New software by BrickLink - Stud.io

[legolijntje]

It's indeed a zip file, including what @SylvainLS said.

However, I don't understand why it's password protected. Sure, I can understand they want to keep the software closed-source, but the file format? Really? Especially the .ldr files: LDraw is an open-source format, why protect it?
At least it's certainly not going to help with the adoption of this software because making third-party tools that can use .io files  is going to be quite difficult if you can't access the file...

[msx80]

finally got around to test it!

• the editor looks nice, snapping parts together works great
• love the colors choices
• the program freezes often and is not always responsive
• i have a weird bug where the program see the mouse pointer 2 cm higher than it is, making the program basically unusable
• the hinge tool is very very good, and so is the collision detection
• i feel like the building area is a little small, too much menus around. I would have preferred the part selector on the left, vertical. But at least it can be quickly collapsed with tab
• ldraw part library so there are the usual missing parts / visual artifacts etc They could have at least exported in regular LDRAW format, for interoperability
• Contrary to what i've read, submodels can be created! just select some parts and do Model -> Create into submodel (weirdly it only works a selection of more than one item). Steps can be rearranged inside a model/submodel but i can't seem to be able to move a part in another model.
• no flexible parts (but it would be workable around with LDRAW generators, should it?)

I think i'm sticking with LDD for now, but i'm keeping an eye on this!

[SylvainLS]

Maybe premature questions:

Will there be a new topic “Official LEGO sets made in Stud.io”? (For now, it’s LDraw underneath but, who knows, maybe there’ll be differences, for example with how the flexed parts or new options/structures are handled.)

And, way more important , will there be a “Stud.io builder” badge?

 

[monkeyjay2003]

Once again, there are some bricks in here which aren't in ldraw. I think it's partly ldraw and a few indigenous bricks.

[legolijntje]

9 minutes ago, monkeyjay2003 said:

Once again, there are some bricks in here which aren't in ldraw. I think it's partly ldraw and a few indigenous bricks.

Anyone can make any part using the LDraw file format, so it's probably still LDraw, just including some unofficial parts.

[Superkalle]

If that is the case, are there any news/info about BrickLink making their created parts available to the Ldraw community? Has it been discussed?

[legolijntje]

I personally haven't read anything about Bricklink sharing those parts (if they made any themselves at all, I haven't double checked if there really are new parts in stud.io).
But, I almost never visit the forums on Bricklink, so I can easily miss news regarding that.

That being said, if they made any parts, I don't really expect them to share them since they even password-protect their save-files (which in the end just include LDraw files + some extra stuff)...

[SylvainLS]

I only checked that there’re no parts in Stud.io that is not from LDraw Official and Unofficial Parts Libraries or digital-bricks.de. (IOW, I checked the names, not their contents.)

I follow BL forums (both “normal” BL forums and stud.io’s forum), and nothing was said about that. (Stud.io was not announced (see above posts) and is not discussed on the “normal” forums.)

I may add that the temporary POVRay file generated for rendering is actually LDView’s. (Thus the presence of the GPLv2 text in a file called LDView.txt.) There’s no LDView executable that I could find so I deduce that LDView’s code has been somehow integrated into Stud.io. I’ll let you read the GPLv2 text to make your mind on the spirit of the matter, even though the beta status could be argued and time will tell….

 

[supertruper1988]

I have been trying to use this but there are a few quirks which are quite annoying.

Is there any way to have the "repeat same item" feature like LDD? I dont want to click a 2x2 piece every time I need to place 100 of them... 
I wish the interface layout was more customizable. 

I really like the Render feature and I like the fact I can turn off the ground. I just wish that would also turn off the ground in the render.

[SylvainLS]

If you haven’t yet done it (at least I didn’t see it), you might want to repeat that there: http://forum.bricklink.com/ Developpers read it.

Let’s profit of the beta status for that kind of suggestions.

[Classicsmiley]

Is forum.bricklink.com a valid subdomain?  When I click the link I just get redirected to the main Bricklink home page.

[SylvainLS]

You need to be a registred beta tester to access it. (If you’re, you have a new red “Build” icon/sub-menu in your BrickLink menu bar, between “Shop” and “Community.”)

[supertruper1988]

17 hours ago, SylvainLS said:

If you haven’t yet done it (at least I didn’t see it), you might want to repeat that there: http://forum.bricklink.com/ Developpers read it.

Let’s profit of the beta status for that kind of suggestions.

Thanks for the tip! I just posted it.

[Classicsmiley]

8 hours ago, SylvainLS said:

You need to be a registred beta tester to access it. (If you’re, you have a new red “Build” icon/sub-menu in your BrickLink menu bar, between “Shop” and “Community.”)

Ah.  I'm still waiting for my invitation, which explains my lack of access...

 

[Superkalle]

A review of studi.io beta is now up on Brickset: http://brickset.com/article/24920/building-with-stud-io

Anyway, apparently there is some nasty fine print in the Legal agreement where you hand over all your designs to BrickLink when you upload models. But it will rewritten apparently. Could be worth keeping an eye on though. Not sure where BrickLink is going with this?

