vynsane

Thanks, Superkalle! Yes, I'd imagine something like this would make deliveries pretty quickly! I made some modifications to the 'standard' for the modules, adding two more rows of module 'hardpoints' - one towards the top and one at the very bottom, in addition to the one already existing. I've updated the files here: "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle - UPDATED "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (GHL Livery) "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (color-coded modules) "Watashimori" Class Passenger Shuttle by vynsane, on Flickr "Watashimori" Class Modular Passenger Shuttle (Exploded View) by vynsane, on Flickr Evolving out of the versatile modular platform introduced in the "Niuma" Class Light Cargo Shuttle, the "Watashimori" (Japanese for "Ferryman") features, in addition to the cockpit, step-up collar and rear access hatch from its predecessor, a cabin compartment accommodating 12 passengers with bulkhead pressure doors at either end and four "Firedemon" engines connected via a new wing module for clearance/visibility. An order of five shuttles painted to match the livery of Finland Spacelines offers service from Helsinki Spaceport to ISS 5, 7 and 9 as well as the Lunar colony located at the Sea of Tranquility every 45 minutes during peak hours. Contact Finland Spacelines Customer Service for off-peak timetables or download them straight into your neural cortical implant by thinking "Finland Spacelines Off-peak Schedule" now. LDD Files "Watashimori" Class Modular Passenger Shuttle (Finland Spacelines Livery) "Watashimori" Class Passenger Shuttle (Exploded View)

"LDD" mode simply allows you to build with bricks that are currently available via Pick-a-Brick online. It's comprised of elements in colors that are available for purchase. "LDD Extended" mode has many more elements, including legacy pieces that are no longer in production (like the old angle plates with the 1x1 cutouts, finger hinge plates, etc) which can be "painted" any color you choose (even if that element never existed in that color) giving you much more flexibility, but the downfall is that you could easily use non-existent pieces. I wish there was a middle-ground where you could build something out of any pieces available, but only use colors that those pieces truly exist in.

Thanks a lot! Yeah, I'm excited, too!

It seemed the next logical extension of the Modular Starfighter system to branch out into larger spacefaring craft. This first design leans heavily on the look of Star Trek shuttles, with engine nacelles akimbo, sloping front windscreen and angled rear access. Just as was the case with the Modular Starfighter, I foresee a lot of variations/expansions of this new platform. "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (GHL Livery) by vynsane, on Flickr "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (Exploded) by vynsane, on Flickr With the unprecedented performance of the "Firedemon" engine modules developed for the "Oni" and "Ryu" starfighter, Tanuki Corp. began to target segments of the spacecraft market previously unexplored by the company. The inaugural offering from this new line of Modular Spacecraft, the "Niuma" (Japanese for "Packhorse") Class Light Cargo Shuttle proved a very reliable and popular intra-solar-system delivery vehicle for Galactic Handling and Logistics (GHL) as well as other parcel delivery companies. With a crew compliment of two, a spacious cargo area and large rear loading door/ramp, the features are utilitarian but accommodating enough to endear it in the hearts of those who fly it. The new module format lends itself to many configurations ranging from this light cargo shuttle, to passenger shuttles, luxury space yachts, and large public transport craft as well as military applications such as gunboats and dropships. The highly configurable/customizable nature has also attracted the attention of smugglers and bounty hunters as well, though most render the factory parts nearly unrecognizable, being surrounded by aftermarket and/or one-off custom modules built to personal spec. LDD Files "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (GHL Livery) "Niuma" Class Modular Light Cargo Shuttle (color-coded modules)

To be fair, the search feature leaves much to be desired. I've searched for words that have returned basically every single brick.

"Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery by vynsane, on Flickr "Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery Phase II of the development of the "Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter was the introduction of a variant including FTL capabilities using the previously-developed (and, subsequently stolen) StarDrive module. Tanuki Corp. was behind the 8-ball, developing new prototype StarDrive modules from schematics and raw data alone, since the original physical prototype was commandeered by Blacktron agents. After a short development and shake-down period, the newly-christened "Gen 2 StarDrive" modules were unveiled. Lessons learned in the development of the first version led to breakthroughs in energy conservation leading to a 50% gain in FTL speed. Coupled with the extra power output generated by the extended fuselage on the "Ryu" Class SSF, this meant for an over-all 75% increase in top-speed. Other than the addition of these four Gen-2 StarDrive modules, the configuration remains the same as the "Ryu" Class. The new configuration, dubbed the "Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special has already had success in defeating it's primary target: The Blacktron "Transgressor". Since the "Transgressor" relies on StarDrive modules for both conventional and FTL spaceflight, it is no match for the velocity and handling capabilities of the "Ryu/Tokkan's" "Firedemon" engine modules during conventional spaceflight, and the "Transgressor's" first-gen, barely tested, glitch-prone StarDrive modules are not nearly as powerful as the more durable and efficient gen-two StarDrive modules mated to the "Ryu/Tokkan". SOP for the Pursuit Specials is to arrive at the scene of any "Transgressor" engagement through the use of FTL flight. Once there, they can out-maneuver the attackers during the primary engagement until such time as the "Transgressor" activates its StarDrive. Once the "Transgressor" has jumped, the "Ryu/Tokkan" will plot out the trajectory and projected endpoint of the jump, activate its own StarDrive, and beat the "Transgressor" to its final destination, where it can re-engage and disable it. In the short time it has been in service, this tactic has led to the "Ryu/Tokkan" brining no less than twelve "Transgressors" and their pilots to justice. LDD Files "Ryu/Tokkan" Class Pursuit Special, Space Police Livery "Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition by vynsane, on Flickr "Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition Tanuki Corp. introduces its fastest-ever (conventional propulsion) production starfighter, the "Seiryu" Class Superfighter. Featuring four "firedemon" engine modules mated to the longest fuselage extender/power generator module available, benchmark testing reveals 400% thrust output compared to the base model "Oni" Class Defender that first introduced this engine. To commemorate this momentous occasion, Tanuki Corp. has produced a scant 100 of these "Special Edition" fighters featuring the unique blue and green color scheme inspired by its namesake (Seiryu being the Japanese word for Azure, or Blue-green, Dragon). Production models will be available in the standard array of colors, and can be painted to specification for a nominal fee dependent on quantity ordered. LDD Files "Seiryu" Class Superfighter, Special Edition (Blue/Green color scheme) "Seiryu" Class Superfighter (Color-coded modules)

Just as a caveat, I tried to open Alienwar's MAWLR (just the MAWLR, not the entire scene) and LDD crashed on me. It's probably because of the high-quality rendering/outlines, and possibly because I was trying to do so on an external 24" monitor, which seems to make it respond slower.

Runs fantastically on my 17" MBP (Early 2011) 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 with 4GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6750M (1024 MB VRAM) in 10.7/Lion. I work with brick outlines on, high-quality rendering of bricks in scene, and don't experience any real slow-down. You should be good to go with any MacBook model.

I think they need to subdivide some of the categories, the "minifigure" category especially. It's just a beast. It should be broken out into "body parts" (heads, torsos, legs), "head coverings" (perhaps even further broken out into "hair", "hats" and "other"), "hand-held accessories" (weapons, tools) and "neck accessories" (backpacks, chest armor, capes, etc). There are also a couple of "catch-all" categories where it seems they just dump things that don't fit into other categories - the ones denoted by the "steering wheel" and "control stick/small antenna" most notably. These could also be broken up into smaller sub-sets. For example, one category could house all the LEGO animals (snake, rat, horse, ostrich, etc...)

^ I realized a bit later that I got the "bee stripes" reversed... oh, well... This one is basically a "souped-up muscle car" version of the previous design. "Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter, Space Police Livery by vynsane, on Flickr With the breakout success of the "Oni" Class Defender, Space Police Command requested a new Space Superiority Fighter to directly counter the threat posed by the Blacktron "Transgressor". Since the agency's investigation into the theft of the original prototype vehicle that would become the Transgressor implicated Tanuki Corp. for gross negligence in the background check practices for office maintenance and janitorial personnel, the company was more than happy to oblige the request - and at only a 10% markup on R&D and materials costs. The resultant starfighter paired the same "Firedemon" engine modules from the "Oni" Defender with an extended fuselage via a newly-developed wing module. The enhanced power output provided by the fuselage extender module coupled with the already impressive "Firedemon" power consumption/output ratio provided a 50% increase in top-speed and 75% increase in acceleration. The new wing module, separating the engines from the fuselage, also afforded the opportunity to develop a new high-power energy cannon module on either side of the cockpit, increasing the firing accuracy benchmark by 40% compared to the "Oni" Defender. The next phase of development for this platform is the addition of at least one pair of second-generation StarDrive modules, to not only meet Transgressor attacks at the point of engagement, but to follow them home (and, possibly, arrive before them). LDD Files "Ryu" Class Strike Fighter (color-coded modules) "Ryu" Class Space Superiority Fighter (Space Police Livery)

