[Software] MecaBricks - Online Design Tool

[vynsane]

Are these somehow sidelined as 'custom', 'experimental' or 'unofficial' pieces? Would't want people to build with them thinking they're new, unknown pieces only to be disappointed to find out they don't actually exist!

Maybe an option in the palette setup to hide/show these pieces is in order...

EDIT: Nevermind, shouldn't open my big mouth until I actually take a look - I see it's under the 'Bricks - Custom' category...

What i was thinking, though, was that they would be categorized under the appropriate existing category (in the case of these custom double-slope pieces, 'Bricks - Sloping'), then be shown as a sub-set therein as 'custom', which can then be displayed/hidden as desired. It's a thought, if the addition of custom bricks takes off...

Edited February 19, 2013 by vynsane

[Nachapon Lego]

Dear Mr. vynsane, It is good to hear different comments and suggestions, so please feel free.

Hope that Mr. Scrubs will feedback to your nice suggestion about category.

I will work with Mr. Scrubs to model many more new parts for Mecabricks for sure. (Both exist and unexist.)

I have planed to model new parts for Ldraw for a while, but now I think Mecabrick is the best and easiest platform for anyone to play with custom bricks and share their creations.

Quick modify another one to Mecabrick gallery.

Mecabricks_ New custom new part available now_ more coming soon_ all you need is chrome browser 3 by Nachapon S., on Flickr

Mecabricks sail on Flickr

Edited February 19, 2013 by bbqqq

[Scrubs]

Yep, I agree with you vynsane. I didn't know that I would have unofficial parts in mecabricks until yesterday So I implemented it the simple way. My idea is put custom parts in their proper categories but to include a checkbox to hide them or not (+maybe identify them with a different background colour for the icons).

The other thing I want to do soon, as per one of the ideas here, is to add a little tooltip to easily request parts that are missing in the library.

[vynsane]

I didn't know that I would have unofficial parts in mecabricks until yesterday

Ah, the ever threatening "feature-creep"... I know all about that. And I hear ya, obviously this was a stop-gap measure, and would suffice just fine if the palette of custom parts were to stay at a count of '1' or even increase to '10'. Good to know we're on the same page regarding future enhancement, though.

[Nachapon Lego]

Let't make Mecabricks become the first Lego CAD that beveled on the fly, and custom bricks welcome.

What do think abot to add 0.1 mm 45 degree taper to main edges of basic bricks/slope/most use parts, to simulate bevles?

Maybe as an optional category.

0.1mm x 2 is same as real bricks side by side gaps.

The models will look better and easy to see bricks joints without to increase too many polygons.

If you agree, in future I will always send blender parts with both version to you.

Mecabricks taper + gap? by Nachapon S., on Flickr

Mecabricks taper only by Nachapon S., on Flickr

Edited February 20, 2013 by bbqqq

[Palathadric]

Wow! This is really moving along. Will definitely try this out whenever I can get off my megablocks and install FireFox or Chrome.

[Superkalle]

I totally agree with you. It even better if TLG make bricks idea as LDD addon download. Then bricks idea will be easier to test and can be rendered by LDD2Povray.

I guess with LDD it would be a problem since people may become confused which bricks are only virtual and which are produced as physical bricks. So for TLG, I think they will continue to maintain a strict "physcial bricks only" policy.

Also, a comment/feedback on Mecabricks and the custom bricks; is there a way to make it even more clear that they are just custom bricks. It's very difficult to tell for a casual user that those bricks doesn't exist in real life. Maybe put them in a section at the bottom of all the other brick categories? And maybe there can be some sort of notification message when people open a model that contain custom bricks - "Please note that this model contain some bricks that have not been made as physical bricks"...something like that. Even though I like the idea with custom bricks, I also feel it must be very, very clear that they are just custom bricks.

[legolijntje]

Let't make Mecabricks become the first Lego CAD that beveled on the fly, and custom bricks welcome.

...

Well, actually almost ALL Lego cads can use custom bricks. You only need to make an LDraw file of it and add it to the correct folder

[Nachapon Lego]

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I guess with LDD it would be a problem since people may become confused which bricks are only virtual and which are produced as physical bricks. So for TLG, I think they will continue to maintain a strict "physcial bricks only" policy.

Also, a comment/feedback on Mecabricks and the custom bricks; is there a way to make it even more clear that they are just custom bricks. It's very difficult to tell for a casual user that those bricks doesn't exist in real life. Maybe put them in a section at the bottom of all the other brick categories? And maybe there can be some sort of notification message when people open a model that contain custom bricks - "Please note that this model contain some bricks that have not been made as physical bricks"...something like that. Even though I like the idea with custom bricks, I also feel it must be very, very clear that they are just custom bricks.

Totally agree. Very little hope for LDD. I hope the function that you suggest will not take Mr. Scrubs too much time to add.

Well, actually almost ALL Lego cads can use custom bricks. You only need to make an LDraw file of it and add it to the correct folder

You are right, but the advantage of Mecabricks is everybody have the same custom bricks all the time without any update or modification. Super convenient.

