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All,
Several years ago, I had a vision of a link portal that would be a one stop
destination for all finding all the fan created building instructions on the
Web. For a number of reasons, this project kept getting moved to the back
burner, and never really got started. But after many long nights, I have
finally completed what I believe is the first all-inclusive Building
Instructions Portal Web site!
http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
The application is driven off of submissions of your own *original* work.
(Please submit only your own work) You can link to any URL, and can have any
type of building instruction (i.e. Web based, downloadable, .ldr/.mpd file,
free, cost, etc.) Working together, we can hopefully build the content of
this application together over time.
The site (version 1.0 anyway) is basically complete, but I'm sure there are
still bugs here and there. If you have feedback on the flow, or find
problems, please drop me a line (sink@countersinkdg.com). Please bear with
me as we work out all the kinks. If you have suggestions on necessary or
desired functionality, send me a note as well, and I will try to add it in
as soon as I can.
I look forward to hearing your feedback! This is a big experiment, and I may
be the only one interested in this kind of application!
Jake
PS: This is in no way sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by The LEGO Company.
---
Jake McKee
LEGO Enthusiast
LUGNET Member #211
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Jake,
I like the idea, I think it will be a nice resource.
A few things I noticed right away:
1) Could you add away that I can see all the instructions with out being
broken in to catagories? I have to do a lot of clicking to just browse the
current instructions. It would be nice to just see a list of all available
instructions no matter what their catagory.
2) Is there a way for you to include a thumbnail with the item description
so I don't have to open each link to see what I'm looking at?
I guess I need to get working on some instructions for a few of my models,
might even have to build a few Rail Racer instructions so there is something
in the Trains/Other catagory :)
jt
------------
James J. Trobaugh
North Georgia LEGO Train Club
http://www.ngltc.org
In lugnet.announce, Jake McKee writes:
> All,
>
> Several years ago, I had a vision of a link portal that would be a one stop
> destination for all finding all the fan created building instructions on the
> Web. For a number of reasons, this project kept getting moved to the back
> burner, and never really got started. But after many long nights, I have
> finally completed what I believe is the first all-inclusive Building
> Instructions Portal Web site!
>
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
>
> The application is driven off of submissions of your own *original* work.
> (Please submit only your own work) You can link to any URL, and can have any
> type of building instruction (i.e. Web based, downloadable, .ldr/.mpd file,
> free, cost, etc.) Working together, we can hopefully build the content of
> this application together over time.
>
> The site (version 1.0 anyway) is basically complete, but I'm sure there are
> still bugs here and there. If you have feedback on the flow, or find
> problems, please drop me a line (sink@countersinkdg.com). Please bear with
> me as we work out all the kinks. If you have suggestions on necessary or
> desired functionality, send me a note as well, and I will try to add it in
> as soon as I can.
>
> I look forward to hearing your feedback! This is a big experiment, and I may
> be the only one interested in this kind of application!
>
> Jake
>
> PS: This is in no way sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by The LEGO Company.
>
> ---
> Jake McKee
> LEGO Enthusiast
> LUGNET Member #211
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In lugnet.general, James Trobaugh writes:
> Jake,
>
> I like the idea, I think it will be a nice resource.
Thanks! Yeah, I hope it gets used!
> A few things I noticed right away:
>
> 1) Could you add away that I can see all the instructions with out being
> broken in to catagories? I have to do a lot of clicking to just browse the
> current instructions. It would be nice to just see a list of all available
> instructions no matter what their catagory.
I am still trying to work out a way to do something like this. The problem
is that if the resources gets used a lot, then that single page would be
REALLY long. Let me put some thought into it.
> 2) Is there a way for you to include a thumbnail with the item description
> so I don't have to open each link to see what I'm looking at?
I am also still trying to work on that as well. I didn't include it in the
first release because of the issues at hand. I will put it on the list for
more thought. The problem there is that either I have to add a huge level of
complexity on my end in order to upload and store the thumbnails, or I have
to add a level of complexity for the users to also enter the URL for the
thumbnail on their site. Hmm... let me keep thinking about this one.