So, yeah... wow, it's been a long time since I came up with something new in this series... That said, I have now! "Oni" Class Defense Starfighter by vynsane, on Flickr Contracted by the Classic Space Agency to design a high-speed defense starfighter intended to patrol large expanses of unexplored regions, Tanuki Corp. decided to go back to the drawing board and develop a new high-output engine module to be paired with the "Kitsune" Class Interceptor fuselage. With lessons learned during the development of the PLM-T1 "Bakemono", Tanuki Corp. was able to keep development in-house, reducing the overall cost and exerting tighter control on engineering tolerances and aesthetic concerns. Mating the standard Blaster Cannons mounted to the fuselage with a pair of newly-developed wing-mounted Heavy Pulse Cannons met the firepower requirements set forth by CSA, while the new "Firedemon" engine modules exceeded benchmark requirements for both thrust and handling. Prototype "Kitsune" interceptors mounting "Firedemon" engine modules in a fastpack configuration are currently in the development stage. LDD Files "Oni" Class Defense Starfighter (Classic Space Livery) "Oni" Class configuration modules (exploded view) Surprise! Lightbrick! by vynsane, on Flickr Lightbrick: It's in there! Each "Firedemon" engine module for the "Oni" Class Defense Starfighter contains a lightbrick in the rear, activated by pressing back on the 1x2 cheese graters. This is something I've wanted to do since the original "Kitsune" interceptor, but I just didn't have the chops at the time. Apparently, now I do...

Aesthetics notwithstanding, the comparisons to Polly Pockets are false for two main reasons: These figures can sit on things (even without tubes in the backs of their legs) and can stand up without falling over (since PP are always on tippy-toes for some reason). Playing with PP's with my daughter is the biggest lesson in frustration. My 5 y/o daughter is a girly-girl by nature. It's always a fight to get her to wear pants when it's below freezing out (it's always a dress or skirt with her). She's also interested in many "boy things" like Spider-man, Batman and Star Wars (she asks for "The Empire Strikes Back", her favorite of the series, by saying she wants to watch "the one where Luke gets his hand cut off"). She's been most into Kingdoms to this point, but she went INSANE when she saw the prelim pics in October, January catalog insert, and actual sets at TRU this past weekend. She built all three of the sets we bought that night by herself - one that night, one the next morning before school, and one that afternoon. She was VERY enthusiastic to do so, which is out of character for her - whenever we built anything in the past I would be driving the action and we'd have to take breaks. She was more active in building Kindoms Prison Tower Rescue recently, but we only got through two bags so far. Granted, the three sets we got were one $6 and two $10 sets, so smaller - but we just ordered the Beauty Shop, so we'll see how her enthusiasm translates to a larger scale build shortly. I anticipate only minimal help on my part, probably mostly to apply stickers. Anyway, yes - as stated elsewhere in this topic, there are gender stereotypes at play here, but I'd much rather she play with these sets that show regular, every-day girls being friends with diverse personalities over fluff like Disney Princesses and Polly Pockets any day, especially with the added benefit of the spatial relations and direction-following afforded by the building process.

Based on copious screenshots, this is my best-guess interpretation of the RV featured in this year's Build Together Road Trip commercial featuring Star Wars characters and sets. 2011 LEGO Build Together RV in LDD by vynsane, on Flickr If you've not seen the commercial, it's pretty cute - check it out over on the tube or over at www.BuildTogether.com. To build it yourself or see how I interpreted it, check out the LDD file. Most of it is, I think, rather accurate save for the base, which is almost fully-built when the stop-motion building begins, and the dashboard, which I fudged together based on the pieces that are laying around in those shots, and the quick scenes taking place in the interior. The only thing that can't connect properly is the bicycle on the back. I also added the printing to the rear license plate because why not?

DLuders, it's a relatively new group - although, the Trike Rider was one of the items I found on Flickr (searching for "LDD LXF") and invited! Thanks for adding both of them!

I wanted to draw everyone's attention to a new Flickr group that I recently created to promote the use of LDD with the main purpose of sharing LXF files. The groups' description reads: If you are active on Flickr, please feel free to join The LEGO Exchange and post your digital MOCs and LXF file links.

Not a problem, that's probably the most sensible way to do it, anyway. I've been a lot more reluctant to post many pics to my Flickr account since I reached the 200 image limit.

