Philo Posted January 12, 2022 https://www.brothers-brick.com/2022/01/12/lego-fully-discontinuing-lego-digital-designer-in-favor-of-bricklink-studio/#more-339331 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PicnicBasketSam Posted January 12, 2022 It's now been four years since any kind of official update and the version they've had up for download on LEGO.com for a while not only has a broken, incomplete parts library relative to prior versions, but has an installer that hasn't worked since December 2020 because itĀ checks for Adobe Flash Player before installing anything. (I have no idea why it ever did this.) I am not surprised to see it finally be put out of its misery; if the good people in the "Custom LDD Bricks and Fixes" thread hadn't figured out how to keep the program up to date themselves, I think I would have been forced over to stud.io a couple of years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoch17 Posted January 12, 2022 Well, I honestly don't know what to do. I have tried studio and don't like it / understand it, and converting all 5,540 LDD files I have is impossible. I thought 2022 would be better for me than 2021 and 2020, and now I have lost something I've used since 2005. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JopieK Posted January 12, 2022 It wasn't unexpected but it is still a pity. I now know how to use Studio and switched over to it, but I have used it for years now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) No surprise and given that LEGO offered the botched 4.3.12 version on their website showed for a long time how much they cared - not a tiny bit.Ā Ā Anyway. People should make copies of 4.3.11 and host it somewhere, so there exist a backup of this abandon wareĀ Edited January 12, 2022 by M2m Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toastie Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Murdoch17 said: Well, I honestly don't know what to do. I have tried studio and don't like it / understand it, and converting all 5,540 LDD files I have is impossible. Hmm. Why not conserving everything as it is? This what I am doing: Whenever this happens - or I fear it may happen (and it only has happened twice to me) I have a serious look at my hardware. It appears as if hardware needs to live or go with operating systems - at least in the Windows World I am living in. There are now three laptops I did not ditch: One is running Win98 - the version fully compatible with DOS 6.X. The other one is running WinXp ... and everything else in on my Win10/11 laptop. Well, there are basically uncountable nerds out there - old people ;) - who just don't accept the phrase: It does not work anymore in Win XYZ. Actually DOS6.X is doing fine on this laptop. So ... what does it mean to you: TLG announces this, and than that? They can announce the end of The World and I would simply not believe it; "so what", I'd say. Lets see. Just keep on doing what you are doing and try to either conserve or try to carry over the impossible. Which, as time goes by, seems to become less impossible with time ;) And do think about what to do. Not with 5k plus files. Conserve them carfully. Best Thorsten 12 minutes ago, M2m said: Anyway. People should make copies of 4.3.11 and host it somewhere, so there exist a backup of this abandon ware @M2m: Totally. You summed it up nicely; I was just trying to find words. Yes. This is the way to go. I like the "Anyway" bit the most. Best, Thorsten Edited January 12, 2022 by Toastie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason C. Hand Posted January 12, 2022 Question: The custom LDD part updates will still continue, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Jason C. Hand said: Question: The custom LDD part updates will still continue, right? Why not ? Itās not like the recent lego decision changes much. Lego didnāt support LDD for years and removing the botched version from their website is actually for the better.Ā Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jason C. Hand Posted January 13, 2022 52 minutes ago, M2m said: Why not ? Itās not like the recent lego decision changes much. Lego didnāt support LDD for years and removing the botched version from their website is actually for the better.Ā š Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anothergol Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) It just officialized something we already all knew, anyway. I wish Studio had an "LDD workflow" option, because IMHO it's a great tool, critical for at least renders & manual, but it just can't beat the speed of the LDD as long as the things we spend the most time on, take a lot more time than in the LDD. And it's mainly about moving around your model, which the LDD does a lot better because right-click re-centers. Some stuff, like rotating parts that goes backwards, the very different sorting of parts, the different part snapping, the tube bending even more broken than it is in the LDD, one may argue that it's not bad, just different & annoying for LDD users. Anyway, LDD forever for me. Ā Something that bugs me about Studio btw, and it's the same think with Bricklink, Lego now owns both, and yet it's still the community that maintains models & part inventories. Lego owns high-res models of every part, but can't bother making them available in their own tools? Edited January 13, 2022 by anothergol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graupensuppe Posted January 13, 2022 5 hours ago, M2m said: No surprise and given that LEGO offered the botched 4.3.12 version on their website showed for a long time how much they cared - not a tiny bit.