Subject:
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Re: MLCad wishlist (was Re: Ice Cream
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad.mlcad
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Date:
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Sat, 27 Nov 1999 05:09:57 GMT
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Viewed:
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1433 times
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I felt this should be in the MLCAD group and wrote my comments to each item.
In lugnet.cad, Larry Pieniazek writes:
[snip]
> #1 a "flip the two selected parts" button as fiddling with the parts
> ordering chews up a lot of time for me. I think my ordering speed is
> improving but still...
I would say instead allowing you to select a part and drag/drop it elsewhere
in the list.
>
> #2 would be a "snap to grid in This Direction Only" as sometimes when I
> am fiddling I move something a bit in the wrong axis. Either that or a
> "linear constraint" so I can only fiddle in one dimension instead of
> both the dimensions that the view provides.
Perhaps using the control button while clicking allows is to move in either
the X axis or the Y (or the Z, depending on the window you are in), but not
more than one. 3D Home Architect works like this (not a very powerful
program, but easy to use).
>
> #3 would be to specify other oblique views so I can look at the model
> from other angles.
Probably allow something like that in the program default settings that would
allow you to change the angle of vie for each window.
As a side wish, I would like to be able to close certain views, which would
speed up the rendering and also allow you to have a long (left to right)
window and two more squarish ones. Or a tall one on the side with the other
side having two squarish ones.
>
> #4 would be to allow copying parts and groups of parts across submodels.
> It is very hard to copy, say, a coupler assembly (getting the magnet
> seated in the holder correctly takes fiddling) from one submodel to
> another. I had to do it from notepad.
I think the trick to this is to make another submodel (couplerassembly.dat?)
and using that to go into other submodels, which then basically nests several
deep in submodel functions.
>
> #5 would be to allow semipermanent groups so an inadvertant pick when
> moving a group of parts doesn't force you to start grouping again.
Grouping would be AWESOME!! I have often had to move 20-30 parts one at a
time just becuase I wanted to lenghten something a few studs.
> #6 would be order preservation in rotation. If I have a bunch of parts,
> I copy them all at once, then use rotate, the order of the parts seems
> to get jumbled. (one bulkhead is a copy of the other, but not a subpart,
> just a copy of the selected group...)
I haven't seen that. Perhaps I need to play around with it some more.
>
> #7 would be coalescing in the list. If I select a bunch of parts not
> next to each other in the list, allow me to coalesce them around the
> first one. This would be a way to get ordering right a LOT faster.
I don't quite get this one. My gut tells me that it wouldn't be the way to
go. Just drag and drop the order. Also, allow multiple selections via the
control click, which allows you to select several items from random places
instead of all parts from A to B like when you do a shift click. (But also
allow a shift click select, too).
>
> #8 would be leaving me positioned in the parts list next to where I
> deleted from instead of at the very top. Deleting a part is very
> annoying, you have to find your spot in the list again. (I tend to work
> on stuff, push it down to the bottom, then do other stuff in front of
> it...)
OK, I am now not the only one who has gotten lost in a dat file...
>
> #9 would be a "repeat this part" command so I could lay down a part and
> they say "give me 8 copies offset 3 studs each in the Y direction"
I have seen that in MS Publisher. Paste one and position it manually. Paste
again and position it manually as well. From then on, each successive past
gets places the same relative distance from the last as the first two were.
>
> #10 would be to let Modify Part do something different. When I select a
> part I want to be able to bring up its properties and fiddle the
> position, rotation, color. Modify Part seems to bring up a list of parts
> that I dunno what to do with.
Modify part should be named something like "Change part" or have the
additional options like Larry says.
>
> #11 would be a "find in the parts list" so I could do a scan for all
> parts that were of a certain type
I also highly agree here. I have often not been able to find a part because I
don't know what it is called, like the classic space laser. ("1x2 plate with
handles" - not to be confused with "1x2 plate with handle," which is the town
jr rollbar)
> Also, a question, what is the story on part organization? The categories
> seem different than what VEC uses. If I install new parts how do they go
> where they need to go? Is it just driven by the first name of the part?
What is VEC?
>
> Some of these may be in the docs. This program is so good I mostly
> haven't actually READ the docs! ML r00lz d00d...
The docs need some work, but I think that at this point, most of the
complexity that requires documentation is missing. That is why there are so
many things people would like to see. It is also why it is so easy to use. I
think, however, that the power can be added without sacrificing much
simplicity.
One other thing I would like to see is for the parts report to tally the parts
inside the submodels instead of counting the submodels as a part. Perhaps
there could be an option between total piece report, which would only list
grand totals, or submodel piece report, which would have breakdowns by
submodel.
I would also like to see it be able to save in POV-RAY file format. That
would be much nicer than having to hassle with L3P, L2P and/or whatever else
you can use. I have been almost as lost in that as I was in LDraw.
Mike Poindexter
Does anybody else have anything else that should be in MLCAD? (I also think
that part authoring could be in the MLCAD package, making it the one stop Lego
CAD program.)
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: MLCad wishlist (was Re: Ice Cream
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| (...) Thanks for the detailed commentary, and of course I have comments on your comments. I have snipped a lot of stuff so readers who come in late should re-read Mike's post, where I agreed with him I just cut it away in a lot of cases. (...) It (...) (25 years ago, 28-Nov-99, to lugnet.cad.mlcad)
| | | Re: MLCad wishlist (was Re: Ice Cream
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| "MP" == Mike Poindexter <lego@poindexter.cc> writes: <snippage> MP> Does anybody else have anything else that should be in MLCAD? Well, I seem to have some problems with saving instruction pictures. It just crashes on me sometime after saving the (...) (25 years ago, 29-Nov-99, to lugnet.cad.mlcad)
| | | Re: MLCad wishlist (was Re: Ice Cream
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| Ok my friends, whats up now ... 1) The color requester: Beside the problem of not beeing compatible to LDraw for the moment how do you like the new color box and dialogs? 2) The compatibility problem will be solved with the next version which should (...) (25 years ago, 19-Dec-99, to lugnet.cad.mlcad)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | MLCad wishlist (was Re: Ice Cream
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| (...) I'm not Mr. Big Rotation but I didn't see that as a big issue. Use the fine scale grid to get the rotation about right via the rotation buttons, then adjust by hand in the properties??? If I were naming off things to fix in MLCad my number one (...) (25 years ago, 2-Nov-99, to lugnet.cad)
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