've tried where the top of the model is not a flat defined "top" so not the normals.

 

I tried doing the top by thickness rather than layers and the same problem occurs.

 

It's seems like there should be a setting that defines at what angle the surface becomes a top rather than a wall.

 

The two screenshots below are an example, the tile model and then the slice, you can see the two walls rather than 4 top layers.

Hopefully that makes sense...?