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December 12th - Drum Kit

December 11th - Bag End

December 10th - Sledge

December 9th - Mech Spiders

December 8th - Sky Tower

December 7th - Bauble

December 6th - Pillory

December 5th - Large Parts

December 4th - TranzAlpine

December 3rd - Merry-go-round / roundabout

December 2nd : Lighthouse

With Covid restriction's impacting AuckLUG's ability to run LEGO shows, our LUG members decided to embark on something to give to the AFOL community. LUG members have been beavering away to create small (ish) models and then make the building instructions for the model available for free to the LEGO community. The models are diverse; some have a Christmas theme and some do not. The models are generally small, influenced by the size of models you might get in LEGO's Advent Calendar sets, but one or two may be a bit bigger than that which you find in an Advent Calendar set. In the run up to Christmas, we will release the building instructions for the models, one per day. The building instructions can be downloaded from our LUG's website but I intend to add a post to this thread each day illustrating the given day's model. You are welcome to download and use the building instructions for free, so long as it is for non-commercial use. Regards and Merry Xmas on behalf of AuckLUG. David December 1st : Duck

A while ago I managed to find a copy of LEGO Engineer using the way back machine. If you try this link, https://web.archive.org/web/20020724174652/http://amper.ped.muni.cz/~fyzika/, it will take you to a directory. Then navigate to the sub-directory "projekt" and (Google) translate it from Czech into English and click on the link "an archive of freely distributable software". In the first directory there is an executable named "PCinstallLE2.exe". In the sub-directory named "ctrl" there is a zip file called "0CtrlLab.zip". I think (though I could be wrong) that one or both of these files are related to the long since disappeared LEGO Engineer. David

The wayback machine might be your friend. Try this link https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.hitechnic.com. Regards, David

It turns out that the universal joint was rotating okay - the axle in the model was improperly placed hence it didn't rotate. Once I placed it properly, it started rotating as expected. Regards, David

Since BrickStock now seems to be somewhat in stasis and BrickStore was updated/revamped in a major way this year, I have tweaked the spreadsheet once more. Brickficiency has been removed as an option and the Excel template has been configured to allow it to use BrickStore's image cache. If you are currently using BrickStock, you may want to take a look at BrickStore. The updated Excel template is available for download from Google Drive. Regards, David

Given that website is using LEGO as part of its name, you may want to consider informing LEGO itself - they do not take kindly to misappropriation of their name as part of a website. David

Hmmm, I take back part of observation #3 - the bit about the 3L axle not driving the gear. The axle does not have the correct rotational alignment with the 8 tooth gear in the LDR file. Once i aligned it correctly, it drove the gear as expected. I suspect the same may be true for the observation about the universal joint (observation #4). I'll take a look at that now but I may have to make sure my future models are really aligned properly! David [Edit] Yes, confirmed the axle coming from the universal joint rotates properly when is is correctly aligned to the axle socket .

Very nice. I thought it would be interesting to try it on a GBC module and see what the outcome would be. I picked the Akiyuki cup-to-cup module, using this LDraw file. A couple of observations for your consideration; Very nice! LDraw files can have an extension of either ldr or mpd. You may want to modify the file dialog to default to both extensions rather than just the ldr extension. It looks like there might be a minor flaw with determining if a part is driven. Using my sample LDraw file, the lower right-most 3L Technic axle is genuinely driveable - it is where the motor is attached. Attaching the motor to that axle will rotate the axle but not the gear that is attached to it. I also can select one end of the 4L black axle going through the clutch gear adjacent to the 3L axle and make it driveable but not the other end of the same 4L axle. The universal joint doesn't seem to transfer the rotation through to the second axle. Wish list; it would be magical if the tools was extend to drive other parts with axle connection's. For example, 3L, 4L and 5L thin liftarms, round bricks with axle connections. I acknowledge that this may not be trivial but having the ability to animate the mechanics behind a GBC such as the cup-to-cup model would be amazing. Thank you for releasing this tool. Regards, David

I have made building instructions for @Rijkvv's CRD incline connector: Rijkvv was both gracious and generous to allow me to post the building instructions in this thread. The PDF file for the instructions and the LDraw file can be downloaded from bricksafe. Nore that this is an experimental build and suited to the style of track built using plates rather than with bricks. Please experiment with the build and post back any observations or suggestions you may have. Regards, David

