Scrubs, did you ever see these suggestions?

Hello,

Yes, of course I saw you suggestions and I'd like to thank you first for sharing them here.

Most of them are not simple and would require a lot of development/implementation time. Here is my first thoughts:

1. You can kinda already do that. select the parts/groups that you want to hide and press H (or click corresponding tool) to hide them. Press ALT + H to show everything again.

2. I actually never used the instruction builders of those other programs so I would have to look into that before, to make something easy to use and efficient.

3. So far, parts are independent from colours in mecabricks - You can use bricks with colours that are actually not manufactured by LEGO. I don't plan to create a table in the database that would include the thousands of references linking part designs and existing colours. You can image the huge work that it represents! But if in the feature it would be populated by other users than myself it could be made.

4. Definitely agree with a undo function (CTRL + Z) - but not so easy to implement so that it works with every functions.

5. I'm a user of modeling software, mainly Solidworks (I spend my days working on it for my job) and most of them offer the possibility to actually define your own shortcuts. Therefore, except for basic functions, it's kinda hard to see a pattern as they are all different. Mecabricks shortcuts are loosely based on Blender. Maybe one day I will offer the possibility to customise them.

6. Mirror functionality could be a good feature.

7. Stickers are not so easy to handle. I have recently seen an experiment with the same webgl framework that I use (threejs) where images could be applied by the user on a define location of a 3D mesh. The issue that I see now would be to apply a sticker that would cover multiple bricks like it sometimes append on LEGO models.

8. Maybe not the first priority but it would be a nice side feature.

9. I agree that it would be great to get flexible parts included. It's also something I'm really keen to do, but I did not find yet the right way to implement it in mecabricks. It could sound like an easy thing to add but when you look at the details it's actually quite complex to set up.

10. I'm currently in the process of filling the table in the database containing the snap points for parts (still a long way from finishing) and one of the dilema was how many points is the right number. Like you say maybe an option to activate more points could be a good compromise.

11. Part bucket is also a good idea that I like.

12. Orthographic view is something that is in my mind for a long time - It is also my prefered projection to work on Solidworks. Unfortunately I didn't manage to code something good enough to be used so far. However it might actually come in a not too distant future as I've seen an example for threejs that I might be able to modify to make it work on mecabricks.

13-14) Not too sure what you mean.

15. I'm not keen at all on the snap feature from LDD which I found very limiting.

16-17) Regarding the part lists, I agree that it can be improved a lot - what is existing was just a quick shot. I'm also in the process of adding the bricklink references and names for parts which might help to get something moreuseful.

Overall there are a lot of good suggestions and I hope some of them will make it on mecabricks 😃 However on the contrary of other desktop applications, I have to maintain the public library and all the files and users as well as the workshop which means a lot of work!

Thanks again!

Thank you for considering some of these. I will address a few of your concerns soon. For now, I will say that it seems like you could use some help. I really think that number 3 would benefit productivity in the workshop extensively. It may be a time consuming process, but if its kept up with when new parts are added it will kind of take care of itself. It would also reference printed parts as well.

I'll help in any way I can, with anything you like here or whatever projects you have going on.

I started to code the private message function. So after I finish that, I will set a table in the database plus a rough admin page to insert the references for current parts of the library. So you will be welcome to fill it in 😉

In the workshop, when a user will search for a part with a reference like 300301 it will return the part 3003 (Brick 2X2), however you'll still have to select the right colour after. Initially, to make it simple for me, those references will be treated as alias of a design ID.

It sounds good?

That sounds awesome, exactly what I was hoping for, that a search would reference the needed part, not necessarily the correct color.

Hello!

I have a suggestion for Workshop. Black details seems hard to be viewed. I guess the easiest way to solve this problem is change the "true" black color to dark gray. Or change edge's color to grey or even white. And I think it will be great to have an ability to change the backround color.

Thanks!

Hi,

Black is always a hard one. I spent quite a lot of time experimenting and I'm not too keen to change to a lighter gray as it would also be an issue with decorated black parts. However, I could try with white (or clear) edges for black parts (it will also be an issue for black decorated parts) and also add a colour picker to choose the background colour.

As I said in another post, with xmas coming it won't happen before the end of the december but more likely in january.

Cheers

Hello Scrubs!

