prateek, on 04 November 2010 - 10:44 PM, said:
Is there something specific in rewriting the LXFML file?
Just unzip the LXF, open the LXFML in Notepad, and it's pretty straightforward to edit. You just need to know what variables to change.
Here's a post with a link to a PDF on the subject-- however, you shouldn't necessarily need it.
Most of the time, it's best to use an LXF with the pieces you need and only the ones you need to edit. This may consist of a few 1x1 bricks, a minifigure torso, etc. Once you have unzipped it, there will be an LXFML and an image. LXFML files can open with LDD or with a text editor, so I personally only need two LXFML files, and open one in LDD to replace the pieces I want to edit if I need to.
EDIT: On Superkalle's suggestion, I'm moving my first set of templates here and making the first post more of an "index" topic.
Complete LDD Color Chart
Download LXF File
Here's what I've been using for the most part since the big upgrade to LDD 4.0. Previously, I had used my own slightly-expanded version of
Superkalle's color chart. In LDD 4.0, most of the colors I had added were on the default Universe color palette anyway, though, I decided a more straightforward numerically-based chart would be more effective. Now with the introduction of LDD 4.1 with its limited color palette even in LDD Extended mode, this color chart has regained some of its usefulness.
Since LDD 4.0 and 4.1 can display the names and numbers of most colors, an Excel spreadsheet for cross-referencing purposes is no longer essential to the identification of colors. However, I may make one in the future for people who are more accustomed to Bricklink or Peeron color names (or those who don't use any pre-established naming system). In the meantime, great color databases on the internet include
Peeron's color chart and
Isodomos. For BIONICLE fans, a special reference can be found further down this post.
Colors represented by bricks are colors for which the names are not listed. This includes very few bricks as of LDD 4.1, and most of those that remain cannot easily be identified, but chances are you won't need them.
Although I call this chart "complete", there are colors missing. Omitted colors include:
- Colors that do not render correctly on LDD. These colors, if added to LDD, will merely display as a white, unshaded silhouette of a brick in that color, which will become invisible any time you pick it up. Needless to say, there is no reason an LDD user should need these unless the colors are updated in a future version. Interestingly, there are four colors in this category that have had their naming information provided on LDD: 132 Black Glitter (Bricklink's Speckle Black-Silver), 299 Warm Gold/Lacquered Gold (Bricklink's Metallic Gold), 301 Silver (not completely clear-- possibly a version of Chrome Silver), and 306 Defused Copper (Bricklink's Speckle Black-Copper). However, since they do not render correctly they have still been omitted.
- Colors I know nothing about. Since colors not on any palette are obtained by rewriting the code in an LXFML document to include a different material ID, I can only create colors I know about. I rarely check on the existence of a material ID that is not on any online database, unless a person connected with The LEGO Group has confirmed its existence. Thus certain colors (including all Chrome colors) cannot be generated unless the material ID for them becomes known. It should be noted, though, that I have thoroughly tested most Material IDs to see if they render correctly, and that only material IDs 51-99 have not been tested recently.
Still, I imagine this could become very useful to LDD users here on Eurobricks!
LDD Decorations
Download LXF File
No fanfare needed for this one. It contains every decoration which is available on LDD, with some limitations:
- The brick which the decoration is designed for must have its surfaces mapped for decorations.
- The decoration can be identified, along with the part that it belongs on
Some of these decorations may not be available with the decoration tool, and are only available in this document (or by rewriting the code of an LXFML file). Others, like the road plates, may render incorrectly, a problem that I do not believe is reparable without an upgrade for LDD itself.
I have done my best to color each piece in a color in which it appears in actual sets. However, like all decorated parts on LDD, they can be recolored to any color desired.
BIONICLE Color Chart
Download LXF File
Download Excel Spreadsheet (Excel 2007 document/.xlsx)
Here's where your time spent on a theme rather despised by many AFOLs stands to pay off! This color chart is a lot smaller than the complete color chart, but it contains every color used within the BIONICLE theme. The colors are arranged in a much more user-friendly way than the complete color chart, and cross-referenced in an Excel document with a list of notable sets the parts were used for.
If you enjoy fanart as well as MOCing, the Excel spreadsheet also includes the RGB values of each color in hexadecimal. Not all colors have RGB values listed or depicted, because I do not know the official RGB values for all colors, but rest assured I will work to expand this chart and will edit this post any time I update it to let users know that a new version is available.
Ideally, I would have a complete timeline of what years each color was used, but that is not currently possible. However, a savvy BIONICLE fan should be able to recognize a color by the set or sets listed for it.
Clip-And-Bar Hinge Template
Download LXF File
The clip-and-bar hinge is a hassle in LEGO Digital Designer, because in many cases the clip and bar will be hard to align with one another without an undesired "offset" from the ideal center point. This template is intended to demonstrate an easy way to align your clip-and-bar hinges.
The trick to aligning clip-and-bar hinges is to create a "scaffold" which places the two hinge elements the right distance apart, and allows you to use the hinge tool to make the final connection. Here, four example scaffolds are shown, as well as the final result once the parts are connected and the scaffolds are deleted.
There is no advanced coding required in the construction of scaffolds, and scaffolds will vary depending on the pieces you intend to connect. Thus, once you learn the principles involved in this template you can easily do without it.
Sprocket Wheel Template
Download LXF File
Sprocket wheels are another hassle on LEGO Digital Designer (obviously, because they are based on clip-and-bar-axles). This file intends to help you make this technique more manageable. There are three parts to this: a tool in Spring Yellowish Green for building a chain of treads, a pre-made chain of treads, and two "loops" of treads around the two styles of sprocket wheel.
To use the tool, simply place a tread piece or a pre-made length of treads on the part of the tool angled horizontally. Add an additional tread piece to the vertical part, then use the "hinge" tool to connect these two sections. You can then copy the length of tread, move the tool to its original position, and continue expanding the chain as long as you need.
The loops and pre-existing length of chain are meant to help you incorporate these treads into a MOC or set. Although LEGO Digital Designer does not recognize connections between the treads and the sprocket wheels themselves, you can use these loops as a "starting point" for aligning your treads. Just delete portions of the loops and place a chain of treads in their place to create a larger loop between multiple sprocket wheels. Note that this template is not able to compensate for sets or MOCs where the loop will not be "taut"-- this is a problem I may not be able to deal with at this time.
Edited by Aanchir, 05 April 2011 - 01:00 PM.
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Feel free to download just this file if you have sets that you need to update decorations in, and then download the updated LDD Decorations file for general decorations reference.
