LDCad 1.7 Beta 1 (win+linux)

[Roland Melkert]

Hello all,

I'm proud to present the first beta version of LDCad 1.7.

It's been some time since the last update, so I hope it was worth the wait.

Major new features:
- Interactive animations
- Full !DATA meta (embedded texture) support.
- Collada export (partial, deprecated).
- gtTF2 export
- Lots of new scripting objects.

There are also stacks of small changes / tweaks, some new examples and lots of bugfixes.

See changeLog.txt for the full list of changes.

   

You can get the latest version at:
https://www.melkert.net/LDCad/download

[Sam Potter]

Hello all,

I'm proud to present the first beta version of LDCad 1.7.

It's been some time since the last update, so I hope it was worth the wait.

Major new features:
- Interactive animations
- Full !DATA meta (embedded texture) support.
- Collada export (partial, deprecated).
- gtTF2 export
- Lots of new scripting objects.

There are also stacks of small changes / tweaks, some new examples and lots of bugfixes.

See changeLog.txt for the full list of changes.



You can get the latest version at:
https://www.melkert.net/LDCad/download

thanks, is the 0 !LDCAD IMAGE meta available in this build, if yes how do you use it?

[Roland Melkert]

thanks, is the 0 !LDCAD IMAGE meta available in this build, if yes how do you use it?

Sorry but no, it turned out to be trickier (time intensive) to do it the right way, so I decided to postpone it as I had very little time for the project as a whole.

You can still use stickers to get the same effect though.

[N. W. Perry]

Works great, fonts appear correctly right out of the box on Mac/WINE!

And of course, it's fun to play with the dump truck. Now I'm wondering if the interactive animation can be used to help solve geometrical puzzles…?

[Magnus Forsberg]

How do I include printed plates in the "normal plate" bin?

[Roland Melkert]

How do I include printed plates in the "normal plate" bin?

While LDCad is closed edit %appdata%/LDCad/partBin/default/sorted/platesNormal.pbg

Change
exclude description pattern,sticker,duplo,fabuland
into
exclude description duplo,fabuland

or copy the old version from 1.6

I changed it as I thought the 'normal' groups were littered by non normal parts.

Should've have added a sticker version (like with tiles) though.

[Magnus Forsberg]

Should've have added a sticker version (like with tiles) though.

And how do I do that?

[N. W. Perry]

This may be a Mac OS thing, but I've noticed a change in behavior with hotkeys (starting in the previous Alpha version). For most key bindings I have to remap CTRL to ALT in order for it to recognize my CMD key. But now with (only) the edit menu commands (copy, paste, cut, undo, select all etc.), it seems to recognize CMD as CTRL, so the remapping doesn't work. Using the Sample function in the hotkey config dialog seems to confirm this.

I've still got some experimenting to do, but wondered if anyone else had noticed this? (MacOS 13.4–13.5, by the way.)

[Magnus Forsberg]

In that folder, %appdata%/LDCad/partBin/default/sorted/ there are two files called subulba.pbg and minifirAccessory.pbg
Is the misspelling deliberate?  The spelling is the same inside these files. The figure is called s_E_bulba and shouldn't it be minifi_G_Accessory?

What are they supposed to accomplish? And, perhaps, how do I correct them?

[Roland Melkert]

And how do I do that?

Create a new file alongside platesNormal.pbg named platesPat.pbg containing:

Code:

[options]
kind=filter
caption=Patterned plates
description=Plates with a print or sticker.
picture=
mascot=3024p03.dat
sortOn=description
sortDesc=false
sortCaseInSens=true
sourceInv=parts


<rules>
include category plate
exclude description ~*,_*,=*
exclude !description pattern
exclude keyword wing
exclude description without corner,clip,arm,handle,ball,petals,swirl,tooth,pin,cube,hook,engine,shoot,ladder,hole,wheel,train,extension,hinge,grill,saucer,door,raised
exclude description tail,axle,frame,socket,magnet,brick,curved,bar,cuboid,0.667,claw,exhaust,spoil,degree,offset,holder,tabs,binoculars,rail,rotor,coupling,teeth

And add a
sorted\platesPat
below
sorted\platesNormal

in the plates.pbg file

This will probably be standard in the next version.

This may be a Mac OS thing, but I've noticed a change in behavior with hotkeys (starting in the previous Alpha version). For most key bindings I have to remap CTRL to ALT in order for it to recognize my CMD key. But now with (only) the edit menu commands (copy, paste, cut, undo, select all etc.), it seems to recognize CMD as CTRL, so the remapping doesn't work.