> I guess I need to get working on some instructions for a few of my models,
> might even have to build a few Rail Racer instructions so there is something
> in the Trains/Other catagory :)
Alright!
Thanks for the comments James! Keep the ideas coming!
Jake
---
Jake McKee
LEGO Enthusiast
LUGNET Member #211
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Jake - I love this idea, and I think it looks great. I've got some
suggestions too, but please don't take them as criticisms!
> In lugnet.general, James Trobaugh writes:
> > 1) Could you add away that I can see all the instructions with out being
> > broken in to catagories? I have to do a lot of clicking to just browse the
> > current instructions. It would be nice to just see a list of all available
> > instructions no matter what their catagory.
In lugnet.general, Jake McKee writes:
> I am still trying to work out a way to do something like this. The problem
> is that if the resources gets used a lot, then that single page would be
> REALLY long. Let me put some thought into it.
It would be much more useful to have this at the moment, while there are
still empty categories. I'm not sure about having things go into just, say,
'Trains' rather than a particular sub-category though. How about have
'Trains' shows everything in all its sub-categories? I know you're going to
hate me for making this suggestion, but why not have it so that each
category, at the bottom, lists everything in all its sub-categories in
reverse age order. That way you always see the latest addition first, like
Lugnet's messaging. Then you just show five or so per page, and have
back/forward buttons. I know it's a lot of work but I think it would look
good. You'll probably need paging controls and different sort orders (age,
hits, alphabetically, etc.) anyway when it starts to fill up.
> > 2) Is there a way for you to include a thumbnail with the item description
> > so I don't have to open each link to see what I'm looking at?
>
> I am also still trying to work on that as well. I didn't include it in the
> first release because of the issues at hand. I will put it on the list for
> more thought. The problem there is that either I have to add a huge level of
> complexity on my end in order to upload and store the thumbnails, or I have
> to add a level of complexity for the users to also enter the URL for the
> thumbnail on their site. Hmm... let me keep thinking about this one.
Thumbnails are a tricky one. Letting people provide a link to a thumbnail
will lead to all sorts of different sizes.
I'd suggest adding something to the submissions so that people can at least
specify a picture of their completed model that they'd prefer to go on your
page, whether you're going to add a thumbnail or not.
Do you host these pictures yourself or they all links? And what scripts are
you running? PHP4 can read an image's size and resize or resample it on
demand for generating thumbnails.
Jason J Railton
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In lugnet.announce, Jake McKee writes:
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
>
> The application is driven off of submissions of your own *original* work.
> (Please submit only your own work) You can link to any URL, and can have any
> type of building instruction (i.e. Web based, downloadable, .ldr/.mpd file,
> free, cost, etc.) Working together, we can hopefully build the content of
> this application together over time.
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I forgot to mention... If you don't see a
category, sub-category, sub-sub-category, etc., just click the "Suggest
Category" link. I just threw a few of the bigger categories in before launching.
Thanks!
Jake
---
Jake McKee
LEGO Enthusiast
LUGNET Member #211
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Jake McKee wrote:
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
Good idea. I spent some time this morning adding some of my
building instructions, and I hope everybody else will do
this as well.
The category selection indicates that you are a big train
fan. You might want to add a few subcategories below some of
the other main categories as well.
Jacob
--
"Læs dog de andre indlæg og svar før du spørger."
-- Bertel Lund Hansen
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In lugnet.general, Jacob Sparre Andersen writes:
> Jake McKee wrote:
>
> > http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
>
> Good idea. I spent some time this morning adding some of my
> building instructions, and I hope everybody else will do
> this as well.
Great! I just approved all your links, so they should be live now.
> The category selection indicates that you are a big train
> fan. You might want to add a few subcategories below some of
> the other main categories as well.
I am indeed a trains fan, which is why there were more trains categories.
