I would like to know more about trying different software? for projects, I’m just now getting my feet wet with all the terminology, so I know i sound like a complete rookie haha! At what point did you feel it was time to branch out? and thank you for the offer of assistance, I really appreciate that. I will pay that forward once I have some knowledge. BTW, What would cause this to happen to my print??? ------------->
Hey! Does this mean you got a print? (I know it’s not what you want, but that would be a lot better than a black screen.
I watch a lot of Yout videos on this sort of things. Guys like CNC kitchen etc. (I can find the actual list if you like). And someone said you should use real design software and a high quality slicer. Luban just isn’t best in class. If you’re into 3D design Fusion, or a similar design tool will make you much happier. As a frustrated OG engineering student, I found the learning curve steep on these tools. They are easiest to use if you adopt their style of thinking instead of a drafting analogy. My son was very helpful with this. In High School, he discovered that he thought in a way that was compatible with these new tools. His classmates and later, his bosses, were often amazed at how he jumped forward in a design and didn’t struggle like they did.
If you start a design in Fusion, create a table of your parameters and create the deign using them as dimensions etc. (I will admit, I don’t know how these concepts translate into organic objects like organisms, animals etc.
I’m not sure why your shark came out with gaps in the top. What material are you using? Is it hollow? Is this a design that others have used with success? Some theories:
- If it’s hollow, it might be that it needs more infill.
- from this pic, it looks as though the layers are being laid too far apart.
- You can use your slicer’s simulation function to step through layer by layer and see if you can see where the problem is arising. Does it look correct in the slicer? If so, it may be a material or machine error.
- It’s a process from beginning to end. So, go step by step and see if you can confirm that the product of each step is correct.
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Looks like you have 0 infill, so the layer lines are collapsing as they have nothing underneath to support them.
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WOW! Thank you for your time, and great feedback! I was just looking at the other slicers, although I am very new to all the terminology, I am catching on little, by little. It’s daunting to try another platform, not knowing exactly what it is I’m doing. I looked at Cura, Prusa, and Orca, but i’m hesitant to download until I get my feet wet a little more. I really don’t like wasting the filament either! The filament isn’t hollow, I just purchased it but who knows the quality, I purchased it from amazon. I also printed a lizard two days ago with some filament I purchased from Snapmaker, straight out of the package, and the same thing happened. These are models I downloaded from Thingaverse and MyMiniFactory. I’m thinking it is a machine setting, but until further research and learning curves I don’t know. I am excited that I went from blank screen to a complete, albeit not perfect project tho, there is hope!!
So, I downloaded this from Thingaverse, this particular shark. I also had the same thing happen on an articulated lizard that I also downloaded, but from another website. What can I do to make these models work? Or, when I look for a project, what would I look for to avoid the same issue? I don’t know enough yet to try my own codes to print so I’m using models until I understand exactly what I’m doing before I proceed to the next step in 3D printing. I used a friend’s FlashForge 3D printer, and as far as I know, I’m using the same pattern my friend’s machine was printing, and the lizard came out great on the FlashForge. Maybe there’s a setting I can change here? Her machine seemed a lot less complicated, a lot faster and more accurate at printing than this Snapmaker, IMHO. I have the A350
Right. In the beginning, this is a game of incremental wins. First get a print. Then get a better one. Then get what you want. (…and sadly then go backward sometimes).
So, try this test, print the sample file they send with the machine. It’s a vase. Use your Snapmaker filament to remove as many variables as you can. Sometimes the oddest things affect the outcome. Filament for example, different materials come with varying levels of challenge. Nylon, for instance is very humidity sensitive, so it gets brittle if exposed to the open air. So people people dry boxes just to keep it from being a problem.
I began printing with PLA and haven’t tried anything else. PLA is great for the sorts of semi-strong parts that I print. I get my filament from Snapmaker, but I know others have other favorite suppliers that are less expensive. Checkout some of those Yout channels and see what they are using/recommend.
I bought some glow-in-the dark PLA from SM, but haven’t used it yet because it requires a hardened nozzle. The material will erode away a regular brass one. I will get to it, but not yet. I really need a project that requires it so that the time learning how to do it is justified.
I supposed I really thrive on a “more like this, less like that” philosophy. I changed my own spark plugs today. It took me forever watching videos, confirming parts etc. But I feel great tonight with the $330 in my pocket that I DIDN’T give to someone else to do this.
I am having the same problem with zero infill in my prints. I have tried upping the infill from the default 20 percent to 50 percent and nothing changed. What should have been a flat surface turned into a boat because no infill was added. Only the outer lines. There must be something faulty with the software or firmware as I wasn’t having any issues until I updated to latest a few days ago.
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Congratulations! I love that, not only saving money, a great sense of accomplishment! Thank you for sharing, and I will definitely try making the vase, does it really take 4 days to make?
Is the infill in the preview?
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I’ll have to check tomorrow. I’m currently printing a head for a dragon that’s taking 10 hours, with 5 hours remaining. It’s smaller than a golf ball 
I adjusted some of the settings, I can only imagine how long the body will take, but it seems to be printing infill…
Rebecca 
Looking at the picture, I assume two things are wrong:
- You print with only one top layer - with the shallow angle, the layer lines are so far apart, that they cannot cover the whole object. Increase number of top layers. I’d start with 5 top layers.
- You have no infill - this means that the printer prints into thin air which gives poor results. Add some infill - I’d start with cubic pattern and 10%.
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Can you share us your luban Project?
You seem to print pretty slow.
The models you download are basically just solid objects. The infill is chosen by the user in the slicing software (Luban, Cura, OrcaSlicer, etc). Considering what @Mox0716 said dealing with the same issue, it sounds like there may be a software or firmware bug that is screwing it up.
@Mox0716, have you tried reverting back to the older version to see if the problem is fixed?
To help with the learning curve, check out this video:
3D PRINTING 101: The ULTIMATE Beginner’s Guide - YouTube
Then continue on with this series:
3D Printing Basics! Series (Ep1) - YouTube
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Here is the 10 hour build, I changed the settings in Luban for the slowest and thickest possible build (used a sharpie for size reference). I am currently building the body now, with a 17 1/2 hour print time. I thought when I downloaded a Gcode that it would download with the proper build information. Learning curve happening here!! Thanks for the info! The body, everything is normal, or medium so hopefully It’s ok. I tried to speed it up, but it is missing some of the base so I slowed back down to 110%
Thank you for the info! Do you also use Luban? If so, how do you change those parameters in the software? I did change some settings, but I don’t see where to change to “cubic pattern” or the percentage 
Awesome links! Thank you so very much!!
In Luban you find it here:
I just looked at the Luban Defaults, and I suppose if you select “Normal” print, you should have good settings for a first print:
It has 6 top layers, and 15% infill per default - that should work.
Thank you!! I have a question for you, I’m trying to make a couple of things for the grandkids, and the print is leaving holes where the filament isn’t sealing the surface. I have tried a couple of things, but before I start again and waste the filament, I’d like some direction. In your opinion, is the nozzle too hot? Too cold? Is the toolhead too fast? Too slow? I had speeded it up initially, because for heaven’s sake, 3 hours on an articulated shark seems unreasonably long in the print. I slowed it down. Then, I heated up the toolhead because I though maybe it was too hot but i think it got worse. The heat is within the recommended temp of the filament. It was set at 205* Celsius, but I bumped it up to 210 halfway through when I noticed the un-filled areas.