Subject:
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Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad.dev
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Date:
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Wed, 20 Dec 2000 20:40:53 GMT
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Viewed:
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481 times
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In lugnet.cad.dev, Andy Lynch writes:
> Hello everyone,
> I was wondering if there are any special 3d design tools that people are
> using to create parts. I checked the LDraw.org pages and mostly saw viewers.
>
> Anyone? Any opinions on the best tools for a potential new designer?
I'd like to add to Andy's call for info. I have to, he beat me
to it :]
My uninformed understanding is that parts are currently created
by manuipulating text files, much like one could manually make
POV-Ray files? But there is no GUI-type (ie, CAD) program to
make the parts?
Here's my angle. I use Pro/ENGINEER regularly. I can model
any LEGO part you can throw at me, and make it "exact". (I
did this as practice to learn Pro/E back in 1993. One of these
days I'll get images posted). I can currently export Pro/E
files to .SLP format, and then use a program called SLP2POV
to convert them to POV-Ray files.
Similarly, I currently use MLCAD to make LEGO models, then
use L3P to convert the .DATs to .POVs. I'm wondering about
the possibilities of making a utility to convert Pro/E files
to .DATs, so that I could use Pro/E to create parts for the
libraries. Note that I won't do this (make the utility) but
I am ready and able to make parts in Pro/E if they can be
gotten in .DAT format or whatever.
Further, if anyone creates a utility for *any* true CAD packages[1],
then we are golden. For example, if someone makes one for
Unigraphics, I can model in Pro/E export to UG, and then
use the utility to get to .DAT. The CAD world has already
spent a great deal of effort on developing format-portability.
It's not perfect, but it's certainly adequate. It would be
a shame not to leverage this existing world of CAD applications
to contributing to the parts libraries. (It would also make
anything we do portable with most anything that TLC might
do. I'll leave arguing of the good/bad of this to
someone else... :] )
If anyone has already made a utitlity to get from IGES or STEP
to DAT, for example, then I can already start working on parts
in Pro/E.
One last lingering question: why are round objects faceted,
not round? Is this a limitation of the current .DAT format?
Can the facet count be increased and still be compatible (ie,
can we make "higher res" versions of the parts)?
Thanx,
KDJ
[1] I mean Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics, I-deas, CATIA,
SolidWorks, etc. But mostly Pro/E ;]
_______________________________________
LUGNETer #203, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| "Kyle D. Jackson" <flightdeck@sympatic...mblock.ca> wrote in message news:G5vw45.84H@lugnet.com... (...) are (...) viewers. (...) I used to use only LDAO's editor along with LDLite or LDView for viewing. I've done a few easy parts in MLCAD, and the (...) (24 years ago, 20-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
| | | Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| (...) I'd especially like to hear from Franklin "Mr. Prolific" Cain. Are you using some tool unknown to the rest of us, Franklin? (...) There's LDraw Add-On, which includes a text editor with some LDraw-related editing tools. And LDScript (with (...) (24 years ago, 20-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| Hello everyone, I was wondering if there are any special 3d design tools that people are using to create parts. I checked the LDraw.org pages and mostly saw viewers. Anyone? Any opinions on the best tools for a potential new designer? -Andy Lynch (24 years ago, 20-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
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