Calabar

Are you sure about the CPU? The i7-4700MQ is widely oversized for your needs, you don't need to add money for the CPU (unless you need advanced virtualization instructions). The screen size depends on how mach you have to move the laptop. If you don't move it too much 15" is good, if you move it often I think that 14" is too much, but it could be a good compromise if you need a screen that is not too small (but it is a compromise!). What's the resolution of the 13", 14" and 15"? The SSD is good (even if in the same segment I would prefer the hight end plextor solution), but you can save some money taking something less "extreme" such as a mid-range like Crucial M500, Samsung 840 EVO or Plextor M5S. Remember you are buying a laptop, not an hight performance desktop PC.

It seems a bit overbudget, and the price is in USD: the user is British, and he should be able to get the laptop in England. Does the vendor sells in UK too? I saw the config, and I think that a game oriented video card such as the GTX 880M is really excessive. Besides that machine has an m-sata slot, and choose a WD Black instead than an m-sata SSD + a storage hard disk (such as a WD green or red) is a lost great opportunity. The CPU is good for gaming, but for other purpose you can make a better choice. It is a great gaming machine, but not much suitable for user's needs. The "turbo" is nothing you can decide to use or manage (you can disable it, obviously, but it is done for benchmarking purpose). Simply the CPU increase his frequency according to the kind of task and the heat/consumption monitoring. So for example if the task uses only two cores and it is not too intensive, frequency can easily lift up over 3GHz. The 2,4 GHz is only indicative, the real frequency is determined instant by instant according to the present situation. Obviously, with a multi threaded and intensive task, the frequency can drop until 2,4 GHz to avoid the CPU exceed the TDP or become too hot.

I think that the i7-4700MQ is probably more powerful than needed. You don't need to spend more money for an upgrade. @legolijntje: it is a quad core (4c/8t) on a mobile device, and there is the "turbo" (maximum frequency is 3,4 ghz). If you don't need "portability" from you laptop (i.e. light, slim, long lasting battery, low heat, etc...) probably the 15" is the best choice: you can have a numpad and the space for some extra expansion slots, for example an m-sata slot (check if the laptop have it) that allow you to install both the standard hard drive and an m-sata SSD without removing the DVD drive. PS: an hybrid disk or SSHD is a standard hard drive with an SSD cache. This combination usually grant good performances and a good storage space. I hope the screen resolution is higher than 1366x768. A good thing would be a display with a better technology than the usual TN (an IPS for example). Anyway the laptop is a bit "oversized" for the use you described above. Besides you can obtain similar results with 7-800 £ (but obviously not the same quality). Maybe you could start to use the power of such a machine if you decide to render images of creations made with LDD/LDRAW&CO, but usually laptops are not adequate for this kind of tasks (because of heat dissipation issues).

@legofan1978 You have to use an external file hosting site. There are LEGO related services that are free, affordable and allow hotlinks, such as brickshelf and bricksafe.

It is not so strange, Dropbox is a cloud service, and share images and cad files with direct links is not its goal. That's a pity anyway, because it was a good added value for this service. I suggest you to move all your lego related files to specific hosting sites, that allow hotlink without problems. The most used here are brickshelf and bricksafe. If you have entries in the LDD official sets topic, please use one of that, because it is important to have direct links of lxf files for maintenance. Don't forget to update the links in your posts.

Yes, now screenshots are much better! You can obtain even better results taking the shot at higher resolution possible and then downscaling the image. The following step is to render the image using LDD2Powray software. About buying bricks, bricklink is not a shop, but a sales distribution chain. The question is not if bricklink is trustworthy, but if the single seller is. And usually they are affordable. I bought many times from bricklink without problems. Other way to recover bricks could be: pick a brick on lego site (very few bricks available), buy bricks on ebay, contact some vendor in forum/facebook or other places where people discuss about LEGO, exchange parts with other AFOLs, wandering around flea markets, ransack neighbours' cellar... But usually bricklink is the best place where to buy single parts.

