[LDPE] 1.8.71 Released (faster start, text line selection bugfix, !DATA)

[Nils Schmidt]

Hey,

thanks again to Willy's feedback, this release fixes a few bugs, too.
One bug is related to the line selection (when you clicked on the line number in the text editor).
Another bug addressed the broken 3D view rotation via keyboard under Linux.

It should perform a little bit better than the previous version.

I implemented some basic support for the !DATA meta command for PNG images, but the file size is currently limited to 42KB. This size limit will be adjustable in the future.



As always, you can download LDPE from this page:

http://nilsschmidt1337.github.io/ldparteditor/

Changelog:

(4 new features and 2 bug fixes)

With this release you will be able to...

• ...benefit from a slightly faster program start (technical details: JDK upgrade from version 17 to 21, LWJGL upgrade from version 3.2 to 3.3)
  
• ...use the !DATA meta command (currently limited to small PNGs of 42KB size)
  
• ...access the unit converter in a separate tab.
  
• ...have a new "double-arrow" icon for the "Update/Compile Subfile Data" function.
  

The following critical issues are fixed:

1. [Linux-only] Rotating the 3D view via keyboard shortcut (not middle mouse button) warped the viewport and let it "jump".
   
2. Selecting a line via click on the line number in the text editor and then showing the selection in the 3D view, selected the next line, too.
   

The program was tested intensively with "real world" files.
However, something can go wrong in about 140.000 lines of code.

Installation on Windows:

1. Download and extract LDPartEditor_win32_x64.zip
   
2. Run LDPartEditor-1.8.71.msi
   
3. Start LDPartEditor from the start menu
   

Installation on Linux:

1. Download and extract LDPartEditor_linux_x64.zip
   
2. Install ldparteditor_1.8.71-1_amd64.deb
   
3. Start LDPartEditor from the menu or via launcher
   

Installation on Mac OS X:

1. Download and extract LDPartEditor_mac_x64.zip
   
2. Mount LDPartEditor-1.8.71.dmg
   
3. Drag LDPartEditor.app to the Applications folder
   
4. Copy ldparteditor.sh to your home folder
       4a. Open a Terminal.app and run ./ldparteditor.sh
       4b. Or open a Terminal.app and run /Applications/LDPartEditor.app/Contents/MacOS/LDPartEditor
   

I listen carefully to your requests and possible complaints. Please leave me a message, with your thoughts and wishes to further improve the software.

LDPE is a 3D CAD application: The overall system requirements are higher. While I recommend to use a powerful 64-bit multicore system, it could be possible, to run LDPE on older machines as well.

System Requirements:

Minimum System Requirements:

• OpenGL 2.1 compatible Graphics Card
  
• Operating System (64-bit): Windows [7 or newer], Linux [e.g. Ubuntu Linux >=14.4], Mac OS X [>=10.6]
  
• CPU: Multicore-Processor e.g. Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon II (>2.0Ghz)
  
• RAM: 4GB
  
• Video-Memory: 1 GB
  
• Free Disk Space: 150 MB
  

Recommended Requirements:

• Operating System (64bit): Windows 7,8,10,11, Linux [e.g. Ubuntu Linux >=14.4], Mac OS X [>=10.6]
  
• OpenGL 3.3 compatible Graphics Card
  
• CPU: Multicore-Processor with 4 cores (or more)
  
• RAM: >4 GB
  
• Video-Memory: >1 GB
  
• Free Disk Space: 500 MB
  
• For a faster start, LDPartEditor and the LDraw™ library should be installed on an SSD.
  

[Willy Tschager]

The following critical issues are fixed:

1. [Linux-only] Rotating the 3D view via keyboard shortcut (not middle mouse button) warped the viewport and let it "jump".
   
2. Selecting a line via click on the line number in the text editor and then showing the selection in the 3D view, selected the next line, too.
   

Works like a champ! Many thanks for that.

w.

[Philippe Hurbain]

I may miss something existing for a long time, is there a way to snap vertices to current grid? It could be useful sometimes...

[Nils Schmidt]

I may miss something existing for a long time, is there a way to snap vertices to current grid? It could be useful sometimes...

Thanks, Philo. I created an issue for the next release (#987).
I will implement two snap methods. One for "snap to grid" and another one to snap to the current "Move Snap" value.

