[Guide] Creating Building Instructions using LPub

[zux]

I wonder guys, if you could help me. The model I have assembled use couple of 3L universal joints, which I used as separate parts to mimic exact position in a model. Now that when I process the file with LPub3D it lists all three pieces:

Alright, I have found the way to assemble them into one piece using following code:

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN SUB 61903.dat
0 !LPUB PART BEGIN IGN
1 71 -20 -32 -210 0 -1 0 -1 0 0 0 0 -1 62520.dat
1 71 -20 -32 -210 0.707 0 0.707 0 1 0 -0.707 0 0.707 62519.dat
1 71 -20 -32 -210 0.683 0.545 0.487 0.006 0.662 -0.75 -0.73 0.515 0.449 62520.dat
0 !LPUB PART END
0 !LPUB PLI END

Which seems to be ok for the first problem. The nasty thing is that this single piece then turns into Black rather than LBG:

Any ideas how to make this piece LBG again?

[Alasdair Ryan]

Yes, Just add 71 after the part you want to sub out.

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN SUB 61903.dat 71

[zux]

Ah, so easy and simple, thanks!

[Alasdair Ryan]

Your welcome.

[J_C]

Hi,

I have a model which uses 15x 32556.dat in Tan.

However, in BOM there are 2 groups of the same part. 1 says 15x. other says 15x.

I do not understand why it allocate the part in 2 groups, also (more of the problem) why it calculated double the amount?

Any ideas?

Thank you.

[Alasdair Ryan]

Two possible reasons:

1)Check the colours of the parts - one group might be different too the other.

2)Check the part ID of the parts - one group might be different too the other.

Another way is if you have by accident duplicated a step or sub model.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Alasdair Ryan

[J_C]

Interesting follow up.

double count of 32556.dat in 2 separate groups magically solved after I found mistake in colouring at 94925.dat (so completely different part) - there were 2 in 71gray and 1 in 72gray. After I changed all 3 from model into 71 gray, BOM in LPub recalculated and mysterious extra 15 of 32556 in tan, disappeared. Now BOM is correct.

[Alasdair Ryan]

I am posting this as an example for anyone interested,it is an example of using buffer exchange and Lpub commands to "Hold Position" of rotation of a beam in the first step.

While holding we insert a new piece to the model, finally we then rotate the first part.

We hold position of the parts in the first step twice,one is used for the adding the second piece and the other is used for rotating the beam.

Due to copying the first buffer twice some parts need to be removed from the part callout.

Part Exclusion

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN IGN
{
   //Parts
}
0 !LPUB PLI END

Download MLCAD FILE

0 Untitled
0 Name: rottest.ldr
0 Author: LDraw
0 Unofficial Model
0 !LPUB MULTI_STEP BEGIN
0 !LPUB MULTI_STEP PLACEMENT CENTER PAGE INSIDE -0.00143313 0.121816
0 !LPUB PLI CONSTRAIN LOCAL HEIGHT 1.13333
0 ROTATION CENTER 20 9.97002 0.185642 1 "Custom"
0 ROTATION CONFIG 1 1
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 -1 0 0 2730.dat
1 0 0 10 0 -1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 -1 32073.dat
0 BUFEXCHG A STORE
0 BUFEXCHG B STORE
1 0 20 -61.051 38.334 0 0 1 0.814115 0.580703 0 -0.580703 0.814115 0 2730.dat
0 STEP
0 !LPUB MULTI_STEP DIVIDER
0 BUFEXCHG B RETRIEVE
1 4 0 -24 -80 0 0 1 0 1 0 -1 0 0 3004.dat
1 0 20 -61.051 38.334 0 0 1 0.814115 0.580703 0 -0.580703 0.814115 0 2730.dat
0 STEP
0 BUFEXCHG A RETRIEVE
0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN IGN
1 0 20 -70.086 -9.302 0 0 1 0.999962 0.00872699 0 -0.00872699 0.999962 0 2730.dat
1 4 0 -24 -80 0 0 1 0 1 0 -1 0 0 3004.dat
0 !LPUB PLI END
0 !LPUB INSERT BOM
0 STEP
0 !LPUB MULTI_STEP ALLOC HORIZONTAL
0 !LPUB BOM PLACEMENT LOCAL CENTER PAGE INSIDE -0.207804 -0.353267
0 !LPUB BOM CONSTRAIN LOCAL HEIGHT 2.71333
0 !LPUB INSERT BOM
0 !LPUB MULTI_STEP END
0

[J_C]

Hi,

is it possible to somehow manually adjust amount of parts in SUB meta?

I am replacing track subassembly with single chaintread elements in PLI, but I did not figure out how to tell LPub to display correct amount (I would specify that).

So far it shows 1x. I need 42x.

All "trial and error" leads to error for me.

