Creating instructions in Ldraw

[Alasdair Ryan]

• LSynth flex axles don't render and its parts show as huge empty spaces in the PLI. But maybe I used LSynth wrong though.

You need to import it as a part/sub model.

• There doesn't seem to be a way to remove the PLI from all steps in one callout (not that I want, but it's a bug nonetheless).

* You should be able to in the control box to the right.

• Sometimes, callouts forget their positions and next time I open up the program they are all over the place.

Sadly this is a bug,you will need to clear the Lpub formatting and then start again.

• Sometimes, when I change the scale of an assembly and when it asks "Change only this step?" I choose Yes. Yet sometimes, contents of callouts are also scaled (also on entirely different pages).

* No idea on how to fix this.

• There seems to be no way to change the scale of an assembly in a callout. I can open up the scale dialog, but when I change the value and press OK it just does nothing.

* I think you might be able to do something in the box to the right.

• The assembled callouts show a rotated assembly, but most of the time the rotation is random and completely wrong.

* You can rotate parts/sub parts via the box on the right

• An assembled callout only shows parts of the submodel in question, not submodels of the submodel.

There should be a way.I will have a look at this......

• When I move the assembly in a single-step page by dragging it, and the page has a call out, everything ends up in a completely different place then where I put it.

You need to make sure that your call out box is small as possible.I just have it on a blank page.

• The callout window is not expanded to make sure the "x2" indication falls completely within its borders.

You should be able to re-size the box.

You should cheack out Working With Lpub for * Marked answers.

Edited July 22, 2012 by Alasdair Ryan

[freakwave]

Hi Eric,

Some add-on to Alasdair's answers, based on LPub V4.0.0.11

There doesn't seem to be a way to remove the PLI from all steps in one callout (not that I want, but it's a bug nonetheless).

- Right Click in the call-out

- select "No Part List per Step"

- Pop-up asks "Change only this step?"

- Select "No"

Alternatively you can edit in the right box manually and add the line:

0 !LPUB CALLOUT PLI PER_STEP FALSE

just after the STEP command.

Note: if you do this successively several times you might end up with the following meta-commands in the text-box:

0 !LPUB CALLOUT PLI PER_STEP FALSE 0 !LPUB CALLOUT PLI PER_STEP TRUE

0 !LPUB CALLOUT PLI PER_STEP FALSE

In this case it does not matter, but better remove the two surplus lines.

Sometimes, callouts forget their positions and next time I open up the program they are all over the place.

This is true, but what I noticed that if you keep a step "clean" (i.e. remove additional lines as mentioned in the "PL-per step" it fits pretty well using LPub's predefined positions, i.e. relative to the Assembly or the Part List.

Moving it around arbitrarily does not work.

Sometimes, when I change the scale of an assembly and when it asks "Change only this step?" I choose Yes. Yet sometimes, contents of callouts are also scaled (also on entirely different pages).

If this happens may be you should try to use:

0 !LPUB ASSEM MODEL_SCALE GLOBAL 0.5000 <- SCALE

Before the first step of the call-out (Click on the first assembly in the call-out to get thse corresponding text on the right)

In turn changing "GLOBAL" to "LOCAL" will work only for the step where this command is used (after the STEP)

There seems to be no way to change the scale of an assembly in a callout. I can open up the scale dialog, but when I change the value and press OK it just does nothing.

Try the "Redraw" button, this helps.

Otherwise use the lines I wrote just above, then "Redraw"

The assembled callouts show a rotated assembly, but most of the time the rotation is random and completely wrong.

The rotation should be best done in MLCAD.

If you want to rotate it, as Alasdair wrote, use the box on the right, eg.:

0 ROTSTEP 0 -75 -5 REL

And change the rotations as you like it. Do not forget to "Redraw".

An assembled callout only shows parts of the submodel in question, not submodels of the submodel.

I do not quite get you. Need to try cascaded submodels.

When I move the assembly in a single-step page by dragging it, and the page has a callout, everything ends up in a completely different place then where I put it.

The callout window is not expanded to make sure the "x2" indication falls completely within its borders.

Moving things freely, I have the impression that LPub does not like it very much...

Expanding a callout, I need to try.

I think it yould be great to make a Web-Collaboration course on LPub :-)

fW

[Blakbird]

Yeah, there are plenty of bugs in LPub, but relatively few considering and most have workarounds.

