Help With Debugging Part

[Tanner S.]

I'm not sure how long ago it was that I used the LDPattern Creator software to draw out the patterns for the Astro Torso from the Mars Mission theme. I managed to finish it, and somehow attach it to the default torso object. Somehow I got it to open in an .mpd file using Leocad, but now I cannot copy it into the file I need it in. When I try, it appears as the default stud-less rectangular prism. I'd like to be able to copy it into the file at least, and maybe even put it into my parts library, bu I am unskilled at these things.

Is there anyone who would be willing to look at the part to see what might be wrong with it?

[Gerald Lasser]

Can you attach the files to the post or get me the reference number?

I understand that you want to extract the pattern from the torso, right?

[Tanner S.]

Can you attach the files to the post or get me the reference number?

I understand that you want to extract the pattern from the torso, right?

Files attached.

Actually, I made the pattern, and using LPC, I attached my patterns to the front and back of the torso. My problem is not that I want to extract the pattern; the problem is that this torso with the patterns attached to it will not load into LeoCad as a regular piece that I can use, which destroys the whole purpose. Something is wrong with the file which makes it unrecognizable.

Here's the real quandary. I did manage to get it into a file once. This .mpd file has been attached along with the torso part. What's funny is that when I try to copy the minifig that uses the torso from one window of LeoCad into another open project, the legs, arms, etc. all copy, but the custom torso part does not. It appears only as a rectangular prisim that I assume appears when a part is copied that doesn't have the correct structure or metadata.

Anyway, thanks for your response and help!

The two files attached are:
Astro.dat   | The single torso piece
Astro.mpd | The complete astro figure

[Gerald Lasser]

What about storing "AstroTorso.dat" in your parts directory for a try?

I think when you copy the fig, you just copy the top part of the file, like this section:

Code:

1 15 0 -72 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 ASTRO TORSO.DAT
1 15 0 -96 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2446.DAT
1 334 0 -96 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2447.DAT
1 14 0 -96 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3626BP01.DAT
1 71 0 -40 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3815.DAT
1 15 15.5 -64 0 0.985435 0.170052 0 -0.170052 0.985435 0 0 0 1 3819.DAT
1 15 -15.5 -64 0 0.985435 -0.170052 0 0.170052 0.985435 0 0 0 1 3818.DAT
1 15 23.658161 -46.126991 -10 0.985435 0.120246 -0.120243 -0.170052 0.696817 -0.696799 0 0.707097 0.707116 3820.DAT
1 15 -23.658161 -46.126991 -10 0.985435 -0.120246 0.120243 0.170052 0.696817 -0.696799 0 0.707097 0.707116 3820.DAT
1 15 0 -28 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3817.DAT
1 15 0 -28 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3816.DAT

As the details of the "AstroTorso.dat" are not copied, LEOCad will not find it. It is expected to be in the path of your parts-dir, but the program cannot find it.

Thats my assumption for now

[Roland Melkert]

Can you attach the files to the post or get me the reference number?

I understand that you want to extract the pattern from the torso, right?

Files attached.

The mpd looks fine in LDCad 1.5 maybe the space in "ASTRO TORSO.DAT" is trowing leocad off.

[Magnus Forsberg]

I see two things that might cause errors. Missing file header and bad format of the colour codes.
I don't know how LeoCAD handles these issues. I've never tried it. Both of your files work fine in LDView and LDCad.

Have you tried adding a correct file header to the top of the file?

Code:

0 Minifig Torso with Astro Space Suit Pattern
0 Name: Astro.dat
0 Author: Your name
0 !LDRAW_ORG Unofficial_Part
0 !LICENSE Redistributable under CCAL version 2.0 : see CAreadme.txt

Some of the colour codes, creating direct colours, have a "strange" format. The codes used on the front ( 0x26c6e68 ) looks good, but not the ones on the back ( 44410277 ).

Read more about Direct colours here:
http://www.ldraw.org/article/218.html#colours

[Tanner S.]

Still the same problem. This is what I have done:

Taking Magnus Forsberg's advice, I added the header to the file using LDDP. I left the first line alone (0 BFC CERTIFY CCW) and copied the header as prescribed, save for the addition of my name, below it. I saved the file, after examining the color coding problem. I'll have you know, I am quite new to this, so I'm not sure what to do about it at present.

Taking Gerald Lasser's advice, I copied the file (with the header added) into the parts library I found in the Public folder of the computer. I opened the part in leocad as before, and it still appeared below the grid and was unmovable. I briefly searched through the library to see if the part had appeared in some folder there, from which I could drag-and-drop. I could not find it by name or description. Again I opened that .mpd, and tried to copy the minifig into another file. Same thing again.

