LDraw.org 2012-02 Parts Update Now Available

[Chris Dee]

The 2012-02 LDraw Parts Update has been now been released. This update includes 579 new files in the core library, including 348 new parts and 59 new primitives.

This is another big step in reducing the backlog on the Parts Tracker and brings the number of files there to its lowest level since March 2004. Thanks are due to the small community of part authors who created or corrected parts for this release and to those who have reviewed files in order to make this release happen.

This update has been a little longer coming than I had hoped, largely due other work necessitated by the demise or the previous website content management system and the migration of the Parts Tracker authentication mechanism to this forum's user database. This has also resulted in a further 445 files (not counted in the totals above) being re-issued in this update to adjust header text reflecting a small number of Username / UserID changes.

You can preview the new parts in 2012-02 and download the update by going to the Latest Parts page.

Most of the 132 certified files remaining on the LDraw Parts Tracker were held back from this update in keeping with our normal practice of not releasing new primitives or subparts until they are needed for an official part file.

Assuming that there are sufficient certified parts on the Parts Tracker, I am hopeful that the next update can be issued in October.

[Steffen]

Chris, I would like to suggest some visual improvement of our ldraw.org page.
The images from the start page (e.g. for the update 2012-02) should be repeated
on the page where they lead to.
I think this would serve a better visual quick-orientation on the site.
Can this be done?

[Rolf Osterthun]

Thank you Chris! Again you did a really great job! I want to thank all the part authors and reviewers, too. It is not self-evident, that you sacrifice so much time. And I would like to highlight that there are some really complex parts in this update. I think it is neither easy to create them nor to review them. Thank you!

Rolf

[Chris Dee]

Do you mean that you would like to see the image for the current update on this page and for each update on this page? We don't have images for all the old updates, and I don't see great value in creating them retrospectively.

[Steffen]

Hello Chris,

I'm still cross-checking the recent update 2012-02.

I've discovered a problem with file 45729.dat:
The file complete.zip delivers a new version of that file,
whereas the incremental update doesn't, and both differ in contents. Which one counts?

I've attached the version from the previous complete 2012-01 parts set to this post for reference.
That's the version that had been official up to 2012-02 (exclusive).

[Steffen]

My question has 2 aspects:
(a) quicker orientation on our website
(b) using the parts updates images like an "icon" or "title" for them.

Re (a):
I like that our main page now has big, easily recognizable images for its main portions
- "Get Started"
- "Parts Updates"
- "Tutorials"
(However,
- "News"
currently still lacks one.)
My question had simply asked to re-use these images on the pages where they link to.
This - at least for me - would make site navigation quicker and visually more intuitive.
So I'm suggesting to use the image of "Get Started" at the top of the "Get Started" page,
use the image of "Tutorials" at the top of the "Tutorials" page,
use the image of "News" at the top of the "News" page.
As for "Parts Updates", see (b).

Re (b):
In the past, we had beautifully crafted images for each parts update.
To me, these functioned like a kind of visual "icon" or "title" for each one.
I see that restoring the old ones for previous updates would maybe mean too much effort,
but I would like to ask to use image http://www.ldraw.org/uploads/images/Site...012-02.png
on page http://www.ldraw.org/parts/latest-parts.html, in the brown box of this update.
Future updates could do as well, so we get the unique graphics back.
For me, they are a simple visual clue and reminder with which update I'm particularly dealing.

- just a suggestion -
Steffen

[Chris Dee]

Hmm. It seems that the 1 alias and the 10 physical colour parts in this release somehow got missed out of the lcad12002.zip file. That's probably due to the manual addition of the files with adjusted header text reflecting a small number of Username / UserID changes. I'll add them in for anyone that downloads the lcad1202.zip from now on, but I'll also make sure they get re-issued in 2012-03.

[Steffen]

I think that a simple correction of lcad1202.zip should suffice,
with perhaps a note mentioning the corrected zip file.
A re-issue of the files with 2012-03 seems unnecessary to me.

[Steffen]

here is a complete list of files which are updated in 2012-02 by complete.zip but not by lcad1202.zip :

4142925.dat
4144485.dat
4178523.dat
4524903.dat
4526562.dat
4538781.dat
4538782.dat
45729.dat
4585450.dat
93549.dat
93772.dat

[Tim Gould]

My question has 2 aspects:
(a) quicker orientation on our website
(b) using the parts updates images like an "icon" or "title" for them.

Re (a):
I like that our main page now has big, easily recognizable images for its main portions
- "Get Started"
- "Parts Updates"
- "Tutorials"
(However,
- "News"
currently still lacks one.)
My question had simply asked to re-use these images on the pages where they link to.
This - at least for me - would make site navigation quicker and visually more intuitive.
So I'm suggesting to use the image of "Get Started" at the top of the "Get Started" page,
use the image of "Tutorials" at the top of the "Tutorials" page,
use the image of "News" at the top of the "News" page.
As for "Parts Updates", see (b).

The picture would take up valuable screen real estate and I'm not sure I'd be willing to give it up. Especially on 'Get Started' with its columns. Similarly the 'news' uses almost all the box (whose size was chosen to make sure all four show on most laptop screens) so adding a picture would, again, mess with the real estate. 'Tutorials' and 'Latest Parts Update' could probably fit an image.

Re (b):
In the past, we had beautifully crafted images for each parts update.
To me, these functioned like a kind of visual "icon" or "title" for each one.
I see that restoring the old ones for previous updates would maybe mean too much effort,
but I would like to ask to use image http://www.ldraw.org/uploads/images/Site...012-02.png
on page http://www.ldraw.org/parts/latest-parts.html, in the brown box of this update.
Future updates could do as well, so we get the unique graphics back.
For me, they are a simple visual clue and reminder with which update I'm particularly dealing.

- just a suggestion -
Steffen

I quite like this idea. I'll add another version of the box that can include an image.

Tim

[Tim Gould]

Hi Chris,

I've modified the 2012-02 box to demonstrate how to add an image. If 'image' has a url, you'll get an image, if you leave it off (like the old entries) the box will be the same as ever.

Tim

[Travis Cobbs]

Anyone who used LDView to update their library while the files were missing will have them missing forever if they don't go into 2012-03, unless they manually install them, so I think Chris's proposal to re-issue them in 2012-03 is a good one.

[Steffen]

hmm. then maybe instead of updating lcad1202.zip, it could be a better idea to issue a lcad1203.zip right now
and make the next one lcad1204.zip ?

Chris, is the lcad1202.zip corrected already?
When downloading, I still get a version without the files mentioned above, but that's maybe some weird caching problem.
Could you drop a note here when you're finished putting the missing files into that zip ?

[Chris Dee]

Chris, is the lcad1202.zip corrected already?

No.

When downloading, I still get a version without the files mentioned above, but that's maybe some weird caching problem.
Could you drop a note here when you're finished putting the missing files into that zip ?

Yes.

[Chris Dee]

Exactly my reasoning.

[Chris Dee]

Unfortunately, 11 part aliases and physical colour parts were omitted from the lcad1202.zip Parts Update. This download has now been updated to correct this error. The files were not missing from other installation downloads (LDraw1202.exe and complete.zip).

If you updated your library with the lcad1202.zip you are encouraged to download the current version and re-install. Even if you don't do this, these files will be included in the next update.

Many apologies for this problem.

[Steffen]

many thanks, Chris, for all your efforts!
as usual, the update is greatly appreciated!

[Rafael Skibicki]

My thanks go to all people who had contributed to this update!