Keep up the great work, Brickdoctor, these look fantastic so far! As a major proponent for LDD and sharing LXF files, I'm very grateful that you're sharing your designs with us. Can't wait to see what's next! If you're at all planning on posting them over at Flickr at any time, please be sure to add them to The LEGO Exchange.

DbM Swoosher ver. 2.0 adds a few pieces to the interior of each engine (including a 1x2x2 bracket, a 2x2 brick, a 1x2 plate and 2x2 plate), adding a level of stability to the construction. It also pushes the 'exhaust' out by a brick and two plates, which looks cooler. I built this in real bricks yesterday and intend to get pics of it today. I made some running changes to the construction due to part limitations in my collection and I'll be posting a 'ver 3.0' LXF file with those changes when I post the pics.

I know! I'm agreeing with you! Yeah, you're right, promotional gimmicks never work... oh, wait, I meant always. They always work. You even referenced Pokemon, which is arguably the most successful marketing gimmick ever conceived. I'm not saying that you have a blank palette in DbM 2.0 mode until you start entering codes, just a limited one (hopefully not AS limited as the DbM 1.0 palette). The 'secret codes' are a theory about how to tie retail sales into promoting DbM 2.0 while at the same time enhancing the brick palette with special pieces that are only available after buying certain sets - and this is all just wild theory and conjecture, here. But you're looking at the promotional gimmick backwards - it's not about making kids buy every set of a given theme, it's about making kids aware of Design byMe and giving them even more of an incentive to use the service after unlocking the ability to order 'special' pieces that aren't available by default, thus promoting Design byMe. LDD 'free build' will allow you to use all those pieces from the start. In my theory, it's the ability to order those pieces that is 'locked' until you enter the code. It's really not, though. It's software that they develop at a cost and release for free that doesn't guarantee any direct profits. What if I were to design things in LDD solely out of pieces already in my collection? I'm not going to be buying any more sets that way. And that's the question the 'top brass' at TLG are continually asking of all business units: "Does it directly generate money for us?" If the answer is "no", the program has a short life expectancy. This is just good business sense, even for a business as ethical as TLG. It WILL be the latter. The press release about shutting down DbM all but spells that out. The above, translated to future tense, reads "The next iteration of Design byMe will be simplified and streamlined for younger consumers". We can only hope that there is a 'power user' option in DbM 2.0 for those of us who want a greater amount of freedom.

I've always preferred 'Enthusiast' - 'User' implies that you use it because it's there, if something else were there, you'd use that instead. 'Fan' implies a sort of blind devotion. But these acronyms were in place long before I came out of my dark ages. I also dislike the acronym SNOT - UGH!

I don't think the 'filter bricks by box' would be all that useful to users unless you could fill your palette with the pieces from multiple boxes - like "what can I build if I combine the pieces of all the World Racers sets?" The "unofficial alternate builds" idea is really cool, though. If there were inserts in each box about LEGO Digital Designer (including the 'secret codes' that would definitely intrigue kids) it would bring it to the consciousness of many more people that haven't necessarily heard about it before. The 'codes' would have to be unique for each box sold to avoid them being shared over the internet. Or perhaps you would 'register' your set online and receive a unique code - that would save a lot more paper and printing time. In my theory, the codes don't effect the bricks in LDD's 'free building' modes, they JUST effect those that can be ordered in Design byMe 2.0. Think about how "Extended Mode" offers almost all the pieces you could think of in any color you want, but the Design byMe building mode only displays the pieces you can order from. I'm just looking for ways that TLG can use to enhance the DbM 2.0 experience without stifling it the way they did with DbM 1.0. My main theory on why DbM 1.0 was so limited was that they didn't want it to compete with retail sales, that's the only reason I can think of as to why we didn't see more pieces from currently-available themes in the DbM palette, and when we DID see it, it was a half-hearted attempt (the addition of some Atlantis pieces). The 'free building' modes would be untouched, I'm ONLY talking about ways to make the next iteration of Design byMe profitable for TLG and feature-rich for us, not limiting the pieces available in other modes. Why would I want to do that? I LOVE LDD Extended Mode, I just want DbM to be more useful. I fully agree, and that's why I'm making suggestions that they would want to see, because if they don't see it as a directly profitable business wing in and of itself, LDD is eventually going to go the way of LEGO Universe and Design byMe 1.0. It's hard to justify to the 'top brass' an entire business wing that doesn't directly bring any profit into the company. They're not going to "fully understand what a gem they have in LDD" until there is an aspect of it bringing in more direct profits than DbM 1.0 did.