If colours are not a problem for you, I think that there are not problems with your model: you can order parts from bricklink shops (or elsewhere, if you find any other way). About sharing the lxf file, I think that sharing our digital creations is a good part of the fun. If you fear someone will steal your model, the date of your post here (and in other places) is a good proof, but you can take other precautions if you want (send an email and leave it on a mail server or even send the model to the appropriate institute in your Country).

I like the model, but I think it is impossible to realize it in real life because of the uncommon colours you choose for many parts. As some other user says, probably a great number of parts doesn't exist as real bricks with that colours. As the model is interesting, you could open a topic in the sci-fi section to show your work. If your computer allows that, you could improve graphic settings (from LDD options) to create some higher quality screenshot: the spelling with advanced shading and outlined bricks is much better. Do you think to share the lxf file? PS: I suggest you to edit the post you made in the LDD Manager topic to avoid crossposting.

ldd2pov can already add decorations if the surface of the brick supports decorations in LDD. Otherwise the decoration is added using and image editor. PS: there is a specific topic where to discuss about ldd2powray, maybe this discussion will be moved there.

can you take and share a screenshot of your LDD options?

From LDD options. Or maybe you updated your video card drivers? You have to take the screenshot in edit mode (the one with the studs grill as a base).

Maybe you changed graphic settings of LDD? Try to figure out what happened among the first screenshot and the second.

It seems that in the second picture you lost the alpha layer. Maybe you resized the image using a software that don't support 32 bit images? Or are you referring to the untouched images generated from LDD?

@JediCharles I didn't noticed you shared your image as attachment. Attachment function of the forum is very limited, I suggest you to use a file hosting site instead. For example BrickShelf and BrickSafe are perfect solution to share LEGO creations, because you can host both images and lxf files and hotlink them.

You simply have to create the HTML instructions, that contains the BOM (Bill Of Materials) Maybe in the latest versions of LDD some other method has been added. If you need to have the list in order to buy bricks on bricklink, you can use LDD Manager software.

I've built the main models in LDD, and main parts are available. You need to replace something, but there should not be problems to play with it.

Index updated with informations reported until here.

