JBrickBuilder connection model

[Roland Melkert]

1. Annotation of existing primitives with connectivity, e.g. if you use stud.dat, you get a male stud connector 'for free'.

This is nothing new, both SR3DBuidler as my own LDCad use this approach.

2. Building new specific primitives designed to create "connection combinations" that are common.

I think it's already in the making as the discussion of an anti stud primitive came by awhile back.

As an example of the second, under Mario's scheme, a technic connector hole that is standard to the 1xN beams has a pile of connection information for:
- Jamming studs into either end or
- Putting pins through the hole with rotation or
- Putting axles through the hole with rotation or
- Putting friction pins through the hole as a rigid (but not directionally limited) connection.

I still think describing shapes is the better approach for these kinds of things

So someone could make a primitive that wraps up all of that "technic hole" info into one .dat file - sort of a molecule out of atoms.

There's connhole.dat, that's the one I use in LDCad, but that file doesn't cover all technic hole occurrences e.g. the last hole in beams etc.

I would like to see a meta-statement in the header section to indicate that connectivity is included (in a similar way that BFC CERTIFY implies winding info is included).

I agree, even if there is no additional info in the file given such an indication would be usefull as it shows it has none. This could be thre result of all the info being inherited (e.g. new minifig torsos).

(I am very willing to rewrite my own code if the spec needs to get modded. I don't know what happened with the texture extensions, but comments on the forums imply that it was delivered to the LSC "take it or leave it". I don't think that's particularly fair to the community, and it doesn't help get the best ideas into practice.)

I'm not to happy with how iit went with the texture spec as it basically was take it as a whole or leave it. I'm also a bit disappointed in the fact it's still not really used.

Mind you this is a bit of a hijack or Mario's work! But it's sort of luck that he posted something that was complete and readable right as I was starting to dig into this again....

No offense to Mario, but his method is nothing new. If anyone should be credited for setting up the basics of connection handling it should be Sergio.

We started talking about official connection models before on the forum, but for some reason it went nowhere every time. The main reason for that (i think) was people where afraid it would not be adopted by the tools. Even Sergio indicated he would never use it even if it became official. Something I did not really understand at the time. But now I also have my own format i kinda do, you own system just leaves more room to operate. On the other hand it would be very useful to use the default official info as the fallback or basis for snapping at least.

Anyhow I just wanted to get the above of my chest as it was kinda eating at me.