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As suggested by papacharly, here's a topic about LDcad to discuss and help each other.

What is LDcad?

LDcad is an LDraw cad program being developed by Roland Melkert. The current version is 1.4, which can be downloaded here.

For more information about LDCad, visit the website (and make sure to read the quick manual!).

The features are (copy/pasted from the website):

  • Windows and Linux support.
  • Multi-threaded (background) loading of parts.
  • Fast detailed real-time 3D rendering.
  • Basic part snapping on growing collection of (official) parts.
  • Integrated portable flexible parts support (springs, hoses, bands).
  • Script based animation.
  • Full MPD Support.
  • Part grouping.
  • Part ghosting.
  • Nested editing.
  • Relative grids.
  • Multiple file editing (open as many files you like).
  • Instruction stepping support.
  • Full undo/redo.
  • Copy/paste from to other LDraw software.
  • Highly customizable part and color bins.
  • Growing collection of example models.

From my own experience, LDcad is quite difficult for beginners and can be quite unintuituve. This may sounds harsh, but it is (from my experience at least). But, if you get through the difficult part, a wonderdful piece of software is available to you and when you know to do, it's actually quite easy. Almost as easy as LDD (if we use that as a benchmark for easiness). It feels a bit like SR3D builder, but it doesn't have the user-friendly way of animation. It doesn have other nice features. It's really worth to take a look at! :thumbup:

Roland is most active on the LDraw forums, so if you want to directly talk with him, I recommend going here.

Of course, you can post all comments, questions and disscustions regarding LDcad in this topic too.

So, this is the topic on EB to talk about LDCad :classic:



[continuation from the LDraw sets topic]

[...]

This is the first model I built with LDCad. So it just was an finger exercise for me to get started with LDCad.

LDcad is quite nice. I've been using it for the past few weeks and I'm quite happy with it.

Btw, make sure to turn on part-snapping if you haven't already, in my experience it makes building a lot easier. :classic: I just tried to find this setting, but I can't find it anymore. Maybe it's turned on by default nowadays, I can remember I had to set it on...

Oh, and if you set Anti Aliassing on the edges on (AA), it makes the view a lot better :wink:

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I just tried to find this setting, but I can't find it anymore.

The switch is in the lower left 2D/3D view panel selector, named PS/GS. PS green means part snapping is on.

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LDcad is quite nice. I've been using it for the past few weeks and I'm quite happy with it.

Btw, make sure to turn on part-snapping if you haven't already, in my experience it makes building a lot easier. :classic: I just tried to find this setting, but I can't find it anymore. Maybe it's turned on by default nowadays, I can remember I had to set it on...

Oh, and if you set Anti Aliassing on the edges on (AA), it makes the view a lot better :wink:

Thanks for the hints. I already used the snapping feature but I kind of struggled with it. Even by using version 1.4 I don’t get these bricks here snapped in the right position. May anybody be so kind and copy this please? Not sure it’s a bug.

Yes, I agree, it’s a very nice tool. The handling is kind of different to SR3D, so it took some time for me to get used to it. But the all in all appearance, respectively the main concept is quite similar to SR3D. That's great. I like it!

I haven’t already unveiled all possibilities of LDCad. I just have learned that there are plenty of useful features. E.g. the possibility of accurate parametric (x,y,z, angle) fine positioning of parts. Or self defined part bins for accelerating part search. So I am looking forward working with LDCad in the future.

For all which are interested: LDCad is developed by Roland Melkert and can be downloaded here. Threads regarding LDCad can be found here.

BTW: Legolijntje, what about opening a new LDCad thread and moving these posts?

Edited by papacharly

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Thanks for the hints. I already used the snapping feature but I kind of struggled with it. Even by using version 1.4 I don’t get these bricks here snapped in the right position. May anybody be so kind and copy this please? Not sure it’s a bug.

Yes, I agree, it’s a very nice tool. The handling is kind of different to SR3D, so it took some time for me to get used to it. But the all in all appearance, respectively the main concept is quite similar to SR3D. That's great. I like it!

I haven’t already unveiled all possibilities of LDCad. I just have learned that there are plenty of useful features. E.g. the possibility of accurate parametric (x,y,z, angle) fine positioning of parts. Or self defined part bins for accelerating part search. So I am looking forward working with LDCad in the future.