Index updated. 83 Sets has been added to the index (4 alternative, 10 duplicate, 0 incomplete). Check your sets and report errors or inaccuracies in the index, if any! No irregular sets this time. Check the list and fix your irregular sets if any! 1 new Themes added Topic's Rules Updated. Please read that again, new updates are marked by a tag! New contributors JediCharles - 1 sets Monkey2371 - 1 sets Top contributors vean - 44 sets penguinz - 13 sets mzoli - 9 sets marco9999 - 8 sets Stephan - 4 sets Gnac - 2 sets Monkey2371 - 1 sets JediCharles - 1 sets BEAVeR - 1 sets List of Irregular Sets: TEH EPIC BUILDER! - 1357 - Cameraman - Set Details and Image Missing Bonehead74 - 6228 - Thornraxx - Details Missing, LXF missing, Image Missing supergenius1337 - 6862 - Secret Space Voyager - Image Oversized and Uncropped, Unclear Set's data - Minifigs missing PerryMakes - 10222 - Winter Village Post Office - Image Oversized - Minifigs missing stark mark 5 - 9488 - Elite Clone Trooper & Commando Droid Battle Pack - Image Oversized cpt. Fist - 8856 - Whirlwind Rescue - Image Missing pauldk - 483 - Alpha-1 Rocket Base - LXF missing, Image and LXF links broken DenJansen - 7191 - X-wing Fighter - UCS - Link to the .lxf file is wrong bbqqq - 4000001 - LEGO Inside Tour (LIT) Exclusive 2011 Edition - Moulding Machines - Not built using official instructions merman - 42004 - Mini Backhoe - Image Oversized. LXF Missing. Gear_tooth - 21008 - Burj Khalifa - Image Oversized Lance - 7976 - Ocean Speeder - LXF missing, Image Oversized, Image Uncropped merman - 8065 - Mini Container Truck - Image Oversized retroelectro666 - 21005 - Fallingwater - LXF missing, Image Oversized, un-highlighted set data elmerohueso - 8297 - Off Roader - Image Oversized, Unclear and un-highlighted set data elmerohueso - 10213 - Shuttle Adventure - Image Oversized JunkstyleGio - 4841 - Hogwarts Express (3rd edition) - Enchanted Car only - un-highlighted set data bbqqq - LIT2009 - LEGO Inside Tour (LIT) Exclusive 2009 Edition - Ole Kirk's House - aka 4000007. Not built using official instructions omergalagever - n/a - Build a Lemonade Stand - Image oversized and uncropped Sir Brickalot - 30183 - Little Car - Image uncropped, LXF corrupted. legoboyvdlp - 71002 - Minifigure Series 11 - Irregular Post, LXF file Unreachable. wipeoutzone - 8060 - Typhoon Turbo Sub - Irregular Post blitzard - 9441 - Kai's Blade Cycle - LXF missing, Image uncropped blitzard - 9591 - Weapon Pack - LXF missing, Image uncropped blitzard - 70500 - Kai's Fire Mech - LXF missing, Image uncropped wlid - comcon030 - JEK-14 Mini Stealth Starfighter - San Diego Comic-Con 2013 Exclusive - Image uncropped mikul - 6679 - Dark Shark - Image Oversized, Image not a Screenshot omergalagever - n/a - Build a Camping Tent - Image oversized and uncropped Sir Brickalot - 30260 - Lone Ranger's Pump Car - Image uncropped, LXF corrupted. omergalagever - n/a - Beagle - Image oversized and uncropped Luigi700 - 6703 - Minifig Pack - Image oversized Stephan - 4000008 - Villy Thomsen Truck (LEGO Inside Tour Exclusive) - Unreleased Set omergalagever - 30222 - Police Helicopter - Irregular Image, Unhighlighted set's data, approsimative error list omergalagever - 70104 - Jungle Gates - Image oversized and uncropped. jcrosser - 30222 - Police Helicopter - Image Oversized desrs6 - 6516 - Moon Walker - Irregular Image. Inferno986return - 6094 - Guarded Treasury - Image oversized

Exactly Then I reproduced all the external parts except the left and the right panel (I can't detect the black parts that supports the curved bricks 47457) and I've some doubt about the nose. But the main problem remains the internal structure.

As it seems that xenologer is not available at the moment, does anyone tried to build these alternate models? I recreate some parts of the red one basing my work on the images, but I've difficulties to figure out the inner part. Any help?

Hi Monkey2371, welcome in the LDD Official Sets topic. The entry is very good, only two remarks: - Avoid to use the attachment function of the forum. You can hos both lxf files and images in lego file hosting sites such as brickshelf and bricksafe. - The image is cropped, but try a better crop next time, removing all the blank borders. Thanks ;)

Hi JediCharles, Welcome in the official sets topic (and in Eurobricks too, it seems!) and thanks for the perfectly regular entry. Only one suggestion: you can use the original PNG format for image instead than JPG for better details and maintain transparency.

That's the right place, thanks for reporting this issue. @Stephan When done, please inform me including links to the impeached posts.

@bbqqq Thanks for the files, very useful. Anyway the goal of the request was to create a palette containing the right decorations applied to the right bricks. Surely that require much more work, but the not up-to-date lxf file of Aanchir in the first page could be a good start. Probably the best way is to create a text file that couple bricks and decorations, and a script that generate the lxf file starting from it. Do you think you are able to create and share this script? PS: it seems It is not possible to access your flickr page without some kind of login. Could you direct link the original size image too?

Maybe the bluish plate at the extreme left of the second line that appears here? That plate don't appear in the lxf file, and the image contains 169 bricks.