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+--- Thread: META Command for rotating parts for PLI (parts list callouts) (/thread-22954.html)
META Command for rotating parts for PLI (parts list callouts) - Lasse Deleuran - 2018-10-07
I have been looking through the various META commands (such as LPub commands for PLI and Callouts) but I have yet to find a META command that informs an instructions renderer of how to properly orient parts for parts lists and BOMs.
A nice way of orienting parts is to position it with the center at (0,0,0) and placing the camera somewhere along the vector (10, -7, 10). It seems like MLCad does it this way, and I believe this gives a nice view of most parts.
This approach does not work with technic plates (where you can't see the holes), panels with stickers (where the stickers face away from the user), 1x1 bricks with 1 or two studs on sides, and many more, where this normal orientation makes it hard to determine the part.
I have made a crude hack and placed the camera along (10,-15,10) to help out with some of the situations, see this example BOM where 98087 and 47905 can be distinguished (The page currently loads slowly due to lack of optimizations for line type 5 - I am looking into that), but a better approach is needed.
Is there already a commonly used META command for this purpose? I have not been able to find it, but I might have looked the wrong places.
And is there already a library for this kind of positioning of parts? And how does LPub get around this issue. Does it handle this internally?
RE: META Command for rotating parts for PLI (parts list callouts) - Orion Pobursky - 2018-10-07
This article may help:
https://sites.google.com/site/workingwithlpub/general/advanced-techniques/pli-controlfile
RE: META Command for rotating parts for PLI (parts list callouts) - Lasse Deleuran - 2018-10-07
(2018-10-07, 0:18)Orion Pobursky Wrote: This article may help:
https://sites.google.com/site/workingwithlpub/general/advanced-techniques/pli-controlfile
Thanks Orion,
This tells me that for both MLCad and LPub there is a separate file with rotation, rather than inlining META commands. Previous version of LPub used "orientation.ldr", while later versions use the MLCad "pli.mpd". I will try to incorporate their approach, rather than reinventing the wheel.
The answer to my initial question thus seems to be a no for inline META-commands directly in the parts (.dat) files.
RE: META Command for rotating parts for PLI (parts list callouts) - Lasse Deleuran - 2018-10-11
(2018-10-07, 0:18)Orion Pobursky Wrote: This article may help:
https://sites.google.com/site/workingwithlpub/general/advanced-techniques/pli-controlfile
BrickHub.org is now using this control file for displaying pli’s. I am uncertain of the use of colors in this file, so I am ignoring that argument for now.
For the future I will enable users to directly edit the file on. I just need a good and ‘secure’ way of doing this. It is in the works.
For now I will just thank you for leading me on what seems to be the right path.