Weird I did change some things in one of the Alpha's but far I know those only solved some problems.

If ctrl, alt and or shift is pressed comes from the wxWidgets side of things, and I did upgrade that library to the newest version. But it might also be a WINE thing. Any other mac users having similar problems?

In that folder, %appdata%/LDCad/partBin/default/sorted/ there are two files called subulba.pbg and minifirAccessory.pbg
Is the misspelling deliberate?  The spelling is the same inside these files. The figure is called s_E_bulba and shouldn't it be minifi_G_Accessory?

What are they supposed to accomplish? And, perhaps, how do I correct them?

Those are not part of the default bin, are they in one of the subfolders of sorted?

If so those are generated based on all categories in your loaded library(ies).

Maybe there are typo's in unofficial files?

[Magnus Forsberg]

Those are not part of the default bin, are they in one of the subfolders of sorted?

If so those are generated based on all categories in your loaded library(ies). 

Maybe there are typo's in unofficial files?

Yes, they are in sorted\others. But I have a subulba.pbg in "cats" too.

So, are these files "auto created" every time I happen to put a file containing a bad spelling in my unofficial/parts-folder?
When are they created?

I seem to have some strange, old files in "other". What will happen if I delete them all?

[Roland Melkert]

So, are these files "auto created" every time I happen to put a file containing a bad spelling in my unofficial/parts-folder?
When are they created?

I seem to have some strange, old files in "other". What will happen if I delete them all?

They are updated whenever a change in the library is detected.

You can delete them while LDCad is closed they will be regenerated the next time you start it.

If you want them gone for good (or at least till the next LDCad update) remove the
sorted\other
sorted\underscore
sorted\tilde

lines from main.pbg in the sorted folder.

[N. W. Perry]

Weird I did change some things in one of the Alpha's but far I know those only solved some problems.

If ctrl, alt and or shift is pressed comes from the wxWidgets side of things, and I did upgrade that library to the newest version. But it might also be a WINE thing. Any other mac users having similar problems?

I'm not even sure I'd classify it as a problem since it would be nice if all CTRL bindings were automatically remapped to the CMD key—unless, I suppose, you want to actually use the CTRL key in some shortcuts as well. :-)

One thing that this actually seems to fix is that, previously, I would still have to use my actual CTRL key for these edit functions inside of LDCad's dialog boxes, whereas my remapped CMD (ALT) versions worked everywhere else in the GUI. Now, when I use CMD it's recognized as CTRL, so it works in dialog boxes as well as program windows.

[Magnus Forsberg]

They are updated whenever a change in the library is detected.

OK, since I am updating/changing the content of my official/unofficial library every day, as an active part author, I get different content in the part bins every time I open LDCad?

Is there a way to prevent that? Or maybe I want the content to always be up to date?
How should I manage the content of the "default/sorted" folder?

[Roland Melkert]

OK, since I am updating/changing the content of my official/unofficial library every day, as an active part author, I get different content in the part bins every time I open LDCad?

Is there a way to prevent that? Or maybe I want the content to always be up to date?
How should I manage the content of the "default/sorted" folder?

There is no global option for that, but you should be able to force it by changing the pbg kind from
kind=catList
to
kind=basic

in all the category groups you want to 'freeze':
other.pbg
underscore.pbg
tilde.pbg
cats.pbg (in default)

untested though.

edit: the existing (filter) groups in the subfolders will keep getting updated though, but no new groups will be created.

[Miguel Reizinho]

Thank you Roland! It's great to see a new update!

I'm having troubles in finding the colours on the new version. Now the group for "Solid Plastic" has fewer colours. And I never noticed but inside the "Plastic" colour wheel, there are all those transparent colours? I find it a little confusing. 

I know that we can search for a specific colour by clicking on the name and inserting the LDraw colour ID. Could it be possible to search by text as well? If I type "blue" on the search box, all the colours with the name "blue" on it would appear and let me choose the one I wanted.

[Philippe Hurbain]

 Could it be possible to search by text as well? If I type "blue" on the search box, all the colours with the name "blue" on it would appear and let me choose the one I wanted.

I dream of that too 😉

[Roland Melkert]

I'm having troubles in finding the colours on the new version. Now the group for "Solid Plastic" has fewer colours. And I never noticed but inside the "Plastic" colour wheel, there are all those transparent colours? I find it a little confusing. 

