Subject:
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Re: Instructions for new fire truck - Ladder 110
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.inst, lugnet.town
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Date:
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Sat, 2 Aug 2003 19:25:11 GMT
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Viewed:
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5413 times
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In lugnet.inst, Allan Bedford wrote:
snip
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However, I did notice something in your picture above. You have the parts
list for that step as part of the instruction image. Are you doing that
manually? Or is there an option in LPub that combines the two automagically?
:)
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I’m not at my LPub computer right now, so I can’t tell you, but it is a *menu*
item just below the one you use to generate images.
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2. Provide different color backdrops for different sub-model levels (that
is how the foot assembly in the above image has a yellow backdrop).
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I was going to play with different backgrounds for my main instruction
images, but haven’t had time yet.
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3. Pack the step number, the part list image for the step, the step
assembly image and any callout images all into the same image for you
automatically. Other than doing a lot of programming to add the new
features, I didn’t have to do any extra work to get the composite image
shown above.
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See question above. I can’t figure out how that’s being done.
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In the extra procesing step via the extra menu I just mentioned.
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Combining all these features got me this single sheet building instructions
for one of my tiny bipeds with no manual editing.
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No image editing at all? So again, there must be an option I’m missing, that
inserts the BOM into each step image.
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Actually in the image above you are seeing a Part List Image.
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I would wait for 2.2.0.1 though before upgrading to a new LPub. There are
some annoying bugs in 2.2.
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I guess I didn’t realize that 2.2 was a bit buggy. When I went looking for
the suite of apps to start doing instructions I just downloaded the latest
greatest of each one. Which is how I got POV-Ray 3.5, which I have since
found out isn’t best friends with LPub. :(
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Since you don’t use sub-models you avoid the first bug. If you are not having
trouble then you are avoiding the other known bug.
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I personally think there are too many steps for a model this size. That’s
another thing I’m experimenting with. I’m hoping the next few will be a
bit more efficient.
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Stylistically though, I just can’t get excited about lightening previous
parts to show current step parts,
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What you see is the default in LPub. I tried backing off that option, so
that previous step colors remain at full intensity, but it didn’t end up
looking like an official instruction book for some reason. I went back to
the default only because there would be little confusion over what the new
pieces were. Except of course when you use white pieces, as in the ladder,
and then there is confusion. I can’t win. :)
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Larry’s expressed this opinion before, so I know it well.
You can choose some other color than white, or just mix a little white with
the brick color to give a similar but less drastic effect. See “Previous
Parts Color Scaling” scrollbar.
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I’m completely split on this issue. I think, for me, it will be a decision
I’ll make on a model by model basis. I did use the technique you describe
above when I did the instructions for a small train station recently. It
worked fairly well, though I may have pushed the scrollbar a bit far. Some
of the previous steps ended up dithering the existing bricks a bit much.
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or by the use of rendered parts without
strong edge lines.
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Again I went with the default within LPub. (which is .5) What value would
you recommend?
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I like the more cartoonish instructions that Lego
themselves do, with big chunky edge lines. But that’s just me.
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I totally agree. In fact that was something I told Will Hess about his
recent 6-wide instructions. I do want to get to that cartoonish look. I
guess I just have to figure out what options/settings to lower in order to
obtain that look, without sacrificing quality.
I’ve found the learning curve (to produce both instructions and especially
renders) to be fairly steep. Maybe that’s just me. Normally I am very
comfortable with new software, but not in the case of the suite of programs
needed to produce these types of images. I wish there was a very basic
tutorial that walked you through producing those ‘cartoon’ type images, for
dummies like me who are computer literate, but not graphics literate.
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I have two seperate emails from two different times from Ahui Harrera
telling me that LPub’s Mega-POV defaults were *wrong*. Each time I expained
to him that by definition they were right, because as the developer I get to
decide what they are.
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I can’t comment on Mega-POV as I don’t even have it installed. I wanted to
make sure I was comfortable with the core software before adding yet another
variable into the mix.
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LPub added “Minimum Camera Distance” to dramatically reduce this issue and
eliminate need for manual shrinkage.
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You have Minimum Distance on both the STEPS and the PARTS IMAGES tabs, under
BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS. Is there some quick way to describe the difference?
I typically am only changing the STEPS distance (usually lowering it from the
default) in order to have my models fill the screen more.
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The STEPS one is the one you are changing and it affect the first image
generation phase: construction images.
