Custom LDD bricks and fixes

[kodlovag]

This is all very cool. About a year ago I tried to find a topic, how to add extra parts to the LDD, because it must be possible and a must have. But I failed to find anything. Now I accidentally ran into this thread, and immediately added the new parts to my LDD. Works fine, but I found some bugs:

• 43463 and 43461 (RC buggy steering units) has a question marked new group
• 289000 monorail switc left, has an incorrect (mirrored) mesh at the connection point to the half curves. Try to connect it to a half curve, and it becomes immediately visible.

Additionally, I have a question. I hate to have thousands of small files in a directory, when it could be compressed into a single file. Also it seems to me, that LDD now starts significantly slower, with the extracted database. Is there a way to pack it back to lif?

[SylvainLS]

For 43463 and 43461, it’s because 6282 (the assembly they should be part of) is missing.  Just a little bug.

For 289000: good catch!

For packing back into a lif, there’s LIFCreator: 

By the way, note that LIFCreator needs lots of memory.

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by SylvainLS

[MajKetchup347]

On 10/27/2020 at 8:47 PM, SylvainLS said:

It’s really not clear what you’re trying to do.

What do you mean by the “ldraw file found on another thread”?  The ldraw.xml file?
It’s used for conversions to/from LDraw but LDD doesn’t use .dat files at all.  It only needs their names.

And while it’s true most of the 3D models for the new parts in this thread have been made from 3D models from LDraw, they have nothing to do with ldraw.xml¹ and LDD doesn’t need any .dat file to work with them.  (¹ Well, except for those of us who want to convert their LDD MOCs from/to the LDraw format.)

So, in order to help you, we need you to expand on what you want, what you do and what doesn’t work exactly.

Yes, I did mean the ldraw.xml file, found here: 

But, as I said, when using that ldraw file I don't get some of the models that are listed in the file when I load it in LDD. For instance, there is part 64228 (AAA Battery Box) that is listed in the ldraw file but when I look at the parts list within LDD it is missing.

The reason for this that I have come up with is that the model files are not where LDD is looking for them or they don't exist. Likely the latter as I haven't downloaded any. I just want to be able to use some of the older pieces that are listed in the ldraw file but can't figure out what I am missing/not seeing/not doing.

This is why I wanted to ask the community where I should look for these, or to direct me to an appropriate place. 

 

[SylvainLS]

Ah, okay, you’re importing a LDraw file into LDD and some parts are missing.

First, good thing you gave 64228 as an example.  64228 isn’t in the custom parts we talk about in this thread because it’s in LDD 4.3.11, Brick version 2670.  And (my version of) ldraw.xml knows how to import 64228.dat into 64228.  If your LDD doesn’t have 64228, check (Help | About) it’s version 4.3.11 with brick version 2670.  If you have 4.3.11 / 777, see this message (in which “the other thread” is this thread).

Then, if you’re still missing some parts, tell us their IDs 

 

[Kuramapika1]

@Stephan I have finished the improvements and the flex cables (and add part 2901). Talking abaut the parts 2997 and 2998: I don't see why the needed of modifications on the tyres and rims because Bricklink and other couple of web pages say that. I'm true to official parts and there is no official sets that have these combinations. So please, I beg you, publish the parts 2997 & 2998 as I made. Thank you so much.

[Stephan]

4 hours ago, Kuramapika1 said:

publish the parts 2997 & 2998 as I made

I will do that in the next update. We might always update the connections later if deemed necessary.

[Kuramapika1]

@Stephan: Here is the improvements and new parts:

• Part 2901
• All flex cables
• Part 6642: solved problem with right "gate"; I created it and asigned number 2699 since it not be in use (in Ldraw correspond to a subpart of the Technic Action Figure)
• Add 6549.xml; forget to do the last time (the .g file is added, if you don't deleted it)
• Part 6272: I see no problems with the connectivity
• Part 32181: my part haven't any clipping on it
• On the toothed parts (2712, 2719, 2792, 4262, 4273 and 4442): aparently the problem is the connectivity; it seems that have "colitions" issiues and prevent proximity to each other, my solution: use two conectivity per toothed side per part, one shrinked a lot and the other not so to allow proximity.
• Part 41894: if you are talking of (sub)part 32496, it is no my design. I only use it in the assembly file.
• Finaly: almost all parts have outlines (that's why I add the same parts in a preview post)

Tha's all for now; any problem tell me and I try to solve it.