That's probably because the 'calculated' dithered and transparent colors are now disabled by default. You can enable them in the prefs/ldraw menu.

Transparent colors inside the plastic group is normal as those transparent parts are still made of plastic.

I know that we can search for a specific colour by clicking on the name and inserting the LDraw colour ID. Could it be possible to search by text as well? If I type "blue" on the search box, all the colours with the name "blue" on it would appear and let me choose the one I wanted.

i did considered it, but decided to put it on the 2.0 'must have list'.

[N. W. Perry]

I have two probably minor suggestions for the next round of updates:

1. I'd like to be able to set the default step rotation from the GUI. It could be a menu item under Prefs->Editing, and/or in the Step Properties dialog, the addition of a "Use as def" button. (Would only work for ABS step rotations I guess.) Right now you can set the default rotation by editing main.cfg, but you first need to know the matrix to use…

2. I'd like to be able to set default directories for Open and Save. (Or is there already a way?) Right now it looks like the only option is the last used directory, which is often handy. But I'd like to set my Models dir as the default, because for some reason I can't navigate upwards in the directory tree in the Save and Open dialogs. If I want to change to another directory, I have to drill down each time from the top level of my computer.

Thanks for listening. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

[Roland Melkert]

I have two probably minor suggestions for the next round of updates:Thanks for listening. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Both seem doable I've made a note of it for the next version.

[Sezen]

Hello all,

I'm proud to present the first beta version of LDCad 1.7.

It's been some time since the last update, so I hope it was worth the wait.

Major new features:
- Interactive animations
- Full !DATA meta (embedded texture) support.
- Collada export (partial, deprecated).
- gtTF2 export
- Lots of new scripting objects.

There are also stacks of small changes / tweaks, some new examples and lots of bugfixes.

See changeLog.txt for the full list of changes.



You can get the latest version at:
https://www.melkert.net/LDCad/download

I was a happy user of this version until a windows update a few days ago. Now the program start dialog window appears a few seconds and then nothing happens. The program icon stays static in the task bar. I rolled back the latest update. Uninstalled and re-installed the program a few times with many restarts but can't get the program to work again. What might be going wrong?

[Roland Melkert]

I was a happy user of this version until a windows update a few days ago. Now the program start dialog window appears a few seconds and then nothing happens. The program icon stays static in the task bar. I rolled back the latest update. Uninstalled and re-installed the program a few times with many restarts but can't get the program to work again. What might be going wrong?

Could be a graphics driver issue, can you share the log file?

[Sezen]

Could be a graphics driver issue, can you share the log file?

I am not sure which log file you are referring to. I checked the Event viewer -> Windows Logs -> Application but there appears to be no errors related to LDCad. All errors are AcroCEF.exe (Acrobat related?) and not appear to be associated with LDCad. Is there a log file inside the LDCad directory?

[Roland Melkert]

I am not sure which log file you are referring to. I checked the Event viewer -> Windows Logs -> Application but there appears to be no errors related to LDCad. All errors are AcroCEF.exe (Acrobat related?) and not appear to be associated with LDCad. Is there a log file inside the LDCad directory?

LDCad has it,s own logfiles, Enter the below in file explorer's location bar:
%appdata%/LDCad/logs

If you zip and mail me all of them I might be able to tell you more.

[Sezen]

LDCad has it,s own logfiles, Enter the below in file explorer's location bar:
%appdata%/LDCad/logs

If you zip and mail me all of them I might be able to tell you more.

I just e-mailed you the log files. It appears some fonts disappeared after the windows update. But you may be able to see what is going on much better than I do.
Your program really adds color to my life! I can't play with actual lego's because my two sons are younger than 3. When the latest windows update corrupted the program, I was devastated....

[Roland Melkert]

I just e-mailed you the log files. It appears some fonts disappeared after the windows update. But you may be able to see what is going on much better than I do.
Your program really adds color to my life! I can't play with actual lego's because my two sons are younger than 3. When the latest windows update corrupted the program, I was devastated....

The log file seems ok, the missing fonts are normal as those are the linux/mac fallbacks.

The program seems to start like normal, it also detects you starting it again trough the single instance detection.

Is it possible the window is somewhere offscreen position wise?

It might help to reset the configuration by deleting (or renaming) the %appdata%/LDCad/config folder while the program is closed.

