LDD 5, what features do YOU want?

[Nachapon Lego]

It would be good to be able to “fix” certain bricks in place and then allow other hinged parts to move freely (a FEMS implementation). Not trivial though.

Edited September 19, 2011 by bbqqq

[Calabar]

I updated my list in post #2.

[nemo]

It would be really great to be able to lock that whole floor so that LDD recognizes it as one big piece

In most editors that is known as “grouping” and yes, it is essential! And grouping other groups should not “flatten” them into a single group of pieces – the inner groups should stay grouped.

[Calabar]

Little update for my list in post #2.

[The Mugbearer]

I think I've found one or two features that I'd extremely like to see in LDD:

1. Extension for Brick Palette: Bionicle parts. As more as they can make. Just for those who misses old times.
   
2. Restoring Function. If somehow LDD crashes when you working in it, it is quite sad when you loosing a part, or a whole of something great and geniuos. I think, I no need telling you how epic this fail is? Because sometimes enthusiastic MOCer forgetting to save his model in time. So there's my suggestion: make LDD having a temporary lxf file which keeps current work space remembered. So when you re-loading crashed LDD, it will ask you to load this temporary file. Saying 'no ' will just clear it.
   
3. Improved interface for 'non-brick' palettes like decales and colors. It will be nice to add scroll-bar. Simple and few.
   

Edited October 3, 2011 by -N13OS-

[Laura Beinbrech]

I'm surprised that no one else posted this, but LEGO, for the love of Mike, PLEASE add a window or page to the building guide mode or SOME kind of net-list of bricks used in the design (i.e. 10x 1x2 Bley bricks, 2x 1x6 black bow slopes, etc) so I don't have to spend about 4 hours manually tallying the bricks... Such an inventory (say, like the one that appears at the end of every official LEGO instruction booklet) would make finding which pieces you need to order off PaB (or Bricklink) vs what you already have MUCH easier.

If they don't change or fix anything else in LDD, I'd be completely happy!

Oh, and thank you Eurobricks for posting how to access LEGO Universe mode in the old version and the Extended Mode in the latest version, you guys rock!

[SilentMode]

• Restoring Function. If somehow LDD crashes when you working in it, it is quite sad when you loosing a part, or a whole of something great and geniuos. I think, I no need telling you how epic this fail is? Because sometimes enthusiastic MOCer forgetting to save his model in time. So there's my suggestion: make LDD having a temporary lxf file which keeps current work space remembered. So when you re-loading crashed LDD, it will ask you to load this temporary file. Saying 'no ' will just clear it.
  

This, because it happened today.

[Calabar]

I'm surprised that no one else posted this, but LEGO, for the love of Mike, PLEASE add a window or page to the building guide mode or SOME kind of net-list of bricks used in the design (i.e. 10x 1x2 Bley bricks, 2x 1x6 black bow slopes, etc) so I don't have to spend about 4 hours manually tallying the bricks... Such an inventory (say, like the one that appears at the end of every official LEGO instruction booklet) would make finding which pieces you need to order off PaB (or Bricklink) vs what you already have MUCH easier.

Could be I already requested a similar feature in my long wishlist post #2?

- (Built Method) Unlock the "Filter Bricks by Boxes" to custom lists. Very very useful to built something when you have the part list.

[Superkalle]

I'm surprised that no one else posted this, but LEGO, for the love of Mike, PLEASE add a window or page to the building guide mode or SOME kind of net-list of bricks used in the design (i.e. 10x 1x2 Bley bricks, 2x 1x6 black bow slopes, etc) so I don't have to spend about 4 hours manually tallying the bricks... Such an inventory (say, like the one that appears at the end of every official LEGO instruction booklet) would make finding which pieces you need to order off PaB (or Bricklink) vs what you already have MUCH easier.

If they don't change or fix anything else in LDD, I'd be completely happy!

Oh, and thank you Eurobricks for posting how to access LEGO Universe mode in the old version and the Extended Mode in the latest version, you guys rock!

You can tally the bricks by using LDD Manager. It also allows you to upload the list to BrickLink.

[RoxYourBlox]

2 suggestions:

1) Make more colors available for purchase. The past 2 major updates saw downgrades in terms of color and brick selection (aside from Hero parts), leaving me with the impression that LDD was designed as an outlet store for old bricks sold at premium prices. It was for this reason (plus a notice on Lego's site that another update was supposed to arrive sometime after Aug 31, 2011) that I felt pressure to rush my projects out the door before I was ready (financially).

2) Paint bucket tool. Click and drag the paint bucket icon to recolor several visible or selected bricks at a time.

[Calabar]

2 suggestions:

1) Make more colors available for purchase. [...]

2) Paint bucket tool. Click and drag the paint bucket icon to recolor several visible or selected bricks at a time.

