BasOne

LDD 5, what features do YOU want?

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There are few things I've been thinking about of late. All of them born out of my use of Google Sketchup.

  1. A new selection tool or keyboard combination that would let you select and deselect bricks only by clicking directly on them. Clicking anywhere else on the LDD window has no effect on your selection... all the chosen bricks remain selected.
  2. A group tool. Once you've used the selection tool, you could group the selected bricks together. When you click on the group, all the bricks within the group are selected. The only way to modify the group is to double click a brick contained with in the group, this would cause the rest of the bricks in the entire model to become ghosted and uneditable.
  3. A plane selection tool. One of the most annoying, time consuming things with LDD is having to tear apart a model or ghost a large number of bricks just to change a few pieces in the models interior.

I know that's a lot to ask but that's what I would like to see. Now, for the one thing that I want above all else in LDD.

4. Some kind of locking mechanism that prevents bricks from jumping about... that's probably not a very good description so I'll give an example. How ridiculously difficult and frustrating is it to place a wheel on a long axle or a brick on the underside of a plate only to have the wheel hub jump from the central hole to one of the six holes that surround it or for the brick to jump to everywhere but the one place you want it? I want some kind of keyboard combination that stops this frustration. The way it'd work is you either position the brick in a way that's similar to how you want it to end up (top or bottom of a brick that's already placed within the model) and then press and hold a keyboard button. Or, in the case of a large wheel with seven holes in the hub, you'd place the wheel on the axle, press and hold the aforementioned key that'd "hold" it on the axle and then use another keyboard button to toggle through the possible connection types.

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I'm not sure I've understood what you ask, because it seems to me that LDD already achieve the first three points.

  1. That's what happened using "single selection tool" with CTRL keyboard key. Or do I misunderstood?
  2. LDD supports groups. You can make a selection and then gather the pieces in a single group. The only limit is that a brick can belong to a single group only. Obviously groups are not perfect and can be heavily improved (as you can read in my request list in the post #2 of this discussion), but it offers a basic support anyway.
  3. LDD allows to select pieces using "selection rectangle" (starting the selection in an empty area and dragging it), could be this functionality is what you are looking for?

About the forth point I agree, sometimes it is very difficult to place a piece. My thought is that a "place a brick" tool (independent from connections, that allow you to freely place an element) would be a good solution, and will solve some other issues.

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I'm not sure I've understood what you ask, because it seems to me that LDD already achieve the first three points.

  1. That's what happened using "single selection tool" with CTRL keyboard key. Or do I misunderstood?
  2. LDD supports groups. You can make a selection and then gather the pieces in a single group. The only limit is that a brick can belong to a single group only. Obviously groups are not perfect and can be heavily improved (as you can read in my request list in the post #2 of this discussion), but it offers a basic support anyway.
  3. LDD allows to select pieces using "selection rectangle" (starting the selection in an empty area and dragging it), could be this functionality is what you are looking for?

About the forth point I agree, sometimes it is very difficult to place a piece. My thought is that a "place a brick" tool (independent from connections, that allow you to freely place an element) would be a good solution, and will solve some other issues.

  1. You're right about the selection tool. Holding CTRL does have a similar functionality but the important thing I was proposing was that releasing the "selection key" and then clicking another part or on a blank area wouldn't deselect all the previously selected parts. I find it very frustrating when I've added a large number of bricks to a selection and then when I reposition the camera to add further parts that weren't previously visible, just one errant click can deselect all of the previous bricks. I just want some kind of fail safe that'd avoid this frustration.
  2. I have to hold my hand up and say I didn't even know about the group functionality.
  3. The way the section plane* works in Sketchup is... you select the section plane tool from the toolbar and then place it on part of the model. If you place it on a horizontal side of an object, the section plane will be horizontal. If you place it on an angled side of an object, the section plane will be set at that angle. The section planes appearance is that of a large orange square that extends to the furthest-most bricks in the model and it has four buttons, one at each corner, that can be used to alter the plane's height by clicking and dragging the mouse. If you were to place the section pane on the very top brick of a model and then, using the height adjustment buttons, drag it down through the model, everything above the section plane (or below depending on which mode you're using) would become ghosted. With this tool, you'd be able to modify the deepest depths of a model without the need for major rebuilds or the copious button clicks required with the current ghost tool. I know that this proposed tool doesn't really do anything that can be achieved by other pre-existing means but it'd certainly speed things up.

