page_title: Lego Technic
section_title: "Studded" (Beams) versus "Studless" (Liftarms)
hierarchical_section_title: Lego Technic / Lego Technic Components / "Studded" (Beams) versus "Studless" (Liftarms)
caption_attribution_description: English: Lego Technic (Crane Truck 8258) from 2009
context_page_description: Lego Technic is a line of Lego interconnecting plastic rods and parts. The purpose of this series is to create more advanced models with more complex technical functions, compared to the simpler brick-building properties of normal Lego.
  The concept was introduced as the Expert Builder series and originally Technical Sets in 1977, and was renamed Technic in 1982.
  Technic sets are often characterised by the presence of special pieces, such as gears, axles, and pins. Other special pieces include beams and plates with holes in them, through which the axles could be installed. Some sets also come with pneumatic pieces or electric motors. In recent years, Technic pieces have begun filtering down into other Lego sets as well, including the BIONICLE sets, as well as a great many others.
  The style of Lego Technic sets has been changing over time. Technic sets produced since the year 2000 use a different construction method, described as "studless construction". This method utilises beams and pins rather than Technic bricks.
  Mindstorms, a Lego line of robotic products, also uses many Technic pieces, although it is sold as a separate line of products.
context_section_description: Although liftarms (studless beams) have been present in Technic sets since 1989, the change from primarily studded to primarily studless construction around the year 2000 represented a major paradigm shift and has been quite controversial. Initially liftarms were used primarily as styling parts, or to create smaller sub-assemblies which attached to a studded chassis. With an increasing number of liftarm designs introduced, a tipping point was reached around the year 2000 with models introduced primarily constructed from liftarms instead of traditional beams.
   The primary advantage of studless construction is the addition of new construction methods that were previously unavailable. Liftarms are exactly 1 unit width high, in contrast to studded beams, which are a non-integer multiple of one unit. It can be awkward to use studded beams in vertical structures because it is necessary to insert plates between the studded beams in order to get the holes to line up.  Studless beams allow greater flexibility when building in multiple dimensions, while remaining compatible with "classic" studded beams. Some builders also believe that models constructed with studless beams look nicer than their studded counterparts.
  However, studless construction also introduces disadvantages. Studless construction is not immediately intuitive, requiring the builder to think five or six steps ahead. While studded construction follows the classic bottom-to-top building pattern, studless construction requires building inside-to-outside. Studless constructions are noted to often be more flexible than an equivalent studded construction. This is due to the amount of flex in the clip-based pins which are used to attach studdless parts together, whereas studs provide a more rigid friction fit.
  As of 2005, Lego has begun to re-incorporate studded bricks back into the Technic line, which can be seen in sets such as 8421 Mobile Crane.  However, studded bricks are used primarily as to mount front grills in vehicles while transparent plates are used for lights.
caption: Lego Technic Crane Truck (Power Functions) from 2009
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