Linear actuator in LDD

[morson1]

Hi

Is there any way to retract the LA in Lego Digital Designer? Or is it only useable fully extended?

Thanks in advance

[laserman]

Hi,

unfortunately it ist not possible yet.

May be in future...

[NeuroMimetis]

Up ... to see if anyone has a trick to retract LAs

Thanks in advance.

Neuro

[Superkalle]

Up ... to see if anyone has a trick to retract LAs

Good question. I don't think there is such a trick, but maybe someone else knows.

[DLuders]

You could possibly substitute a mini Linear Actuator (mLA) made by Zblj:

Alternatively, you could possibly re-engineer (mix and match) Zblj's pneumatic LDD parts (pictured below) to create a full-size Linear Actuator part that can be adjusted within LDD. A Lego Technic Axle sliding up and down the center of 2x2 Round Bricks looks like a LA, if you color it Light Bluish Gray and attach the appropriate connections on the top and bottom....

[hrontos]

Good question. I don't think there is such a trick, but maybe someone else knows.

I have just created LXF file containing rectracted LAs.

LAs.lxf

There are 21 of them, each with different length (with step of 0.25 stud).

There are 4 groups:

1. length 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2. length 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, 3.25, 4.25

3. length 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5

4. length 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, 3.75, 4.75

(remove the extra axles and other parts, they are there just to prove propper alignment).

[Superkalle]

I have just created LXF file containing rectracted LAs.

There are 21 of them, each with different length (with step of 0.25 stud).

There are 4 groups:

1. length 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2. length 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, 3.25, 4.25

3. length 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5

4. length 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, 3.75, 4.75

(remove the extra axles and other parts, they are there just to prove propper alignment).

Great work hrontos! These will come in very handy indeed!!

[hrontos]

Great work hrontos! These will come in very handy indeed!!

The similar thing done with shock absorbers.

So compressed shock absorbers:

ShockAbsorbers.lxf

(Only one of the has length that can be aligned with a beam holes).

Edit: I updated the file during edit to include all more types of shock absorbers.

Edited August 5, 2011 by hrontos

[Superkalle]

The similar thing done with shock absorbers.

So compressed shock absorbers:

(Only one of the has length that can be aligned with a beam holes).

Once again, super work I'm surprised no one have thought about this clever solution before. I mean, it solves a lot of problems in a very elegant way.

[hrontos]

Once again, super work I'm surprised no one have thought about this clever solution before. I mean, it solves a lot of problems in a very elegant way.

Thank you, I am sorry, I updated the file in the mean time, to include more shock absorber types (I am not sure about the colors, but anybody can color it).

[Superkalle]

Thank you, I am sorry, I updated the file in the mean time, to include more shock absorber types

Yeah, I notied. I removed the links in my quotes

[Calabar]

Good work!

I recommend to add your works in this key topic, if you didn't it already.

[NeuroMimetis]

I have just created LXF file containing rectracted LAs.

LAs.lxf

There are 21 of them, each with different length (with step of 0.25 stud).

There are 4 groups:

1. length 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2. length 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, 3.25, 4.25

3. length 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5

4. length 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, 3.75, 4.75

(remove the extra axles and other parts, they are there just to prove propper alignment).

Great, Great Work !

Thanks a lot for having shared

Neuro

[PerryMakes]

I'm sorry if I'm missing the obvious, but may I ask - how was is that the LA's were modified to different extension lengths?

Cheers ~ Perry

[hrontos]

I'm sorry if I'm missing the obvious, but may I ask - how was is that the LA's were modified to different extension lengths?

Cheers ~ Perry

Luckily, the absence of retracted LAs was not a problem of how LAs are modelled in LDD, it was only problem of missing functionality in LDD user interface (there is nothing similar like hinge button that could be used to retract LAs or compress shock absorbers). So I modified the LXF file and changed position of LA "piston" to make it look retracted. May be TLG will add function to do such operations directly in LDD without editing the LXF file.