* I had erroneously called it "selection plane" in my first post.

Edited by loading...

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  1. Yes, you have to remember to click the CTRL key again. The "Multiple Selection Tool" have not this problem, but looses the selection if you click on a point where there is not a brick. I agree, this thing should be fixed.
  2. Over the Bricks palette, there are three tabs: brick, templates and groups. Click on the third tab to manage groups.
    Look at this file (set 4956 made by me in LDD), there you can see how I grouped the set.
  3. You are true, the section plane would be very comfortable to work inside a finished structure. At the moment I obtain the same result simply selecting the bricks I want to "make ghosted" and use the Hide Selection Tool. To select the bricks I use selection rectangle (very easy to select planes with it) or I use groups (if there are suitable groups available).

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I'd really like a batch recolour function, using which I could select pieces using the select feature (such as multiple, connected, colour, shape, colour and shape) and then paint them all the same colour. It would be great for giving spaceships or buildings different colour schemes.

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@jamesn

You can already do that: select the parts you want to recolour, select the paint bucket and change the colour in the sub-toolbar (the colour palette is the second icon from the left).

Besides, you can use the "Color Selection Tool" to select all the bricks of the same colour.

You can use group function to easily select the pieces you want in a single click.

NOTE: the paint bucket works only in Extended Mode.

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I would like to see a slide function. Similar to the rotate function but with this you can slide blocks. Parts that could make use of this; shock absorbers, linear actuator, pneumatics, sliding piece + plate with slide. And probably a bunch of others.

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@jamesn

You can already do that: select the parts you want to recolour, select the paint bucket and change the colour in the sub-toolbar (the colour palette is the second icon from the left).

Besides, you can use the "Color Selection Tool" to select all the bricks of the same colour.

You can use group function to easily select the pieces you want in a single click.

I didn't know that - thanks for the tip.

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The building guide really needs improving. It assembles most of my stuff in a random, illogical order...and I'm not talking about me! LOL

The simplest solution to me is allow us to manually assign each brick with a STEP number so we can control exactly how the model goes together.

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Firstly, I'd really like to have the paint tool for multiple selections put back to the way it was before. I know how to get around it, but it is now impossible to recolor multiple parts in colors currently unavailable in the palette. Is this a bug or an edit to the program? Either way, I'd like it to be how it was previously, because it was more handy. I don't see many pros to the new change, honestly.

Also, I'd really enjoy it if you could redo selections in case you fumble and click somewhere that will screw the entire thing up. This is something I'd really appreciate when working with large models that cause lag-- selections can be a huge pain in those cases.

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I know how to get around it, but it is now impossible to recolor multiple parts in colors currently unavailable in the palette.

mmmm... I thought the color palette contains ALL the colours available in LDD, am I wrong?

Anyway I hated the way the paint bucklet worked previously, it was much better as it worked in LDD3 (even though there was a scenary where it was very uncomfortable, and this cenario was probably the reason that led to the changes).

The present version should be surely improved. For example, if you select many parts and then click on the paint bucklet, the selection is maintained only if the bucket subtool is select, and lost otherwise.

About errors during the selection process, LDD 4.3.5 includes the selection tool among the undo/redo steps.

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Firstly, I'd really like to have the paint tool for multiple selections put back to the way it was before. I know how to get around it, but it is now impossible to recolor multiple parts in colors currently unavailable in the palette. Is this a bug or an edit to the program? Either way, I'd like it to be how it was previously, because it was more handy. I don't see many pros to the new change, honestly.

That was an interesting catch. Have never thought about that before. Seems to be something the LDD Team overlooked when they redid the feature.

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mmmm... I thought the color palette contains ALL the colours available in LDD, am I wrong?

There are various colors which are not available to the palette, including several that don't even have a definite name, like "??Material8??" which is a violet color. Aanchir has an LXF file of these posted on the LDD Reference thread.

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There are various colors which are not available to the palette, including several that don't even have a definite name, like "??Material8??" which is a violet color. Aanchir has an LXF file of these posted on the LDD Reference thread.

But that colours are obtained manually modifying a lxfml file, and you can't obtain that from LDD GUI.

Obviously LDD Developers didn't thought about a scenario like this.

