I did in fact create a bug report about it! Before SketchUp 2019 you had to choose a template, but with 2019 and later it is possible to start a new document without it being based on a template. I happened, by chance, to have done that last night, ran into some problems, was in a panic for a while because I thought it was a general problem. Then I found that documents started from a template didn’t have the problems, and also I noticed that your file was using the blank document as well.
So, it’s a problem that may have been around for a while, but hasn’t shown for many people because it is out of the ordinary to start a new document that is not based on any template.
@RLGL
I think you were right. All I did was scale down in Cura a few percents and the slice button worked instantly. Strangely though I was correct in that there is a centimeter margin around the widest points AND adhesions are off.
Edit:
The adhesion setting was off on the ‘recommended’ view of settings but it did have the skirt enabled on the ‘custom’ settings. I figured that out and was all excited but then I went back and read @endlessfix 's answer and noticed that you said exactly that already.
So it finally printed at 20% fill pla. Feels great! Now I’m wondering what this crazy layer is about 1cm from the top! Is that what it looks like when it’s not ‘watertight’? And I think that spot on the bottom where there is about a 1/4" of gap is the point when I turned off the 50°C bed thinking “this is well adhered to the bed by now”. It has those gaps in all six corners.
@colin
I made the lid pieces and they received the same error message. Then before I printed them I started a new .skp, deleted the 2d woman and pasted the models into it. I exported them piece by piece into cura. Same error message. Then I found that after I slice them and go to the preview tab, cura shows me what the fuss is about. It is that ‘crazy layer’ I showed in my first printing photo. It appears in a seemingly random spot on the models. In all 3 things ive made so far it’s been a single layer that shows up ONLY in cura’s preview after slicing and it prints it, although the single layers have been easy to remove with a utility knife.
Next I’ll need to rebuild them from scratch I suppose using the non-blank template.
A little tip: you are using a free version of SketchUp, You need a version that supports plugins. These two, Solid Inspector 2 and TomTom’s Solid Inspector. Between them they will reveal many flaws that are not noticeable.
@RLGL
Ok. I did upgrade to shop (web) and its solid inspector says nothing about those mysterious layers. Did anyone here run my .skp through those plugins you mention?
Those solid tools were a lifesaver making the lid parts!
So I’ve since designed and exported 3 more models to cura and I have started with a standard template as @colin suggested. Unfortunately the “this model is not watertight and may not print as expected” error comes up for all three, however there are now no mysterious layers in the sliced preview or in the print. I have thus not definitively solved the mystery but at least my prints are working as expected!
Just an update on my project: (pardon the fact that it has nothing to do with sketchup pls)
It worked for 2 pours before catastrophic failure at that weak point I made. Seems to transfer some of the pigment to the crete and maybe the strength of the 20% fill pla goes with it (not that leaving it in the sun for a few hrs was wise). Maybe I should coat it with something next time.
One of the inherent weaknesses of 3d printing is that it is only as strong as the adhesion between layers, so I’m not surprised it separated at that point. I imagine the heat generated by the concrete and a degree of expansion wouldn’t help either.
But an interesting use, I love seeing these totally impractical practical uses. By that I mean where a print takes hours to design and print something that could be knocked together with some bits of wood in a few minutes. Love it.
I guess that’s the wise thing to do. The inside of the print is not smooth as there are ridges and crevasses between the layers. The concrete will hold on to that.
I would try a filament that will withstand the heat generated during the curing process of the concrete. Possibly the expansion could be contained with thicker walls and more infill.