[Sezen]

The log file seems ok, the missing fonts are normal as those are the linux/mac fallbacks.

The program seems to start like normal, it also detects you starting it again trough the single instance detection.

Is it possible the window is somewhere offscreen position wise?

It might help to reset the configuration by deleting (or renaming) the %appdata%/LDCad/config folder while the program is closed.

I renamed the config file and it solved it!!!!! It is working!!!!  IT IS WORKING!!!
Oh boy, it is working... yessss.... thanks.
u.

[Roland Melkert]

I renamed the config file and it solved it!!!!! It is working!!!!  IT IS WORKING!!!
Oh boy, it is working... yessss.... thanks.
u.

Glad it works, looks like it was the off screen issue.

I'll look into how to prevent that from happening in the next version.

[Cam's Bricks]

Might it be possible to select how the pan/orbit functions work? 

I come from a heavy AutoCAD back ground. I use the Spin mode instead of the track ball. I would like the middle mouse button to be pan and Shift + middle mouse button to be orbit.

Currently left or right mouse button will orbit and shift + either will pan. 

Thanks for the great program.

[Roland Melkert]

Might it be possible to select how the pan/orbit functions work?

This is hardcoded at the moment, but I will look into it.

[Cam's Bricks]

This is hardcoded at the moment, but I will look into it.

Thank you!

[CJ H.]

It took me while to upgrade. Thanks for the new version of this program which I adore! Things seem to be working mostly as expected with two exceptions:

1) The rotation values under Stepping>Grid are all set to 1deg (i.e. all the shortcuts ctrl+1, etc are set to 1deg). 

2) In 1.6, I could use the numpad 0 key (which works as INS when the num lock is off) to duplicate the selection, but that isn't working in 1.7. 

I'm using Win10

Thanks!

[Roland Melkert]

1) The rotation values under Stepping>Grid are all set to 1deg (i.e. all the shortcuts ctrl+1, etc are set to 1deg). 

Weird, must have happend during the converison to the new format somehow. Can't replicate it though so it might be hard to solve.

You can correct it by replacing 2 sections in main.cfg (while the program is closed), these are the defaults:

Code:

<moveStepping>
Fine->1,1,1,5,5,5,1
Small->5,4,5,4,6,4,5
Normal->10,8,10,4,6,4,10
Large->20,24,20,5,5,5,20
Small sym->5,5,5,5,5,5,5
Normal sym->10,10,10,5,5,5,10
Large sym->20,20,20,5,5,5,20

Code:

<rotateStepping>
Fine->1,5
Small->5,3
Normal->15,3
1/16->22.5,2
1/12->30,3
Technic 3-4-5->asin 0.8,1

2) In 1.6, I could use the numpad 0 key (which works as INS when the num lock is off) to duplicate the selection, but that isn't working in 1.7. 

I've rewritten the 1.7 keycode handling to solve some minor problems on Linux and Mac (wine). The result being this is isn't working any more as it technically is a different key.

I'll try to add the numpad variants to the list of selectable hot keys so you can reconfigure it back in the next version.

[CJ H.]

Thanks Roland. That fixed it. If it's helpful, here is what was in the main.cfg before:

Code:

<rotateStepping>
->1,5
->1,3
->1,3
->1,2
->1,3
->1,1

My installation might be weird in that 1.6 was installed with the LDraw AIOI, and then I installed 1.7 directly.

Thanks in advance for taking a look at the keypad mappings in the next version. My muscle memory on that hotkey is deep.

[CJ H.]

The discussion about partsbin configuration above made me remember to put in this feature request, which I've been meaning to do for a long time: would it be possible to add to the "Part bin display filter" dialog the ability to inculde/exclude prints/stickers/duplo/quatro?  

I almost always use the search bin to find parts, finding it faster to type a part number or general description into the filter to get a result, but for some parts, this results in a lot of prints to scroll through. For example, if I want to see all the types of rounded tiles, I search "tile round", but this includes a large number of printed parts as well which I would like to exclude.

[Philippe Hurbain]

The discussion about partsbin configuration above made me remember to put in this feature request, which I've been meaning to do for a long time: would it be possible to add to the "Part bin display filter" dialog the ability to inculde/exclude prints/stickers/duplo/quatro?  

I almost always use the search bin to find parts, finding it faster to type a part number or general description into the filter to get a result, but for some parts, this results in a lot of prints to scroll through. For example, if I want to see all the types of rounded tiles, I search "tile round", but this includes a large number of printed parts as well which I would like to exclude.

