Consider that a block of six 1×5 beams connected with
pins is symmetrical: It looks the same whether you rotate
it 90, 180, or 270 degrees. In comparison, a block of four
1×6 bricks connected with pins is asymmetrical. Rotating it
changes the orientation of the bricks and their studs, affecting how you can build onto it.
Studless pieces have nearly ousted studfull ones from
LEGO Technic sets, making the use of bricks and plates
as measurements of height obsolete. When it comes to
measurements, studless pieces offer an advantage because
they are orientation independent; therefore, it doesn’t matter
whether you place them vertically or horizontally.
When speaking in Technic terms, it is common to
express height in studs and to measure height using the
distance between holes in Technic bricks and beams. Note
that these two distances can be aligned using plates. As
shown in Figure 2-16, two bricks spaced apart by two plates
have exactly 3 studs of distance between their pin holes.