Mecabricks new flexible part tools

[Scrubs]

The current flex tool on Mecabricks was outdated and has always been hard to use accurately. One of the big issue was also to add new flexible part types.

So I decided to rethink everything and redesign the tool from the ground. This is definitely a hard exercise as the goal is to turn complicated concepts into an easy to use tool.

After days and days of coding, I finally managed to produce something that I think starts to be quite cool. I made a small short video where I play with a multi path flexible element and a snapping function.

Currently, the tool supports:

• Multi-path flexible elements
• Multi color elements
• Real time geometry update
• Smart dynamic geometry (to put vertices only where it is needed)
• Snapping
• Multi point selection
• Tilt
• Automatic tilt recalculation to maintain the orientation
• Procedural generation of virtually any flexible elements which will simplify the addition of random flex stuff like springs, whip 88704 or welder torch 13793

There is a lot more to come as well. Hope to have it released in the next coming weeks. I also posted a few more videos on my youtube channel to show the progress.

 

I also took the opportunity to redesign the translate and rotate gizmo and optimize a lot of the current code. For example this flexible tool works perfectly on iPad.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Scrubs

[Exetrius]

Wow, crazy good flex functionality! There's one particular piece that I have been waiting for to be added, and seeing this post, I thought maybe it would now be possible for it to be added to Mecabricks? It's the torso with flexible arms:

 https://brickset.com/parts/6173150/mini-upper-part-no-3585

The flex arms can be pulled through the torso, as shown in this Jang review screenshot:

[Scrubs]

Yes for sure that would quite easy with the new system. I would need to get the real one though to get accurate dimensions.

[Calabar]

It seems a very good implementation: very easy to use and effective.

Just a doubt: what about if the part is not elastic as the one showed in the video? If I can stretch the part it is easy to snap it on some brick or clip, but what about parts that can flex but not extended? This seems to add some problem in manage form and position of the brick: for example if I try to snap a terminal part of the flexible brick with a clip too far away, the clip should result unreachable or the brick should be "dragged" along the movement.
Have you got a video with a flexible but not extensible part?

Beside it would be useful a "reset button" that simulate the property of the flexible "real life" part to return to the original form.

[Exetrius]

5 hours ago, Scrubs said:

Yes for sure that would quite easy with the new system. I would need to get the real one though to get accurate dimensions.

Fantastic! You could also take the one from Elasticgirl, btw. If you mange to digitalize it, could you let me know via tag or PM? Thanks in advance! 

[Scrubs]

This is a work in progress. Dealing with non stretchable flexible parts is a matter of adding a constraint on the length of the paths. It will be added later. This is not as simple as it seems though as it will require a good amount of recalculation for the complex elements with multiple paths. First release something then add options 

 

To reset the geometry just get out of the flex mode and press the undo button.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Scrubs

[Calabar]

I mean reset the geometry for a part of the flexible brick only not the whole flexible brick, considering that part of it could have been already connected.
In short, a sort of "natural" release of the flexible element.

4 hours ago, Scrubs said:

Dealing with non stretchable flexible parts [...] is not as simple as it seems 

It doesn't seem simple at all!

Edited March 14, 2019 by Calabar

[Scrubs]

Latest development.

I completed the new workshop set of tools for flexible LEGO elements. I will start designing the definition files for all currently existing Mecabricks flexible parts so that this development version can be soon become the production version.

 

[jester]

On 3/14/2019 at 1:09 PM, Scrubs said:

Yes for sure that would quite easy with the new system. I would need to get the real one though to get accurate dimensions.

I'm already working on decorations for Ms. Marvel ))

[Scrubs]

A real life example with the flexible vine:

 

[Scrubs]

It is now available to everybody to play with. Just load the Mecabricks workshop in your browser.

[Scrubs]

I started to convert old solid parts to the new flex system. For example, whip 88704 is now a flexible element on Mecabricks:

 

[Lyichir]

This is great! Flexible parts are one area that I've frequently found fall short in a lot of digital building programs (even on LDD it's one of the buggiest and least user-friendly tools to use, and many programs like Stud.io don't support it at all). This looks like one of the most advanced implementations yet—will have to try it for myself at some point in the near future.

[SylvainLS]

1 minute ago, Lyichir said:

many programs like Stud.io don't support it at all

Not true anymore.  Studio just added flexible parts support.  The number of parts is limited for now but the UI and results are great

Edited March 27, 2019 by SylvainLS

[Lyichir]

47 minutes ago, SylvainLS said:

Not true anymore.  Studio just added flexible parts support.  The number of parts is limited for now but the UI and results are great

Oh? Good to know! Hopefully support continues to expand.

[Scrubs]

7 hours ago, SylvainLS said:

Not true anymore.  Studio just added flexible parts support.  The number of parts is limited for now but the UI and results are great

I think they try too hard to copy LDD. Multiple full time developers to get to that after a few years, that is almost sad.

Anyway, the welding torch 13793 is the latest part converted to the new flex system:

Flexible Welding Torch by Nicolas Jarraud, on Flickr

Edited March 28, 2019 by Scrubs