But the idea is that people will help build not only the content (the links)
but also the structure (the categories). So if don't see a category there,
please click the "Suggest Category" link and tell me what is missing!
Thanks!
Jake
---
Jake McKee
LEGO Enthusiast
LUGNET Member #211
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In lugnet.announce, Jake McKee writes:
> All,
>
> Several years ago, I had a vision of a link portal that would be a one stop
> destination for all finding all the fan created building instructions on the
> Web...
>
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
>
> ...
Very impressive, Jake. Thanks for adding this resource to the community.
Still, I'm not sure how to make use of it. For instance, suppose I'd like to
build the JHM-23 Diesel Locomotive. The parts list is a great place to
start. Once I've acquired the parts though, I have to sit in front of the
computer and click through the steps one at a time.
I've tried putting all of the steps on a laptop, and that's not too bad. I
create my own HTML document and paste in all of the JPEGs (or, being a
programmer, I write code that pastes in all of the JPEGs.) Then I can view
that document, have it load all of the JPEGs, disconnect from the network,
and carry the laptop to the subterrainian LEGO storage facility (i.e., the
basement).
But, it would be even nicer if there was a print link that brought up a
document suitable for printing that contained all of the steps. In addition
to allowing me to view the steps on a laptop, I can view the steps on paper,
and unlike my HTML hack, the images wouldn't span page boundaries. It's a
lot of work for you, though.
Another option would be to allow downloading an LDRAW file. This would be a
reasonably compact download, and would allow stepping through the
construction using MLCad or the like.
How do you see the construction instructions being used?
Cary
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In lugnet.general, Cary Clark writes:
> snip<
> Very impressive, Jake. Thanks for adding this resource to the community.
>
> Still, I'm not sure how to make use of it. For instance, suppose I'd like to
> build the JHM-23 Diesel Locomotive. The parts list is a great place to
> start. Once I've acquired the parts though, I have to sit in front of the
> computer and click through the steps one at a time.
>
> I've tried putting all of the steps on a laptop, and that's not too bad. I
> create my own HTML document and paste in all of the JPEGs (or, being a
> programmer, I write code that pastes in all of the JPEGs.) Then I can view
> that document, have it load all of the JPEGs, disconnect from the network,
> and carry the laptop to the subterrainian LEGO storage facility (i.e., the
> basement).
> snip<
> How do you see the construction instructions being used?
>
> Cary
Printing color instructions eats ink like crazy. For those with a color PDA the
program Fireviewer for Palm OS works great. I download the jpegs to my
computer, then use Fireconverter and compress the files 50% and to 256 colors
to keep the size manageable. Then hotsync to my Sony Clie (128 MB Memory Stick
holds LOTS of instructions) My computer and LEGO stash are on 2 different
floors so this is waaay handy :)
--
Bill
(TooMuchDew)
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Hi Jake!
I visited your site this morning, it looks very nice. Maybe a little
confusing, I'll have to spend some more time there--maybe I was still a
little sleepy this morning. ;)
One suggestion: could you add counts on the main page(s)? So by the
"Trains" link, it could show "60 instruction sets", or "no instructions
yet! Want to add one?"
Steve
In lugnet.general, Jake McKee wrote:
> All,
>
> Several years ago, I had a vision of a link portal that would be a one stop
> destination for all finding all the fan created building instructions on the
> Web. For a number of reasons, this project kept getting moved to the back
> burner, and never really got started. But after many long nights, I have
> finally completed what I believe is the first all-inclusive Building
> Instructions Portal Web site!
>
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
>
> The application is driven off of submissions of your own *original* work.
> (Please submit only your own work) You can link to any URL, and can have any
> type of building instruction (i.e. Web based, downloadable, .ldr/.mpd file,
> free, cost, etc.) Working together, we can hopefully build the content of
> this application together over time.
