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[DAT] (requires LDraw-compatible viewer)
Subject: 
Re: Part number needed & New primitive submission
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.cad.dev
Date: 
Sun, 1 Aug 1999 18:05:40 GMT
Viewed: 
823 times
  
[discussion cut to lugnet.cad.dev]

On Fri, 30 Jul 1999 23:06:22 GMT, "Adam Howard" <abhoward10@hotmail.com>
wrote:

Steve Bliss <blisses@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:379efb57.87946213@lugnet.com...
A few things I noticed/suggestions:

1. The way you use box4nl, you are drawing a bunch of quads which will
never be seen.  Drop the end-quads from box4nl.
2. On the outside frame, butted-construction is not the best way to put
graphics primitives together.  My experience is when areas are 'beveled' • to
fit together at the corner-points, the results can better handle
rotation/scaling without visible defects. YMMV.

I have rethought my original decision on both of these.
I realize the end quads will never be seen, but is that a reason to create a
new primitive.  Even If I did create a new primitive for the lattices, some
of them would still be embedded in the window frame and never be seen.

Yes, I feel it is a reason to change the primitive (by removing two
opposing end panels).  You can easily add the needed panels to the frame
area.

I also disagree with 'butted-construction is not the best way to put
graphics primitives together'.  I think it is an excellent method and I
haven't seen any defects created by it.  In my opinion it is exactly the
same as writing quad lines to cover the same surfaces (there is no overlap
in this part).  Scaling and orientation will be applied equally regardless
of how those surfaces are generated, whether they are called from a
primitive file or written directly in the part file.

But when graphics primitives (in this case, I mean lines, quads and
triangles, not files in the ldraw\p\ directory) are rotated and scaled,
points which were previously lined up, sometimes end up out-of-line.  This
is a minor, but real, problem.  The way around this is to use common points
whenever possible.  When drawing a 'frame' surface:

+--------+
|        |
| +----+ |
| |    | |
| |    | |
| +----+ |
|        |
+--------+

It's arguably better to make the surface from four trapezoids:

+--------+
|\      /|
| +----+ |
| |    | |
| |    | |
| +----+ |
|/      \|
+--------+

Rather than four rectangles:

+-+----+-+
| |    | |
| +----+ |
| |    | |
| |    | |
| +----+ |
| |    | |
+-+----+-+

Because adjoining quads use common points, which will 'stay together'
during the process of rendering the scene.

Also, put the following line in a file, and view it in LDLite (with shading
turned on):

1 14 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 4315.dat

Notice a bright line along the side of the end hinge?  That happened
because the part was written with a single, solid quad for the surfaces
between the hinge-fingers.  That quad goes from X=-40 to X=40, the entire
width of the part.  That leaves a bit of extra surface on the quad, behind
the hinge-finger.  Now, that surface is hidden by the hinge-finger, and
will never be displayed, so it's no big deal, right?

I think this part meets and exceeds the quality level required for ldraw
parts (for examples see 30044 (render and notice how stud and arch do not
meet around the edges), look these from a blown up over view: 3899, 4528,
and 4529).

I agree, your part meets the quality level needed, but it does have a
visible defect.

I know you have a lot of experience writing parts, and I'm sure you have
seen the defects you described before, but computers have come a long way
and maybe now this is a better way to design parts.

Huh? 'Computers have come a long way'?  What does that mean?

It's not a better way to design parts, it's just (slightly) easier for the
part-author.

You realize this issue goes far beyond this part.  And I think that we as a
community need to discuss this and make a firm decision on whether this is a
quality method for creating parts.  Obviously you and I have different views
on this issue and I would like to hear from other part authors.

I agree completely.

Steve



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Part number needed & New primitive submission
 
Steve Bliss <blisses@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message news:379efb57.879462...net.com... (...) to (...) I have rethought my original decision on both of these. I realize the end quads will never be seen, but is that a reason to create a new (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.cad.dat.parts, lugnet.cad.dat.parts.primitives, lugnet.cad.dev)

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