What do you think about modularity?

[jorgeopesi]

7 minutes ago, Jundis said:

But when it comes to low weight (or of perfection in economical use of as few parts as possible like your builds @jorgeopesi ;-) ) modularity has no place.

I have wanted to do a bigger machine like a dozer or a shovel for years to use all what I have learned about modular building but my big problem at the moment it is finishing projects, it always was but even more lately... to want to use the less parts is more a curse right now...  , one single piece can perfectly make me redo anything, on the one hand I have fun on the other hand I never finish.

[gyenesvi]

I agree with much of what has been said before: modularity can help with a cleaner structure that may resemble the real thing better, easier assembly and disassembly (yes, it's very useful when iterating on something building it again and again) even better building instructions. However, I do not try to enforce it just for the sake of it, especially when there is not enough space (like always) or when it would hurt structural integrity.

On 9/12/2021 at 3:01 PM, Anio said:

Antoine de Saint Exupery said : "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing left to take away".

This. Check my signature :) (no, I did not put it there now). I apply this a lot with Lego, and also in my work when writing software (I am a software engineer). It helps a lot to clean things up. And I agree with @nerdsforprez that the right way to understand it is to 'remove all superfluous structures'. (sure, some things are there for decoration..) But in general, this is where I stop with my models, when I achieved all I wanted (functions, looks), not more.

Edited September 13, 2021 by gyenesvi

[Johnny1360]

I used to never do it, but lately I find myself doing modules more and more. The biggest reason is when something doesn't work out exactly how I want it to, I don't have to rebuild half the structure, I can simply rework the module. The plus side is my mocs are much more refined from the start, providing I actually finish it, lol.

[NKubate]

Making a model fully modular often jeopardizes the structural integrity and uses more material (adding more weight and more expensive) than with an integrated design. On the other hand, integrating everything makes a model on the other hand difficult to decode (understand) and disassemble (by a human being). So both approaches have advantages and disadvantages and therefore I believe that a combination of modular and integrated design works best in manual assembly work. However, the tricky part for a designer is to decide when to opt for a module and where to put the interfaces. In the end It all comes down to product architecture and assembly sequence. In great product design the interfaces for modules are chosen with extreme care to minimize surface overlap and maximize assembly flexibility but at the same time reducing the risk for errors. Because modular vs.integrated design as well as assembly sequence and efficiency are whole research areas on their own, I'm leaving it at this for the moment. I could probably write a whole book about this subject and all the factors of influence to consider.  

Edited September 26, 2021 by NKubate