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Subject: 
Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic
Date: 
Mon, 23 Jun 2003 21:30:27 GMT
Viewed: 
1156 times
  
In lugnet.technic, Larry Pieniazek wrote:
In lugnet.technic, Mark Tarrabain wrote:
Larry Pieniazek wrote:
I was gonna mention Fred Martin, but then you did...

If someone was to want to do such a thing (and it would be very nifty if someone
did!) his stuff would provide one starting point. Another starting point would
be some of the SNOT presentations given at BrickFest and BricksWest...

Also, Fred Martin's stuff is static.... I was thinking of something
dynamic, where new design patterns could be added all the time, as long
as people were submitting them.

Nod. Those were mentioned by me as sources or seeds for such a dynamic
repository rather than as an end state.

A link to an HTML version of Fred's original article:

http://www.apotome.com/builder1/artoflego1.htm

For those who may not be familiar with it.

One of the important things about documenting LEGO design patterns would
be knowing not only how to build it (or how to build one or two
particular implementations of it, since many design patterns can be
built a multitude of ways), but also a good description of how or why it
works the way it does, as well as showing an example or two of
circumstances under which that design pattern could be exploited.

WHY is key in my book. Else it's just being clever for cleverness's sake. As in
the software Design Patterns you reference, which include applicability notes.

I'm wondering about the first part of your statement Larry.  Unless I'm
misunderstanding... isn't the 'why' so that you can share knowledge with those
who don't have it?  I can teach you to build a differential, but if you don't
know why you're building it, or why it works, or why it's the right thing to use
at the right time.... isn't teaching you just 'how' to build it a waste of our
time?  I guess I see the 'why' as the act of putting the mechanisms into
context.

You build a bicycle with gears and chain, rather than pulleys and drive belts.
And there's a reason 'why' and in my mind knowing the why is at least 1/2 the
battle when it comes to solving problems that arise later.  Thus, when building
a car, you know 'why' the transmission should have gears, instead of pulleys.
:)

Again, unless I'm misunderstanding, which given my track record is the more
likely scenario.  ;)

When Suz gave her Constructopedia talk at a previous BrickFest, this was what I
thought she was getting at, before hearing her talk... (she's actually thinking
of something related but also neat, which I would leave to her to discuss)

O.K.  I'll bite.  Is this the same Constructopedia project that Fred mentions on
this page:
http://fredm.www.media.mit.edu/people/fredm/papers/artoflego/cliche.html

I have been waiting for something like this for years.  I think the idea, of an
ideas repository is something that this community could pull off with success.
Using the CAD software available, just about anyone can now share their building
techniques, ideas and mechanisms with everyone else.  Housing them on a website
seems a likely destination.

My only concern would be that the website translate well into a CD-ROM format,
so that it could be made available offline.  In that regard, I would see the
need for a software developer with strong GUI skills to assist in planning the
layout of the site.

Additionally, I've never seen why it had to be strictly related to Technic type
building.  Why not sculpture techniques, architectural elements, or basic
structural engineering?  Fred's article touches on mechanical engineering, but
doesn't really take it beyond that.  There are so many facets of design
principles (or cliches) that could be shared... it seems a pity this hasn't
happened yet.

Regards,
Allan B.



Message has 4 Replies:
  Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
 
One thing that I find really annoying about this kind of book/CD/website, is that it rehashes general mechanical knowledge. While there is no argument that this is important information, it isn't lego specific and is available in a million other (...) (21 years ago, 24-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic)
  Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
 
(...) No, you're spot on. Gears and chain drives are both viable ways of transmitting power... but the real trick is to know when each one is a good choice, It's not even enough just to say "chains are good for bikes and gears are good for cars".... (...) (21 years ago, 24-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic)
  Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
 
Hello, let me reply to a number of related postings at once here ... (...) Not being exactly the GUI expert you may have envisioned, I think the GUI would need to offer sensible categories and potentially more powerful mechanisms to really find the (...) (21 years ago, 26-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic)
  Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
 
(...) Hi all, What about using the ample and growing infrastructure provided by the Brick Instruction Portal for this project? (URL) a builder who takes the time to fully document my MOCs for some of the reasons mentioned in this thread. However, (...) (21 years ago, 27-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: LEGO design patterns... you know, there's a book in that, I'm sure of it!
 
(...) Nod. Those were mentioned by me as sources or seeds for such a dynamic repository rather than as an end state. (...) WHY is key in my book. Else it's just being clever for cleverness's sake. As in the software Design Patterns you reference, (...) (21 years ago, 23-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic)

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