Week TechVideo, 2010 #09 - SR 3D Builder, latest improvements

Probably you will remember a post from one year ago [1], about SR 3D Builder application.

Now in version 0.4.58, it is getting a more & more interesting and powerful tool, release after release.
So that this week, I decided to highlight not one but the last two videos from Sergio Reano on YouTube, to show the last improvements of this great tool!

Here you have the latest improvements (0.4.58) regarding complex hinges with 4-bar linkage and upwards.
But also some other application improvements on graphical display performance.

Going back a few months and release 0.4.57, you got the ability to fade out fixed parts into an animation, to show mechanic functionality. Just great, isn't it?



Give it a try!


Edit:
Please notice the time this post was written, version 0.4.58 was just a preview on YouTube, and version 0.4.57 was still the one available at Sergio's website.
Only today, Sergio released the new version.

As consequence many of you who didn't realize on the version number, may have downloaded one version expecting to see something that wasn't still not there.
If it was your case, please download and install the new version uploaded.

Sorry for any inconvenience! 


Last Update: 2010.Mar.09 18:02 CET

Curiosities about the 8258 Crane Truck

Yesterday TLG announced its Annual Report and Progress Report for the financial year of 2009.
The results increased considerably at all fronts (Sales, Profit, Assest, Cash Flow, Investment, etc...). Just "highly satisfactory results" as stated in the report.

As supplement to both reports, TLG released the 2nd issue from its annual magazine, The Brick.
All this to say that I found inside, an interesting article with some facts & curiosities about the 2009 Technic flagship (8258) and Uwe Wabra who has designed it [1, 2]. Some are not really new to the fans, but still interesting notes.

CRANE TRUCK
IS INSPIRED BY THE REAL THING

"If LEGO Designer Uwe Wabra sees a tough, cool truck driving down the street, he is quite likely to run after it for a closer look. That’s what it’s like being a LEGO® Technic designer. Although most of the inspiration for the big models comes from online illustrations or trade fairs, the designer is always on the lookout for new interesting details.

It took Uwe Wabra eight months to design the big motorised Technic Crane Truck. He built at least 50 different versions before arriving at the finished item. The result is a red truck with a four‑stage gearbox controlling all its functions. The yellow crane unfolds, rises and lowers, and swivels. The
cab can tip open, and four outriggers stabilise the vehicle as it lifts its heavy loads.

While Uwe Wabra is designing a model, he can build it without the building instructions – he could put the crane truck together in 4‑5 hours, whereas other people might spend twice that long. But once the model is finished and he is working on a new design project, within a couple of weeks he’s forgotten the old one.

It looks, by the way, as if Uwe likes the number 1877. The Crane Truck consists of 1877 LEGO pieces – the same number as the black Tow Truck (a US vehicle from 2006) that he also designed."



Again nothing new for us, but still a note on the same page, which is also mentioned at different place in the magazine, to be an actual trend in the Company.
Designers leave fingerprint

"Notice the driver’s name sign on the windscreen, the registration plate and the company name on the door UW Lifting Service – the vehicle carries the designer’s personal touch."

LEGO Power Functions RC Protocol v1.20 update

Today LEGO released a new version from the LPF RC Protocol document.
Now in its version 1.20, which can be downloaded from here.

After having analyzed the document, the main changes seem to be:

• Removal of "Single pin continuous mode".
• Removal of "Single pin timeout mode".
• Some commands addition to the "Single output mode". As it seems this has also inherited equivalents to the commands from the first mode above (removed).

 Some questions that are now raising in my head, are:

• Why were these modes removed?
• For optimization and reserve space for new modes to come!?

• Is it the "Single pin timeout mode" simply gone?
• Reasoning for the negative logic at some "Single ouptut mode" added commands?

• What have changed besides the protocol?
• Does the IR receivers will get changed too, getting us a 3rd version of them?
• What about retro-compatibility? I guess the existing receivers will continue to answer to the modes now removed!?

