Corellian Corvette

OK so I just tried only adding 3 parts - the main three parts I really need for a bunch of my models. 38640, 38641, and 32803. When I try and start blueprint I get the same /info.xml error as above. It's worth noting again, that if I try and use LIFExtractor on the same db.lif file that was created - I get an empty db folder. Is there perhaps a setting in python I'm doing wrong when creating the file? @Equilibrium what happens when you try and extract the newly created db.lif file? Does it work?

@Equilibrium you're on a PC as well, right? I wonder what I'm doing wrong that I cannot even get Blueprint to start... Were you getting the same error I was?

OK well I noticed something interesting - when I went to use blueprint again it wouldn't work after I replaced with the backup db.lif file. I had to delete the file in the App Data/Users/Roaming for blueprint and it "recreated" the file which allowed me to work with it using the original db.lif file. So I tried this with the new parts .lif file and i got an completely different error java.lang.RuntimeException: File not found /info.xml Operating system detected: Windows Starting Blueprint v0026.. Good luck! Current folder: C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\Blueprint0026 Initializing database.. Database is located in: C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\AppData\Roaming\Blueprint\database\brickcache.db java.lang.RuntimeException: java.lang.RuntimeException: File not found /info.xml at blueprint.b.b.a.b.a(Unknown Source) at blueprint.b.b.a.b.<init>(Unknown Source) at blueprint.b.b.a.<init>(Unknown Source) at blueprint.Blueprint.b(Unknown Source) at blueprint.Blueprint.initApp(Unknown Source) at a.a.start(Unknown Source) at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.lambda$launchApplication1$8(LauncherImpl.java:863) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runAndWait$7(PlatformImpl.java:326) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$null$5(PlatformImpl.java:295) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runLater$6(PlatformImpl.java:294) at com.sun.glass.ui.InvokeLaterDispatcher$Future.run(InvokeLaterDispatcher.java:95) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.lambda$null$4(WinApplication.java:186) at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source) Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: File not found /info.xml at lib.ldd.lif.LIFReader.readInternalFile(Unknown Source) ... 15 more So where is this /info.xml file? Is this something that's supposed to be in the db.lif file or somewhere else? And why is this not a problem with regular blueprint and only comes up with the backup? OK one other strange thing - for giggles I tried to use LIFExtractor on the new parts db file, and I got a blank folder. So for some reason on my computer using LIFextractor on the new parts db.lif file doesn't seem to work. NEW QUESTION: I looked at the info.xml file in the db.lif file and I was wondering - when you add new parts to db FOLDER, is there a new info.xml file that should be included as well?

So I wonder if this is the problem I seem to recall on another thread/post somewhere that the order of the folders in the LIF file matters for some programs. It's also possible that the windows version is more restrictive on this than the Mac version as, IIRC, the Mac version is a port. Is this an easy change @M2m? If so I'm happy to test it again!

Yes, it did work. For some reason, with the new db.lif file the program won't start :( I guess now it's will have to be up to @msx80 to hopefully take a look. I know it's been a long time since he's worked on the program but perhaps he can make a tweak to get this working!

Ok well... Good news and bad news! The *good* news is that I was able to get the script to run and create a db.lif file using your new instructions. The problem on Windows 10 is that I needed to install the Windows Store version of Python to be able to run the script in a command prompt. Not sure why, but it works exactly on my PC as it does on your Mac and mine takes a LONG time as well. But still, it works!! I was able to use that file to run LDD and was able to open up the "Custom Parts Test.lxf" file. So as far as LDD goes, it appears the .LIF file is working!! The bad news is that the intended reason to do this (to get Blueprint working) still has an error. When I launch Blueprint, I get the following error dialog box: "Header checksum broken. Store was not closed correctly and might be corrupted. Use 'DBMaker.checksumHeaderBypass()' to recover your data. Use clean shutdown or enable transactions to protect the store in the future" In the command window I see: Operating system detected: Windows lengths.txt file not found. Starting Blueprint v0026.. Good luck! Current folder: C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\Blueprint0026 Initializing database.. Database is located in: C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\AppData\Roaming\Blueprint\database\brickcache.db org.mapdb.DBException$DataCorruption: Header checksum broken. Store was not closed correctly and might be corrupted. Use `DBMaker.checksumHeaderBypass()` to recover your data. Use clean shutdown or enable transactions to protect the store in the future. at org.mapdb.StoreDirectAbstract.fileHeaderCheck(Unknown Source) at org.mapdb.StoreDirect.<init>(Unknown Source) at org.mapdb.StoreDirect$Companion.make(Unknown Source) at org.mapdb.StoreDirect$Companion.make$default(Unknown Source) at org.mapdb.DBMaker$Maker.make(Unknown Source) at blueprint.b.b.a.b.a(Unknown Source) at blueprint.b.b.a.b.<init>(Unknown Source) at blueprint.b.b.a.<init>(Unknown Source) at blueprint.Blueprint.b(Unknown Source) at blueprint.Blueprint.initApp(Unknown Source) at a.a.start(Unknown Source) at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.lambda$launchApplication1$8(LauncherImpl.java:863) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runAndWait$7(PlatformImpl.java:326) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$null$5(PlatformImpl.java:295) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runLater$6(PlatformImpl.java:294) at com.sun.glass.ui.InvokeLaterDispatcher$Future.run(InvokeLaterDispatcher.java:95) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.lambda$null$4(WinApplication.java:186) at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source) FYI blueprint doesn't work either...

