Hi,
Some of you may know me from my book The LEGO Architect or my brickarchtiect.com website. I'm always looking for ways to simplify the more confusing aspects of our hobby, including my work on the LEGO Brick Labels project.
In order to create the labels, I've needed to craft extremely short descriptions for each part which complement the part image. (Because the name is always accompanied by the image, I can take some liberties to make the names shorter.)
One of the biggest challenges I've encountered is a semantic one. Different websites (including LEGO.com) use different names for each part, and even for the 'anatomical' elements within a part. I am in the process of learnign all the names used within the hobby for these connections and anatomy - in the hopes that I can distill the most commonly used terms.
![[Image: 2020-10-03%20-%20LEGO%20Storage%20Guide%...irtual.jpg]](https://brickarchitect.com/files/2020-10-03%20-%20LEGO%20Storage%20Guide%20(for%20AFOLs)%20-%20BrickCon%20Virtual.jpg)
Slide showing most of the common connection types in contemporary LEGO parts.
There are several aspects of LEGO part anatomy that I'm curious to hear how they are named within the internals of the LDraw project.
For example:
If there is already a LDraw Part Naming Styleguide, please let me know. If not, maybe this project can help create one?
Sincerely,
---tom
Some of you may know me from my book The LEGO Architect or my brickarchtiect.com website. I'm always looking for ways to simplify the more confusing aspects of our hobby, including my work on the LEGO Brick Labels project.
In order to create the labels, I've needed to craft extremely short descriptions for each part which complement the part image. (Because the name is always accompanied by the image, I can take some liberties to make the names shorter.)
One of the biggest challenges I've encountered is a semantic one. Different websites (including LEGO.com) use different names for each part, and even for the 'anatomical' elements within a part. I am in the process of learnign all the names used within the hobby for these connections and anatomy - in the hopes that I can distill the most commonly used terms.
Slide showing most of the common connection types in contemporary LEGO parts.
There are several aspects of LEGO part anatomy that I'm curious to hear how they are named within the internals of the LDraw project.
For example:
- On the underside of a 1x2 brick, there is a rod between the studs to create a gap the right size for a stud to attach. Is this called a "bar" since it is 2 units wide (in the measurement system used above), or do you have a different term?
- Hollow Stud - Is there a better term for these hollow studs which accept a bar element?
- Bar/Clip/Handle - A "handle" has the same diameter as a bar element. Is there another term for these used within LDraw project?
- Mini Bar - I have also seen "prong" as a term for this, such as in the context of relatively new part 68211
- Click Hinge - I have also heard "indexed hinge" and other terms - is there a common name here?
- Ball - This is also sometimes described as a constraction hinge - has that term been outmoded by now?
- Mini Pin - Is that the closest thing we have to a universal name for this non-Technic pin connection?
If there is already a LDraw Part Naming Styleguide, please let me know. If not, maybe this project can help create one?
Sincerely,
---tom