The PARTS IMAGES one controls the rendering of individual part images that are
then composited together to make Part List Images (PLIs) and BOMs.
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That was why I mentioned the .CAD thread about lighting techniques.
Everyone offered such good advice, but it came from a half dozen different
people and none of it was information I’d been able to locate online or in
any of the help materials included with the apps.
O.K. I’m done griping now. ;)
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Don’t bite the hand that feeds you like Tim often does.
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I definitely wasn’t trying to do that. I was trying to walk that fine line
between asking for help and expressing my thoughts about certain aspects of
the software (not just yours) that I found confusing. Please believe me when
I say that I appreciate and respect what all these apps do in combination
with each other. I love that I can produce instructions for LEGO models.
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I know you weren’t. The emphasis there was on the Tim part (he and I have to
talk at BrickFest).
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If I were to offer a gentle suggestion... it might be that some of the
documentation that accompanies these programs could be geared more to LEGO
builders, rather than graphics junkies. For example: I knew zero about an app
like POV-Ray before I started using it. I now know 1.73625 % of all there is
to know about it. In other words, I’m still a graphics idiot. But I find
their documentation to be heavily slanted towards folks who are very graphics
savy.
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I might recommend a book “LEGO Software Power Tools” (shameless plug) that does
this. It talks about MLCad, LSynth, L3P, POV-Ray, LPub.... The POV-Ray part is
pretty thin.
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Now, POV isn’t a LEGO program... of course. So why should LEGO be in their
documentation? It shouldn’t. But what I find hard to grasp sometimes is
that people might offer the suggestion to “read the POV-Ray help files and
you’ll find your answer.” Which normally I would agree with, but because
their documentation is so thick with graphics terminology I don’t understand,
it’s of little help. I have always used this example when describing that
type of documentation. It’s as though they are saying:
“A shovel is a tool used to shovel.”
It’s a very accurate statement, but not very helpful if it’s the shovel that
you’re trying to understand. In the case of ray tracing, it’s the shovel
part that I don’t understand and that’s why I get frustrated with their docs.
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I hear ya. Maybe it’s one of those “I suffered through it, you should too” kind
of deals. I’ve had to slog my way through some of that stuff, and I know a fair
amount about computer graphics and I get overwhelmed.
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All that said, I have found some wonderful suggestions being offered by the
LUGNET gang. Surprise? No, this is what I would have expected. But again,
I sometimes found it hard to even understand the question I wanted to ask.
Luckily, thanks to lighting and other tips provided by people here, I’m at
the stage where I think I can do most of what I want to do with this
software.
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Sometimes it can be a *lot* of work trying to translate something like POV
documentation into English that can be read by mere mortals ;^) I know this
after having co-authored in a few books. I like my editors, but computer saavy
they are not, much less technical about LEGO. Getting so they could understand
it was a tiresome, but neccessary effort.
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I suspect what I’ll do for myself at some point is go back through the
threads where I’ve asked these questions and gotten help and then put all of
it into a ‘tips, tricks and just plain good advice’ document, so that I can
have all of this knowledge handy. (1)
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Thanks for the input Larry! Sorry for the long rambling reply. And just
think, I haven’t even had my coffee yet this morning. :)
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I like long ramblings when I have the time and patience.
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Me too. :)
But again I have done this today without yet having had my coffee. Weird.
Thanks Kevin, for all your hard work and for providing this key piece of
software.
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You are welcome.
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Best regards,
Allan B.
(1) Keeping in mind that I had a strong communications/writing background
before I got into programming. I happen to be a guy who likes to write code
and documentation. I know that’s not the norm, but then when have I ever
been considered the norm? ;)
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Kevin
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Instructions for new fire truck - Ladder 110
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| (...) LAYOUTS is the menu item. And yes, it does work! I'm guessing it didn't work for me earlier, because it needs the parts and the step .jpg's already created... is that right? And my guess is that I tried using it as a first step, not a second (...) (21 years ago, 3-Aug-03, to lugnet.inst, lugnet.town, FTX)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Instructions for new fire truck - Ladder 110
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| (...) find any way to do it. For me, that's o.k. since my models right now are small and relatively simple. However, I did notice something in your picture above. You have the parts list for that step as part of the instruction image. Are you doing (...) (21 years ago, 2-Aug-03, to lugnet.inst, lugnet.town, FTX)
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