Extendable Shock Absorbers Hack

[pocketpc]

I got bored one day and started looking into hacking LDD to add extra features. Sadly, the things I had planned didn't quite pan out as I expected, but I figured out how to directly manipulate assemblies by editing the .lxf files using 7-Zip and an XML editor. Therefore, I present to you:

Extendable Shock Absorbers and Actuators!

Simply download the following .lxf files and import them into your model. Viola, seperately movable shock absorber pieces! They can be linked, seperated, moved, rotated, painted, cloned, and hinged to your hearts content. There are only two three caveats: Linked halves will not move together (although they will hinge together), certain parts have weird conflicts when placed end-to-end without touching (which I doubt your models will require), and certain rotation angles will cause the part to zap about 5000CM from your cursor (I recommend attaching shock absorbers and actuators after the rest of the model is built). If you happen to run into someone on the forum having trouble with shock absorbers or linear actuators, feel free to send them my way. Enjoy!

#76537 SHOCK ABSORBER, EXTRA HARD: 76537sahack.lxf

#74741 BIG SHOCK ABSORBER: 74741sahack.lxf

#92693 LINEAR ACTUATOR 7-9M (doesn't adjust as finely as others): 92693lahack.lxf

Other parts coming soon!

Edited July 16, 2013 by pocketpc

[Nachapon Lego]

Good work!

I found a bug. Press 5 on numpad (show all bricks) then everything gone.

Please make a disassemble 2x2 turntable.

[Zerobricks]

Good job! These are usefull.

Edited July 16, 2013 by Zblj

[Calabar]

Very interesting, could you add a small screenshot to show thw work?

You could add the custom brick to the proper topic too, this one.

[pocketpc]

Very interesting, could you add a small screenshot to show thw work?

You could add the custom brick to the proper topic too, this one.

I'll add a couple of screenshots for today. As for the official topic, I don't really want to put it there, because these are official LDD parts hacked to do something they weren't originally supposed to do, not just arranged to look like something else.

Good work!

I found a bug. Press 5 on numpad (show all bricks) then everything gone.

Please make a disassemble 2x2 turntable.

I don't have a numpad on my laptop, so I'm not sure how to test that. As for the turntable, I'll try it when I finish with the SA's and LA's.

Edited July 16, 2013 by pocketpc

[Calabar]

[...] these are official LDD parts hacked to do something they weren't originally supposed to do, not just arranged to look like something else.

Oh, ok, I didn't took a look at the lxf files yet, and I misunderstood.

I don't have a numpad on my laptop [...]

If you have a common laptop (with Windows), click on the "Num Lock" key, and a group of keys (usually: 7890 uiop jklò m,.- ) will became a numpad. Otherwise... I don't know!

[hrontos]

I found a bug. Press 5 on numpad (show all bricks) then everything gone.

I think 5 resets the view.

Since these files contain 2 shock absorbers with one half put 5000 units above base plane, reset of view will try to take it into account and it looks like everything disappeared.

These hidden halves have 0 as material ID and so rendering of a LDD model containing these modified parts with LDD2POVray will fail. It would be better to change it to some real material ID before rendering.

Edited July 16, 2013 by hrontos

[dandexter]

Thank you so much for posting this, will be extremely helpful for me.

[LUModder]

Please make a disassemble 2x2 turntable.

I have tried, I don't know the methods how to, but I tried with messing with the lxfml file. It keeps saying "2 pieces have been removed".

[mzoli]

I think 5 resets the view.

Since these files contain 2 shock absorbers with one half put 5000 units above base plane, reset of view will try to take it into account and it looks like everything disappeared.

These hidden halves have 0 as material ID and so rendering of a LDD model containing these modified parts with LDD2POVray will fail. It would be better to change it to some real material ID before rendering.

As pocketpc has been disappered after 3 posts, could you or someone else fix the view bug of the mini LA? Thank you!

[Bomgorila]

I got bored one day and started looking into hacking LDD to add extra features. Sadly, the things I had planned didn't quite pan out as I expected, but I figured out how to directly manipulate assemblies by editing the .lxf files using 7-Zip and an XML editor. Therefore, I present to you:

Extendable Shock Absorbers and Actuators!

Simply download the following .lxf files and import them into your model. Viola, seperately movable shock absorber pieces! They can be linked, seperated, moved, rotated, painted, cloned, and hinged to your hearts content. There are only two three caveats: Linked halves will not move together (although they will hinge together), certain parts have weird conflicts when placed end-to-end without touching (which I doubt your models will require), and certain rotation angles will cause the part to zap about 5000CM from your cursor (I recommend attaching shock absorbers and actuators after the rest of the model is built). If you happen to run into someone on the forum having trouble with shock absorbers or linear actuators, feel free to send them my way. Enjoy!

#76537 SHOCK ABSORBER, EXTRA HARD: 76537sahack.lxf

#74741 BIG SHOCK ABSORBER: 74741sahack.lxf

#92693 LINEAR ACTUATOR 7-9M (doesn't adjust as finely as others): 92693lahack.lxf

Other parts coming soon!

Many Thanks

Thats is great.

Any chance you could teach me how to do this and creat new parts for LDD as I am struggling with a few builds.

I am looking for exanple :

"50301 is composed of parts 32495 and 32496. None of these seem available in LDD."

Please advise.

Kind regards

Carlos

[LegoLex]

Many thanks! I'll try them...

[AlanSek]

Hi Pocketpc,

I am struggling to download the .lxf files from your link, please advice. very much appreciate if anyone else could help me up. Many Thanks

Alan

[Markus_H]

The link doesn´t work. :-(

[KamalMYafi]

[...]

I am struggling to download the .lxf files from your link, please advice. very much appreciate if anyone else could help me up. [...]

The link doesn't work.

Yep! Actually both of you could try sending a PM to the member who posted the attachment, asking if they could send you a new copy (But sadly, both of you are New Members and a New Members doesn't have a PM functions). And, pocketpc not online anymore (last online on 2013!).

It may be the servers of the site clearing out old data. It happens from time to time (Hence the odd broken Tag on a user etc).

Edited September 10, 2016 by KamalMYafi

[djm]

The link doesn´t work. :-(

Perhaps try http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=79010 for some shock absorbers?

David

[emanuel]

I need help with your pieces. When downloading and importing the files in my model says unable to load file, unable to open file. My ldd version the ldd is 4.3.

[Kevin Flemming]

On 4/29/2017 at 5:00 AM, emanuel said:

I need help with your pieces. When downloading and importing the files in my model says unable to load file, unable to open file. My ldd version the ldd is 4.3.

Same here. File is most likely out-of-date and incompatible with the latest version of LDD.

[SylvainLS]

You can still export them in LDraw, adjust their size with an LDraw CAD, then import them back. If there’re not many parts and collisions, it should work.