Subject:
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Re: train idea book
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Wed, 12 Dec 2001 03:46:09 GMT
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Viewed:
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510 times
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"steve barile" <steve.e.barile@intel.com> wrote in message
news:Go6ytq.Knv@lugnet.com...
[ ... snipped ... ]
>
> Labor:
> An LDraw file is not instructions. An LDraw file with steps is still not
> instructions. Each step needs to be rendered and then imported into a • layout
> application then numbering, callouts, arrows... all need to be added. A
> guestimate would be about 4 hours per MOC once some has the process down,
> just to lay it out, assuming the steps are clear.
[ ... snipped ... ]
Steve has some really good points. It is a long way from a finished L-Draw
file to a usable set of instructions.
I have been selling custom train kits for a little over a year now. I have
found that one of the biggest concerns prospective customers have is with
respect to instructions. What do they look like? Are they high quality?
Are they like LEGO instructions? To address this issue I recently created a
set of instructions that are representative of what I deliver with my kits
and made them available for download from my web site.
http://www.carolinatrainbuilders.com/instructions/index.htm
http://www.carolinatrainbuilders.com/fmotm/index.htm
Originally I was simply going to have a sample set of instructions available
but after thinking about it I have decided to offer a new sample each month
(at least I am going to try) and I am calling it the CTB Free Model of the
Month (FMOTM).
CTB-3105 is a fairly simple model. Capturing the design with ML-CAD took me
about an hour. Generating the images and laying out the instructions
probably took me another two hours. I have scripted the image generation
process so if I tweak the model I can regenerate the images and update my
instruction manuals pretty quickly.
I believe that having a consistent presentation is key to the success of
this project. How do you plan to achieve this? Will you reder images
yourself? Will you ask the designers to do it but follow some guidelines?
Do you simply want completed Acrobat documents so you can collect them all
into a larger document?
Mike
--
Mike Walsh - mike_walsh at mindspring dot com
http://www.nclug.net - North Carolina LEGO Users Group
http://www.carolinatrainbuilders - Carolina Train Builders
http://www.brickbay.com/store.asp?u=mpw - Brick Depot
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: train idea book
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| (...) I really like this model but if you are making an idea book then you need to be careful. Where would someone that likes this model get the part in step 7. Another consideration is color. If the book is intended for download and printing some (...) (23 years ago, 12-Dec-01, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: train idea book
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| I think this is a great idea, but there is a reason why there aren't a few of these out already. Here are some hard questions/comments... Costs: The printing cost for a 64 page book 11-1/2" x 11" is ~$27.00 ($0.39/page + $2.00 binding) from a copy (...) (23 years ago, 11-Dec-01, to lugnet.trains)
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