(2017-12-01, 15:39)Philippe Hurbain Wrote:(2017-12-01, 15:07)karen lauro Wrote: The Lego Power Tools book states parts are named #LEGOreferencenumber#. These are stated to be the numbers printed on physical blocks. I am assuming these are the same numbers Lego uses in instruction manuals. Going to the top brick in Lego friends 41007, the number is 4113261, a 2x2x2. I could not find 4113261.dat in my LDraw\parts directory of the parts tracker online. So I looked for 300101 a 2 x 4 x 1. Could not find that either. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.LEGO uses 2 kind of references. One is the design number (generally a 5 digits number, though early parts got only 4) which is generally embossed in teeny characters somewhere on the part. This number matches a shape, think of it as a number of mold. The other is the item number (generally a 7 digits number) which can be considered as a particular shape in a particular color (but the same - apparently- shape/color combo may have several different item numbers). This is the number you see in building instructions.
As LDraw is all about shapes, it uses the 5 digits design number (when it is known, unfortunately not always the case). Brickset inventories (based on LEGO spare parts inventories) allow to search for a part using both systems. In your case, 4113261 is a Brick 1X2X2, design number 3245, in white color.
Just to make things a tad more complex, LEGO sometimes modify the mold without changing part number, so in LDraw library you have 3 variants, 3245a, b and c!
That said, it may be easier to look for elements using description, eg. in LDCad you can either browse the plain bricks sorted bin, or search for "brick 1x2x2" and you'll find it.
Thank you, but you are kinda making my head hurt. One of the reasons of doing this mini model is to learn what I do not know, and hopefully fill in the blanks. I think it will!