Note that, as this scenario is obtained with a manual modify, you can get round the problem with a manual modify too: give the pieces you want to change a colour you don't use for other piece, than open the lxfml file with a notepad and replace it with search/replace.

I find much more annoying the fact that you can't use the "color picker" tool. Often you use it to avoid to search a colour inside the palette, or to avoid to select the wrong colour. But with the present bucklet function, it is impossible to use because you have to reselect the colour to use the instrument.

A line of "recently used colours" inside the palette would be very helpful and would allow to get round both problems. A button that "refresh" already selected colour would be appreciate too! :wink:

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But that colours are obtained manually modifying a lxfml file, and you can't obtain that from LDD GUI.

Obviously LDD Developers didn't thought about a scenario like this.

Note that, as this scenario is obtained with a manual modify, you can get round the problem with a manual modify too: give the pieces you want to change a colour you don't use for other piece, than open the lxfml file with a notepad and replace it with search/replace.

Two good points. :thumbup:

I find much more annoying the fact that you can't use the "color picker" tool. Often you use it to avoid to search a colour inside the palette, or to avoid to select the wrong colour. But with the present bucklet function, it is impossible to use because you have to reselect the colour to use the instrument.

A line of "recently used colours" inside the palette would be very helpful and would allow to get round both problems.

Another two good points.

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@colmoore

Perhaps you could find this post interesting! :wink:

Thanks very much chap, will read this closely.

Please please please - brick outlines on the MAC version. It drives me crazy having a beautiful computer with a big screen and it can't do this!

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Please please please - brick outlines on the MAC version. It drives me crazy having a beautiful computer with a big screen and it can't do this!

Why is the brick outlines option so commonly used? I never really cared for it, myself.

One thing I would really like is an approximate time for the next update. Perhaps that would be best suited for LDD's website rather than the program itself. Speaking of updates, I feel like one may be coming soon. It is the start of a new year and there are so many new parts to be added! Hopefully they can find some time to add a few.

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Why is the brick outlines option so commonly used? I never really cared for it, myself.

I prefer it, personally. It looks a little more realistic to me, and helps in differentiating pieces used in solid blocks of a single color.

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I prefer it, personally. It looks a little more realistic to me, and helps in differentiating pieces used in solid blocks of a single color.

That is why I don't really care for it.. in reality it is hard to differentiate pieces of the same color unless you look closely. That is why I prefer the outlines to be off, especially when taking screenshots of the model. It would be nice if they would add an option to change the opacity of the outline, similar to the options for the shading level.

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Some colouring options;

1) Colour all blocks that are of a specific colour. When a selection is made before using this option, it is only applied to the selection.

2) Colour this block and all connected blocks with the same colour.

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But that colours are obtained manually modifying a lxfml file, and you can't obtain that from LDD GUI.

Obviously LDD Developers didn't thought about a scenario like this.

Note that, as this scenario is obtained with a manual modify, you can get round the problem with a manual modify too: give the pieces you want to change a colour you don't use for other piece, than open the lxfml file with a notepad and replace it with search/replace.

I find much more annoying the fact that you can't use the "color picker" tool. Often you use it to avoid to search a colour inside the palette, or to avoid to select the wrong colour. But with the present bucklet function, it is impossible to use because you have to reselect the colour to use the instrument.

A line of "recently used colours" inside the palette would be very helpful and would allow to get round both problems. A button that "refresh" already selected colour would be appreciate too! :wink:

All interesting points. It would be nice if the added these to the palette, actually. A recently used colors option in the palette would also be great if added, I would definitely use it and it could even help with my issue. If anything is added to the palette, hopefully it will get a scroll bar as well!

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.... it is now impossible to recolor multiple parts in colors currently unavailable in the palette....

The only solution to this I found is to create a new group out of selection and apply the paint bucket to the group (directly to the thumb image of the group). All group members will be recolored. Not very comfortable, but better than using a text editor.

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That is why I don't really care for it.. in reality it is hard to differentiate pieces of the same color unless you look closely. That is why I prefer the outlines to be off, especially when taking screenshots of the model.

I see what you mean. I suppose I prefer outlines for two different reasons - one being that it's easier to discern the different pieces from one another while in building mode. The other being that it looks sort of like a fancy version of the graphics from official instructions when you output a screenshot.

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