[Software] LDCad - LDraw cad

[D3K]

Great news roland!

I just started using your software (mainly to make pneumatic hoses), and I'm liking it more and more! Will check out the 1.5A as soon as I have the chance!

[___]

@roland

Although I am LDD builder I have to say that a quick look at those yt videos of your SW looks absolutely "Fabulandous" , it really feels just like LDD to me (compared to MLCAD which was and most of the time still is a pain for me) :thumbup:

The only problem is that now as I basically mastered my LDD work skills to probably maximum possible level and even beyond with help of LDD2POVRAY/POVRay combo , I'm not able finding any excuse for using your sw but you can believe me I 100% would and most probably will just because of how it looks and what it does as I definitely want to try it out, so once again: absolutely great work!

[roland]

I'm not able finding any excuse for using your sw but you can believe me I 100% would and most probably will just because of how it looks and what it does as I definitely want to try it out, so once again: absolutely great work!

Thanks, maybe if you decide to take up scripted anmation which I intend to extend feature wise in the 1.6 version :)

[___]

Thanks, maybe if you decide to take up scripted anmation which I intend to extend feature wise in the 1.6 version :)

Just today as I was rendering one of my next MOC I realized there is no pneumatic hose in LDD so maybe I have finally found first excuse for transition from LDD to your SW

[___]

So I finally downloaded, install and now playing with it (latest 1.5 Alpha) and here are my first comments what is wrong or should be made differently (ehm, at least from my point of view, of course )

• SHIFT+RMB - it stays enabled even when I no longer hold SHIFT key, which is wrong as it should change to rotating as soon as I release SHIFT
  
• brick moving - they should move "reasonably" when sticking is enabled, that it it should stick to actual studs, not in 1/3 steps as default cos then it sticks for example two 3659 bricks elsewhere than just on studs which is wrong, I mean it sticks those two bricks in their middle section one thru another not just on their studs etc.
  
• when I click outside any brick any selected brick should be deselected (now it stays selected still)
  

Edited May 16, 2015 by bublible

[roland]

SHIFT+RMB - it stays enabled even when I no longer hold SHIFT key, which is wrong as it should change to rotating as soon as I release SHIFT

You are right, might be a bit tricky to implement tough. I'll put it on my todo list.

brick moving - they should move "reasonably" when sticking is enabled, that it it should stick to actual studs, not in 1/3 steps as default cos then it sticks for example two 3659 bricks elsewhere than just on studs which is wrong, I mean it sticks those two bricks in their middle section one thru another not just on their studs etc.

Do you mean while grid snapping is enabled (the default state) or after you set it to part snapping (PS in the compass). Also if you are using the part snapping mode please don't expect LDD level snapping. At the moment I only do basic snapping (no collision detection etc) as it will be more then enough 95% of the time while the feature needs less information and cpu power to do it. A future version will take 'occupied' studs etc into account but it will probably be optional in order to keep things usable with large models.

when I click outside any brick any selected brick should be deselected (now it stays selected still)

Someone mentioned this on the LDraw forum too, I'm considering dropping left move/camera control in favor of a multiselect rectangle. When that happens a deselect will be done anyway. In the meantime you can deselect everything by using the esc key.

[___]

On every new start of the sw it still giving its initial ACCEPT message window and asks for path to LDraw although I set it the time before - shouldn't it be enough just once the first time the sw is started and then saved?

You are right, might be a bit tricky to implement tough. I'll put it on my todo list.

Well, C++ is not my programming language but doesn't such big language have some constant monitoring function for pressing of the keyboard keys? What about something like this:

if(key.isDown("shift") && mouse.isDown("right"))
{
//your moving code here...
}
else if(mouse.isDown("right"))
{
// your rotating code here...
}

Edited May 16, 2015 by bublible

[legolijntje]

• brick moving - they should move "reasonably" when sticking is enabled, that it it should stick to actual studs, not in 1/3 steps as default cos then it sticks for example two 3659 bricks elsewhere than just on studs which is wrong, I mean it sticks those two bricks in their middle section one thru another not just on their studs etc
  

Did you turn part-snapping on? At least, I can remember I had to turn it on (when I first used LDcad), because it was off by default. I'm not sure though...