Please advice.

Thank you very much.

so far syntax as follows:

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN SUB 57518.dat 72

0 !LPUB PART BEGIN IGN

1 72 190 260 83 0 0 1 0 -1 0 1 0 0 chaintread.ldr

0 !LPUB PLI END

0 !LPUB PART END

where to put 42, to make it show 42?

Thank you very much.

[Alasdair Ryan]

If you open your sub model in notepad and identify all the chain elements,copy and past them into your assembly file (the one you linked above).

You may need to exclude your completed chain,you completed code should look like this:

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN IGN
1 72 190 260 83 0 0 1 0 -1 0 1 0 0 chaintread.ldr
0 !LPUB PLI END
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
and so on.....

Edited August 14, 2016 by Alasdair Ryan

[J_C]

If you open your sub model in notepad and identify all the chain elements,copy and past them into your assembly file (the one you linked above).

You may need to exclude your completed chain,you completed code should look like this:

0 !LPUB PLI BEGIN IGN
1 72 190 260 83 0 0 1 0 -1 0 1 0 0 chaintread.ldr
0 !LPUB PLI END
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
57518.dat 72
and so on.....

Brilliant. Thank you very much. How simple. Silly me , I should have figured this out by myself. Thank you!

[Alasdair Ryan]

It is no problem,it gives me something else to do on a sunday evening.

[J_C]

edit: sorted. question deleted. Thanks

 

Edited September 30, 2016 by J_C

[J_C]

Hi, please what is the correct syntax for changing PLI scale (local) not global? I need to change the scale of PLI in several steps, not everywhere. I cannot get it right. Any advice is very appreciated. Thanks in advance. 

edit 5h later:

and the correct answer is:

0 !LPUB PLI MODEL_SCALE LOCAL 0.5000

 

where last number on the line is to be adjusted according to your wish.

(might be usefull for somebody - it is for me)

Edited January 2, 2017 by J_C

[Lego_Talk]

Hi everyone,

I've just come across this wonderful tutorial that has helped me a lot. Now I want to add a few of my own features to make my instructions a little more clear. One of these features is a rotate symbol but I am having issues inserting it on the same page as one of my steps. I select the step number I want and then click 'add picture' but nothing appears even though in the command block it says it's been inserted. 

Can anyone give more some helpful hints? I've attached an image of the example so hopefully, that'll help.

Greatly appreciated

Edit: Another question, is it possible to add text inside my instructions?

Edited October 7, 2017 by Lego_Talk
Forgot to mention another question

[legolijntje]

Just now, Lego_Talk said:

Hi everyone,

I've just come across this wonderful tutorial that has helped me a lot. Now I want to add a few of my own features to make my instructions a little more clear. One of these features is a rotate symbol but I am having issues inserting it on the same page as one of my steps. I select the step number I want and then click 'add picture' but nothing appears even though in the command block it says it's been inserted. 

Can anyone give more some helpful hints? I've attached an image of the example so hopefully, that'll help.

Greatly appreciated

 

One of the newer versions of LPub3D has a special feature to insert rotate symbols. Just right click on a step and then choose an option that looks something like 'add rotate symbol'.

[Lego_Talk]

3 hours ago, legolijntje said:

One of the newer versions of LPub3D has a special feature to insert rotate symbols. Just right click on a step and then choose an option that looks something like 'add rotate symbol'.

Thanks legolijntje. I've downloaded a newer version now. I'll just have to run it.

[Vegard]

I tried this for the first time today, having used blueprint before I find this tool quite user unfriendly and not very intuitive. Why have a text based editor when drag and drop is the normality today. It's a pity as this software would have been so much more newbie friendly if it was possible drag to ratoate images, to click on parts for merging or substituting.

[legolijntje]

8 hours ago, Vegard said:

I tried this for the first time today, having used blueprint before I find this tool quite user unfriendly and not very intuitive. Why have a text based editor when drag and drop is the normality today. It's a pity as this software would have been so much more newbie friendly if it was possible drag to ratoate images, to click on parts for merging or substituting.

That's very true. The 'problem' is that LPub at its core is pretty old already (and if I remember correctly it was first only meant as an 'internal' tool for a book or something) and was abandoned for a few years. Then Travor stood up, took the source code and fixed a lot of bugs and added some much-wanted features (which became LPub3D). I'd love it if someone would start from the ground up and would write a complete new tool for creating LDraw instructions, but so far that hasn't happened...

[Vegard]

The thing is that Blueprint is very well made, maybe the easiest solution is to make that LDraw compatible. I've already suggested that in the Blueprint thread. Unfortunately my set couldn't be completly build in LDD.

Edited December 23, 2017 by Vegard

[BrickEdge]

[Deleted by poster]

Edited January 16, 2019 by BrickEdge
Post was moved to a new topic