For all which are interested: LDCad is developed by Roland Melkert and can be downloaded here. Threads regarding LDCad can be found here.

BTW: Legolijntje, what about opening a new LDCad thread and moving these posts?

Sounds like a good idea. So, this is the new topic :wink:

About your snapping problem: I don't have any problems at all, I can just snap them in the middle of the bracket...

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I am also learning this software,but in my opinion the GUI needs a face lift,if only it could be similar to Auto-cad's ribbon. :wub:

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I am also learning this software,but in my opinion the GUI needs a face lift,if only it could be similar to Auto-cad's ribbon. :wub:

I have to agree, partly. There's nothing wrong with the gui, it doesn't hurt the eyes, it works flawless. It just could be a bit better. :wink:

But I think the GUI won't be changed, at least not in the forseeable future. I've read on the LDraw forums that the gui is all rendered using openGL. So, every "window" is a seperate instance of OpenGL and thus it's not something like Windows forms.

I may be partly wrong, but that is what I can remember :grin:

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I did ask him and here is the answer I got.

LDCad is written in C++ using GCC, so visual studio components are not going to work. But the component library (wxWidgets) I use for creating dialogs etc does offer a ribbon like set of components. But the thing is the current menu bar is drawn using OpenGL using my own gui routines. The thought on that was I wanted to support full screen editing (lke a game) someday.

But for the 1.5 version I'm planning to redo some of the OpenGL GUI internals in preparation for something else so I might tweak the menu bar too at that point.

Here is a picture of the Autocad ribbon in case you wondered.

ribbon2.jpg

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Hi all,

I'm the author of LDCad, I'm not often logged in on eurobricks but I do keep an eye on it as I also enjoy real life (technic) LEGO.

So feel free to ask or suggest anything in this thread, I'm always open to comments.

As for the GUI... with 1.5 I'm making some changes (bins will be detachable/dockable) but if anyone has some additional ideas on how to improve the gui please let me know.

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I started to use LDCad beside of MLCad. And I specialy like the snap function.

I'm facing an issue with the Electric RC Race Buggy Steering Unit (Complete) - 6282c01.dat , in MLCAD it shows up, but in LDCad it's not .. odd

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Hi Roland,apart from the GUI I would also like to suggest making mirroring tool using a user defined work plane and parts.

Could you also make some part bin presets ie: liftarms,pins,connectors...etc.

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I'm facing an issue with the Electric RC Race Buggy Steering Unit (Complete) - 6282c01.dat , in MLCAD it shows up, but in LDCad it's not .. odd

That's an unofficial part, have you added the unofficial library to the search locations, using the prefs/search library paths dialog?

You do so by selecting the official lib line in the dialog followed by pressing 'new' the you change it's folder to wherever the unof lib lives also check 'unofficial' for the type. You need to restart the application afterwards.

Hi Roland,apart from the GUI I would also like to suggest making mirroring tool using a user defined work plane and parts.

Could you also make some part bin presets ie: liftarms,pins,connectors...etc.

Mirroring is something I'm considering not sure jet in what form though.

As for the bins do you mean besides the ones in the 'sorted' tree branch?

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Yes a more defined part bin for technic parts.

Is there any way to make changing the viewing angle and navigating through the angles and views smiler to what is in Autocad?

Edited by Alasdair Ryan

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Not exactly the same, but you could use a combo of ortho and perspective by using 'v' and 'shift+v' or a pinned view /view angle menu. shift+v might be most handy as it tries to retain the view direction while swithing from orth (2D) to perspective (3D) view.

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That's an unofficial part, have you added the unofficial library to the search locations, using the prefs/search library paths dialog?

You do so by selecting the official lib line in the dialog followed by pressing 'new' the you change it's folder to wherever the unof lib lives also check 'unofficial' for the type. You need to restart the application afterwards.

Worked only after I checked "User folder" for the type, with "unofficial" it did not show.

But now I know where to tune this path

Thank you and great work

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The difference between 'user folder' and '(un)official library' locations is the presences of 'parts' and 'p' folders at the given location. Also the bin handles files located in library locations differently. You probably using only a few unofficial parts? I usually download the whole unofficial package which is like a second complete.zip . But if it works for you there is no need to change it :)

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Not exactly the same, but you could use a combo of ortho and perspective by using 'v' and 'shift+v' or a pinned view /view angle menu. shift+v might be most handy as it tries to retain the view direction while swithing from orth (2D) to perspective (3D) view.