>
> The site (version 1.0 anyway) is basically complete, but I'm sure there are
> still bugs here and there. If you have feedback on the flow, or find
> problems, please drop me a line (sink@countersinkdg.com). Please bear with
> me as we work out all the kinks. If you have suggestions on necessary or
> desired functionality, send me a note as well, and I will try to add it in
> as soon as I can.
>
> I look forward to hearing your feedback! This is a big experiment, and I may
> be the only one interested in this kind of application!
>
> Jake
>
> PS: This is in no way sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by The LEGO Company.
>
> ---
> Jake McKee
> LEGO Enthusiast
> LUGNET Member #211
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Very cool. This looks like the sort of thing that could really grow to be
one of the key Lego AFOL sites (alongside Brickshelf, Peeron, Lugnet . . . ).
One question. Do you have restrictions on how the instructions are done?
All the ones I clicked on were LDrawn (or other program), but there are lots
of us who don't use L-Draw. Are photos okay? Also, what about things that
aren't neatly put into order. For instance, here:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=13838
I've got instructions for an eagle I made. But they aren't really
instructions. Instead they are sort of photos taken at various steps of
construction. I think an experienced Lego builder could easily reproduce
this, but it's not as straightforward as official instructions or some of
those already on your site.
Bruce
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In lugnet.general, Bruce Hietbrink writes:
> Very cool. This looks like the sort of thing that could really grow to be
> one of the key Lego AFOL sites (alongside Brickshelf, Peeron, Lugnet . . . ).
> One question. Do you have restrictions on how the instructions are done?
> All the ones I clicked on were LDrawn (or other program), but there are lots
> of us who don't use L-Draw. Are photos okay? Also, what about things that
> aren't neatly put into order. For instance, here:
> http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=13838
> I've got instructions for an eagle I made. But they aren't really
> instructions. Instead they are sort of photos taken at various steps of
> construction. I think an experienced Lego builder could easily reproduce
> this, but it's not as straightforward as official instructions or some of
> those already on your site.
All good questions! Yes, you are totally free to upload links to any sort of
building instruction, in any format. The only restriction is that it is a
building instruction...for LEGO creations!
Now looking some time into the future, I forsee a day when there is more
"bite" to the ranking system. Somehow building instructions that rated
higher are given more visibility or something. Still playing with the
concept on that one. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.
So based on the quality, the ranking goes higher. With the higher ranking
comes something... thus driving people to constantly improve their style.
Perhaps I could work with LDraw.com to create some how to or tips & tricks
type articles to help the process out. Tim? You out there?
Jake
---
LEGO Enthusiast
LUGNET Member #211
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In lugnet.general, Jake McKee writes:
> Perhaps I could work with LDraw.com to create some how to or tips & tricks
> type articles to help the process out. Tim? You out there?
Hey Jake -
I definitely welcome more articles in the Tutorials section on the site.
Rob Drechsel sent me an email about a week ago reporting in that his
building instruction tutorial is nearing completion. He told me he would be
out of town this week but would get back with me upon his return. Perhaps
you can talk to him about what his tutorial contains, and work on something
which extends/compliments it?
Also, for the most part, Ahui is keeping track of tutorial stuff. I just
spoke with him tonight to get up to speed. Soon I will take him through how
to update the Tutorial section of the site by himself as well.
Hope this helps, feel free to run your ideas by Ahui and I.
-Tim
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In lugnet.general, Tim Courtney writes:
> In lugnet.general, Jake McKee writes:
>
> > Perhaps I could work with LDraw.com to create some how to or tips & tricks
> > type articles to help the process out. Tim? You out there?
>
> Hey Jake -
> I definitely welcome more articles in the Tutorials section on the site.
> Rob Drechsel sent me an email about a week ago reporting in that his
> building instruction tutorial is nearing completion. He told me he would be
> out of town this week but would get back with me upon his return. Perhaps
> you can talk to him about what his tutorial contains, and work on something
> which extends/compliments it?
>
> Also, for the most part, Ahui is keeping track of tutorial stuff. I just
> spoke with him tonight to get up to speed. Soon I will take him through how
> to update the Tutorial section of the site by himself as well.
