LDD 4.2.5 is out

[Superkalle]

It should be noted that not all parts on LDD mode exist in the colors they appear in. I believe they are colored so as to be inspiring and appealing, but not necessarily realistic.

Well, that is the odd thing; because all the parts actually have ElementID's. So I guess at some point in time they were registed in the LEGO part database and assigned an ElementID. Perhaps they were made in small batches for internal testing, or just as placeholders for parts-to-be, or maybe for LEGOLand use?

Here is an example of such an odd colored brick:

3937 ROCKER BEARING in Transparent Green...with ElementID 393748

Actually, looking through the palette, there are actually quite a few of these "odd ones" whre the ones that are sticking out are the transparent colored, like with 4229 and 2417.

[LeaderOne]

Do anybody knows if the frame for long time missing window 1x4x5 (part 2493) is going to be included later? I can see that the glass for it is in this new version, but nowhere to fit it. I use that part a lot in architecture models but haven't seen it in the latter versions of LDD.

[Masta' Blasta']

It should be noted that not all parts on LDD mode exist in the colors they appear in. I believe they are colored so as to be inspiring and appealing, but not necessarily realistic.

Some colors seem incorrect, such as the new Hero Core coming in purple...

EDIT: Just saw Superkalle's post. I assume that theory is possible, but some do seem a bit odd.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Masta' Blasta'

[shmails]

I have to say that I am pretty disappointed in this new version. The inclusion of items in colors that do not exist for us to actually use if we want to actually build the model is absurd. Carrot tops in white and parrots in purple?!? The addition of way too many items in the regular LDD mode makes it exhausting to scroll through 100's of pieces I cannot buy from LEGO and some of which are not available at all.

What I loved about the older version was that I could build a model in LDD mode with readily available bricks and then switch over to extended to find out which few rarer parts I needed to get. This new melange of new, old and fictional pieces is what the extended version was made for. Do you really think this is easier to use for a younger fan than something that only gives you 10 legs to choose from instead of the list now? Couldn't there have been a happy medium? It seems like it would be overwhelming and become tiresome for a child to wade through all these options. Maybe I am wrong, but that is how I see it.

Sorry if I am ranting, but I really love designing my mocs in LDD first, and this just seems like the same thing as pulling out my shoeboxes full of bricks to find the few pieces I need. Oh well, can't go backwards!

[mrklaw]

I don't understand the difference between LDD mode and extended mode.

Extended mode has more bricks....so LDD mode doesn't have all the bricks that are available, so its limited. But then it has too many colours, so its extended...

There should absolutely be a way to tell LDD to 'only show legitimate parts' - whether you're in LDD or extended mode.

And it'd be nice to have not only a parts list, but a parts list you can export for use in brick link etc.

[Calabar]

I'm thinking the reason why we have those strangely coloured bricks in LDD mode is that soon we will see an update of available bricks in PaB.

So don't worry, wait some days to see if the LDD mode will provide available bricks only.

[Superkalle]

I don't understand the difference between LDD mode and extended mode.

Extended mode has more bricks....so LDD mode doesn't have all the bricks that are available, so its limited. But then it has too many colours, so its extended...

There should absolutely be a way to tell LDD to 'only show legitimate parts' - whether you're in LDD or extended mode.

You should defintetly contact LEGO customer services and let them know about this weird situation! The new LDD palette is certianly very odd with so many pieces that have never been produced in that color . They could have made the palette 1/4th of the size it is today and only included high volume parts/color combinations, specially since bricks are not possible to order anyway. And that there is no connection from LDD to PickABrick seems to be making a lot of people confused.

[eastpole]

Hey ! it sounds like nobody noticed the new HTML building guide with an accurate parts list at the end

Speaking of the HTML Building Instructions. Looks like it's still not possible to zoom in the instruction images so that they can fill out the complete HTML page. I still feel the HTML images are too small.

[Mencot]

Have to download this and check it out for my self whats the buzz about this new version.

[Scorpion]

I agree - only DbM is closing. PaB is still open for business.

Jesus Megablocks Christ, I almost had a heart attack back there! Thanks for clearing that up!

[Stephan]

I really like the variety of new bricks. They're usefull

[Logan McOwen]

I know you've given a list, but can we have a pic of new parts please? All these numbers mean nothing to me at the moment :/

[Superkalle]

I know you've given a list, but can we have a pic of new parts please? All these numbers mean nothing to me at the moment :/

There is a post here with a LXF to download. Then you can view the new bricks in interactive 3D

[Sjuip]

EDIT: @Aliewar9. I don't know about the thing Sjuip mentioned. He has to explain I guess

@Aliewar9 & @Superkalle: here is a little explanation.