LSynth flex axles don't render and its parts show as huge empty spaces in the PLI. But maybe I used LSynth wrong though.

If you are using LDView as your rendered, make it sure it knows to scan your LSynth parts directory to find the parts. Once you can view the model correctly in LDView, it should work in LPub. You'll probably want to replace the hundreds of LSynth bits in the PLI with the straight part like this:

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN SUB part.dat 4

Put all the lines of LSynth parts here

0 !LPUB PLI END

In the first row, "part.dat" is the part you want to be in the PLI, and the number is the color.

Sometimes, callouts forget their positions and next time I open up the program they are all over the place.

This one drives me crazy but it easy to fix. The first time you drag a callout, LPubs adds a META command something like LPUB CALLOUT PLACEMENT LOCAL XY. However, the next time you move a callout, LPub does not add another META command. Instead, it edits the last one which moves your last callout (and all the others). The way around this is to copy the first CALLOUT PLACEMENT command into your new step, then regenerate. Now when you move the callout it will edit the right command.

By the way, the same thing happens with MULTI-STEP PLACEMENT.

Sometimes, when I change the scale of an assembly and when it asks "Change only this step?" I choose Yes. Yet sometimes, contents of callouts are also scaled (also on entirely different pages).

This is an artifact of the order in which things are parsed. When you have multiple levels of submodels, sometimes changing the scale at one point in the instructions seems like it is AFTER something else, but in the file it is actually BEFORE something else resulting in an effect. Its a good idea to go back through the instructions a second time after you finish which will help you clean up these unexpected issues. Once you've done a few dozen of them, you can see the problem before it happens and correct for it. Like looking directly at the code of the Matrix!

There seems to be no way to change the scale of an assembly in a callout. I can open up the scale dialog, but when I change the value and press OK it just does nothing.

I suspect this is the same problem as mentioned previous. It is probably changing a META command somewhere else in the file. See if you can find it and then copy-paste it into your current step.

When I move the assembly in a single-step page by dragging it, and the page has a callout, everything ends up in a completely different place then where I put it.

LPub uses fairly complicated logic to decide where to draw the assembly and this is effected by callouts. It applies this logic AFTER you drag which accounts for your change results. I tend to just change the X and Y values in the META command and then regenerate until I get it right.

Good luck! Even with the problems, Kevin Clague's software makes instructions 100x easier than without it.

By the way, go to the forums at LDraw.org to ask questions like this and you'll get a lot more answers.

Edited July 22, 2012 by Blakbird

[Superkalle]

I'm taking the liberty of moving this topic to the Digital Designer section

[dhc6twinotter]

I've started playing around a bit in Lpub, and have a couple questions for you all,

1) When I import my file from MLCAD to Lpub, all the parts are listed with just a bunch of numbers. I assume this line of numbers is the part number and location. Is there a way to change the listing to part names or thumbnails? It's hard to know what parts are what when it's just a bunch of numbers.

2) How do I display sub-assemblies and arrows?

3) Are there any part updates? I can't find the 5x7 frames and this part.

Thanks!

Edited January 31, 2013 by dhc6twinotter

[legolijntje]

I've started playing around a bit in Lpub, and have a couple questions for you all,

1) When I import my file from MLCAD to Lpub, all the parts are listed with just a bunch of numbers. I assume this line of numbers is the part number and location. Is there a way to change the listing to part names or thumbnails? It's hard to know what parts are what when it's just a bunch of numbers.

2) How do I display sub-assemblies and arrows?

3) Are there any part updates? I can't find the 5x7 frames and this part.

Thanks!

1. I don't eally understand waht you mean? Do you mean the right side of LPub, with all the code?
   
2. If you want sub-assemblies, you need .mpd files. Every sub-assembly needs to be an seperate .ldr file combined in an .mpd file. What do you mean with arrows? If you mean arrows that indicate where a submodel has to be, they appear automatic when you add a submodel. If you mean arrows o their own, indicating other important things or anything else, you can take a look here.
   
3. You probably don't have the most recent parts update. I would recommend (since you've maybe missed other updates too) to download the whole LDraw parts pack and copy/paste them in your parts folder and let windows ignore the duplicate ones
   

I hope that helps.

[Alasdair Ryan]

1) When I import my file from MLCAD to Lpub, all the parts are listed with just a bunch of numbers. I assume this line of numbers is the part number and location. Is there a way to change the listing to part names or thumbnails? It's hard to know what parts are what when it's just a bunch of numbers.

