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 20:57:00 GMT
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Viewed:
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530 times
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"Kyle D. Jackson" <flightdeck@sympatico.deletethisspamblock.ca> wrote in
message news:G5vw45.84H@lugnet.com...
> 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?
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 experience was pleasant. The
ability to easily hide/unhide primitives is very helpfull, and the
multiple views help as well.
> 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... :] )
Marc Klein created the .stl to .dat converter. One thing that makes the
conversion difficult is the edgelines and conditional edgelines used in
the .dat format. Marc can provide more info on its capabilities--I hope
it works out for you.
>
>
> 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)?
There are higher res. versions of some of the circle-based primitives.
Ldraw and most of the subsequent rendering engines only render lines,
triangles and (maybe) quads, so all other primitives must break down into
them.
-John Van
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| (...) Hey, this could work! I can spit .STLs outta Pro/E no-problemo. I do it all the time at work. For Steve, I believe the "STL" stands for "stereolithography". We generate these files at work and feed them into a stereolithography machine. It (...) (24 years ago, 22-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
| | | Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| Hello everybody (...) My stl2dat converter handles the edgelines and conditional edgelines. The conditional edgelines are created between two facets when the angle between these two facets is below a given value. This value can be set. If the angle (...) (24 years ago, 22-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Special tools used to build/design parts?
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| (...) 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, (...) (24 years ago, 20-Dec-00, to lugnet.cad.dev)
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