Big +1 !

[N. W. Perry]

I like the above suggestion as well.

While on the subject of parts bins, am I missing something or is it not currently an option to export a .pbg from the parts bin window—only a .tsv?

[Roland Melkert]

The discussion about partsbin configuration above made me remember to put in this feature request, which I've been meaning to do for a long time: would it be possible to add to the "Part bin display filter" dialog the ability to inculde/exclude prints/stickers/duplo/quatro?  

I almost always use the search bin to find parts, finding it faster to type a part number or general description into the filter to get a result, but for some parts, this results in a lot of prints to scroll through. For example, if I want to see all the types of rounded tiles, I search "tile round", but this includes a large number of printed parts as well which I would like to exclude.

Technically this is already possible by defining a custom pbg file.

But it will be a normal group not a search one (empty listing until you type something).

So the easiest way for me to add this would be extending the search group pbg format to include a base filter.

[CJ H.]

Technically this is already possible by defining a custom pbg file.

But it will be a normal group not a search one (empty listing until you type something).

So the easiest way for me to add this would be extending the search group pbg format to include a base filter.

Thanks Roland. I'll look into custom pbg. I don't think needing to type something to get a result is a problem.

As an aside, something that seems like a new improvment to me in 1.7: when I create submodel, the global orientation of the submodel is taken from the orientation of the first-selected part. I don't think it was doing it before, and it's a nice improvement.

[N. W. Perry]

Glad it works, looks like it was the off screen issue.

I'll look into how to prevent that from happening in the next version.

Looks like I've run into the same issue. My config file has the following entry:

Code:

windowState=[dims=-952453004, 2, -59042896, 0] [isMax=false]

Checking the config from an earlier install of LDCad, I see something more normal-looking:

Code:

windowState=[dims=-3, 43, 1735, 1078] [isMax=false]

Figure I'll just copy and paste and see what happens.

But I'm also getting another error, when I open the manual rotate dialog. The drop-down menu shows up blank and causes the program to hang. I'll see if I can show you an example the next time it happens.

EDIT: So the window size problem is actually caused by the rotation dialog problem. I find that I can quit the hung program (by hotkey); nothing will happen at first, but when I try to move the window, then the "save changes?" dialog pops up and then I can quit the program. Somehow in this process the weird window state gets written into the config file. Or that's as best I can figure out!

[Roland Melkert]

EDIT: So the window size problem is actually caused by the rotation dialog problem. I find that I can quit the hung program (by hotkey); nothing will happen at first, but when I try to move the window, then the "save changes?" dialog pops up and then I can quit the program. Somehow in this process the weird window state gets written into the config file. Or that's as best I can figure out!

Very weird, is this on Windows, Linux or under Wine?

[N. W. Perry]

Very weird, is this on Windows, Linux or under Wine?

On MacOS under Wine. The problem first occurred under Ventura, and an upgrade to Sonoma didn't fix it. Wine version is the Crossover FOSS 23.0.1 but I also got the error under Wine Stable 8.0.1.

I'm also able to confirm that it's the off-screen issue, by choosing Show All [program] Windows from the dock. Then the missing window will appear, and indeed it's a tiny little sliver of a thing. But if I click that window preview to activate it, it goes back to its far-away position and is hidden again.

EDIT: Two things…

First, it is an error with any drop-down menu (not just from the manual rotation dialog). When you open a drop-down, the new pane will appear as a blank void with no menu options displayed. If you then move the dialog menu window, the drop-down pane will now populate with the menu options—but it will stay in place and not follow the window as you move it around. You can then dismiss the dialog using ENTER or ESC, but not until you move the window again will it actually go away.

It's at this point that the program appears to be hung, as window inputs are no longer responsive. You can now quit the program via hotkey, but nothing will happen until, once again, you try to move the program window. Then, the program will suddenly quit (or ask you to save changes, if any). But it will save the config file with those weird window dimensions I posted earlier.

Second, the error does not occur under Wine 8.0.2 (and Wine 9.0 also seems to be OK). But you can see a hint of it, as the drop-down menu pane will still be stuck in place as you move the dialog window, but it will then jump into its proper place and function normally once you put down the window. So I'm not sure if the problem is in Wine itself, or something about LDCad, but it does seem to affect Wine Crossover specifically (which is just Wine 8.0.2 but with Codeweavers' flavor added somehow).