• Any other subtle changes in this new version of the protocol?

 ...clarification request addressed to TLG.

Motorized LEGO Boat Race

Michael Huffmann has drawn my attention to this announcement for a Motorized LEGO Boat Race at BrickMagic.

This is a call for participation in a Motorized LEGO Boat Race to be held at BrickMagic - a LEGO Fan event in Raleigh, North Carolina on May 7, 8, and 9, 2010 - Mother’s Day weekend!

I had posted the rules awhile back & they have worked well for us at GFLUG for the past 2 years. I will probably amend the rules a little as it applies to BrickMagic and post the official ones on the BrickMagic web-site.

There will be 2 to 3 different heaps -- simple (from one side of the pool to the other), simple (a lap of the pool; back and forth), and advance (around the pool and around obstacles).

There will be trophies and prizes for winners and sinkers -- possible categories:

Davy Jones Award for Boat that Sank the Fastest
Doofensmirtz Award for Advanced Boat that Sank Itself
Best Boat Float - Best Themed Boat
Floatilla!

Some disclaimers about the boat race:

(1) Everyone who participates must be an adult & understands the risks to their LEGO motorized boat; that no one will be responsible for water damaged parts, nor any part replacement.
(2) Everyone around the pool, everyone must exercise caution to not slip -- meaning no shoes & maybe wear swim attire, no running.
(3) There will be zero tolerance for alcohol during the race... afterwards is a different story.
(4) Disclaimer and rules are subject to change.

If you have any questions, need clarification on rules, or just plan to participate, please send me e-mail.

Some final thoughts:

• Always remember try out your boat in water before the event.
• Don’t over engineer the problem, sometime simpler is faster.
• We came up with a few other (alternative) heaps listed below.
• Water-proof your electronics! Can’t stress this enough.
• There is a limited range to some LEGO electronics, this became painfully obvious as we maneuvered boats around the pool

Mike Huffman
BrickMagic Motorized LEGO Boat Race Coordinator


Here are a few pics from last year's edition:





The Challenge is on!

Technic.LEGO.com challenge competition - March challenge

The LEGO Technic Challenge competion theme for the month of March is announced!

Continuing the success from the previous month [1, 2], Off-Road is now the theme.

What to build?
This month (March) the competition is all about Offroading - build a model that can handle going offroad, a master of the terrain that can handle the hardest conditions!
Sand, snow and outdoor environments can be hard on your LEGO® Technic elements, your model does not need to be pictured outside, but must fit into the Off-Road theme.





Previous Winner
The winner for February was meanwhile also voted, and it goes for user shadow.m36 who built a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) Plane.
"It is a remote control VTOL plane. an XL motor controls the angle of the propellors and a small motor to power each propellor."

Join the Challenge and continue to the Big Finale in October!

Week TechVideo, 2010 #08 - Remote controlled 8258

Today the 8258 (Crane Truck) in a modified version by Xander Soldaat (mightor).
This was a demo model for LW 2009 in Zwolle, with all functions remote controlled.

In addition to the 4 powered functions in the original model, Xander wanted to make it drive and steerable, from the PF remotes, thus counting 6 function in total. In order to achieve it, he needed to take out all the gear boxes housed in the middle of the truck, and added some PF motors and IR receivers.

• 1 PF XL-motor for driving the rear wheels
• 5 PF M-motors
• 3 PF IR Receivers

Quite a bit of work...
You can find some more photos from the original post, at Xanders' blog.


I have been to write about this since a few weeks ago, and as a matter of coincidence today when revisiting the materials to finally write it, I realized that also today, Xander added a post about one NXTfied version from the same truck, by Ramacco.

The crane truck here was automated using one NXT brick with 2 NXT servos for driving and steering. Furthermore, 3 PF motors were used to control the crane itself.
The NXT controls the PF motors via an HiTechnic IRLink sensor, while the NXT brick itself is controlled from a Nokia 3109c phone via Bluetooth.