As with all things, the library is a tradeoff between specificity (true to the real) and practicality (ease of creation, visibility in a model, etc).
We tend to draw the line at "functional" elements of a part. We omit model lines and injection points. Other things line underside splines and dimples that wouldn't really be visible in a model. We do have variants for part whose outward appearance is different or if a hole/connection is changed such that other parts fit/don't fit.
Since what to include is somewhat subjective, there aren't any hard and fast rules. Typically you should ask yourself:
- Does this variant provide any significant visual change during normal part usage?
- Does this variant provide or remove a connection point for other parts?
- Is this variant recognized as distinct (i.e. not group with an existing part) by the wider parts cataloging community?
If the answer is yes to any of these, then a variant *might* be warranted.
Sometimes the decision is clear, sometimes it's not. This is why we have forums for discussion and a Parts Library Administrator to make decisions. As parts authors and reviewers, we should be having healthy debate and be accepting of the consensus/admin even if the decision isn't in our favor.
We tend to draw the line at "functional" elements of a part. We omit model lines and injection points. Other things line underside splines and dimples that wouldn't really be visible in a model. We do have variants for part whose outward appearance is different or if a hole/connection is changed such that other parts fit/don't fit.
Since what to include is somewhat subjective, there aren't any hard and fast rules. Typically you should ask yourself:
- Does this variant provide any significant visual change during normal part usage?
- Does this variant provide or remove a connection point for other parts?
- Is this variant recognized as distinct (i.e. not group with an existing part) by the wider parts cataloging community?
If the answer is yes to any of these, then a variant *might* be warranted.
Sometimes the decision is clear, sometimes it's not. This is why we have forums for discussion and a Parts Library Administrator to make decisions. As parts authors and reviewers, we should be having healthy debate and be accepting of the consensus/admin even if the decision isn't in our favor.