 

[62Bricks]

On 11/29/2016 at 9:37 AM, Superkalle said:

A review of studi.io beta is now up on Brickset: http://brickset.com/article/24920/building-with-stud-io

Anyway, apparently there is some nasty fine print in the Legal agreement where you hand over all your designs to BrickLink when you upload models. But it will rewritten apparently. Could be worth keeping an eye on though. Not sure where BrickLink is going with this?

 

The Beta is now "open" and the new terms regarding the license go into effect Dec 19. It was never the case that you were "handing over" your designs to Bricklink - it is the standard boilerplate that every site with user-generated content has. By publishing your designs in public areas, you are giving the license to Bricklink to use them on their site. You are not giving them ownership of your design. It is essentially making explicit that you are giving them permission to show them to other people. They need that permission from you because you hold the copyright.

So the "build" link is now live in the Bricklink banner and of course the BL forums are already awash with people who don't care one bit about using the new software but see it as a sign that the whole site is heading down the drain. It's a common fallacy you see everywhere - people have their own lists of what they think should be done, and whenever a website, their boss, their local government, etc. does something they think is less important they begin to yell that nobody has their priorities straight. The fallacy of course is the assumption that only one thing can be developed at a time, and that every new feature is implemented at the expense of another. It simply isn't true.

I had a chance to meet Alex, the head guy on the Stud.io project. At that time he was working on re-designing the BL storefronts as well as working on re-organizing the parts categories - not replacing them, but finding a more intuitive way to display them in the storefronts. With the Stud.io project I can see a few ways that the general advances in the site development are being interwoven - first, the organization of parts in Stud.io is much simpler than the convoluted, inconsistent and sometimes ridiculous Bricklink category structure.

The second thing that Stud.io is pushing forward, I think, is the standardization of part images across the site. Many of the basic, non-decorated parts in the catalog are now renders (probably based on LDraw?). Consistency is good. There are so many crummy photographs on Bricklink.

 

[Oliver 79]

I've just downloaded this. It seems incredibly slow. I generally design technic models, so when I scroll down to the technic parts in the building palate, it takes about 3 minutes to load them. Then when I scroll down the parts, it takes another 3 minutes to load them. 

I'm running it on Windows 10 with 64 bit operating system, 6.00 gb ram. 

I can't believe the programme requires more....

EDIT:

It just keeps crashing...... 

Maybe I'll stick to LDD, but I'll certainly keep an eye on this. 

Edited December 14, 2016 by Oliver 79

[dr_spock]

Bricklink T&Cs:

7.1 When you upload any content to any private areas of the Site including but not limited to your Baseplate and Wanted List of the Site where no other users have access to your content without your explicit permission, no license shall be transferred to BrickLink and the original ownership and copyright of the content shall be retained.

7.2 By publishing any content to any public areas of the Site where other Site users have access to your content including but not limited to Catalog, Build Gallery and forums of the Site, you grant to BrickLink an irrevocable, a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive and sub-licensable right to use your content in any manner as BrickLink deems appropriate in relation to the operation of the Site. You confirm and warrant to BrickLink that you have all the rights, authority and power necessary to grant such right to BrickLink and the content uploaded by you will not infringe upon the right of any party. If there is any reported violation that the content shared by you has infringed upon the right of any party and if BrickLink determines that such report is made on reasonable grounds, BrickLink may take necessary measures to address the reported violation by hiding or taking down the published content. You may request for reinstatement of the public content by evidencing that you are the lawful owner of the rights to the content.

 

[62Bricks]

5 hours ago, dr_spock said:

Bricklink T&Cs:

7.1 When you upload any content to any private areas of the Site including but not limited to your Baseplate and Wanted List of the Site where no other users have access to your content without your explicit permission, no license shall be transferred to BrickLink and the original ownership and copyright of the content shall be retained.

7.2 By publishing any content to any public areas of the Site where other Site users have access to your content including but not limited to Catalog, Build Gallery and forums of the Site, you grant to BrickLink an irrevocable, a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive and sub-licensable right to use your content in any manner as BrickLink deems appropriate in relation to the operation of the Site. You confirm and warrant to BrickLink that you have all the rights, authority and power necessary to grant such right to BrickLink and the content uploaded by you will not infringe upon the right of any party. If there is any reported violation that the content shared by you has infringed upon the right of any party and if BrickLink determines that such report is made on reasonable grounds, BrickLink may take necessary measures to address the reported violation by hiding or taking down the published content. You may request for reinstatement of the public content by evidencing that you are the lawful owner of the rights to the content.

 

From the terms of MOCpages.com

By writing reviews, uploading files, inputting data, or engaging in any other form of communication through this service, you are granting MOCpages and its owners a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, copy, publish, sub-license, adapt, transmit, archive, restore, perform, or display your content on the Internet.