In the thread for Official Sets, there are some sets featuring the RC Train Wheel 57999. For instance 10194 Emerald Night.

Most of these LXFs have been build with an older version of LDD (before 4.1.8) when the Wheel was in there. In 4.1.8, these LXFs opened with the statement that some bricks (i.e. the RC Train Wheels) were removed. In 4.2.5, this statement also occurs, despite the (happy) fact that the wheel has returned.

Therefore, LDD builders still have to find the wheel and put it back on the model themselves. Which is a pity .

[Sjuip]

And here is a LXF file with all the fixed bugs.

Superkalle, I found that another bug has been fixed , which is not mentioned in your file.

The Shield Box 2578 problem (discussed here) is fixed in LDD 4.2.

In the near future I will update my LXF of Set 7242.

[alienwar9]

Thank you for the clarification. Silly me, I thought you meant editing the LXF file's code to change the pieces.

Yes, it is a pity for trains. And an absolute NIGHTMARE for super large LDD builds.

eh, LDD has made me do worse.

[shmails]

I'm thinking the reason why we have those strangely coloured bricks in LDD mode is that soon we will see an update of available bricks in PaB.

So don't worry, wait some days to see if the LDD mode will provide available bricks only.

I do not see that, and I am not sure how you came to that conclusion. Do you think we will be getting every torso in every blank color that lego has at PAB? Or a 4x18 brick in blue? How about a wagon wheel in green?

As far as I know, LEGO does not like the PAB system. They thought it was going to be a way for people to buy bulk bricks and it turned into a packing and processing nightmare for them. I cannot see them adding thousands of new items which will do nothing but add to their headaches. This feels like a Microsoft model for releasing new material. Instead of testing, getting beta feedback, and fixing all bugs, they hear the screams for something new and get it out there. Again, maybe I am wrong, but this is the sense I get.

[Shroud]

Part 2507 has finally been added \o/ I know this was mentioned before but yay!

[AndyC]

Instead of testing, getting beta feedback, and fixing all bugs, they hear the screams for something new and get it out there. Again, maybe I am wrong, but this is the sense I get.

Well I think it's more a case that a deadline was set for the removal of the DbM service and the existing LDD had to be tweaked to remove those features. I suspect they wanted to retain some of the "ease of use" of the standard mode, rather than simply exposing the full Extended Mode setup and just picked a bunch of bricks to allow that. Any sort of more complicated redesign of the featureset probably has to wait for LDD5.

[shmails]

Well I think it's more a case that a deadline was set for the removal of the DbM service and the existing LDD had to be tweaked to remove those features. I suspect they wanted to retain some of the "ease of use" of the standard mode, rather than simply exposing the full Extended Mode setup and just picked a bunch of bricks to allow that. Any sort of more complicated redesign of the featureset probably has to wait for LDD5.

Right, and this is the Microsoft-esque move I was talking about. Higher ups demand something by a specific date instead of saying "let's get it right". As you said, they know there will be another version, so who cares if this one is a bit messed up. Just get it out there and we will deal with the issues later, our customers will just have to deal with it. Every company that produces electronic entertainment does the same thing, and I am a bit sick of it.

[Logan McOwen]

There is a post here with a LXF to download. Then you can view the new bricks in interactive 3D

Thanks!

[James Mathis]

Anyone know what the "send" button does?

This "send" button is located in the upper right corner below the "build", "view", and "building guide" icons.

When I click "send", get a message that the model is being up-loaded to LEGO.com, then screen area within LDD goes blank (brick palette and model disappear), then the LDD screen repopulates. No further dialog box pops up nor does any web page to a LEGO/LDD/gallery popup. Maybe this "send" feature is a remnant of the Design byME removal? Or, hopefully, and I speculate with great hope, that the "send" button remains as a place-holder for us to upload the model for some way in which to buy the parts from Pick-a-Brick.

I, too, wish that the palette in basic LDD mode reflected the inventory of parts available from Pick-a-Brick.

Thanks for having this discussion.

-James Mathis

[Aanchir]

Right, and this is the Microsoft-esque move I was talking about. Higher ups demand something by a specific date instead of saying "let's get it right". As you said, they know there will be another version, so who cares if this one is a bit messed up. Just get it out there and we will deal with the issues later, our customers will just have to deal with it. Every company that produces electronic entertainment does the same thing, and I am a bit sick of it.

