in this new tutorial: Advanced digital building with MLCad, you'll hopefully find answers to everything you always wanted to know about Buffer-Exchange and MPD - Multipart Documents (but were afraid to ask).
A special thank you goes to all those people who helped out proof-reading and giving advice.
Took me awhile but here's the first test version of LDCad 1.2.
It's major new features are templates and highly configurable flexible parts.
Do note this is an Alpha version, meaning it is not jet feature complete. Although all core functionality is working I'm still working on some additional support features I'm hoping to offer in the next version.
As a result working with the new flexible parts requires some expertise for now. I'll try to give some quick pointers here to get you started:
Start a new model like in previous versions.
Locate the 'templates' group in the bin and navigate around in it to select a template (e.g. pneumatics/hose)
Drag the part to your model like any other part.
A dialog will ask if you want to create a submodel (mpd) or new file (ldr), choose one.
The template will be copied into the target model and a reference to that new model will be added to the current model.
You can now move it around like any other part/submodel and edit by double clicking it.
When editing the tube itself you can bend it's path by moving and or adding points around. The simplest way to do this is by selecting a point and pressing the insert key. A new point will be added AFTER the one you selected, but also always before the last point on the path.
While editing a path there are some general guidelines which should make things easier (until the support features I mentioned above are ready).
Keep track of the #1 point it should remain at 0,0,0 for ease of use.
When shaping the part, you are working blind for now. So use the 'end' key to swap between models to see the path in relation to the higher model.
Generally you want to position the start of the path using the reference in the higher model using it, when that's done move the last point of the path to the destination location using the paths own session.
When start and end points are positioned correctly, select the first point again and start inserting extra points to guide the path to it's goal.
Rotate a point to change direction and shape bends using the green and red spheres.
Use ortho mode whenever possible, it offers much better insight about direction and makes using the grid easier.
Use 'p' (show/hide editing pin), 'g' (show hide grid for selection), 'o' (change grid orientation to match the selection), 'i' (show hide the info panel), 'r' (rotate mode) and 'm' (move mode) instead of the mouse whenever needed.
I think this should get you started, I could probably write a book about the path options themselves, but for now I'm limiting this novel to using template based paths. If you're brave enough to try and create a custom part, you can do so via 'file/new...' and the special 'path' group in the special parts folder. I'll write a better guide if needed, just ask.
Ok, here are the downloads. They are all archive (standalone/portable) versions and I recommend you use them separately from any other LDCad installation.
Some caution, I haven't had time to really test the Linux versions, but they should work ok. Please let me know if they act especially weird or something.
Some screenshots:
I've also attached the mpd shown in these screenshots, to prove any LDraw renderer should be able to show the flexible parts.
In closure please remind this is a test/alpha version so any comments and bug reports are welcome ether here or by direct email (see www.melkert.net/LDCad for my email address )
I'm especially curious about what experienced part authors have to say / think about the collection templates / path options, because they are in many ways just like official parts.
nominations for the 2013/2014 LDraw.org Steering Committee election will close
in 2 weeks, at 11:59 PM GMT on 28 February 2013 and elections will start the 1st
of March. Only those candidates that have been nominated, seconded, and have
accepted as outlined, will be eligible for election. So if you are a candidate
that has not yet accepted or declined, please consider deciding. The list with
the candidates as well as their status can be found here:
When I was making 10233 Horizon Express using SR3D, I found some parts were missing.
I asked the parts at 'Part Request', and I got two of them recently.
Because it was too hard for me to find where the part must be replaced by new one in text code,
I decided to use MLCAD for part replacing function.
But when I loaded 10233 file, MLCAD couldn't show my model, even though SR3D and LDview showed it correctly.
In below screen capture, you can see that MLCAD loaded the codes, but it couldn't show image: (see 10233-1.ldr)
I tried to find where was wrong with my model by deleting some parts of codes one by one group,
and I could find the code group that occurred the problem. (see test.ldr)
10233-2.ldr has the codes that removes test.ldr code from 10233-1.ldr.
MLCAD shows 10233-2.ldr correctly like below:
I am curious whether I found a bug in MLCAD 3.4, it was just a problem with my computer, or any solution for this problem.
As a reference, I installed MLCAD using All-In-One-Installer-2012-03 version and I am using windows 7.
Ok i have this question: suppose that i want to make a low poly version of a model (made of N parts), suitable for real time graphics for example in a videogame, how could i substantially reduce the amount of vertex and polygons while keeping as much details as possible? I'm not interested in keeping internal structure, just to obtain a lowpoly model.
One thing that came to mind was to remove all studs from the parts (they're relatively small in a model, expecially when seen from apart, and take up a lots of vertex/poly), and it would be easily done by removing all stud*.dat primitives. Also removing all greeble on the bottom of bricks would help a lot (but it's harder as, afaik, they're not primitives?).
Another thing could be to remove all internal, non visible parts, but how to do it algorithmically is bejond me.
So can anyone point to some algorithm or want to share some idea ?
Is it legal/possible to export an image of each piece in LDraw's database in order to create a database with every piece in it? Are there copyright issues with these images?
Assuming it is allowed, is there a way to do a mass export for each piece?
![[Image: 973px107.jpg]](http://media.peeron.com/pics/inv/custpics/973px107.jpg)
![[Image: 1-2-PA-1-a.png]](http://www.melkert.net/img/mel/1-2-PA-1-a.png)
![[Image: 1-2-PA-1-b.png]](http://www.melkert.net/img/mel/1-2-PA-1-b.png)
![[Image: 1-2-PA-1-c.png]](http://www.melkert.net/img/mel/1-2-PA-1-c.png)
![[Image: a0111809_511dde46d1f6e.png]](http://pds26.egloos.com/pds/201302/15/09/a0111809_511dde46d1f6e.png)
![[Image: a0111809_511dde47af561.png]](http://pds26.egloos.com/pds/201302/15/09/a0111809_511dde47af561.png)
![[Image: 13269.jpg?1]](http://www.bricklink.com/PL/13269.jpg?1)
![[Image: 87079pb106L.jpg?1]](http://www.bricklink.com/PL/87079pb106L.jpg?1)
![[Image: 87079pb106R.jpg?1]](http://www.bricklink.com/PL/87079pb106R.jpg?1)
