190145 Sticker Yellow Box with Arrows

[Rafael Skibicki]

I haven't spend long time with LDraw. If summed up, it would probably be few days total, despite the fact that I discovered it over 4 years ago (or more? but I only remember BlockCAD before). Yet I'm still amazed by this whole project, who was started by Mr. Jessiman: thousands of parts made by dozens of people, all for free. Whenever I benefit from such thing, I try to say "thank you" by contributing, at least a little. And what's better than a new block?
As if the strict quality requirements weren't enough, I was completely put off by the unique format and tools required (I hate the fact I can't import files from popular 3D/2Dvector editors). I do have some basic experience with 3D modeling, but this format/tools mean steep learning curve, and when I finally get there, it's not very useful to put in resume (in contrast to 3DStudio etc.).

Now lo and behold what happens to your brain when you're unemployed... I've started working on a missing sticker!

http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/190145

For my mobile crane. At least one more set uses the same.

Maybe it's just temporary insanity (and can be cured), so I don't promise I'll finish it.



Info:
*I don't have this sticker/set. I'm using this peeron image for reference, scaled to match width of 1x4 brick (that danger stripes sticker next to it).
*I work with MLCAD ...because I know it. That's what I liked the most 4 years ago. Don't know what's better today.
*I draw first in "normal" vector graphics editor, then copy&paste vertex coordinates.
*That sticker has transparent background, which I think shouldn't be modeled in ldraw (just the drawing).

Questions:
*I assume overlapping is forbidden? (say, for outlined square: small square on big square would be so much easier than constructing an outline from four rectangles)
*Do I have to split it in half and mirror it? (because it's symmetric: 1 arrow and half a box)

[Rafael Skibicki]

Can anyone help a newbie? I somehow managed to get this far, without Quad2dat - I can't find a place on the web where I could download it!

This is as far as I know. Tested in editor/viewer.



Can I submit it to the tracker now?

[Philippe Hurbain]

Sorry for not commenting before , I'm on the net on and off these days...
It looks pretty good, but there are some issues.
- The most prominent one is that there are a lot of T-junctions. These may cause some display problems on some viewing directions (Though I have noticed none with your sticker), so they should be avoided. See this thread about T-junctions. My Edger2 tool can be used to detect T-junctions, see last paragraph of documentation.
- Origin of stickers is generally centered.

As for Quad2dat, I can send it to you, but I rather recommend Ldraw Pattern Creator, much more powerful, convenient and bug free !!!

[Rafael Skibicki]

Thank you for useful tips. NB: it was your (excellent!) website when I first learned about Quad2dat (link leads to dead Geocities website).

Centered it and fixed bowtie quadrangles (reuploaded file above). I was fully aware that the part will have many issues, BFC etc. This is where work > fun in part authoring...

I don't plan on becoming a regular part author. I still claim it could be useful to submit this part to the tracker (as it is) because:

• there are uncertified parts that stayed there for years - some people still download and use them, it's better than having no part at all
  
• someone someday may be willing to fix my errors - I grant full permission to modify my work
  

Shall I email Parts Library Admin then? How to deal with that part alias? (that's admin's duty, right?)

[Chris Dee]

You can submit both full part and the Alias (with your Name:, rather than PTadmin), but new parts should be submitted by the author (not via the Parts Library Admin).

To get submit rights you need to affirm the Contributor Agreement, by sending email to to the me with your true first and last names and your LDraw.org username, including the statement "I accept the LDraw.org Contributor Agreement with regards to all past and future contributionsmust also I make to LDraw.org". Access should normally follow as soon as I pick upthat email.

[Magnus Forsberg]

I certainly don't want to take away the fun, but...

I have removed all the t-juntions in your file, just to show you what we are on about.
I have coloured some of the quads/triangles red, to show you how this problem could be solved.

This was quickly made with LPC, which I can really recomend for this kind of work.
It will also automagically fix all bfc errors, so that you don't even have to think about that.

The base of the sticker should be made with a primitive, box5-12.dat.
Are you sure of the size? Stickers are gennerally a little bit smaller than the bricks they stick to.
I would guess that this one should be 3.8 x 1.8, not 4 x 2.

/ Magnus

[Rafael Skibicki]

Thank you - while I could imagine how to re-triangulate the background, I'd be stuck in the box image. Again, I used simple tools. I knew about primitives, but not how to scale them.

I've trimmed the size to 3.8 x 1.9 - it's what I managed to measure from that peeron picture (if I had the sticker, I'd scan it in hi-res), there could be up to 1 LDU error margin. The sticker goes between two panels in that crane set, but it fits 1x4x3 panel in other set (for which there's no scan yet, only instructions).

[Rafael Skibicki]

I didn't expect this problem (after all I was able to somehow register here, right?). All my emails sent from different accounts are rejected by the server with this note (looks like they're mistaken for spam. Now what? I'm puzzled. Can I just confirm the agreement on the forum?

[Chris Dee]

You need to send the CA affirmation to [email protected] which is not a gmail account and doesn't forward to a gmail account, so I suspect the problem is with your email server.

However, it would be acceptable to me if you post the affirmation message here.

[Orion Pobursky]

Actually Chris, [email protected] is handled by GMail. It just forwards it to your email automagically. All the @ldraw.org addresses are part of Google Apps and handled by the GMail system.

[Rafael Skibicki]

Having read and affirmed the Contributor Agreement, I accept the LDraw.org Contributor Agreement with regards to all past and future contributions I make to LDraw.org

Rafael Skibicki

[Chris Dee]

Oh - my mistake. I thought it was on the peeron server. I still don't understand why gmail dosn't like Rola's domain name.