Lipko

A little bit harsh but true.

Hi all! I finished the manual version of the little motorized rally car. I'm making pdf instructions for it and I plan to submit a modified (single color) version on Cuusoo. I think this model would have chances for approval because it is relatively small and simple, no expensive PF stuff but some pieces in new colors (now, it would be impossible to make the body from a single color). I will make a MLCad version and modified instructions for the Cuusoo project. The whole idea of manualization and polishing the model came from Rm8's reply. More pictures if the folder becomes public: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=530532 Video:

Wow, I didn't know LDD can handle simple mechanisms like that in the stereo view thing.

Maybe you could try it with chain link pieces. Maybe I'll post something if I can soon Wait, there are many half-stud offsetting pieces, why don't you try one of those? EDIT: okay, it is an interesting puzzle

I don't know what to say Only that you are a complete idiot if you give up Lego because of something like that...

I still can't post my rally car I almost finished a month ago and all these rally cars will make mine totally unnoticeable. I envy the time you have for building and shooting videos

Similar thread: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=83590 You just have to replace PLI with BOM I believe.

A bit both color and the way it was built Instructions: just make photographs as you take the model apart. It can take a day for a complex model.

The body looks great, but the chassis looks a bit messy. If you'd rebuild it with consistent colors that are different from the body, it would look perfect. You are a very talented builder, I envy your skills but IMHO you should spend a bit more on perfecting your models.

What about the Hot Rod? Are you building many MOCs in parallel, or most of your WIP models won't get pass the WIP state?

I agree. Especially for car MOCs. For me, motorizing drive actually reduces playability, I can "feel" the model much more if I push it around by hand than operating it with a remote controller. Manual functions for a car are not tedious at all, so motorizing isn't essential, as with some construction models. I finished manualizing my latest small rally car. I could push it around it form hours while I hardly ever played with the remote controlled version. The model is much lighter, I more feel like taking it up and admire the end result a bit. Building PF models is not really more complex according to my limited experience. The more PF can actually reduce complexity as you don't need many gearboxes and you may not have to route drive trains to distant places. I worked for a few days with the RC version of the small rally car. Manualizing it took weeks. Making the small fake engine at the correct place, making both the steering wheel and HOG steering work, the structure was no longer stiffened by a battery box, etc. (okay, making the end result look like the RC version also added complexity). EDIT: except for off road cars. You can't manually push a car over obstacles, so a trial truck is obviously pointless without remote control.

Entering an angle? That option is disabled (grayed) for me and I can only enter the rotation matrix. What can be the problem?

Thank you both very much and sorry for the ignorance.

Thanks for the post, though the flex generation thing is working fine. The problem is with displaying the part properly in the part lists.

In MLCad edit view, you will see all the parts you inserted, no matter how you clear/bufferexchange them. Try in view mode, or take a look at it in LPub.

My opinions about the programs: LDD: very easy to use, I can build almost as fast in it as with real bricks, even with Technic (if the part searching is included in the process, I can build faster in LDD). The reason is that the pieces automatically snap together in the most intuitive ways. With a bit of practice and experience, even gearboxes are fast to make. The huge burden of the program (which actualy led me to other programs) is the lack of many pieces (even very trivial, common Technic pieces), and the inability to add custom pieces to it. The flexible tube/axle function is poor too, and the rotation functions are unstable, though there are tricks for using these rotation functions (usually the trick is to work on an assembly separate from the main model, and only build from the absolutely necessary parts in that separate assembly. Then after the successful rotation, move only the necessary rotated parts into the main model). LDD also seems to be inadequate for making instructions. MLCad: very tedious to work with, as there is no snapping or any relation between the parts, and you have to manually place the parts to make them fit. Rotation is annoying, as you can't enter a degree, only a rotation matrix (WTF?????). The huge advantage is that practically all Lego parts ever produced can be used, because anyone can make "unofficial" parts (which are reviewed and certified), so you don't have to worry about part availability. Other advantage is the plugin support which can make some things very easy to use. Like LSynth, for flexible things. The other big advantage (the reason I started to use it) is Instructions making. Along with LPub, you can make professional, almost official looking instructions. To sum it up: For fast prototyping, trying things out, quickly digitalizing a real model (so MOCing in general), LDD is the best tool for me. For accurately and fully making a model with all of the details (digitalizing a real model) and making Instructions, MLCad with LPub is the tool for me.

Okay, partly got the ghosting thing to work. 1. Make the manually assembled U-joint a submodel (as ghosting only works with MPD and submodels?) 2. Insert the said submodel to the model, and Ghost it 3. Insert a complete U-joint part too, somewhere where it's totally obscured (inside a part for example) 4.In LPub, select "Ignore this submodel" But the Bill of Materials at the end on the instructions is totally screwed. No matter how I ghost the submodels, the parts are still shown. I can live without the BOM at the end, old instructions didn't have that.

It seems that I can't even make ghosting work. Ghosted parts are in the part list on top of the steps... I also have universal joints in the instructions, and they are of course in pieces in the part list. If I can't get this hiding thing work than the 2 week work can be thrown out of the window.

Hi all! I'm making bent Technic flex axles in MLCad with LSynth, which is working well, but I want to show the flex axle part (the non bent version) in the Bill of Materials. How can I do that? Hiding the part in MLCad hides it both in the instruction step and in the BOM. Ghosting hides it only from the BOM. I can insert the official flex axle part along with the generated one and put it inside something to hide it, but it seems to be a quite nasty hack. Thanks for any hints in advance!

Exactly. I am making instructions like crazy so I didn't bother looking it up.

If you used a driving ring extension piece, you could save some gears, the second layer of axles and gears would be gone, and it would be only one stud longer. Your solution is too complex for such a simple thing.

The front suspension is very neat. Could you take a photo from the bottom of the car?

Hmm, that engine is very similar to the one I built into my upcoming small car (hopefully to be finished this weekend). Doesn't it jam a bit? I had to restrict the pistons' movement range because of this, so that they don't fully "fall" on the main shaft. My pistons are only 2L long, maybe that's the difference.

It seems to be okay now, thanks again!

Hmmm, I remembered wrong. They are sub assemblies in official instructions too, though they are not in a separate bubble and they are in the same format as the main assembly (numbering, background, BOM), that confused me. I'll look into that, thanks! I still don't really understand how MLCad knows that an animated part are not two parts but one with two stages.