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NEXLOCK FIELD GUIDEDesign & parts

Find and prepare a Nexlock Brick System part

Search by number or size, save useful searches, compare catalog details, and prepare the checked source you need.

7 min read10 sectionsStudio 1.0.0
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01

Explore the collection

Parts Library brings search, family navigation and the part inspector into one workspace. Browse all shows the current Nexlock Brick System catalog; Favorites shows starred sources and Recently viewed brings back parts inspected in this browser. Quick picks open the same source inspector as catalog cards.

Use Filters to combine category, Size in catalog name, surface decoration and model type with the active family and search. Applied filter chips can be removed individually; Clear all resets filters while keeping the chosen collection. Sort by catalog order or Best match, name, or part number. Grid and List show the same results; page controls move through 24 entries at a time.

03

Keep favorites, recent views and useful searches

Select the star on a card or in the inspector to keep a favorite. Recently viewed remembers the latest 24 inspected parts, with the most recently opened first in its default order. Clear recent views removes that history while keeping favorites and saved designs.

After entering a query or applying a filter, choose Save search and give it a name. Up to 12 saved searches appear in the sidebar. Reopening one applies its query, family, category, catalog size, surface and model type to Browse all with the default Best match or catalog order. It searches the current catalog each time. Use the remove control beside its name to delete a saved search.

Favorites, recent views, saved searches and the Grid/List preference stay in this browser. Projects and Saved Parts hold saved designs separately. If device storage cannot be read or written, the library explains which changes are available only for this visit and keeps unreadable stored values intact.

04

Compare a shortlist before inspecting

Comparison uses catalog metadata and thumbnails. Geometry preparation starts when you inspect a source. The comparison does not establish physical compatibility or transfer Tested evidence between parts.

Keep exploring in the inspector suggests related catalog shapes using family, model type and other catalog details. Each suggestion opens its own inspector and source checks; inspect and physically test the part you choose.

  1. Select Compare on a part card or Add to comparison in the inspector. Add two or three parts, then choose Compare parts in the shortlist tray.

  2. Review the names, part numbers, families, categories, named sizes, model types, surfaces and source releases side by side. Choose Inspect beside a part to open its source geometry.

  3. Remove individual parts from the tray or choose Clear to start another shortlist. Selections remain while browsing pages and changing filters; leaving the full library clears this temporary shortlist.

05

Choose the source you actually need

  1. Search a part number, name or size and narrow the catalog with family and filters as useful.

  2. Open the inspector and review the source preview, Model dimensions, triangles, shell count and attribution. Wait for geometry checking to finish.

  3. Use in designer opens the selected source; Calibrate this part becomes available for a closed, single-piece source. If repair is required, choose another checked source or repair the original externally.

  4. Keep the source attribution and licenses with exports. Download source & license provides the original source files and their notices.

06

What mesh validation means

A checked source must be a closed, single-piece solid for the current calibration flow. Bounded source preparation can close planar seams and join solids where appropriate. Assemblies, unsupported surfaces and parts requiring manual repair remain gated rather than silently replaced by a generated brick.

Closed solid describes mesh topology. It does not certify thin features, overhangs, print orientation or clutch fit. Inspect the slice and physically test the final part. Source lines and texture images are not printed as geometry.

07

Import your own STL or 3MF

Choose Import model beside the Part Designer heading, or Settings → Import STL / 3MF, for a custom mesh. Wait for file processing and check bounds, orientation and printable surfaces. Importing geometry does not automatically import a reliable printer recipe.

When available, Rust decodes binary STL and checks mesh buffers for invalid coordinates, incomplete triangles and invalid vertex references before solid construction. ASCII STL and 3MF retain their format readers and 3MF build transforms. Oversized expanded archives or combined meshes stop with an import error. A compatibility path handles unavailable Rust processing; the closed, consistently oriented solid check still runs.

Stud measurements in the fit report probe the actual mesh surfaces. Faster processing does not increase physical clutch force or automatically establish a winning diameter. Keep the exact printer, nozzle, spool and recipe with your physical fit results before marking a profile Tested.

Whole-part scaling also scales connection spacing. General XY contour correction changes external and internal contours together; it is not the same operation as the underside-only relief of the 4.80 mm trial.

08

Why a profile does not certify the full library

Tested Nexlock Brick System evidence belongs to an exact source part, source mesh, printer, material and recipe. A different part number, a revised mesh or a resized source requires its own validation. A well-fitting 2 × 2 brick is useful evidence, but cannot certify a clip, hinge, axle or arbitrary catalog entry.

09

Try an explicit experimental interlock variant

Interlock lab sits beside the source library and offers limited source-linked manufacturing variants. The precision system rebuilds the pilot mesh and adds exterior body clearance; earlier wall-contact and refined variants retain their own source-derived geometry. Compare complete systems before tuning one system’s contact. Ordinary source parts and the corrected-reference comparison retain their own geometry.

The pilot currently includes 4 source parts. Its complete list, design revisions and controlled projection values come from the shared experiment configuration in the Interlock lab guide. A catalog entry without a supported converter has not received the new interlock.

10

Source credits and licenses

The Nexlock Brick System uses source parts from the LDraw Parts Library. Each source keeps its original author, release and declared license. Source & attribution links and downloaded source packages retain the upstream notices, including the applicable Creative Commons terms. Export metadata records print preparation and any geometry adjustments.

Prepared for the current Nexlock workflow. Source review dates and data snapshots retain their own context; a digital check does not certify a physical print.