Help with LDD converting to Ldraw/LeoCad/MLCAD

[Doc_Brown]

I tried searching and reading old threads on this topic, but being so old I thought I would post this, inquiring about new info.

Firstly I have never used any of these programs more than 5 mins, so I'm very unfamiliar with them.

LDD seems by far the easiest to use and has more parts available. Is that true?

Basically what I would like to know is exporting from LDD to a .LDR then opening in up in Ldraw/LeoCad/MLCAD seems to make things go crazy!

For example the new f1 Hubs disappear as well as more common pieces. Is this the norm?

I Think I have downloaded all the programs, checked that they are upto date, so not sure.

At the end of the day I would like to make instructions using LPUB.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, Just don't want to waste my time building in LDD if it wont work.

[lego2lego]

Well the short answer is: LDraw has more pieces, but LDD is more current. LDraw is maintained by it's users so when lego releases a new part it can take some time before the piece is added, if it is made at all. Most bricks however are available, but it's short on the minifg side.

LDD is maintained by lego, so it's more current but a lot of older pieces are missing. So its up to you what to use.

[Lego Otaku]

LDD is also a bit easier to use at the start. LDraw has steeper learning curve but gets better as you figure out more of the program.

[legolijntje]

Well, LDraw has far more parts than LDD. And, the parts are made very differently, which makes the converting very difficult, since all parts have to be repositioned.

Anyway, make sure you have the latest LDraw parts pack and make sure your LDD has the newest version of the ldraw.xml

But, there's a high chance the conversion won't be 100% correct. But since you want to make LPub instructions, I would recommend to build the model from scratch in a LDraw based program (MLcad, SR3D Builder, etc.) since you also need to add your own steps.

If you need any more help, feel free to ask.

[Doc_Brown]

Thank you all very much for your help!

Only two question I have.

In MLCAD, is there a way to make parts rotate about their center not 0.0.0 of the work area.

And why do pieces disappear when I select something? Makes it difficult to line up when you are moving something to it.

Many thanks again!

Edited October 15, 2013 by Doc_Brown

[legolijntje]

Sadly I lost a lot of my knowledge of MLCad, because I'm mostly using SR3D for years now. It has all the advantages of LDD and MLcad and even more. You should really take a look at it (if you haven't done already). Only 1 disadvantage though, it doesn't have very good LPub support (yet?); e.g. submodels. Steps and rotsteps do work though.

[Doc_Brown]

Ahh thanks anyway. I did have a look, but seems that you need a subscription to use all features.

Can you export at all without subscription?

its also annoying pressing "enter" to place a bit every time, is there another way?

Thanks again!

[Classicsmiley]

Thank you all very much for your help!

Only two question I have.

In MLCAD, is there a way to make parts rotate about their center not 0.0.0 of the work area.

And why do pieces disappear when I select something? Makes it difficult to line up when you are moving something to it.

Many thanks again!

For the rotation point, check the Settings > Rotation Point menu item. Setting the point to part origin might be the best for you, though, as I've seen some odd behavior when it's set to part center.

And for pieces disappearing, can you give a few more details? What exact steps are you taking, and when do the pieces disappear? How many parts are in your model? Do other parts always disappear, or just some of them?

Edited October 15, 2013 by Classicsmiley

[Doc_Brown]

Thanks for your reply!

I simply click on parts such as the 2L black axle and stuff disappears, here is some screen grabs. Some seem to disappear but not all. as you can see below.

Also when rotating in 3d it seems to jump and center itself on the center on the model, is ther a way to turn that off? Many thanks!

Edited October 15, 2013 by Doc_Brown

[legolijntje]

Ahh thanks anyway. I did have a look, but seems that you need a subscription to use all features.

Can you export at all without subscription?

its also annoying pressing "enter" to place a bit every time, is there another way?

Thanks again!

This image made by Sergio (SR3D author) is a comparison between SR3D Free and Paid.

About the enter: yes, you do need to press enter to place a brick (you can also press the yellow dot in the middle of the blue arrow), but you'll get used to it very quickly. Thi also allows you to place a lot of the same part very quickly: place, enter, replace, enter, replace, enter. I can do this (and I certainly do) in seconds

But it can be annoying if you're using a laptop without a seperate mouse....

[Philo]

Your disappearing parts problem is probably caused by "Draw to selection only" mode (it's toggled on/off with the icon looking like a pencil with line and spark, near fine grid icon). With this option on, MLCad draws only the parts placed above the selected one in text list.

(edit) I had a closer look at your screenshot, I confirm that "Draw to selection only" icon is pressed...

Otherwise, I completely agree with legolijntje, SR3D is the way to go, especially for Technic constructions. Yes, you may find it quircky sometimes, but once used to it, it's very efficient. Having to press enter for each parts may be a hassle, but it's nothing compared to placing and rotating parts at odd angles in MLCad!

Edited October 17, 2013 by Philo