LDD newbie alignment problem

[quilkin]

Just experimenting with LDD for the first time and thought I'd try to make a 'ball' because it uses only a few parts but involves quite a bit of turning parts around before joining them, therefore good for learning (I thought). So I have made up the six 'sides' and rotated them to the correct orientations but can't join them, because I need to move two sides a half-brick each to enable the third side to fit between. How do you move a connected group of pieces half a brick? Or have I made a mistake somewhere earlier? LXF file attached - I'm currently trying to join the three subassemblies in the front. Thanks for any help.

ball.lxf

[quilkin]

OK, in asking my question I have managed to solve it - by turning the assemblies around so the one being added to is lying flat, I can connect the next assembly.

Have now finished the 'ball' and added tiles - then watched the auto-generated building instructions - amazing!

ballcomplete.lxf

[Superkalle]

Glad you solved it. And welcome into the world of LDD. It's not a perfect tool, but the pros beat the cons.

Tip: If you want to make a ball in the future, the best way is to use one of the Ldraw sphere generators, and then import the .ldr-file.

There should be a couple of old topics here in the forum also about making balls. Search and hopefully you'll find them.

PS: There's a lot of different CAD-tools being discussed in the forum, so I added a "LDD" to your topic title for clarification

[___]

Tip: If you want to make a ball in the future, the best way is to use one of the Ldraw sphere generators, and then import the .ldr-file.

Ehm, did I missed something or just mistake from you: I guess @quilkin is talking he is using/experimenting with LDD, not MLCAD and you are advising him to use LDRAW sphere generator and then importing it...into LDD??? Unless there is some hidden feature I do not know about that statement is wrong as there is no known option how to import LDRAW file into LDD, but of course it would work vice versa, that is make something in LDD and exporting it as .ldr file which can be then imported to any LDRAW sw - can you clarify this Superkalle, please?

Edited October 17, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

Unless there is some hidden feature I do not know about that statement is wrong as there is no known option how to import LDRAW file into LDD, but of course it would work vice versa, that is make something in LDD and exporting it as .ldr file which can be then imported to any LDRAW sw - can you clarify this Superkalle, please?

Yes, there is: File | Import (Ctrl+I), select LDR as file extension, and voilà.

There are several problems: missing parts, wrong orientation or placement of some parts….

I prefer to reconstruct my models from scratch, or, at least, importing step by step (easier to see the missing parts and other problems).

I think this feature is available since LDD can export to LDR.

Edited October 17, 2015 by SylvainLS

[___]

Yes, there is: File | Import (Ctrl+I), select LDR as file extension, and voilà.

There are several problems: missing parts, wrong orientation or placement of some parts….

I prefer to reconstruct my models from scratch, or, at least, importing step by step (easier to see the missing parts and other problems).

I think this feature is available since LDD can export to LDR.

Oh, wow then - that is really new to me!

Thanx for the clarification - I will test right away (gee why didn't I never notice that option?! Ah, silly me once again... )

Edited October 17, 2015 by bublible

[Calabar]

Don't forget to update the LDRAW.xml file.

[quilkin]

If you want to make a ball in the future,

Thanks for the suggestion (and the help it seems to have given @bublible!) but I don't think I want to make any more balls/spheres - I just chose that because it would challenge my learning curve more than just stacking bricks vertically

[SylvainLS]

Want a challenge? Try aligning treads and sprockets

(They don’t connect! )

[___]

Want a challenge? Try aligning treads and sprockets

(They don’t connect! )

OK, give me their designIDs so I can actually find them in LDD inventory, I will try that!

Edited October 17, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

Big sprocket: 57519, little one: 57520, tread / track: 57518.

Have fun!

(There’s an LXF file in a thread somewhere here if you decide to throw in the towel )

[___]

Big sprocket: 57519, little one: 57520, tread / track: 57518.

Have fun!

(There’s an LXF file in a thread somewhere here if you decide to throw in the towel )

thanx, will look at it later as right now I am doing some other stuff...

BTW guys I did try to test that supposed .ldr import in LDD but regardless of brick I am trying to import absolutelly nothing happens, hm

[SylvainLS]

BTW guys I did try to test that supposed .ldr import in LDD but regardless of brick I am trying to import absolutelly nothing happens, hm

It works the same as importing from an LXF: the imported model becomes the selection to place.

It should show a progress bar (if the model is big enough), then make a sound and, sometimes, warn about removed parts because of collisions.

It doesn’t work (well) on MPDs.

Also, check your LDR file. LDD skips lines that start with a space….

[___]

It works the same as importing from an LXF: the imported model becomes the selection to place.

It should show a progress bar (if the model is big enough), then make a sound and, sometimes, warn about removed parts because of collisions.

It doesn’t work (well) on MPDs.

Also, check your LDR file. LDD skips lines that start with a space….

Oh c'mon, I of course know how importation works, there is no need for explanation.

I was only wondering in one of my previous post here that there actually is .ldr import support, nothing else...

The point is that I try to import "model" consisting of just one brick and for whatever reason nothing is imported and I do not know why when the brick in the model is like 3039 or 3040 so it is in LDd too but I will check that thing about spaces in lines, thanx.

BTW as for the shovel and those alignmet I already won: I did it like 3 times in my previous MOCs (tho those ones are not amongst those I have already publicly dispalyed here) and quite conincidentally the one I am working on now has them too so just wait a few days for the pictures as I am still not happy with the state that particulat MOC is in.

