LDCad flex objects

[Orion Pobursky]

I'm current finishing the San Francisco Architecture set. The middle flex hose went fine but I need some pointers, instruction on how to do the end ones shown here:
   

Basically, I want a flex object that has the part 23443 as the end and also adjusts the angle of 23443 as the hose length is adjusted. Is this possible with LDCad? If so, can someone walk me through how to do it?

[Philippe Hurbain]

I'm current finishing the San Francisco Architecture set. The middle flex hose went fine but I need some pointers, instruction on how to do the end ones shown here:


Basically, I want a flex object that has the part 23443 as the end and also adjusts the angle of 23443 as the hose length is adjusted. Is this possible with LDCad? If so, can someone walk me through how to do it?

Here is how I do that...
- I plug a helper lightsaber into both connectors (flex part miss connectivity so it's easier to use the connect-aware lightwaber).
- Select the first one, press O. This defines a new local origin/orientation.
- select the flex part and press shift+c to move it to origin, then ctrl+home to make it default orientation (so it is aligned with lightsaber, amd more or less correctly placed in connector. You may need to fine tune position, but it's easy with local axis.
- Select the second light saber, press O
- Go to nested mode.
- Select the other end of flex part (control point).
- press shift+c and Ctrl+home to place and orient the other end.
- return to normal mode, delete lightsabers, select nothing and press O to go back to default origin/orientation.

[Orion Pobursky]

I'm current finishing the San Francisco Architecture set. The middle flex hose went fine but I need some pointers, instruction on how to do the end ones shown here:


Basically, I want a flex object that has the part 23443 as the end and also adjusts the angle of 23443 as the hose length is adjusted. Is this possible with LDCad? If so, can someone walk me through how to do it?

Here is how I do that...
- I plug a helper lightsaber into both connectors (flex part miss connectivity so it's easier to use the connect-aware lightwaber).
- Select the first one, press O. This defines a new local origin/orientation.
- select the flex part and press shift+c to move it to origin, then ctrl+home to make it default orientation (so it is aligned with lightsaber, amd more or less correctly placed in connector. You may need to fine tune position, but it's easy with local axis.
- Select the second light saber, press O
- Go to nested mode.
- Select the other end of flex part (control point).
- press shift+c and Ctrl+home to place and orient the other end.
- return to normal mode, delete lightsabers, select nothing and press O to go back to default origin/orientation.

Thanks Philo. I’m not sure you understood my request. I want 23443 as part of the flex object. I tried adding it as a path cap. This worked ok but the caps don’t adjust their angle based on hose length so I had to eyeball the angle of the 23443 manually. I’m satisfied with the result but is it possible to have the 23443 as a path segment?

PS. Is there a way to insert a path cap in LDCad itself? I had to add them using cut and paste via LDDP.

[Philippe Hurbain]

Thanks Philo. I’m not sure you understood my request. I want 23443 as part of the flex object. I tried adding it as a path cap. This worked ok but the caps don’t adjust their angle based on hose length so I had to eyeball the angle of the 23443 manually. I’m satisfied with the result but is it possible to have the 23443 as a path segment?

PS. Is there a way to insert a path cap in LDCad itself? I had to add them using cut and paste via LDDP.

Indeed I didn't understood correctly   It's easy to add the 23443 to the flex tube as a path cap , and then the orientation of the start of flex tube will depend on 23443 orientation. But I generally don't bother, and simply select 23443 AND flex tube control point (in nested mode), and rotate both at the same time.
To add 23443 as path cap, edit the flex tube, then add the part next to first control point. Then right click in main window -> grouping -> update auto groups (that last operation locks control point and path cap together). This tutorial can help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFy0ZhfC...IR6Y0&t=0s

[Orion Pobursky]

Thanks Philo. I’m not sure you understood my request. I want 23443 as part of the flex object. I tried adding it as a path cap. This worked ok but the caps don’t adjust their angle based on hose length so I had to eyeball the angle of the 23443 manually. I’m satisfied with the result but is it possible to have the 23443 as a path segment?

PS. Is there a way to insert a path cap in LDCad itself? I had to add them using cut and paste via LDDP.

Indeed I didn't understood correctly   It's easy to add the 23443 to the flex tube as a path cap , and then the orientation of the start of flex tube will depend on 23443 orientation. But I generally don't bother, and simply select 23443 AND flex tube control point (in nested mode), and rotate both at the same time.
To add 23443 as path cap, edit the flex tube, then add the part next to first control point. Then right click in main window -> grouping -> update auto groups (that last operation locks control point and path cap together). This tutorial can help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFy0ZhfC...IR6Y0&t=0s

That's kinda what I ended up doing and that worked fine.

I'd really like 23443 to be part of the path and the path control point to be fixed to the bar of 23443. This way when you adjust the control point knobs, the angle of 23443 adjusts accordingly. I'm sure there's a way to do this using a PATH_SKIN meta but I don't understand this meta well enough and the results of my (admittedly brief) tinkering were unsatisfying.

[Roland Melkert]

I'd really like 23443 to be part of the path and the path control point to be fixed to the bar of 23443. This way when you adjust the control point knobs, the angle of 23443 adjusts accordingly. I'm sure there's a way to do this using a PATH_SKIN meta but I don't understand this meta well enough and  the results of my (admittedly brief) tinkering were unsatisfying.

Maybe something like the attached template, place it in
%appdata%\LDCad\templates\path

I replaced the first segment with the 23443 and aligned it so it's centered probably at the first path point.
It won't snap though even if the part has snapping info as path skin isn't currently used in those calculations.

[Orion Pobursky]

I'd really like 23443 to be part of the path and the path control point to be fixed to the bar of 23443. This way when you adjust the control point knobs, the angle of 23443 adjusts accordingly. I'm sure there's a way to do this using a PATH_SKIN meta but I don't understand this meta well enough and  the results of my (admittedly brief) tinkering were unsatisfying.

Maybe something like the attached template, place it in
%appdata%\LDCad\templates\path

I replaced the first segment with the 23443 and aligned it so it's centered probably at the first path point.
It won't snap though even if the part has snapping info as path skin isn't currently used in those calculations.

Thanks. This gave me the start I needed to tweak things the way I want.