Have a good day.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Kuramapika1
Rar file updated: forget that the .g files are the ones who have the outlines data

[CorvusA]

Just discovered this today, one year ago I posted a topic about future LDD official updates and was clear that LDD would be dead. So...MANY THANKS to all the people involved on this marvel. I prefer to design in LDD over Stud.io and this is an amazing discover!.

[SylvainLS]

8 hours ago, Kuramapika1 said:

 I created it and asigned number 2699 since it not be in use (in Ldraw correspond to a subpart of the Technic Action Figure)

Please, don’t “highjack” existing numbers.

2699 may not be used now but 2698 is, and is converted to 2699c01.dat that I created to combine 2698, 2699 and 2710 (the body) because 2698c01 already exists and is the complete figure.  It’s already complicated enough.

I don’t know what’s the problem with 6642 but it’s composed of 6642k01.dat and 6644k02.dat, so try to use ID that allow easy matching, like 664201.  If you need other numbers, try to keep them close (like 664202…).

But remember: if you make two different LDD parts for the same LDraw part, your part or assembly won’t be importable.

[Kuramapika1]

@SylvainLSwhat you say it is true as long as you use the Ldraw individual parts of a composite one.

But you can made a part using their subparts without combining the individual pieces, example part 2698: using LDPE, you can create the whole part and then assign the number and (in the header) add the info clarifying the purpose of the file, i. e: conversion to LDD, that include the necessary sub part, etc.

In this way you leave free the numbers in LDD to be used in other parts.

[SylvainLS]

@Kuramapika1 I won’t expand on LDD to LDraw conversion, I already did in the thread about ldraw.xml and several times in this thread.  The short of it is: one part in LDD = one part in LDraw (and, for assemblies, we are talking about the subparts: one subpart in LDD = one subpart in LDraw), anything else and you can’t convert (or, at best, can’t import).

And if you stick to 1 LDD part = 1 LDraw part, why not keep the IDs?

But another, more important, reason to stick to real IDs is for the users to find the parts.  And that’s valid even for subparts: they are searchable in LDD and the user may not know the assembly’s ID but only one of the subparts’ (the one ID visible on the real part they have in hand, for instance).

Frankly, I see no reasons to confuse things by highjacking an ID when you can make any ID you want in LDD that help keeps things tidy and easy for everyone.

 

As for 2698c01/2699c01, I haven’t been clear: What existed in LDraw were all the subparts and a complete figure (named 2698c01.dat).  Most of the new LDD parts match the LDraw parts (foot, hand, arm-section, leg-sections, head) but the body/torso of the figure is only one part whereas, in LDraw, there was no shortcut part for the body/torso of the figure and it’s three parts (2698.dat, 2699.dat, and 2710.dat).  Therefore I made and submitted to LDraw a part, 2699c01.dat, to match the LDD body/torso.  The LDD part is 2698.  2698.dat is the main torso part (2699.dat is a connector and 2710.dat is the lower body), so 2698c01.dat would have been a better match but it was already used, hence why I named it 2699c01.dat.

Some of you justly call the new LDD parts 123401 when they match the LDraw part 1234c01.dat.  Some drop the 01.  It’s okay, the important bit for search purposes is 1234.

Therefore, strictly speaking, the part 2698 in LDD shouldn’t have been called 2698 because it doesn’t match 2698.dat and it doesn’t match 2698c01.dat, it matches a 2698+2699+2710 part that didn’t exist when you made it.  Now that that body/torso part exists and is named 2699c01.dat, still strictly speaking (I’m not asking for a change), the LDD part should be 269901 or 2699.