[Magnus Forsberg]

Thanks, Philo. I created an issue for the next release (#987).
I will implement two snap methods. One for "snap to grid" and another one to snap to the current "Move Snap" value.

What grid? We're working in a 3D space.
Every time I have attempet to add a vertex it end up "free floating", somewhere in space, where I don't want to have it.

Instead, I usually copy a vertex and try to move it using the manipulator, or edit it in the text editor.
I wish all other instances of a copied and newly inserted LPE vertex, was deselected so that I can manipulate it without everything else also moving.

[Rene Rechthaler]

Hm, would it be possible to assign new shortcuts (or even overwrite some old ones) because not everyone uses all tools equally often...
For example, I use "merge to nearest" more than "merge to last" so it would be nice to reassign that keyboard shortcut.
(Like the studio-products where it is possible under Edit-Preferences-Shortcuts)

Is there also an option to mirror something? Or is that just a scale at -1 for only one direction? doing that manually is easy for singular prims or vertexes but not for large selections...

I think that "align to grid" could be useful for existing vertexes which are a bit off.

[Nils Schmidt]

Instead, I usually copy a vertex and try to move it using the manipulator, or edit it in the text editor.
I wish all other instances of a copied and newly inserted LPE vertex, was deselected so that I can manipulate it without everything else also moving.

Thanks, Magnus. I will fix the bug with the next release (#989).

What grid? We're working in a 3D space.
Every time I have attempet to add a vertex it end up "free floating", somewhere in space, where I don't want to have it.

For the projections "Left", "Right", "Top", etc. it is possible to snap precisely to the XY, XZ or YZ grid.

[Nils Schmidt]

Hm, would it be possible to assign new shortcuts (or even overwrite some old ones) because not everyone uses all tools equally often...
For example, I use "merge to nearest" more than "merge to last" so it would be nice to reassign that keyboard shortcut.
(Like the studio-products where it is possible under Edit-Preferences-Shortcuts)

Click on "Tools..." -> "Options..." -> "Customise Shortkeys:" to edit shortcuts.
I created an issue for the new "Merge to Nearest Vertex" shortcut (#990).

Is there also an option to mirror something? Or is that just a scale at -1 for only one direction? doing that manually is easy for singular prims or vertexes but not for large selections...

There is no mirror function at the moment. Scaling by -1 is one alternative solution.
I already got a wish from Philo, but I have no time to implement it right now (#399).

[N. W. Perry]

As long as we're offering suggestions…

…and maybe this is already possible somehow, but it would be great if I could change the order of lines in the source code. Maybe by drag and drop in the text editor—or better yet, by selection order.

[Magnus Forsberg]

.... if I could change the order of lines in the source code. Maybe by drag and drop in the text editor—or better yet, by selection order.

   

[N. W. Perry]

Yeah, sorting I know about…what I'd like to do is specify the exact order of the lines. For example, in LDCad you can select a group of lines, drag them in the source window (even if you leave them in the same place) and they will be reordered in the sequence that you selected them.

I like to do this to help better visualize the geometry of a part from the text editor—e.g., arranging the spokes of a wheel into a clockwise progression.

[Nils Schmidt]

Yeah, sorting I know about…what I'd like to do is specify the exact order of the lines. For example, in LDCad you can select a group of lines, drag them in the source window (even if you leave them in the same place) and they will be reordered in the sequence that you selected them.

I like to do this to help better visualize the geometry of a part from the text editor—e.g., arranging the spokes of a wheel into a clockwise progression.

You can put the cursor in one line from the text editor and then press ALT + Arrow UP or DOWN to move a line up or down.
A selection in LDPE has currently no order. I can try to introduce one.  Then it would be possible to use "Join Selection in the Text Editor" from the context menu of the 3D editor to arrage it by selection order.

[N. W. Perry]

You can put the cursor in one line from the text editor and then press ALT + Arrow UP or DOWN to move a line up or down.
A selection in LDPE has currently no order. I can try to introduce one.  Then it would be possible to use "Join Selection in the Text Editor" from the context menu of the 3D editor to arrage it by selection order.

Thanks, I didn't know about the ALT+arrow shortcut. That on its own will help!