1) The colours available for purchase depend on the availability of physical bricks. This means that it is not so easy to increase the number of pieces available for purchase.

2) It is already possible tu recolour a group of selected bricks: select the colour, make the selection, click on the bucket.

[RoxYourBlox]

1) The colours available for purchase depend on the availability of physical bricks. This means that it is not so easy to increase the number of pieces available for purchase.

2) It is already possible tu recolour a group of selected bricks: select the colour, make the selection, click on the bucket.

I understand that there may be difficulty in expanding colors and types, but currently the selection is very limited and needs improvement. Several bricks and colors commonly used in this year's sets are not yet or no longer available in DBM/PAB (e.g., non-red streamers, non-black hinge plates).

While it is possible to recolor selected bricks in extended and universe modes, it is not in Design By Me mode. In DBM mode, it simply deselects the bricks. Furthermore, no mode allows you to click and drag the bucket tool, which would be a useful way of quickly recoloring a subset of visible bricks in a large model.

Edited October 5, 2011 by RoxYourBlox

[Calabar]

I understand that there may be difficulty in expanding colors and types, but currently the selection is very limited and needs improvement. Several bricks and colors commonly used in this year's sets are not yet or no longer available in DBM/PAB (e.g., non-red streamers, non-black hinge plates).

What a wanted to say is that the increase of available bricks in DBM mode is not a software related issue, but a "physical bricks" problem. So I think it is not a request pertinent to this topic.

While it is possible to recolor selected bricks in extended and universe modes, it is not in Design By Me mode. In DBM mode, it simply deselects the bricks. Furthermore, no mode allows you to click and drag the bucket tool, which would be a useful way of quickly recoloring a subset of visible bricks in a large model.

Oh, I ever use Extended Mode (Universe Mode is "obsolete" now), so I didn't noticed the problem.

I think this limitation is a choice, not a deficiency. In Extended Mode you can colour every brick with every available colour. In DMB that's not possible, and you have to manage this checking all bricks.

Anyway, you can easily move to Extended Mode, use the bucket with a selection of bricks, than return to DMB mode.

[Laura Beinbrech]

Could be I already requested a similar feature in my long wishlist post #2?

Oh, I thought you meant some way of creating customized select category list....

Superkalle: Thanks for the heads up about LDD Manager... I'm downloading it right now (probably going to take a few hours with my slow internet connection), and give it a try... Anything has to be better than going into building guide mode and manually ticking off the number and types of bricks used (like I said, the whole process, not counting checking my current brick inventory against the list I made prior to ordering, took a good three hours...)

[Superkalle]

Superkalle: Thanks for the heads up about LDD Manager... I'm downloading it right now (probably going to take a few hours with my slow internet connection), and give it a try... Anything has to be better than going into building guide mode and manually ticking off the number and types of bricks used (like I said, the whole process, not counting checking my current brick inventory against the list I made prior to ordering, took a good three hours...)

Hope you get LDD Manager to work. Only downside with it is that you need Microsoft Access, but you can download the runtime for free.

If you get it installed it should take about 2 seconds to do the inventory instead of 3 hours

[Laura Beinbrech]

Hope you get LDD Manager to work. Only downside with it is that you need Microsoft Access, but you can download the runtime for free.

If you get it installed it should take about 2 seconds to do the inventory instead of 3 hours

I got it to work on the first try, and it works a treat! Best part is, I can export the list into Excel and print it out! Thanks for making this program, Superkalle!

As for other stuff that would be nice to have in LDD, how about an option to hide those annoying click-to-rotate arrows at the edge of the screen... I never use them, and seem to always accidentally clicking on them when I'm trying to move the model around... It would also be nice if we could disable the welcome screen, because that really lags my computer down and half the time I want to go straight to free-build anyways.

[Calabar]

As for other stuff that would be nice to have in LDD, how about an option to hide those annoying click-to-rotate arrows at the edge of the screen...

CTRL + 1

It would also be nice if we could disable the welcome screen [...]

It is already possible, but TLG doesn't publicly reveal the setting.

They want the users see home screen.

[Laura Beinbrech]

CTRL + 1

Man, and I looked through every menu trying to find a way to do that, even the not-so-helpful help menu....

It is already possible, but TLG doesn't publicly reveal the setting.

They want the users see home screen.

Well, looks like I'm going to have to find out, because loading the home screen, BY ITSELF, takes a good five minutes, and there is just no excuse for that, as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for clarifying things though... It looks like I really don't have anything to add to the request list after all.

[Superkalle]

Well, looks like I'm going to have to find out, because loading the home screen, BY ITSELF, takes a good five minutes, and there is just no excuse for that, as far as I'm concerned.