From the terms at brothers-brick.com:

By submitting Content to The Brothers Brick for inclusion on the Website, you grant The Brothers Brick a world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your content.

These are standard legal terms for any site that accepts user-generated content. People who are getting excited over the Stud.io terms have probably never read the terms of the thousands of other similar sites out there.

 

[dr_spock]

Interesting.  Brickshelf doesn't have a perpetual clause in their terms.  Your license grant to Brickshelf is terminated when your account folder is deleted.

9. CONTENT SUBMITTED TO BRICKSHELF.COM
Brickshelf does not claim ownership of the Content you upload to your Brickshelf Gallery folder. By submitting Content to Brickshelf for inclusion in your gallery folder, you grant Brickshelf the world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your Brickshelf folder on Brickshelf's Internet properties. This license exists only for as long as you continue to be a Brickshelf homesteader and shall be terminated at the time your Brickshelf folder is terminated. You acknowledge that Brickshelf does not pre-screen Content, but that Brickshelf and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any Content that is available via the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, Brickshelf and its designees shall have the right to remove any Content that violates the TOS or is otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content.

 

[Superkalle]

Yeah, there seems to be a difference between BL and the other sites mentioned. BrickLink requests (for the public gallery etc): a) an irrevocable, perpetual license (i.e. everlasting), b) sub-licensable 

As far as I can tell, the other sites (MOCPages, Brother-Brick etc) does not mention any these (rather important) details. The "perpetual" is not even included in the similar BL MOC Terms of Service (but the sub-licensable part is)

[62Bricks]

13 minutes ago, Superkalle said:

Yeah, there seems to be a difference between BL and the other sites mentioned. BrickLink requests (for the public gallery etc): a) an irrevocable, perpetual license (i.e. everlasting), b) sub-licensable 

As far as I can tell, the other sites (MOCPages, Brother-Brick etc) does not mention any these (rather important) details. The "perpetual" is not even included in the similar BL MOC Terms of Service (but the sub-licensable part is)

Mocpages is "perpetual, irrevocable" and sublicensable ...you are granting MOCpages and its owners a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, worldwide license...to sub-license (quoted above)

Brothers Brick has language not quoted above that allows users to request that their content be removed, otherwise it is perpetual.

Honestly - the BL terms are pretty standard. If anything, they are more favorable to the user than other sites because they give you an option of uploading content without making it public (and thereby granting them license).

10 hours ago, dr_spock said:

Interesting.  Brickshelf doesn't have a perpetual clause in their terms.  Your license grant to Brickshelf is terminated when your account folder is deleted.

9. CONTENT SUBMITTED TO BRICKSHELF.COM
Brickshelf does not claim ownership of the Content you upload to your Brickshelf Gallery folder. By submitting Content to Brickshelf for inclusion in your gallery folder, you grant Brickshelf the world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your Brickshelf folder on Brickshelf's Internet properties. This license exists only for as long as you continue to be a Brickshelf homesteader and shall be terminated at the time your Brickshelf folder is terminated. You acknowledge that Brickshelf does not pre-screen Content, but that Brickshelf and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse or remove any Content that is available via the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, Brickshelf and its designees shall have the right to remove any Content that violates the TOS or is otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content.

 

This is a common variation - Flickr, for example (which falls under Yahoo's terms) terminates the license when you delete the content. Other sites, like Brothers Brick, let you request that your uploaded content be removed.

[Superkalle]

37 minutes ago, 62Bricks said:

Mocpages is "perpetual, irrevocable" and sublicensable ...you are granting MOCpages and its owners a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, worldwide license...to sub-license (quoted above)

I stand corrected.

However, to me this more raises the question why MOCPages would need such a wide statement as "perpetual, irrevocable and sub-licensable". It feels like they have more or less copy-pasted standard statements. Brickshelf and Brothers-brick seems to be more "down-to-earth" terms that are more aligned to the LEGO fan target audience? (best to end with a question mark this time )

[SylvainLS]

What happens: Everybody copies everybody’s ToS. Nobody reads them.

My opinion: “everybody does it” and “nobody cares” aren’t excuses.

 

[62Bricks]

28 minutes ago, SylvainLS said:

What happens: Everybody copies everybody’s ToS. Nobody reads them.

My opinion: “everybody does it” and “nobody cares” aren’t excuses.

 

Nobody is making excuses. I've given an explanation, which is pretty simple: you own the copyright to material you upload to these sites, so they need your permission to display it to other users of the site. This is why all major sites that accept user-generated content have similar language in their terms of service. They vary a little from site to site, but they serve the same basic purpose - you are making it explicit that you are uploading your content so the site can share it with other users, and you are giving them explicit permission to share it.

I have seen this exact same discussion come up at other sites - someone digs into the terms of use and finds this boilerplate and draws the conclusion that the site is out to steal your ideas. But that's not why the language is there - it is there precisely because you still own your content, so the site requires your explicit permission to make "copies" of it, which is what they are doing every time they let someone load your image from their server.