>
> Hope this helps, feel free to run your ideas by Ahui and I.
>
> -Tim
After talking to Tim I've updated the tutorial list (just right now) to
include the following:
RNDR 210 Creating Building Instructions for the Web (What Rob is doing)
RNDR 211 Creating Building Instructions for Printing (open)
I've left RNDR 213 - 219 open for other types of building instructions. So
feel free Jake to either start on 211 or add another?
-AHui
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In lugnet.general, Ahui Herrera writes:
> After talking to Tim I've updated the tutorial list (just right now) to
> include the following:
>
> RNDR 210 Creating Building Instructions for the Web (What Rob is doing)
> RNDR 211 Creating Building Instructions for Printing (open)
>
> I've left RNDR 213 - 219 open for other types of building instructions. So
> feel free Jake to either start on 211 or add another?
> -AHui
How are you picking the numbers on these? It seems on the list you posted
today you jump around in the RNDR category - 204 jumps to 220, etc. Just
curious... :-)
-Tim
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In lugnet.general, Tim Courtney writes:
> In lugnet.general, Ahui Herrera writes:
>
> > After talking to Tim I've updated the tutorial list (just right now) to
> > include the following:
> >
> > RNDR 210 Creating Building Instructions for the Web (What Rob is doing)
> > RNDR 211 Creating Building Instructions for Printing (open)
> >
> > I've left RNDR 213 - 219 open for other types of building instructions. So
> > feel free Jake to either start on 211 or add another?
> > -AHui
>
> How are you picking the numbers on these? It seems on the list you posted
> today you jump around in the RNDR category - 204 jumps to 220, etc. Just
> curious... :-)
>
> -Tim
(WARNING!! WARNING!!! stepping into the innerworking of Ahui' brian....)
RNDR 101 - 199 is deveoted to simple rendering actions (getting POV to
output a default image at any angle of your model, turon on/off a lite,
playing iwth the POV code, making an ini file, installing POV, etc...
RNDR 201 - 209 More on POV but it's intermediate level. Striclty looking at
POV special code and what it could do for you.
RNDR 210 - 219 building instructions only
RNDR 220 - 229 PHOTOShop Tricks
RND 230 - 239 Fireworks Tricks
... ....
(Ahui's brian trying to think...
...
...
Oh well that's all lost my train of though. Basically I'm blocking off in
10s to sub-group a group. 10 may be too many but it's still early in the game.
hum... the FINAL version of the .xls file is NOT up yet. I upload the wrog
one will do agian tonight.
-Ahui
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Jake McKee wrote:
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
It would be nice, if you could extend the database, so it has
separate direct links to the LDraw and on-line editions of the
(free) building instructions.
Also, the pages seem a bit heavy to me. If I was in charge of
the page design, I would probably drop the table based layout
you use for the instruction lists, and simply use a "h2" element
for model name and main link, a "p" element for the model
description, and an "ul" element for the remaining information.
And finally, you might want to consider not using plain "mailto"
links for contacting the instruction authors. Soon after Google
notices the site, the e-mail addresses of the instruction
authors will be picked up by spammers.
Play well,
Jacob (who is allergic to HTML tables)
--
http://jacob.sparre.dk/LEGO/
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In lugnet.announce, Jake McKee writes:
> All,
>
> Several years ago, I had a vision of a link portal that would be a one stop
> destination for all finding all the fan created building instructions on the
> Web. For a number of reasons, this project kept getting moved to the back
> burner, and never really got started. But after many long nights, I have
> finally completed what I believe is the first all-inclusive Building
> Instructions Portal Web site!
>
> http://www.bricksonthebrain.com/resources/links
snipped
>
> ---
> Jake McKee
> LEGO Enthusiast
> LUGNET Member #211
Good deal! I already built the intermodal spine car and love it! But
thanks to you, now I have to go to Bricklink and buy a bunch of pieces so I
can build 2 or 3 more of them!!
- Bob
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