Probably too late for your scenario now but this post on the LDraw forums triggered a memory about this thread on the EuroBricks forum. If you are using LDView for rendering, specifying the argument "-ModelCenter=x,y,z" on the command line will move the rendering from the centre of the bounding box. In LPub3D, you can right click on an assembly and select the "Add LDView Render Arguments" menu item. This will open a dialog window in which you can specify the desired argument e.g. -ModelCenter=200,200,200. I just tried this in LPub3D and it changed the generated assembly image. I did have to regenerated the page in question (right mouse click on the page, select "Reset Page Assembly Image Cache") to flush the original assembly image. Hope this may be helpful for someone in the future. Regards, David

I've been working on some refinements to the Mining Mover. This post provides an update of the changes that have been made, resulting in version 2 of the modules. As with the original version, building instructions and LDraw files for each of the modules are available for download from rebrickable.com. This time they are available as separate downloads rather than as a single zip file; Straight, 8 long Chain Driver Chain Driver, alternative gearing Standard Corner Worm and Rack Gear Tensioner Single Wheel Tensioner If you find ways to improve on the module, I would encourage you to post your changes here. One reason for providing the LDraw files for the modules is to make the generation of building instruction for any improvements easier. Various Thoughts The clutch gear in the chain driver is pointless. The original premise was that it would be useful in the event of something jamming but if you hold the 12 tooth gear to simulate a jam, the clutch does not kick in as expected. You may as well save your money and use a standard 24 tooth gear instead. The longer the chain, the more friction there is. The maximum length of the chain will ultimately be limited by friction. I don't know what that length is. I'm pondering whether a variation of the chain tensioner using rubber bands would help dampen the slightly variable chain speed. Be aware that the outer part of the track has a 2 LDU overlap to the next row of studs. The slot for the chain is 22 LDUs wide, so that the slot isn't slowing the chain due to it being tight. Building other parts of a MOC right up to the outer part of the track will need to bear that in mind. There is a potential remedy but that will create a footprint for the outer part of the track being 3 studs wide. I'll contemplate this further. Construction of the chain does allow for some vertical play/curvature. The potential exists that a track could be designed to incorporate a slope. I'd like to be able to use the Minifig Mover to move a LEGO horse. At the moment the Chain Driver is incapable of accommodating a horse. I'm currently experimenting with incorporating a driver into a corner module which will likely resolve this issue. Watch this space! The modules have been designed to be able to be used within MILS modules. The premise is that the Chain Driver and Tensioner modules would be hidden from view within buildings. However, there should be nothing which prevents the track being elevated, hiding the Chain Driver and Tensioner lower down and then using tiles over where the Chain Driver and Tensioner are. While this would require more parts, it offers the potential to then have an unobstructed track. Is anyone up for the challenge? Regards, David

Well someone could. The LDraw files are available via rebrickable.com. The premise of the MOC is to serve as a foundation for others builders to incorporate into their own MOC. David

I've completed producing building instructions for the Minifig Mover. It struck me that as a MOC, the Minifig Mover was more suited to being posted in the Town forum, so I created a post on that forum and referenced this original thread. Regards, David

Over on the Train forum a few months ago, @SavaTheAggie posted about his MOC called Quarter Scale Rail: Having worked out how the chain was made by watching the video, that post inspired me to come up with a MOC to allow moving Minifigs to be added to a MOC. The video below illustrates a sample of the Minifig Mover in action. Cutting straight to the case, building instructions are available on rebrickable.com. The primary design considerations were; for it to be compatible with the MILS system it was desirable for it to be possible to be run very slowly make it suitable for incorporation into MOCs Secondary design considerations were; to be able to achieve a 180 degree turn within the with of a single baseplate to aim to have small modules which could be joined to form a larger be assembly Comments/learnings/observations Each set of building instructions illustrates a baseplate within a building step. The baseplate is for reference purposes only and is not listed in the parts. The premise of including the baseplate is to show the relative placing of the parts with respect to a MILS baseplate. Experience suggests that the channel in which the chain runs needs to be perhaps 22 LDUs (LDraw units) wide. This width is reflected in the construction. If you try to build the channel 20 LDUs wide (i.e. the width of a 1 x N brick) you will likely find it too tight for the chain to run smoothly. The Minifig Mover is presented as a foundation on which to build. Thus, as can be seen in the video, the motor and tensioner assemblies are exposed. The suggestion is to build appropriate elements of a MOC to contain/hide these assemblies. Via the MOC posting on Rebrickable, you can download not only the building instructions but the original LDraw files too. The premise of doing this is to encourage others to use the design as a starting point and then publish improvements or alternative track modules. Regards, David