Ā Ā Anyway. People should make copies of 4.3.11 and host it somewhere, so there exist a backup of this abandon wareĀ Is version 4.3.11 for Windows currently available anywhere? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, Graupensuppe said: Is version 4.3.11 for Windows currently available anywhere? https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153357/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_11.exe setupldd-pc-4_3_11.exe SHA1SUM: b5b6ce195c6e579bd91c5da37a1482c0d4bf786b SetupLDD-MAC-4_3_11.zip: SHA1SUM: cab24d575ba4a62672c2e7a7ce45c8a55cd3bf3a setupldd-pc-4_3_12.exe (botched version) SHA1SUM: caca02f468c26c26efe4af19d43a824ab38f62a4Ā Ā Ā Edited January 13, 2022 by M2m Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anothergol Posted January 13, 2022 What does the 4.3.12 version do? Isn't the 4.3.11 version the "bad" one, basically the same as 4.3.10 (which might make more sense to share), but with a failing online check at the beginning? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) 16 minutes ago, anothergol said: What does the 4.3.12 version do? Isn't the 4.3.11 version the "bad" one, basically the same as 4.3.10 (which might make more sense to share), but with a failing online check at the beginning? 4.3.12 has a bad parts library and is missing a lot of parts. You can see from the file sizes: setupldd-pc-4_3_11.exe: 326.6MB setupldd-pc-4_3_12.exe: 163.9MB (50% less) The thing is, its only the installer which is name 4_3_12. After intallation it reports 4.3.11, but with a different parts library version. To make things worse, a simple uninstall of the botched version and re-install of the good 4.3.11 will not help, as the 4.3.12 uninstall will keep files and also messing with the install of the good version. Steps to solve: Uninstall Lego Digital Designer Delete this folder also (otherwise a reinstall will not work): C:\Users\<YOUR USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer Get theĀ setupldd-pc-4_3_11.exe version of LDD This botched update certainly did confuse / drive away alot of LDD users and Lego didn't care In my personal experience 4.3.11 is the best version - definitely not 4.3.12. If you are interested in other versions: https://web.archive.org/web/20190622155622/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_2_5.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622154657/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_5.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622154454/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_6.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622154238/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_7.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153820/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_8.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153721/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_9.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153540/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupldd-pc-4_3_10.exe https://web.archive.org/web/20190622153357/https://lc-www-live-s.legocdn.com/downloads/ldd2.0/installer/setupLDD-PC-4_3_11.exe Edited January 13, 2022 by M2m Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anothergol Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) And no one knows why Lego remove parts? Ā 22 hours ago, M2m said: In my personal experience 4.3.11 is the best version - definitely not 4.3.12. ļ»æ Are you sure that 4.3.11 isn't exactly the same as 4.3.10, but with the added online startup (failing) check, thus one more button to press at launch? Ā Ā Edited January 14, 2022 by anothergol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zweifuss Posted January 17, 2022 I'm so sad Lego decided to do this. I love the simplicity of LDD, Studio runs like terrible on my PC, and it's just not as much fun, for lack of a better word. Wish we could somehow have the best of both worlds (good interface with new parts). Luckily some people have been adding new parts to LDD on this very forum, this saves us for now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idlemarvel Posted January 18, 2022 I'm new to all this but FYI I just installed LDD from the official Lego site and it is version 4.3.11 (and Brick version 777 whatever that means).