If I’d used a Technic figure in my builds, I’d have made and submitted that body/torso part before, or someone else could have done it before, because it’s a mechanical assembly: it’s a useful part to have that correctly place subparts that don’t move/rotate relatively to each other.  IOW, if you want to pose the figure, it’s handy that these three subparts stay together, without having three parts to handle.

So it’s just luck/timing that makes 2699 “not used” in LDD.

 

(I also made and submitted a 2701c01.dat to combine 2701.dat and 2705.dat, the arm connectors, for the same reasons.  But here, there’s no conflict.)

 

So, please, don’t highjack IDs, there’s plenty of other possibilities.

[Kuramapika1]

In order to avoid any conflict, I changed the part 2699 for 664201. So I do this with the intention to no highjack any number again.

And I updated the link in where the flex parts are adding the part 664201, the assembly folder with part 6642 and the .g files that I missed to include. Also I changed the word colition to outlines (this is the correct one) in the edit line.

My apologise to many changes.

I hope it works fine.

[BrokenEye]

Hey, could you please add the extra long minifig arms (973pb0636c99) and legs (970c99pb01) from that one Toy Story set?

Also energy effects 35032, 65726, and 50663c08

[Stephan]

@Equilibrium @zweifuss @polymaker, are you guys working on new updates?

[CorvusA]

Could be possible to add these ones?? Thanks

Blades: 37341a , 37341b

Ornaments: 35039 , 36017

Wings: 38547

Minifigure accesories: 27393 , 44740 , 68504 , 36452 

Plant: 68211

Skeletons: 43693

Animals: 34987c01

And this one, Im not sure what kind of category is... 65578

[Jason C. Hand]

Hello all. May this piece be added to the next update, whenever that is?

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=28125&name=Minifigure, Headgear Bald Head High&category=[Minifigure, Headgear]#T=C

Part Files Here

I only created the .xml and .g files. Part has been attributed to original author, see within.

[zweifuss]

On 11/3/2020 at 5:08 PM, Stephan said:

@Equilibrium @zweifuss @polymaker, are you guys working on new updates?

I have been pretty busy with home life the last couple of months, and work is busy too, I don't have time to do any updates in the recent future. If anyone wants to continue on from where I left off that is fine, including updating outlines

[polymaker]

33 minutes ago, zweifuss said:

I have been pretty busy with home life the last couple of months, and work is busy too, I don't have time to do any updates in the recent future. If anyone wants to continue on from where I left off that is fine, including updating outlines

Same for me 

[Takanuinuva]

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=13696pb01&idColor=80#T=C&C=80 

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=13699pb01&idColor=155#T=C&C=155

Could the top and lower haves of Chima Ultrabuild Cragger be added? I'd like so I can finish a MOC idea I have 

[Equilibrium]

@Stephan Nope, but since I'm going to fix that monorail piece I might as well throw something new in.

[Stephan]

56 minutes ago, Equilibrium said:

I might as well throw something new in.

That would be amazing 

[Cyberfounder]

On 11/11/2020 at 11:17 AM, Equilibrium said:

@Stephan I might as well throw something new in.

Any chance this piece could be added?  https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4587&idColor=5#T=C&C=5 It would be really usefull for medieval/western scenes.

Also, did you guys by any chance figure out how to make these new bricks work with rendering software like bluerender for example? 

 

[M2m]

A little late for Halloween, but it made this part 

https://github.com/sttng/LDD/tree/master/NewParts/20695

Edited November 12, 2020 by M2m

[BrokenEye]

Could you do a version of the folded umbrella (27150) with alternating panels in four different colors and the wrapped scarf (25376) with three-colored vertical stripes? I'm working on a The Prisoner set and I want No2 to look right. I'm willing to settle for only two colors each, if that makes it easier.

Thanks

Also: Does the color I made his hair and beard look right? I've been debating changing it to a dark grey or a low saturation brown or something, and it'd be good to get a second opinion.

[Equilibrium]

Fixed monorail, new sian parts arches didn't match existing LDD curved panel so I changed it to LDraw version as well.

Download links:

• All my updates combined
• Update 7 ONLY

 

@Cyberfounder Use M2m's lif creator to pack all the files back into db.lif