LDCad: discussion around flex parts
2016-10-13, 9:16 (This post was last modified: 2016-10-13, 9:26 by Max Martin Richter.)
2016-10-13, 9:16 (This post was last modified: 2016-10-13, 9:26 by Max Martin Richter.)
Here is a summary of a private conversation I had with Max around usage of flexible parts in LDCad. We figured out it might help other people here...
- I try to generate a flex part, like it was used in the Flex System in the 90’s. I found the template, but I have no idea how to generate the part itself. I couldn’t find any instructions for this… Can you push me into the right direction?
- Look at Roland's videos on YouTube, he got some videos about flex parts (pneumatic tubes).
- well I watched that video before I asked for help.
- Dunno exactly where you are stuck. Here is a rough procedure with the key points:
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-1.mpd (Size: 11.55 KB / Downloads: 2)
[/i]
- OK, I looked at you file. I see 3 problems, corrected in the attached file.
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-2.mpd (Size: 235.52 KB / Downloads: 1)
- Strange I can still see a blue-white striped line in your attached file.
- Then I guess that LDCad can't find your donors library. If you turn on missing file detection (Prefs -> LDraw->Report missing files) and reload file LDCad will probably tell you that ldcTechFlexSysCableSeg.dat is missing. Probably your library tree is missing the donor parts (those used to generate flex stuff). Normally it should be located in C:\Users\(Max user)\AppData\Roaming\LDCad\donors\. Have a look at your LDraw library paths (Prefs -> LDraw -> Search (library) paths). (note, as I write this: the very low file size of the file sent by Max should have attracted my attention: it meant that no LDraw substitution code was added by LDCad for the flex part, probably meaning that the donor was missing in Max's machine)
- Ok, all files had been there, but the donors path was not set as donors but as official. Dunno why this was set wrong. Now it works! Thank you sooo much. :-)
- Well, one problem solved, next question:
Is there an easy way to solve the overlapping problem for the pneumatic hoses? Except adding a new control point and fiddle around?
Maybe define the end rotation or something else? (Please see the attached file!)
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-3.mpd (Size: 466.97 KB / Downloads: 1)
- Pneumatics routing is always rather tedious, and this one is especially bad - especially when you add the third tube! I found no way but add a CP on two of the tubes. More generally, the less CP, the better it looks, but here it was impossible to do without.
- Defining rotation doesn't help, it just twists the tube on itself, making it look bad.
- Here it is the file back, with tubes...
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-4.mpd (Size: 602.42 KB / Downloads: 3)
What I have done:
- I try to generate a flex part, like it was used in the Flex System in the 90’s. I found the template, but I have no idea how to generate the part itself. I couldn’t find any instructions for this… Can you push me into the right direction?
- Look at Roland's videos on YouTube, he got some videos about flex parts (pneumatic tubes).
- well I watched that video before I asked for help.
- Dunno exactly where you are stuck. Here is a rough procedure with the key points:
- Drag and drop the template on the model like you would do for any regular part.
- Accept creation of a new MPD submodel
- Place the part at the right place (origin is at one end of the template)
- IMPORTANT: Switch to nested mode (model->interaction, or 'n' shortcut, or click on model name at the top right of workspace, then nested tab). You will see handles at both ends of the template.
- You can now select the remote handle and move it where it belongs. Note that the handle is thin and a bit tricky to select.
- Like any part, you can add a handle to the flex part (add a waypoint): like a normal part, select one handle and press 'ins' key to add a duplicate. Note that the order of handle is important, source view does help!
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-1.mpd (Size: 11.55 KB / Downloads: 2)
[/i]- OK, I looked at you file. I see 3 problems, corrected in the attached file.
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-2.mpd (Size: 235.52 KB / Downloads: 1)
- one submodel (technicflexSysCableAndHose-1.ldr) is missing, I guess you deleted the submodel but not its reference.
- Did you fiddle with max length parameter? I think this is part of your problem: hose is generated only up to the specified length, after that you only see blue dotted line. IMHO this feature is not (yet) really usable. In the attached file I removed that limit. To use flex parts of the right length I simply check the length displayed in the status bar (in normal mode when the part is selected).
- The third issue (in technicflexSysCable-1.ldr, that also had the max length issue) is that you tried you add new skins without defining them, so they are empty and displays as a red dotted line. This occurs if you try to add a new control point (using ins key) but you have selected the skin (hose middle itself) instead of a control point. It occured to me frequently when I began using LDCad, probably Roland should do something for this, it's not very beginners friendly.
- Strange I can still see a blue-white striped line in your attached file.
- Then I guess that LDCad can't find your donors library. If you turn on missing file detection (Prefs -> LDraw->Report missing files) and reload file LDCad will probably tell you that ldcTechFlexSysCableSeg.dat is missing. Probably your library tree is missing the donor parts (those used to generate flex stuff). Normally it should be located in C:\Users\(Max user)\AppData\Roaming\LDCad\donors\. Have a look at your LDraw library paths (Prefs -> LDraw -> Search (library) paths). (note, as I write this: the very low file size of the file sent by Max should have attracted my attention: it meant that no LDraw substitution code was added by LDCad for the flex part, probably meaning that the donor was missing in Max's machine)
- Ok, all files had been there, but the donors path was not set as donors but as official. Dunno why this was set wrong. Now it works! Thank you sooo much. :-)
- Well, one problem solved, next question:
Is there an easy way to solve the overlapping problem for the pneumatic hoses? Except adding a new control point and fiddle around?
Maybe define the end rotation or something else? (Please see the attached file!)
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-3.mpd (Size: 466.97 KB / Downloads: 1)
- Pneumatics routing is always rather tedious, and this one is especially bad - especially when you add the third tube! I found no way but add a CP on two of the tubes. More generally, the less CP, the better it looks, but here it was impossible to do without.
- Defining rotation doesn't help, it just twists the tube on itself, making it look bad.
- Here it is the file back, with tubes...
8440_-_Formula_Flesh-4.mpd (Size: 602.42 KB / Downloads: 3)
What I have done:
- Fix the position of cockpit submodel. For some reason it was a bit off-grid. This can happen with snapping in some case. Here it is caused by the hinges assemblies, the way you defined them makes their origin off-grid. Rounding makes the nasty rest... Three solutions: redefine the hinges to make the other branch on grid, or hide them before placing cockpit so that snapping occurs on structure, or select the cockpit and press shift+home to place it on grid.
- realign the tubes ends in the beam. They were shifted by one hole (the outer most was in a pin!). Here it's a simple case since the beam is aligned with world axes, but in the general case, it's better to use local axes. Select the beam, press o, select the control point, press shift-c to put the control point on local origin. Then move it to the right place. It may be also interesting to reorient control point to the beam axes. Use Ctrl+home for this.
- Add the third tube, since the placement problem must be solved globally. Then as you say I fiddled around... no better solution.
Maybe I clicked on it erroneously , while checking the library paths a couple of months ago...not sure at all.