Ā The page had links to the BrickLinks offering.Ā LDD installed with no problems on my Windows 10 laptop, with some message about not having access to some online resource, but it didn't seem to matter,Ā When I started it, it said it couldn't find the Flex licence so you have to manually navigate to the install directory to find the .LIC file.Ā Once that was done I could load an .LXF file i had downloaded from Rebrickable and run through the build steps, which was the reason I wanted to install LDD in the first place.Ā I haven't tried to do any design work with it.Ā Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Calabar Posted January 19, 2022 @idlemarvel Brick Version 777 is installed with 4.3.12, so you have the 4.3.12 even though the about panel displays 4.3.11. Unluckily .12 is a very bad version, with a reduced brickset, you could have problems to open bricks coming from Rebrickable or other sources. So don't hesitate to completely remove it and install the true .11, you should easily find a link and instructions to install it here in the forum. Note that this community is active in supporting LDD and add new bricks and decorations. You can install these extra brick if you are interested. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idlemarvel Posted January 29, 2022 On 1/19/2022 at 2:21 PM, Calabar said: @idlemarvel Brick Version 777 is installed with 4.3.12, so you have the 4.3.12 even though the about panel displays 4.3.11. Unluckily .12 is a very bad version, with a reduced brickset, you could have problems to open bricks coming from Rebrickable or other sources. So don't hesitate to completely remove it and install the true .11, you should easily find a link and instructions to install it here in the forum. Note that this community is active in supporting LDD and add new bricks and decorations. You can install these extra brick if you are interested. Thanks for the tip @Calabar, I'll reinstall the true .11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted January 29, 2022 11 minutes ago, idlemarvel said: Thanks for the tip @Calabar, I'll reinstall the true .11 Just be sure to do the following - otherwise a reinstall will not work! Uninstall Lego Digital Designer Delete this folder also (otherwise a reinstall will not work): C:\Users\<YOUR USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idlemarvel Posted January 29, 2022 20 minutes ago, M2m said: Just be sure to do the following - otherwise a reinstall will not work! Uninstall Lego Digital Designer Delete this folder also (otherwise a reinstall will not work): C:\Users\<YOUR USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\LEGO Company\LEGO Digital Designer Thanks @M2mĀ fortunately I had already done that and the true 4.3.11 has been installed successfully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naijel Posted January 30, 2022 If this works this is a god send! I'd been so frustrated with them borking the latest download. So utterly confusing and unprofessional that that happened. Ā Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rustinidiel Posted February 2, 2022 (edited) LDD , for me, is the best: easy to use, working perfectly (in the most cases) with the flexing/rotating parts... and with the awesome work of the community, updating the part list with new models, and with the usefull help of @M2mĀ i can continue to use that old, but awesome software! Stud.io for me has a lot of potential (better graphic, incorporated render system), but until the interface and the usability will not change (becoming easy as LDD), i continue to dislike it. Ā P.S.: i dont know if the following thing is possible or not... but, if Lego would share a freeware license of LDD, maybe the community would update and share more easly the custom versions... Edited February 2, 2022 by Rustinidiel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shroud Posted February 5, 2022 On 1/13/2022 at 3:13 AM, Murdoch17 said: Well, I honestly don't know what to do. I have tried studio and don't like it / understand it, and converting all 5,540 LDD files I have is impossible. I thought 2022 would be better for me than 2021 and 2020, and now I have lost something I've used since 2005. You can import into Studio and Im sure someone will create a batch converter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M2m Posted February 5, 2022 On 1/13/2022 at 3:13 AM, Murdoch17 said: Well, I honestly don't know what to do. I have tried studio and don't like it / understand it, and converting all 5,540 LDD files I have is impossible. I thought 2022 would be better for me than 2021 and 2020, and now I have lost something I've used since 2005. You can continue to use LDD - thats what I do. It works on Windows 10 (and I guess 11) without issues. On macOS you are more in a pain (I am), because you can't upgrade your OS without loosing it. It does work with Wine however. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