The start screen does take a long time to load if you have large LXF-files in the recent-file list. That's because the thumbnails of the previous files are in fact 3D objects you can rotate with your mouse (right click), so LDD has to load the data from the LXF-file, not just the PNG-thumbnail. If your recent file list is empty or only has small sized files in it, it should open in a matter of seconds. And even with huge files it shouldn't take more then 10-20 seconds. If it takes five minutes there is something else that is wrong.

[Aanchir]

The start screen does take a long time to load if you have large LXF-files in the recent-file list. That's because the thumbnails of the previous files are in fact 3D objects you can rotate with your mouse (right click), so LDD has to load the data from the LXF-file, not just the PNG-thumbnail. If your recent file list is empty or only has small sized files in it, it should open in a matter of seconds. And even with huge files it shouldn't take more then 10-20 seconds. If it takes five minutes there is something else that is wrong.

That's interesting. What is the PNG thumbnail ever even used for, then? Perhaps for if you upload an LXF to the DesignByMe gallery?

[Superkalle]

That's interesting. What is the PNG thumbnail ever even used for, then? Perhaps for if you upload an LXF to the DesignByMe gallery?

In the MAC version I think it's used when you browse LXF-files in the "explorer" (or whatever it's called on a Mac). I always thought the same feature (PNG preview) was available on Windows too, but I never managed to turn it on.

[Brickdoctor]

In the MAC version I think it's used when you browse LXF-files in the "explorer" (or whatever it's called on a Mac). I always thought the same feature (PNG preview) was available on Windows too, but I never managed to turn it on.

Finder. Yes, for Mac, the PNG image is used for the file icon. (though the image actually ends up with a white background, anyways, so I don't know why TLG doesn't save some bytes and use a JPEG instead. I suppose it's just easier, since LDD already generates PNG screenshots)

[Laura Beinbrech]

The start screen does take a long time to load if you have large LXF-files in the recent-file list. That's because the thumbnails of the previous files are in fact 3D objects you can rotate with your mouse (right click), so LDD has to load the data from the LXF-file, not just the PNG-thumbnail. If your recent file list is empty or only has small sized files in it, it should open in a matter of seconds. And even with huge files it shouldn't take more then 10-20 seconds. If it takes five minutes there is something else that is wrong.

I believe I did mention that my LDD computer was an old, long in the tooth Pentium IV with a mere 2GB of RAM (and I remeber when they didn't even have HARD DRIVES that big)... If I weren't saving up money for a house, I'd probably build a new quad-core box and scrap this old P.O.S....

[Calabar]

I believe I did mention that my LDD computer was an old, long in the tooth Pentium IV with a mere 2GB of RAM (and I remeber when they didn't even have HARD DRIVES that big)... If I weren't saving up money for a house, I'd probably build a new quad-core box and scrap this old P.O.S....

Five minutes are too much for a wretched P4 too!

Try to clear LDD cache related to recent models, and if this don't help, there something wrong in your system (few free space on hard drive, partition that need a fragmentation, windows registry in terrible conditions, something wrong with some driver... could you try with a new windows installation?)

Try a memtest and a scan of your hard drive with mhdd.

[Laura Beinbrech]

Five minutes are too much for a wretched P4 too!

Try to clear LDD cache related to recent models, and if this don't help, there something wrong in your system (few free space on hard drive, partition that need a fragmentation, windows registry in terrible conditions, something wrong with some driver... could you try with a new windows installation?)

Try a memtest and a scan of your hard drive with mhdd.

Well, let me just put it this way: #1 the computer is an HP (i.e. POS), #2: It has more issues than the New York Times archives (among other things, the mouse pointer becomes disassociated from the cursor if you try to start too many programs at once, and the only way to fix it is to reboot), and #3: a Windows re-install is pretty much out of the question, due to the fact that I bought this system for $50 from my one friend who was moving to Japan, and he didn't give me any of the system restore disks... Like I said, my only concern is to keep it limping along until I can build a suitable replacement (I may end up just using my dual-core portable, but I'd have to transfer all my data and install all my anti-spyware programs and such on the portable, and I don't really have the time and inclination to do that at this point). Also I may have over exagerated a bit, it's more like 3 minutes...

However, I did try purging the "Recent Models" entry in the LDD.ini file, and that did dramatically reduce the loading time... I guess I'll just have to remember to purge the recent models entry... Also, another factor with the slow loading time, particularly when it's connecting to the server to check for updates to the DBM brick lists, would probably be my crappy internet connection, i.e. Verizon Wireless (it's the only thing faster than dialup available where I live currently, and its only 2x as fast as dialup... I'm hoping to be moving into a new place that is near enough to town for DSL or Cable internet so I can dispense with Verizon's crappy, over-priced wireless internet entirely).

...Still, even with these issues and limitations, running LDD on this computer is still better than trying to use LDraw on my old 386sx... XD