[Roland Melkert]

So I'm not sure if the problem is in Wine itself, or something about LDCad, but it does seem to affect Wine Crossover specifically (which is just Wine 8.0.2 but with Codeweavers' flavor added somehow).

Is this using 1.7 b1 ? Has 1.6d the same problem?

If only the 1.7 version has this problem it might be the result of me upgrading wxWidgets.

[N. W. Perry]

Is this using 1.7 b1 ? Has 1.6d the same problem?

If only the 1.7 version has this problem it might be the result of me upgrading wxWidgets.

Yes, I was able to reproduce the issue in 1.6d.

[Roland Melkert]

Yes, I was able to reproduce the issue in 1.6d.

Unfortunately I can't replicate this so I think it's a wine issue.

I don't do anything fancy while filling those dropdowns ether, so I don't know how to workaround this.

Then-again the wine developers always suggest not to use workaround as it is supposed to be fully compatible.

So maybe a bug report to the wine project is the best approach?

[N. W. Perry]

Unfortunately I can't replicate this so I think it's a wine issue.

I don't do anything fancy while filling those dropdowns ether, so I don't know how to workaround this.

Then-again the wine developers always suggest not to use workaround as it is supposed to be fully compatible.

So maybe a bug report to the wine project is the best approach?

Well, the workaround is simply to use wine-staging (or wine-stable) for LDCad, and wine-crossover for my 32-bit apps. Maybe check back a little later when Crossover gets an update, but meanwhile, yes, perhaps I'll submit a bug report to them.

[N. W. Perry]

OK, well, there's still something funny going on with windows being shrunk. A similar but not identical problem…

It now happens when I try to close certain dialog boxes (I'm still working out exactly which ones), either using Accept or Dismiss. Those buttons don't work, but I can close the dialog using the x button. But then the program window becomes inactive—can't select it or bring it to the front, so I can't work inside of it. I can exit (and save) the program by quitting Wine, then when I re-launch LDCad I get the tiny off-screen window like we've talked about.

I'm able to rescue the window by minimizing it and then de-minimizing it—now its title bar becomes visible, so I can grab, move and re-size it. When I do that, I see an alert dialog saying "FBO initialization failed, option disabled." Otherwise, the program is now back to normal functionality (aside from re-adjusting my various panes) until the issue happens again.

Don't know if the FBO initialization failure is a cause or effect of this bug, but maybe this helps?

[Roland Melkert]

Don't know if the FBO initialization failure is a cause or effect of this bug, but maybe this helps?

FBO is an OpenGL thing, it allows for offscreen rendering. LDCad uses this to only update changed regions of the screen.

If the option is disabled it will always render everything unless the fallback 'hack' option of 'reuse frontbuffer' is enabled, but that option shouldn't be used on newer hardware as it will most likely corrupt the rendering output. This because modern hardware uses triple or more buffering under the hood.

To be sure check frameRenderMethod in main.cfg it should be
frameRenderMethod=FBO
or
frameRenderMethod=normal

But nether option should affect normal gui dialogs.

[N. W. Perry]

FBO is an OpenGL thing, it allows for offscreen rendering. LDCad uses this to only update changed regions of the screen.

If the option is disabled it will always render everything unless the fallback 'hack' option of 'reuse frontbuffer' is enabled, but that option shouldn't be used on newer hardware as it will most likely corrupt the rendering output. This because modern hardware uses triple or more buffering under the hood.

To be sure check frameRenderMethod in main.cfg it should be
frameRenderMethod=FBO
or
frameRenderMethod=normal

But nether option should affect normal gui dialogs.

OK, I've recently gotten the crash/freeze where the program window came back at normal size and I didn't get the FBO initialization warning. I checked just now and the render method is set to "basic" (normal). I've re-set it to FBO, and we'll see if the next crash leads to the error message coming back.

I just wondered if there was a reason that LDCad would try (and fail) to enable FBO, that would give a clue as to why the program had misbehaved previously.

By the way, this is now happening under the wine-staging environment, not the Crossover variant that was causing the issue before. The difference is, whereas that issue came up any time I used a drop-down menu in a dialog box, this one seems to be occasional/sporadic/unpredictable (and doesn't seem to be related to dropdown menus, just dialogs in general).

[Gerald Lasser]

Roland, I tried to search, but I could not find the sample for the interactive animation... where can I find it? thanks