[PerryMakes]

Luckily, the absence of retracted LAs was not a problem of how LAs are modelled in LDD, it was only problem of missing functionality in LDD user interface (there is nothing similar like hinge button that could be used to retract LAs or compress shock absorbers). So I modified the LXF file and changed position of LA "piston" to make it look retracted. May be TLG will add function to do such operations directly in LDD without editing the LXF file.

For a second there I imagined that you were Neo - and what appear to us mere mortals as linear actuators show up for you as green characters falling down the screen - and you just will the matrix transformations to happen with only your thoughts ... how cool would that be???

Edited August 16, 2011 by PerryMakes

[hrontos]

For a second there I imagined that you were Neo - and what appear to us mere mortals as linear actuators show up for you as green characters falling down the screen - and you just will the matrix transformations to happen with only your thoughts ... how cool would that be???

I am happy to see things in "True color". But sometimes, it would be nice to move things just by power of thought.

[896gerard]

I have just created LXF file containing rectracted LAs.

LAs.lxf

There are 21 of them, each with different length (with step of 0.25 stud).

There are 4 groups:

1. length 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2. length 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, 3.25, 4.25

3. length 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5

4. length 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, 3.75, 4.75

(remove the extra axles and other parts, they are there just to prove propper alignment).

Thank you, very handy!

[H22802]

I have just created LXF file containing rectracted LAs.

LAs.lxf

There are 21 of them, each with different length (with step of 0.25 stud).

There are 4 groups:

1. length 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

2. length 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, 3.25, 4.25

3. length 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5

4. length 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, 3.75, 4.75

(remove the extra axles and other parts, they are there just to prove propper alignment).

Great work !

Thanks a lot for shared

[pocketpc]

If you'd like a different solution, I made some LXF's with separate top and bottom parts for shock absorbers. They aren't perfect, but they work quite well. I made a post about them here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=84734&hl= I haven't done LA's yet, but that is planned.

[D3K]

Sorry to bump this topic, but have someone made the Mini LA in differents stages, like hrontos did with the normal LAs?

I see the ones for the outriggers on the LDD 42009 in this forum are fully retracted, but I'd really like one fully extended for a LDD project I'm working on!

[kevstechnic]

Just been wrestling with the problem of needing rectracted LAs and found this. Thanks - this is perfect- although I still don't quite get how it has been done.

[Bomgorila]

The similar thing done with shock absorbers.

So compressed shock absorbers:

ShockAbsorbers.lxf

(Only one of the has length that can be aligned with a beam holes).

Edit: I updated the file during edit to include all more types of shock absorbers.

How did you make this?

I need to make one with the black bit of the standing ones and the yellow bit of the ones on horizontal,

Please advise.

Kind regards

Carlos

[kennywest]

Sorry to revive an old topic, but I'm sure this will help others, trying to add linear actuators to their models.

I needed some large linear actuators in my model that were not fully extended. The trick is the create an empty LDD drawing, with the actuator in it. Then, save it, without adding anything else. Rename the file you just saved to la.zip. You should now be able to open the file and find a file, called IMAGE100.LXFML. This is an XML file, which you can read or edit. You can also find this file here. Below are the important parts of the file (you can open this with notepad, our your favorite editor):
 

...
      <Part refID="1" designID="62275" materials="309">
        <Bone refID="1" transformation="-1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,-1,6,1.2000000476837158,0.40000003576278687">
        </Bone>
      </Part>
...
      <Part refID="3" designID="62274" materials="199">
        <Bone refID="3" transformation="-1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,-1,6,1.2000000476837158,0.40000003576278687">
        </Bone>
      </Part>
...

 

When you modify the value 6 (so, the value after -1, before 1.20000...) into something else you will see the actuator is extended or retracted. The LXFML file can also be opened directly in LDD. So you can play with the values, double click the file and you can see the result of your changes.

When your satisfied with your changes, save it and now you can import this into your model, using the "File -> Import model" menu.

I hope this helps someone.

[D4VEW557]

That's a great help with a little playing around the perfect size can be achieved.

Good job