What alternative would you have preferred, in this case? After all, the deadline for DesignByMe closing probably wasn't chosen arbitrarily. DesignByMe is more than computer data; it's a physical service that TLG was providing. And they couldn't exactly keep providing it for longer to allow more time for the LDD team to program a replacement when the service was costing them money.

Furthermore, keep in mind some people might like the new basic mode. I've encountered a lot of people who have difficulty working in LDD Extended mode but still want a wider variety of parts and colors to build with. So the new LDD could easily fulfill that requirement. It's not like TLG ever made any promises about DesignByMe's replacement having only purchasable bricks, and I'm sure there are many people who neither expect it to or care if it doesn't.

Personally, I too would prefer if in the future the new LDD were adjusted to have only parts that appeared in sets. After all, many of the parts are already ones that appeared in sets, and many of those that don't appear in sets could quite genuinely be mistakes-- as Superkalle points out, they could be parts that were produced in test runs and never released, or produced for things like LEGOLAND parks (and as I've seen from browsing service.LEGO.com, TLG's database seems to make little distinction between parts produced for sets and unreleased parts).

Having mostly parts that appear in sets but then an assortment of parts that never appeared in sets, like the various transparent skeleton parts, could lead to unnecessary confusion. But it's not as though the LDD team is taking a massive gamble with the satisfaction of its users by testing to see if this new basic mode will be what it takes to get users excited about LDD. In fact, it looks to me like this new, colorful mode of LDD could better meet the expectations of a new user of the program, plus help users understand TLG's color palette (which is of course something I'd support ).

[shmails]

What alternative would you have preferred, in this case? After all, the deadline for DesignByMe closing probably wasn't chosen arbitrarily. DesignByMe is more than computer data; it's a physical service that TLG was providing. And they couldn't exactly keep providing it for longer to allow more time for the LDD team to program a replacement when the service was costing them money.

Furthermore, keep in mind some people might like the new basic mode. I've encountered a lot of people who have difficulty working in LDD Extended mode but still want a wider variety of parts and colors to build with. So the new LDD could easily fulfill that requirement. It's not like TLG ever made any promises about DesignByMe's replacement having only purchasable bricks, and I'm sure there are many people who neither expect it to or care if it doesn't.

Personally, I too would prefer if in the future the new LDD were adjusted to have only parts that appeared in sets. After all, many of the parts are already ones that appeared in sets, and many of those that don't appear in sets could quite genuinely be mistakes-- as Superkalle points out, they could be parts that were produced in test runs and never released, or produced for things like LEGOLAND parks (and as I've seen from browsing service.LEGO.com, TLG's database seems to make little distinction between parts produced for sets and unreleased parts).

Having mostly parts that appear in sets but then an assortment of parts that never appeared in sets, like the various transparent skeleton parts, could lead to unnecessary confusion. But it's not as though the LDD team is taking a massive gamble with the satisfaction of its users by testing to see if this new basic mode will be what it takes to get users excited about LDD. In fact, it looks to me like this new, colorful mode of LDD could better meet the expectations of a new user of the program, plus help users understand TLG's color palette (which is of course something I'd support ).

In no way was I trying to say that those that do like the new look are wrong, only that to me it is disappointing.

I would have updated in two patches. The first would erase the design by me functions, then, later on when the palette is perfected and beta feedback is positive a second one that updates the palettes and other functions. The more you try to pack into one update, the more that slips through the cracks.

I agree that this new look may appeal to newcomers to the program. That does not mean they could not have added a go between mode. LDD would remain as it was, with basic bricks and items available from PAB. Extended modes is what it is, and there would be a "dream mode" in between with fantasy bricks that are in the database but not available to the public. Seems logical to me, but I am one person, not a corporation trying to appease the masses.

[Man with a hat]

@Aliewar9 & @Superkalle: here is a little explanation.

In the thread for Official Sets, there are some sets featuring the RC Train Wheel 57999. For instance 10194 Emerald Night.

Most of these LXFs have been build with an older version of LDD (before 4.1.8) when the Wheel was in there. In 4.1.8, these LXFs opened with the statement that some bricks (i.e. the RC Train Wheels) were removed. In 4.2.5, this statement also occurs, despite the (happy) fact that the wheel has returned.

Therefore, LDD builders still have to find the wheel and put it back on the model themselves. Which is a pity .

Whoohoo! Now my Emerald night is finished.

Yes, the small trains were already gone in the previous update. But now you can actually put them on the tracks.

I am happy

Edited January 19, 2012 by Man with a hat