If it's indeed off by default, isn't it a good idea to turn it on by default, Roland?

Also, I can recommend to turn Edge Anti-Aliassing on in Prefs > LDraw > Use AA on edges. It makes the view quite a bit better in my opinion

[OzShan]

Moving from LDD to LDCad at the moment. Took a while to find some things but I'm really liking now. It really is a great piece of software.

...

I'm considering dropping left move/camera control in favor of a multiselect rectangle. When that happens a deselect will be done anyway. In the meantime you can deselect everything by using the esc key.

I was looking for this kind of select tool. In the meantime how do you suggest to select multiple parts? Apart from Ctrl+click.

[Philo]

In the meantime how do you suggest to select multiple parts? Apart from Ctrl+click.

For parts that have no other reliationship this is the only method. But the selection menu offers a lot of very useful things, such as selection of same color parts, same shape parts, parts that belong to the same step, etc...

Edited May 17, 2015 by Philo

[___]

Do you mean while grid snapping is enabled (the default state) or after you set it to part snapping (PS in the compass). Also if you are using the part snapping mode please don't expect LDD level snapping. At the moment I only do basic snapping (no collision detection etc) as it will be more then enough 95% of the time while the feature needs less information and cpu power to do it. A future version will take 'occupied' studs etc into account but it will probably be optional in order to keep things usable with large models.

Oh, sorry, I did not notice that when I click on compass there is some menu, my fault : now as I've enabled PS it looks it is OK

Edited May 17, 2015 by bublible

[OzShan]

Thanks, I'll keep digging around. Instructions aren't really the focus for me, but steps might be the answer.

[___]

Other issues:

• ALT+LMB - in many SW this combinations makes duplication of selected brick, not in your SW...I also did try SHIFT+LMB and still nothing so could you please implement this? I know I can select a brick and CTRL+C/CTRL+V but it is much faster with ALT+LMB
  
• when I am at the top most level of bricks it should search in all categories BUT it does not, for example when I add as a filter word "crater" it does not find anything, but when I click on "Library sorted by category" > "Baseplate" then it finds my crater baseplate, I guess it is wrong this way + although it found the baseplate it didn't show its picture and also when I drag that empty brick to the field there is none brick shown there also
  
• could you please add option SET AS DEFAULT to compass settings? to avoid enabling PS everytime I start your SW
  
• Part bin filter display - when I change some settings and click SET AS DEFAULT they are reset upon next run of your SW
  
• size of brick preview images - could you add option for lowering the size? I am on a smaller LCD/tablet and they are way too big, it shows like first 6 of them, they could be much smaller like 1/4 of the actual preview size so we can see more of them at once EDIT: OK, upon right click on the preview there is Inc./Dec.Cells but I guess it should be somewhere in main configuration menu, not this way as it applies to all cells (it would have more sense that way I guess)
  

Edited May 17, 2015 by bublible

[Philo]

ALT+LMB - in many SW this combinations makes duplication of selected brick,

Ins key does this. In a future version Roland promised a customizable keyboard/mouse shortcut setup...

when I am at the top most level of bricks it should search in all categories BUT it does not

The top field in parts bin is not a search tool but a filter on current category, this explains the behaviour. If you want a real search tool, you must go at the very top level and select it (a minifig with a magnifier). I have this tool permanently affected to one of the 6 bin tabs.

could you please add option SET AS DEFAULT to compass settings?

I guess there is something wrong in your configuration that prevents LDCad to remember configuration. On my machine, PS vs.GS is properly remembered, as is default LDraw folder (seems you have a problem with the latter too...).

[___]

Ins key does this. In a future version Roland promised a customizable keyboard/mouse shortcut setup...

Thanx, I did not know that, configurable shortcuts would be great as I still think that stick to some standards would be better (as I guess ALT+LMB or SHIFT+LMB is one of these)

The top field in parts bin is not a search tool but a filter on current category, this explains the behaviour. If you want a real search tool, you must go at the very top level and select it (a minifig with a magnifier). I have this tool permanently affected to one of the 6 bin tabs.

Aha, messy one: I think it'd be better as a separate field just like filter cos this way it made me think it is just another brick category so I didn't even notice it's a search tool Anyway thanx once more for calrification

I guess there is something wrong in your configuration that prevents LDCad to remember configuration. On my machine, PS vs.GS is properly remembered, as is default LDraw folder (seems you have a problem with the latter too...).