Ok,how easy could it be to implement a view cube that would be in the top right corner that you could navigate through.

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It indeed will be handy to have more view angle control besides the normal navigation stuff. But I would be in the form of changes to the compass. I'll see if I can integrate something similar without breaking the current way of interaction after I completed the bin changes.

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Mirroring is something I'm considering not sure jet in what form though.

As I said earlier on the LDraw forums, I'd like to see something like the mirror functionality in SR3D Builder. That's one of the things I miss the most in LDcad. The mirror functionality in SR3D was simple to use, yet very stable and time-saving.

So, in short, I'd like to see the ability for the user to set a mirror and then place parts on one side and LDcad automaticly mirrors them on the other side. If needed, I'd like to help creating a list with parts that need another part to be correctly mirrored (such as wings or wedges).

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Yes I would indeed need a list in order to match non symmetrical parts, a simple two column (using comma or tab) text file would be very helpful to kick start such a config file. If you could send me such a file (don't worry about the individual orientations file names is enough for now) it would certainly help things along.

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Hopefully this is relevant to many on here: My installation of LDCad does not find any of the parts. Other packages (Ldraw) do find the parts and display them correctly, but not LDCad. Anyone with a clue?

As I said earlier on the LDraw forums, I'd like to see something like the mirror functionality in SR3D Builder. That's one of the things I miss the most in LDcad. The mirror functionality in SR3D was simple to use, yet very stable and time-saving.

So, in short, I'd like to see the ability for the user to set a mirror and then place parts on one side and LDcad automaticly mirrors them on the other side. If needed, I'd like to help creating a list with parts that need another part to be correctly mirrored (such as wings or wedges).

In the Crowkillers Murcielago, some parts were clearly created by mirroring, it's as if the software mirrored the actual part geometry. More specifically, these are the various angle connector as one can clearly see the numbers backwards. In such case, it is difficult to keep track of the part's ID. Instead, a more correct way would be to have the mirroring fubction search for the 'mirror' part and get/assign it's proper ID. Otherwise, creating a part list from the digital model may not be accurate.

Edited by DrJB

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Hopefully this is relevant to many on here: My installation of LDCad does not find any of the parts. Other packages (Ldraw) do find the parts and display them correctly, but not LDCad. Anyone with a clue?

You can set the path to your LDraw parts library by going to Prefs > LDraw > Search (library) paths.

In the Crowkillers Murcielago, some parts were clearly created by mirroring, it's as if the software mirrored the actual part geometry. More specifically, these are the various angle connector as one can clearly see the numbers backwards. In such case, it is difficult to keep track of the part's ID. Instead, a more correct way would be to have the mirroring fubction search for the 'mirror' part and get/assign it's proper ID. Otherwise, creating a part list from the digital model may not be accurate.

That's also what I mean, the software only helps you place the same part twice, but mirrored. It doesn's add any specific meta commands or anything like that. It will add two pure LDraw parts.

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Hopefully this is relevant to many on here: My installation of LDCad does not find any of the parts. Other packages (Ldraw) do find the parts and display them correctly, but not LDCad. Anyone with a clue?

When you start LDCad for the first time it will ask for the location of your main LDraw library. You can recognize the LDraw library folder by it's two subfolders named 'p' and 'parts'.

If this somehow went wrong you can change it afterwards like legolijntje wrote but also keep an eye on the color config (adjustable in same menu).

Or reset all settings by deleting the main.cfg file in "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\LDCad\config" (assuming you used the setup on windows, just config in the smame folder as the exe otherwise) while the program is closed. It will then ask for the location again the next time you start it.

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Thank You legolijnte and Roland. I deleted the config file, restarted and now it's working great.

Edited by DrJB

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I released the first Alpha version of LDCad 1.5 today.

As many people here use LDraw for instruction booklet making I would be very interested in their thoughts about the new LDraw source editing window which can be used to reorganize steps and manage e.g. LPub meta's.

You'll find the Alpha version at:

http://www.melkert.net/LDCad/nextVer

But please be aware this is an Alpha//test version so it might be less stable then the latest 1.4 version.

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