Thanks for such a quick reply! As for black parts, they look well in webgl-viewer, I suggested to make them lighter at workshop only 😃 Light edges seems to be great too! As for background, think it will be cool to have a color picker both in workshop and viewer.

One more suggestion: Group names.

Cheers!

If you double click on a group name, you can change it 😉

As for the black parts, I agree, they are extremely difficult to view. I end up having to rotate my model in several different directions when I lay down each part.

I would suggest making it a different color first, like white, then change the color to black when the brick is in the correct spot. Its cumbersome, but it works.

For a fix, well, you could always implement something like the "shaded with edges" toggle in workshop, but for black bricks only. The toggle could shade the edges of the black bricks white. Similar to if you place a brick all the way to the bottom of workshop, below the grid plane, with just the studs sticking out. This orientation creates an easily visible milky white halo around the studs. If that was around the edges and creases of black bricks, it would be especially helpful.

I'd like to add some suggestion referring your enumeration from above.

2. Instruction builders would be cool. It's not priority one but I like the possibility to create instructions. MLCad has a nice way to create a product structure. Maybe you have the time to have a look on it.

3. I appreciate having more snap points. I actually think that there should be a snap point for every possible connection (or every stud, hole, ...). Have you ever tried to assemble a flower...? 😃

Here are some ideas inspired by 3d SR Builder but I don't know if it is possible with your modeling engine.
For advanced or LEGO Technic modeling it would be nice to have a feature that allows snapping of parts that are partially fixed by constraints. The only DOF remaining are one translational and one rotational DOF (i. e. moving along and rotating around an axle). When you snap the part it moves in place regarding the restrictions given by the set constraints. This is extremely helpful if one is modeling "off the grid", e. g. rotating a Technic piston around an axle until it sits perfectly in the cylinder bore. Here is a video that maybe is more clear (second 50ff).

It should be also possible for two parts that are fixed the same way as described above and are snapped in the desired position. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTI4QieRDyQ

In both cases the angles of the parts in their final position are pretty much unknown. It's hard to model that such features.

The point here is that SR 3D Builder's snap points obviously contain heaps of information. The snap method as mentioned above works for entire assemblies without grouping the parts. So it seems all part connections are stored in the model enabling certain DOF of the entire model, part selection methods, auto snap or even working LEGO Technik models.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z0tnvz8lWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eiGbmRnlK8

I hope at least just a bit can be achieved with Mecabricks.

It would be nice to see the folder path a part is stored in after a part search. So it can be found in the future by browsing the categories.

Pretty calm in this thread...

@Scrubs: Regarding the former posting: Is it maybe possible to implement a function in which you have to determine a pivot point before snapping so that the part snaps taking into account that it is fixed somewhere (with just two DOF left)? And the same for two parts?

Hello,

Don't worry, I read all of that and keep it in mind 😉

I don't plan to do any big update to the workshop in a very close future though. It seems to work OK enough so that I can put my effort on other part of the website for now. I think I probably wrote it somewhere else but on the contrary of LDD and the like I need to maintain the website + handle users, their files, etc. Days are not long enough!

But when I'll start working on the workshop again I will know which thread to come to and get ideas.

😉

Yeah, it was clear that this day was going to come. Your software is simply to good.

Reminds me a bit of Sergio who was running SR 3D Builder pretty much as a one man show as well. Now since he has passed away the project stopped and I think it's all lost...

I only saw his youtube videos and he was definitely a talented man. It's a shame that he is no longer with us.
However I don't intend to disappear, not in the next 70 years anyway 😛

Good to hear. 😃

Btw.: Would be cool if some of Sergio's ideas could be implemented in Mecabricks. Peu à peu...

I will probably slowly. He worked for something like 8-9 years on it if I remember. Let's see in 5 more years where mecabricks is 😉

You are not alone...

I've got a request! If there could be a way in the workshop to center the view camera to the object that's currently selected. In Blender, you hit the period key on the numpad to orient the viewport camera around the currently selected object. If in Mecabricks I have the current object selected and could hit period (or some other key) to orient the view around the object, that would be super helpful! Would allow much quicker navigation around a model than all the clicking and dragging.

Cheers!

Edit: I see you've already got this in progress. +1 to Focus on Selected. 😃

Quick suggestion. When i Undo a move, I lose the selection. Can you make it so that the selected parts do not get deselected when you perform an Undo/Redo action?