Thanks, Brickdoctor! There's a small half-plate gap in the rear that I'm not too happy about, but otherwise I think it's a pretty solid design. I guess I'll really find out when I build it for real.

I think we're talking about to different aspects of the LDD software - the 'free build' (which would be augmented by your idea) and 'Design byMe' (the next generation of which is my focus). DbM is being closed because it wasn't profitable enough. I'm not saying that your 'sort bricks by box' mode isn't a good idea, it really is, though it somewhat already exits in DbM mode - there's a button 'filter bricks by box', but the only option presently is Hero Factory. What I'm doing is spitballing ideas to make the next iteration of DbM profitable. Part of what I see to be a problem is the potential for the next DbM service to cut into the profits of the standard retail business unit, and the ways TLG could mitigate that issue without limiting the potential of the DbM 2.0 service the way DbM 1.0 was (parts/color selection). TLG is not going to allow one product (DbM 2.0) to potentially adversely effect another product (retail sales). I'm looking for ways that TLG could let us have our cake and eat it, too - a fully-featured DbM that will offer us a much wider selection of pieces that isn't at the same time considered a threat to retail sales. The idea behind the 'codes' is just one way to ensure that. Ultimately, LDD is most definitely a marketing tool. The shutting down of DbM proves as much. TLG continually maintains that the 'Hardcore LEGO Maniacs' you refer to account for 10% of their sales, so DbM 2.0 will not be exclusive of 90% of their market base. If anything, DbM 2.0 will be an even easier-to-use service that caters more to children than ever before. We can only hope that TLG throws those of us in the remaining 10% a bone and gives us a more feature-rich 'DbM Power User' experience in addition.

I understand where you're coming from but look at it from TLG's perspective - if they made all the retail sets available for you to pick and choose which pieces you wanted to order via DbM 2.0, there would be little incentive for you to buy the whole set at retail (a lot of people would have ordered a "custom" Earth Defense HQ starfighter and called it a day), unless they made the service prohibitively expensive to do it that way, which would just perpetuate the main issue with DbM 1.0. That's not to say that our ideas are mutually exclusive. It could be two separate building modes - in 'Official Set Mode' you can view and build virtually with all the pieces presently available at retail, then it would tell you which sets you needed to buy in order to actually build it. In 'Design byMe 2.0' you would be able to order the full-custom design based on the 'baseline' brick palette and any 'special bricks' you had unlocked via the secret code cards (or whatever). Perhaps, instead, you would unlock brand new complete building modes with the secret code. If you subscribe to Master Builder Academy, you get a code to unlock "MBA Mode" which lets you virtually build with all the bricks from Kit 1 to the most recent kit mailed out and order what you designed. If you entered certain codes from retail sets that came in Pharaoh's Quest sets (maybe one code from each of the smaller sets would unlock it in conjunction, or just a single code that was included in the Scorpion Pyramid would do the same thing, to make it more of a value and incentive to buy it), you would unlock "Pharaoh's Quest mode". "Extended Mode" would just give you all pieces the way it does currently.

The idea of having a palette or 'building mode' that includes currently-available sets sounds like a solid idea. Taking it one step further, if the successor to Design byMe was an expanded version that allowed you to build custom creations based on the retail offerings at that time, it would ensure a broader selection of pieces while at the same time theoretically reducing the over-all cost, because it would be shared with the standard retail wing. They sort of did this with Atlantis sometime last year, but I don't think you could order the minifigures and the piece selection was still a fraction of what that line encompassed. Imagine if, this year, you could have designed your own custom Alien Conquest MOC, complete with the minifigures, stickers, printed pieces, etc. This could be perceived as cutting into retail sales, so maybe some pieces would be made available only after you already own a set - if Earth Defense HQ came with a secret code to unlock the pieces necessary to order additional Vic Viper fighters via DbM 2.0, that would sell like GANGBUSTERS! Alternatively they could include discount coupons good only for DbM 2.0 orders using the Alien Conquest building mode (or whatever theme the set purchased fell under). The up-side for LEGO would be the perception of exclusivity - since the retail offerings are only produced/available for a limited time, so too would the corresponding pieces in DbM 2.0. "Last month to order your custom Pharaoh's Quest sets!" or "ADU pilot minifigure torsos available now for a limited time only!"