Flexible parts
Scrubs started this discussion in Suggestions and Ideas
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I started to investigate how to implement flexible parts in Mecabricks.
I'm pretty confident now about the way I'm heading and I shall get something live in a not too distant future. I will post here the improvements I'll make.

Here is a first video that shows roughly the principal after writing the first few lines of code:

[youtube]V4qZfIe1sTs[/youtube]

10 replies · Page 1 of 1

Did you check out LDD and see how they do it in the downloadable program, I think it's pretty slick and would take too much to implement.

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Administrator

Same as everything with LDD. I think it's too limiting. Yes it is nice for simple stuff and kinda easy to use, but you can't do more intricate things.
For example, you can't add rubber bands, flexible tubes, electrical cables, etc. basically nothing else than strings and chains.

What I will propose will be probably a bit more complicated to understand at first but hopefully it will be a lot more powerful too.
I don't promise that the first version will be top notch but I think it is worth a try 😃

That makes sense. LDD is pretty basic. It would be pretty cool to have stretchy rubber bands or chains that would cross over to an animation program somehow and be effected by gravity or movement.

Great work so far.

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Administrator

Here is an example I made to show what we can do with the flexible part module. I put chains, strings and rubber bands.

[mecabricks]qJk2Eq6z29A[/mecabricks]

Avatar of Scrubs
Administrator

The module is now complete and include pretty much every type of LEGO flexible parts.
You can find them under the Rubbers & Strings and Tubes categories in the part library.

Tu modify a flexible part, select it and press the F key or click the button on the left toolbar.

I will try to make a video soon to show how to use it.

Thank you Scrubs!

wow, that's absolutely great! very easy to use too. well done!

Hey Scrubs, could you please turn on the flexible part tool for the element #2488 (Whip)? 😃 In real life, you can make nice shapes using this part and I'd like to use it in an upcoming MOC. So if it isn't that complicated and you'll have time, could you please add this feature? Thanks!

Avatar of Scrubs
Administrator

I cannot really do that. It works well for elements that are repeated or with a constant shape. For the others it is not feasible yet.

Ah, okay, then I'll think about another solution. Thanks for the fast answer!

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