Is it possible that LeoCad is simply too picky for this sort of thing? I made the part because I needed it, and would have preferred that it worked with the LDraw system just like any other, without any special wants or circumstances. Evidently, something got backed around when making the file.

Again, thanks to everyone who responded.

[Orion Pobursky]

Is it possible that LeoCad is simply too picky for this sort of thing? I made the part because I needed it, and would have preferred that it worked with the LDraw system just like any other, without any special wants or circumstances. Evidently, something got backed around when making the file.

LeoCad is a tricky program.  It wasn't originally LDraw compatible and has been modified to be such so this may be a bug.  Not having much experience with it, I can't really help you out in that regard.  Try using a different LDraw editor (like LDCad) and see if it works there.  If so, then LeoCad is the problem.

[Tanner S.]

LeoCad is a tricky program.  It wasn't originally LDraw compatible and has been modified to be such so this may be a bug.  Not having much experience with it, I can't really help you out in that regard.  Try using a different LDraw editor (like LDCad) and see if it works there.  If so, then LeoCad is the problem.

Yeah, I figured that might be the case. A shame, because I like the half-rendered look of LeoCad a lot more than MLCad, for whatever reason. I grew up on LDD, so I suppose that would be a reason.

Anyway, I might try to complete my project in MLCad tomorrow, and see what happens. Come to think of it, I may have put that .mpd mini figure together in MLCad to begin with.

I still would like to root out my problem though... maybe it is the colors as Magnus Forsberg has suggested. I'm just not sure of how to go about fixing it.

[Orion Pobursky]

Might I suggest LDCad instead of MLCad.  While MLCad works well, it's not actively developed any more and is becoming obsolete.

[Gerald Lasser]

I played around with mklst.exe but no progress,but then I noticed that LeoCAD took more time to start when a custom Library path is entered.

I got it now...

It is really tricky, reading the page how LeoCAD handles the Party Library helped a lot :-)

What I did now:
- Made the Torso a seperate part (during this process I removed the direct colors, but I guess that did not matter)
- Put the part into /LDRAW/PARTS
- renamed the default library LeoCAD comes with to "library.bin.old"
- Start LeoCAD, it will complain that there is no library, ignore that
- Go to "View/Preferences"
- under "Custom Parts Library" enter the path to the Ldraw root dir. e.g. c:\Ldraw
- Click OK and quit LeoCAD
- Start it again, it will take quite some time as it is scanning the library
- once it is up, you can find the part in the parts browser...

hope that works for you as well :-)

[Tanner S.]

I played around with mklst.exe but no progress,but then I noticed that LeoCAD took more time to start when a custom Library path is entered.

I got it now...

It is really tricky, reading the page how LeoCAD handles the Party Library helped a lot :-)

...

hope that works for you as well :-)

Hmm... that didn't work for me. Not sure why, as I followed your directions step by step.

One thing I did notice was when you wrote it should take some time scanning the library, it was not so for me. It loaded just as quickly as ever. Otherwise, I replicated your process... well, save for the end result.

I doubt it is helpful, but this is the forum describing the problems I had when I first made the part: http://forums.ldraw.org/thread-16396.html

Also, when I loaded up the Astro.mpd, the parts browser did in fact find the part in the library.. or maybe it is just searching within the file. Either way, when copied, the same, original problem persists.

[Philippe Hurbain]

I haven't played with LeoCAD for a while, but if I remember correctly it uses parts.lst if it finds it, speeding up things. The drawback is that this list must be updated (use ldmklist tool) if you add new parts to your library.

[Tanner S.]

I haven't played with LeoCAD for a while, but if I remember correctly it uses parts.lst if it finds it, speeding up things. The drawback is that this list must be updated (use ldmklist tool) if you add new parts to your library.

Sure enough! I had to use the MakeListGUI, and after some fiddling with LDDP, I got the part to appear in the list!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out!

There are yet two things I wonder:
Is there a way to make this torso appear in the Minifig Generator?
How do I fix the color problem that Magnus Forsberg mentioned?

[Gerald Lasser]

Is there a way to make this torso appear in the Minifig Generator?

Have a look at the MLCAD.ini. It explains what to do to adjust the Minifig Generator

[Philippe Hurbain]

Have a look at the MLCAD.ini. It explains what to do to adjust the Minifig Generator

This applies to MLCad, not LeoCAD. I don't know if there is an easy way to configure minifig wizard. But it's easy to use a minifig with generic torso then change it to the new type.

[Willy Tschager]

This is not correct. LeoCAD relys on the MLCad.ini. I agreed with Leonardo that Leo looks into the LDraw root folder for a copy of MLCad.ini before loading its internal copy.

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

I stand corrected