LDCad stepping question

[Roland Dahl]

Hello gents, long time no see. 

I recently dug out LDCad again to build the 75192 Falcon.

I try to implement the structure and building steps of the building instructions to the LDraw file. For realizing this I have to work with the grouping feature.

For example: I build the landing gear (building step 131 to 149) as a group. So I can add these steps exactly as main steps 131 to 149 to the LDraw file. 

But I would prefer to build the landing gear as a submodel, as it is much, much more comfortable to work with submodels. But using a submodel instead of using a group is destroying the main step numbering, as a submodel starts with sub step 1.

Question: Is it somehow possible to generate a new submodel AND continue the main stepping (here 131 to 149) within this submodel instead if starting with substep 1?

[N. W. Perry]

Question: Is it somehow possible to generate a new submodel AND continue the main stepping (here 131 to 149) within this submodel instead if starting with substep 1?

You can do it using buffer exchange—sort of. I make the sub-build in the main model between the buffer statements, which hides the main build and lets the sub-build continue the same numbering sequence. Then when I re-add the sub-build, which you must always do with buffer exchange, I add it as a submodel that is copied from the sub-build in the main sequence, including step metas.

Now the steps in the actual submodel will still start at 1, but you can see the same thing being built with the correct step numbers in the main model. (Rumor has it that LDCad 2.0 will support LPub metas, which do allow for specifying the starting step number.)

I'll attach an example to show you what I mean.

[Roland Dahl]

You can do it using buffer exchange—sort of. 

Thank you! Yes, that is exactly what I was looking for.

As I am not familar with LPub, I had to add the relevant code via Notepad directly to the LDraw file. Finally I understood the thing halfway; enough to achieve the desired effect.

But I have to admit, that this procedure is, let's say, kind of faked. I think, that is what you mentioned as "sort of".

Up to now I solved this issue by adding blind steps to the main model, right before adding the relevant submodel. Good to know, that there is a way to fill these blind steps with the right content.

[N. W. Perry]

But I have to admit, that this procedure is, let's say, kind of faked. I think, that is what you mentioned as "sort of".

Well, yes, it's an approximation, only made necessary because you can't set a step number to any arbitrary value in LDCad, they must only be sequential. But you could look at it the other way, too, where using a submodel is kind of cheating because you're taking a part of the main build sequence and separating it. I think of a submodel as something that has its own set of steps. But that's really just a matter of perspective/preference.