No,I don't think there is.

But as a tip you can refer to the parts list of that model in MLcad,which tells you what the part is and the colour.

How do I display sub-assemblies and arrows?

When you are in MLcad you can 'add part' via the toolbar or right click.if you then browse for the sub part and load it as a part into Mlcad (remember to add steps to the model part list) you then save it and load the file with lpub.

When you scroll through look out for a darker/different colour of page when you spot this this is the start of the call-out for the sub-step.

Sub-steps automatically come with arrows,for parts this requires the use of buffer exchange.

3) Are there any part updates? I can't find the 5x7 frames and this part.

Dat part 1

Dat part 2

You can read more about buffer exchange, sub-steps,callouts here.

Edited January 31, 2013 by Alasdair Ryan

[dhc6twinotter]

Thanks guys! The codes section is what I was referring too earlier. It would be nice to see the part name rather than a bunch of numbers. But building with sub-assemblies should help make things less confusing for me.

The arrows I mentioned are the arrows Jurgen Krooshoop used in the picture below:

I make my instructions almost completely with MLCad & LPub. I make the cover and an incidental picture with photoshop-like software, where I use images generated by POV-ray and LDView. The are are quite some "hidden" features in LPub. Right-clicking often gives pop0up menus with additional functions.

I work with submodels and buffer-exchange in MLCad a lot and this enables me to make almost everything I want.

I downloaded the LDraw parts file. I'm not exactly sure which folders contain my old existing parts and which file has my new parts. I know my new parts were downloaded to the Ldraw\parts folder, but when I open the "parts" folder, I have a large list of parts along with another folder labeled "s" which has a bunch more parts. I also have an "unofficial" folder listed under LDraw, which contains "parts" folder and "s" sub-folder. The "unofficial" folder also contains "p" folder that has a few parts as well as a folder marked "48". The "p" folder is also listed under "unofficial".

I guess I just don't know which folder MLCAD uses to retrieve it's parts library from. It seems like I have duplicate folders placed in different places.

If it helps, here's a screen shot of my main folder: Image

Thanks!

Edited February 1, 2013 by Calabar
Oversized image converted in text link. Maximum size allowed is 800x600 px.

[Alasdair Ryan]

Just do what I do and place both parts of the file in each folder and then in each sub folder,then scan parts via the menu in MLcad.

If you are using the latest version of MLcad (3.3) you will see a icon in the 'lower tool box' called 'arrow generator'.

You will need to use buffer exchange in order to hide the arrows after each step,which in-turn requires you to duplicate the required parts.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Alasdair Ryan

[Strikeman]

Just do what I do and place both parts of the file in each folder and then in each sub folder,then scan parts via the menu in MLcad.

If you are using the latest version of MLcad (3.3) you will see a icon in the 'lower tool box' called 'arrow generator'.

You will need to use buffer exchange in order to hide the arrows after each step,which in-turn requires you to duplicate the required parts.

FYI the latest version of MLCad is 3.4

[dhc6twinotter]

Thanks again for the help. I've been pretty busy the last few days, but I was able to work on this a bit this morning. I got my parts list updated (kinda a pain at first, but that was because of dumb me), and I played around with the arrow generator. Super simple to use.

I haven't played around with the buffer generator yet, but I'll get to that in a bit.

BTW, I'm using version 3.4.

Thanks again for the help! There's a lot more to this program than I initially thought.

[dhc6twinotter]

So, anybody know if the Technic mini-turntable is available? My last parts update included many new parts like the L motor and servo, but I haven't been able to find the mini turn table. Part search doesn't seem to work, unless I'm doing something wrong.

Thanks.

[Alasdair Ryan]

Yes it is available.....but there is a lot of files to download.

Part 1 Part 7

Part 2 Part 8

Part 3 Part 9

Part 4 Part 10

Part 5 Part 11

Part 6 Part12

Edited February 16, 2013 by Alasdair Ryan

[legolijntje]

I thought I had a combined part in my sr3d builder (on my pre-reinstalled pc, I'll have to take a look in the backup)

[dhc6twinotter]

Thanks again for the help guys! My hard drive crapped out on me a couple weeks ago, so I've had to re-install everything. When I re-downloaded the ldraw parts library, I went ahead and also downloaded the unofficial parts. The mini turntable was included in that library.

So far so good, but I've still got to figure out the buffer generator.

Thanks!