Edited February 20, 2013 by bbqqq

[Superkalle]

I know that, but the advantage of Mecabricks is everybody have the same custom bricks all the time without any update or modification. Super convenient.

That is true. But I guess you have to weigh this against the user base. I'm just guessing that the number of user would be very small (no offense bbqqq ).

IMHO, the custom bricks are mostly to validate/play around with ideas, not to use as a key building block, since they can't be used IRL. I still maintain it's a good idea, but it should be very clear that the custom bricks are not LEGO-bricks.

[vynsane]

I was just thinking, along the same vein as custom bricks, there's no reason not to consider palette options for clone brands. They are, after all, LEGO compatible... just a thought. Then you could have a menu where you check/uncheck which bricks you want shown in the palette, including LEGO, MB, custom,etc...

[Scrubs]

I'm not at all against the idea of having multiple libraries of parts coming from different manufacturers.

However, unless someone models them, I can't really make them as I don't own any myself.

[Scrubs]

Hello,

I spent my evening working on mecabricks. So basically, I added 2 features:

• You will find a checkbox under the part library that you can tick to display or not the non-lego parts in the library. I deleted the special category Bricks - Custom that I made the other day as the special parts now appear in the middle of the other lego bricks but with a blue background for the icons. By default they don't appear to avoid the confusion.
  
• The second modification is related to missing parts. Just above the colour palette, I added a field to request missing parts. I will be notified whenever a user requires a part not yet modelled.
  

Edited February 21, 2013 by Scrubs

[Nachapon Lego]

Hello,

I spent my evening working on mecabricks. So basically, I added 2 features:

• You will find a checkbox under the part library that you can tick to display or not the non-lego parts in the library. I deleted the special category Bricks - Custom that I made the other day as the special parts now appear in the middle of the other lego bricks but with a blue background for the icons. By default they don't appear to avoid the confusion.
  
• The second modification is related to missing parts. Just above the colour palette, I added a field to request missing parts. I will be notified whenever a user requires a part not yet modelled.
  

Very cool features! But Chrome didn't show up the check box and the envelope.

Mecabricks Friends slide 2 by Nachapon S., on Flickr

Edited February 21, 2013 by bbqqq

[Scrubs]

You need to empty the cache of your browser to be sure you have the latest version of it (or reload a few time the page of the workshop).

[Nachapon Lego]

You need to empty the cache of your browser to be sure you have the latest version of it (or reload a few time the page of the workshop).

Thank you, it works now.

Hope that one day we can virtual build some KRE-O Transformers or Mega Bloks Halo.

Edited February 21, 2013 by bbqqq

[Calabar]

Maybe in the brick library could be useful to add an "icon" representing the specific kind of bricks next to the name, ti give a visual feedback?

For example next to the category name "Bricks - Sloping" you could add a little slope 45 2x2 to represent the category.

[Scrubs]

you could add a little slope 45 2x2 to represent the category

Sounds like LDD . For now, the categories are text based as it is easier for me to handle with standard element (<select>) instead of designing custom palettes, and I am lazy as well lol (not that much with the thousands hours I spent developping it tho )

[Calabar]

I don't mean to use a LDD like palette, but only to put a little icon aside the category name in the (dropdown?) menu list to make it more recognizable.

I think that the visual feedback can help users to easily browse among categories (especially those that have more difficulties with english language).

[Scrubs]

Yes I totally agree with you but by default you can't add images in this kind of standard dropdown list. I would need to design mine and code it (which i might do one day).

[Calabar]

Oh, ok, I didn't thought about that. Maybe in the future the API will be improved or a new and more sophisticated control will be added.

[Nachapon Lego]

Another advantage of Mecabricks. Just publish your unfinish official set. Anyone can continue your work then publish the update model until the set complete.The last builder give credit to all builders. Then everybody remove their unfinished items. This way will save a lot of time and get new official very quick.

It is possible to build a turn base board / chess game and play online with your friend.

Edited February 21, 2013 by bbqqq

[legolijntje]

Yes I totally agree with you but by default you can't add images in this kind of standard dropdown list. I would need to design mine and code it (which i might do one day).

Can't you use such a graphical font (I can't remember the correct name). Like more and more web developers use instead of png's?

[Palathadric]

Another advantage of Mecabricks. Just publish your unfinish official set. Anyone can continue your work then publish the update model until the set complete.The last builder give credit to all builders. Then everybody remove their unfinished items. This way will save a lot of time and get new official very quick.

It is possible to build a turn base board / chess game and play online with your friend.

Wow! That's pretty great actually.

[Scrubs]

Another advantage of Mecabricks. Just publish your unfinish official set. Anyone can continue your work then publish the update model until the set complete.The last builder give credit to all builders. Then everybody remove their unfinished items. This way will save a lot of time and get new official very quick.

It is possible to build a turn base board / chess game and play online with your friend.

I might actually think about an option for multiple users to work on a model by turn. For now, you can reuse the model of others, but not save on the top of it. It creates another model that you would need to make public for others to keep working on. All the public models appear in the gallery. The result for now is that the gallery would be sort of polluted with a lot of unfinished version of the same model.