Subject:
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Re: Suggestion for MLCad Plug-Ins
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad.mlcad
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Date:
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Thu, 6 Jan 2000 18:05:23 GMT
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Viewed:
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1608 times
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I would very much like to customize MLCAD, but it is not clear to me what
these plugins are going to allowed to access. Don't you need an API or
something? What am I missing? See also detailed comments below.
Michael Lachmann <m.lachmann@xpoint.at> wrote in message
news:FntMJG.MI7@lugnet.com...
> I plan to introduce plug-in support with version 1.8 of MLCad.
> I would like to present my basic ideas here and would like to know, if • that
> would basically be what you like or not.
> At this point I'm completely open to new ideas as well.
> GetOperationFlags ..... should deliver a dword saying what that • plug-in
> supports (e.g. dat-files, mpd-files, read-only, write only, modify ...)
I would be interested in what "supports" means in this context. If I invoke
a plug-in, what will it operate on?
> Processing ...... A function which would receive the real file-name as
> used in MLCad at that time, and a temporary file-name which can be read
> from, written to however. This file would be a working-copy of the current
> model loaded in MLCad. The file would be a standard ".dat" or ".mpd" file.
So plug-ins are to be restricted to dealing with dat files?
> 3) The dll-stub I would provide will have a function used to tell MLCad to
> draw the temporary data into a specified window.
So the plug-in would solely operate as a file munger, and MLCad does
rendering on the file?
Although I think this is a limited subset of the things a plug-in might want
to do, I think it is a good start. THe following list includes some things
I can anticipate wanting to write. Let me know if you think these are
possible in the proposed file-manip scenario:
1. Restructure the assembly tree into hierarchical blocks.
2. Change color for black and white printing, then change it back.
3. Build-in some kind of tube generator/router, with from-to locations and
path control. I think someone made an Excel thing that did this.
4. Build the same kind of thing for routing wires, treads, etc.
4.1 "Smart part" implementation of 3 and 4 above that allows you to treat
flexible elements as multi-located parts, and all the flexible part just
goes where it has to automatically. You just click on the end you want to
move, and the rest follows (if it can).
5. Display/drive kinematic motion based on pin connected elements.
6. A mini-system for creating actual part files.
7. Importing non-LEGO "reference" geometry so that you can use it to build
LEGO pieces.
Some of these things imply getting into and maybe filtering the MLCad
rendering pipeline.
--Jack Gregory
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Suggestion for MLCad Plug-Ins
|
| I plan to introduce plug-in support with version 1.8 of MLCad. I would like to present my basic ideas here and would like to know, if that would basically be what you like or not. At this point I'm completely open to new ideas as well. So here is (...) (25 years ago, 4-Jan-00, to lugnet.cad.mlcad)
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