Basic plate depth issue ?

[benoit paillard]

Hi all, I just joined and just started using LDraw, so sorry in advance if I'm being stupid !

I'd like to revive my old Legos sets for my son, but there are heaps of missing parts... However I have a 3D printer and I'd like to print them.

I did a bunch of tests and it's quite promising with LDraw library. However I stumbled upon one issue : the basic thin parts from LDraw lib are not as deep as real legos !

Taking for instance part 3023, 1 x 2 plate, when measuring the internal depth from the bottom to the internel ceiling, I get more than 2mm on an actual part, and 1.6mm from LDraw lib.

Is that normal, like for rendering purpose or something ?

Thank you for your help.

[N. W. Perry]

Hi all, I just joined and just started using LDraw, so sorry in advance if I'm being stupid !

I'd like to revive my old Legos sets for my son, but there are heaps of missing parts... However I have a 3D printer and I'd like to print them.

I did a bunch of tests and it's quite promising with LDraw library. However I stumbled upon one issue : the basic thin parts from LDraw lib are not as deep as real legos !

Taking for instance part 3023, 1 x 2 plate, when measuring the internal depth from the bottom to the internel ceiling, I get more than 2mm on an actual part, and 1.6mm from LDraw lib.

Is that normal, like for rendering purpose or something ?

Thank you for your help.

It's normal that LDraw dimensions aren't always the same as real Lego parts, in various ways and for various reasons. The measurement you're looking at might well vary, not just between LDraw and Lego, but likely between different variants of Lego parts themselves. The theoretical height of an LDraw plate (minus studs) would be 3.2mm, so the inside ceiling is simply half of that, or 1.6mm, to make an exact fit with adjoining parts. But a real part probably would have a higher ceiling, to clear the raised logo on the studs for example, or maybe just to save plastic!

[Orion Pobursky]

Hi all, I just joined and just started using LDraw, so sorry in advance if I'm being stupid !

I'd like to revive my old Legos sets for my son, but there are heaps of missing parts... However I have a 3D printer and I'd like to print them.

I did a bunch of tests and it's quite promising with LDraw library. However I stumbled upon one issue : the basic thin parts from LDraw lib are not as deep as real legos !

Taking for instance part 3023, 1 x 2 plate, when measuring the internal depth from the bottom to the internel ceiling, I get more than 2mm on an actual part, and 1.6mm from LDraw lib.

Is that normal, like for rendering purpose or something ?

Thank you for your help

We're close but not quite. Since LDraw is meant to be a digital representation so our units work fine for digital media but not so great for 3D printing. Plastic deforms slightly, digital bricks do not. Actual LEGO bricks need clutch power, digital brick do not. Etc...

Also, not having easily 3D printable bricks from our data keeps us firmly in the fairplay guidelines and in the good graces of LEGO.

[benoit paillard]

Oh ok, thanks for that ! I did not know legal approach was an actual topic.

This is a problem for 3d printing since the top studs then do not fit under the part ceiling, but I'll try and find a work around.

Thanks for your help !