Right, actually it was problem of LDcad crashing thus not saving its settings but upon next run when I did those changes, closed the sw normally and then reopen all was as it should be

Edited May 17, 2015 by bublible

[legolijntje]

@bublible, I just realized the following. You say you're coming from LDD. The default way of rotating a model in LDCad is not like LDD, if you set "TBL" to "SPN" in the compass window (the little axis window in the bottom-left) it's more like LDD. It might make the transition between LDD and LDCad easier

I personally use the SPN mode anyway, because I just like it more than the trackball mode.

[___]

• problem with crater baseplate - "Renderprep failed" = no preview picture nor actual baseplate in the field
  
• there should be a way to change postioning/rotating tool on a brick - if I want that tool changed its position so I can roate in different axis I have to move camera view first and then it somehow change, that is not good as I can hardly control the position of the tool this way or at least I do not know how to do it and I did not find anything about it in the manual
  

Edited May 17, 2015 by bublible

[legolijntje]

You can change the "positioning/rotating tool" using T, S, F (and hide it with P)

[___]

@bublible, I just realized the following. You say you're coming from LDD. The default way of rotating a model in LDCad is not like LDD, if you set "TBL" to "SPN" in the compass window (the little axis window in the bottom-left) it's more like LDD. It might make the transition between LDD and LDCad easier

I personally use the SPN mode anyway, because I just like it more than the trackball mode.

But what is the difference? And what SPN and TBL mean? And when is selected TBL and when SPN: if I see there TBL does it mean it is selected or does it mean SPN is selected and only when I click on it than TBL will be selected? I know the sw is still in its "baby time" but many things there is enigmatic to me still

As there is enough room maybe it would be better having both words: actually selected would be GREEN, the one not selected GRAY so everyone oknow which one is selected

You can change the "positioning/rotating tool" using T, S, F (and hide it with P)

SUPER! Thanx a lot, that is what I was looking for

Another thing: how to actually bend some hose?

Edited May 17, 2015 by bublible

[legolijntje]

But what is the difference? And what SPN and TBL mean? And when is selected TBL and when SPN: if I see there TBL does it mean it is selected or does it mean SPN is selected and only when I click on it than TBL will be selected? I know the sw is still in its "baby time" but many things there is enigmatic to me still

The difference? Well, try rotating a few bricks in the editor using both and you'll notice the difference. It's quite difficult to explain

SPN mode spins the camera around the model. Trackball mode rotates the model as if it's a trackball.

If it says TBL, it's in TBL (trackball) mode, if it says SPN, it's in SPN (spin) mode. You can also change this setting in View > Rotation control from the top menu

Another thing: how to actually bend some hose?

You can use

. It doesn't explain everything and you need to use it a bit to get the hang of it, but LDcad's way of flexible parts is relativly easy and very powerful.

Using hoses is... well, it's a little more work than in LDD.

The results are better though. However, the LDCad way of adding hoses is a breeze compared to LSynth

[___]

@legolijntje

OK, gonna watch the vid now...thanx

[___]

@legolijntje

So I watched the vid but something is wrong: in that video when he rotates that endpart and moves it the tube automatically updates and connects to the moved end part, when I try to do that the tube stays still, it does not automatically autoconnect to my moved end part...why?

[legolijntje]

@legolijntje

So I watched the vid but something is wrong: in that video when he rotates that endpart and moves it the tube automatically updates and connects to the moved end part, when I try to do that the tube stays still, it does not automatically autoconnect to my moved end part...why?

I have no idea... Just to make sure, you really move only one end of the tube and not the whole tube?

(Btw, I assume you're trying to add a pneumatic tube?)

[___]

I have no idea... Just to make sure, you really move only one end of the tube and not the whole tube?

(Btw, I assume you're trying to add a pneumatic tube?)

Sure, I am moving only one end part, not whole tube...strange.

And yes, I am talking about pneumatic tube.

[Philo]

Are you sure that you are in nested mode editing (necessary to edit flex parts into model). Nested mode means that you edit submodels in the context of main model. You switch to nested mode in top right of screen.