Definitions, please.

[FayRhodes]

If this forum is going to be a valuable resource for LEGO CAD, we need to provide some good basic definitions for the terms we’ll be using–-ones you don't need an advanced degree to understand.  I’ll ask our webmaster if we can set up an NXT CADopedia, where individuals can add and correct information. For now, let’s get the information into the CAD forum, so that people can search for answers. (At the very least, I will compile responses.)

Here are some terms to get us started. Please submit any terms you think need to be added:

LDraw

MLCAD

POV-Ray

L3P

LPub

LDGlite

LDView

LGEO

LSynth

MLCAD Terms:

Rotation Point
The point around which an selected image or group will rotate

Part Center

Part Rotation Point

World Origin

Rotate

   Position Values

   Rotation Vector Values

   Absolute Values

   Rotation Matrix Values

Draw to Selection
When you select a part, the screen only displays that part and the parts which are listed before that part.

View Mode
In this mode, you can view the model as it will look in your building steps. You cannot edit the document while in this mode.

Edit Mode
This is the default mode in which you build and modify your model.

Pan Mode

Zoom Mode

Generators

   Mosaic

   Rotation Model

   Mini-fig

   Spring

   Flexible Hose

   Baseplate

   Arrow

   Fractal

   Rubber Belt

Step
A step breaks down the construction of your model into smaller steps, resulting in multiple construction step images (CSI) and parts list images (PLI).

Auto Steps
You can ask MLCAD to automatically place steps in your model. This is not likely to result in clear construction step images.

Rotation Step
This kind of step allows you to create an absolute view for a building step, allowing you to show the placement of new parts more clearly.

Step Background

Buffer Exchange

Group
This groups a set of selected parts so their relationship to each other remains absolute as you move it around. You don’t need to worry about breaking up a grouped image, such as a leg. In a document you can ungroup and modify the parts (which you cannot do with sub-models).

Select All (vs Group)
The command does as it suggests–-select every part of the open model. The is the quickest way to move an entire model. As soon as you click outside the model area, the parts become de-selected.

Anti-aliasing

   Threshold

   Depth

   Jitter

Ghost

Primitives

L3P  Terms:

   Light.DAT

   Controls

      Ambient
   
      Diffuse

      Reflection

Seam Width

Surface Bumps

POV-Ray Terms:

   Anti-aliasing

      Threshold

      Depth

      Jitter

Mega-POV Terms:

Depth Difference

Angle Difference

Color Difference

Line Format Width

Line Format Sharpness

LPub Terms:

Minimum Distance
This one really confuses me. People have reported using minimum distances of 450,000, which makes my renderings invisible. Can someone, please tell us what this is and how it works.

Ortho
A two-dimensional image. (Rob Torok's favorite view  )

CSI---Construction Step Images
These show what the model will look like when you have added the parts for each.

PLI---Parts List Images
These show the parts you need for each building step.

BOM---Bill of Materials.
This shows an image (and amount) of each the part used in a model. Use this to make sure you have the right parts to build a model. (Nothing is more frustrating than to find you’ve built most of a model, but can’t continue for lack of a single piece.)

Sub-Assemblies
When you are creating instructions for a complicated robot, breaking your model into sub-assemblies makes re-creation of your model easier. Some people use a lot of these sub-assemblies, others use very few.

Previous Step Color Scaling
This feature allows you to (in each step) fade out the parts previously added to your model and darken the new part(s).

Erase generated DAT files
Why? What program creates the DAT files?

Erase generated POV file
Why? What program creates these files?

Render only if needed
Why would POV-Ray render a part that isn't in a model? Someone, please explain.

Check DAT's against parts list
All I know is that this regularly causes an error for me if I don't uncheck it.

Crop images
Exactly what does this do? If I use it with LDGlite, it chops off my pictures. I can't tell what it's doing with POV-Ray. What am I asking the program to do if I choose this?–-Please don’t say “It will crop your image”!

global configuration
Settings for any new document you open in Lpub?

local configuration
Settings for a specific document?

auto load local configurations
Does this refer to specific settings which are set when you load a specific document?

Buffer Output

Primitives