Anyway it is actually not that easy, if someone want I can show him how to do it but prepare for rather big pain-in-the-a** as the solution is somewhat nerves breaking

Edited October 17, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

I was just describing the process to assure you it was exactly the same as with an LXF file and for you to verify / say what of these events happened or not.

If I were explaining, I would have told you about the menu, the drop list for the file type, etc.

As for the bricks you’re trying, 3039 works, 3040 doesn’t (you have to use 3040b). At least with the ldraw.xml file I have here.

See the post from Calabar for the URL for a more complete one that the one included by LDD.

(It’s a bit outdated though.)

Edited October 17, 2015 by SylvainLS

[___]

I was just describing the process to assure you it was exactly the same as with an LXF file and for you to verify / say what of these events happened or not.

If I were explaining, I would have told you about the menu, the drop list for the file type, etc.

As for the bricks you’re trying, 3039 works, 3040 doesn’t (you have to use 3040b). At least with the ldraw.xml file I have here.

See the post from Calabar for the URL for a more complete one that the one included by LDD.

(It’s a bit outdated though.)

Ah, nevermind that as I actually have no use/reason for ldr import into LDD I was just currious as I thought all the years there is just that export option.

But hey, you did not react to that "shovel"!

[SylvainLS]

But hey, you did not react to that "shovel"!

’cause, I didn’t say it was impossible, just a “challenge” and a good way to learn tricks in LDD (temporary parts, grouping…).

Me, I’ve a nice little LXF with both big and small sprockets with perfectly aligned tracks around, top and bottom tracks perfectly horizontal and centered, so that I can easily use them with any horizontal track length.

[___]

Me, I’ve a nice little LXF with both big and small sprockets with perfectly aligned tracks around, top and bottom tracks perfectly horizontal and centered, so that I can easily use them with any horizontal track length.

Sure, but that would only work if you are using some known standard already used setups but as soon as you invent your own design as I did you simply have to do it somehow manually and that is what I did/was talking about...

Edited October 17, 2015 by bublible

[quilkin]

OP here again, and I've got further than my original alignment problem and am being more adventurous. I'm trying to make an LDD icosahedron (which I made from real bricks a while ago). It's made up of 20 triangular sections, and the first 7 have gone together perfectly - they need an exact angle of 41.81 degrees (according to Wikipedia). But I can't get the eighth side to snap into the hinges. Any suggestions from those wanting a challenge? The .lxf can be found here (too big to attach)

[___]

OP here again, and I've got further than my original alignment problem and am being more adventurous. I'm trying to make an LDD icosahedron (which I made from real bricks a while ago). It's made up of 20 triangular sections, and the first 7 have gone together perfectly - they need an exact angle of 41.81 degrees (according to Wikipedia). But I can't get the eighth side to snap into the hinges. Any suggestions from those wanting a challenge? The .lxf can be found here (too big to attach)

I made it like 1 minute after opening it...wanna send it back somewhere?

EDIT:

Anyway, here it is for you: http://lego.queryen....cosahedron7.lxf

And, BTW, I connected all 3 pieces, not just that one you were asking for... + I repair also 4 hinges that were wrong types like the same ones being on opposite sites thus no connection would be possible (most probably a mistake from you...or maybe it was just me rotating those triangles in wrong direction and it was much easier and quicker just switch those two types than rotating it under those angles, so please update those hinges to desired types if you need so)

Edited October 18, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

Okay:

the 10 faces you had http://slswww.free.f...osahedron10.lxf

and the 10 more added on top http://slswww.free.f...osahedron20.lxf

(Oh, hadn’t seen your answer bublible: it took time to put the files on the server )

By the way, couldn’t the hinges be symmetrically placed (like, always 2 fingers + 3 fingers), matching them is not easy (a bit like triominos )

Edited October 18, 2015 by SylvainLS

[___]

By the way, couldn’t the hinges be symmetrically placed (like, always 2 fingers + 3 fingers), matching them is not easy (a bit like triominos )

Well, I had absolutely no problem matching them nor symetrically placing them...it was easy task, actually much easier than I am normally doing with some of my MOCs.

Edited October 18, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

I was talking about what you refered in your previous post: you chose to move the hinges to make them match.

I was wondering if they could not be placed in a way that there would be no need to mind them too much before placing the face nor to move or replace them after.

“Symmetrical” as in “all edges of all faces have the same 2/3 fingers pattern.”

Anyway, I don’t know if it was luck or careful preparation by quilkin but for the complete “ball”, I just had to copy/paste the first half, randomly turn the second half to attach it on one edge then rotate it to connect it everywhere.

[___]

I was talking about what you refered in your previous post: you chose to move the hinges to make them match.

I was wondering if they could not be placed in a way that there would be no need to mind them too much before placing the face nor to move or replace them after.

“Symmetrical” as in “all edges of all faces have the same 2/3 fingers pattern.”

No, no, that was probably me did not paying much attention to the fact that there is some kind of matrix in placing his hinges as the first two triangles snaps without any problem tho I rotated them so I did not realized it before I came to the 3rd one where I instead of simple rotating just swap those hinges as it was in the moment the first thing to do that strikes me, that is all.

Edited October 18, 2015 by bublible

[SylvainLS]

Yes, I understood what you said.

I was wondering if that “matrix of hinges,” as you called it, couldn’t be simpler, “symmetrical,” thus ridding us of the need to think before, or swap hinges after, or try again.

And, indeed, it can be simpler: every edges of every triangles can be the same (one male and one female hinge, always in the same order).