I'm using the new script you uploaded and I still can't get anything to work. I installed Python 3.8.3 x64 version. In any command prompt, if I type py I get the python terminal (this was the test they recommended to make sure python was installed.) I have all the files, and the script, in the same folder LIFE EXTRACTOR This is the path to the folder: C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\LIFE Extractor This has the db folders, and the LIFCreator.py script. I open up a CMD window and move to the directory with the files so my command prompt has this C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\LIFE Extractor> Per above, I'm using quotations since both my user and several folders have spaces C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\LIFE Extractor>LIFCreator.py "C:\Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\LIFE Extractor\db\" Absolutely nothing happens. Just goes to the next command prompt. Is there a test of the actual LIFECreator.py script just to make sure it's working? Thanks! Just trying to help test.

As I posed in the other thread THANK YOU. I used the instructions on this board to drag my .LIF file in an executable to get the db/ folder. I didn't run a python script. Assuming I know just enough to get myself into trouble, what would be the suggested process to run this? I downloaded python for Windows, and get a dos-like Dialog screen but after that I'm lost... I've tried running LIFCreator.py with the folder location of my db file (I'm using a backup to not screw anything up. So I assume with Python installed, I run a command prompt like this LIFCreator.py \Users\Albert Penello.000\OneDrive\Lego Creator\LIFE Extractor\db\ and nothing happens :(

@M2mWell this is SUPER encouraging and thanks! Now for someone who can help walk me through python! I used LIFEextractor.exe to get the database open. I'm not familiar with using Python so perhaps someone who is super patient can help walk me through how to do this on Windows :( Or perhaps someone can put this in an executable like LIFEextractor?

It's really simple thing. I have a 3x3 Gun Turret that I want to be able to spin, and I'm currently using a turntable. It's the gun turrets on this ship. Thanks!

Is there any alternative parts or techniques to get a small part to be able to rotate?

Hey everyone! I'm working on my Space Battleship Yamato MOC and currently I use the 3679 Turntable to rotate the main guns on the Battleship. The issue I'm having is the turntable is by nature pretty loose (even when new) and the main guns want to flop around a lot. The guns are small (3 studs wide) so too small to use the larger turning element (73603) Are there any parts or techniques that people have used to improve the friction of the turntable? I was thinking of sinking it and using a round place but I'm not sure if that will help. I'm surprised over the years that Lego doesn't have a smaller 2x2 ratcheting element. Any thoughts from the expert builders out there?

They are still there if you select the transparent option. You only get those two when you have a background color. I have no idea why.

Apologies if this isn't the right place to make a "request' but 2 pieces I'd like to see added is the 73587 Antenna base only (without the Antenna). Quite a few MOC's use this piece and the only thing you can do in LDD is make the antenna transparent which sometimes doesn't work if you have limited space. The base only is 4592 in Bricklink and Rebrickable. The other thing (which may be harder) is just the minifigure hand. It's 983 / 3820 in Bricklink. Also sometimes used in greebling on MOCs. If this isn't the right place I'll happily move this request there.

@M2m if you have a patreon or donation page, I give you 100% assurance I will give you real money if you make this work. I use LDD *so much* for my personal stuff and getting those older programs to work would be awesome and is worthy of getting paid for your time. I did send what I hope was a very nice PM to @msx80 to see if he'd be looking to do an update, but clearly it's been a while and he's not updated which I'm sure he's moved on. But his programs are still so great, making the change would allow them to live on and co-exist with the awesome changes to LDD to keep it going longer.

Sorry @Calabar I know I was posting a lot but I was asking slightly different questions - some were about Bluerender and LIF files, some were about using Stud.io. I was trying to figure out multiple ways of doing the same thing. Apologies if it felt like spam.

Thanks so much @SylvainLS I was up WAY too late last night installing alternate software and playing around with other options. My conclusion at the end, I think, is that I need to remove the updated parts and stick with the basic LDD Program. Stud.io is a really interesting piece of software, but it's amazing to me that some fundamental features that are so easy to use in LDD haven't been replicated in Stud.io. For example simple drag-and-drop groupings, the quality of "snapping" the bricks are both inferior to LDD. It's more powerful in many ways but also loses some of the more basic features. Instructions in the latest build are much easier than pretty much any other program than Blueprint. However, it lacks the basic ability to copy/paste parts into different instruction groupings and the real-estate allocated to the actual instructions is too small to easily manipulate parts. There are some things in there I really like (using the real model) but the actual instruction part is not as good. I can't believe that the simple Blueprint program is far-and-away the best instruction builder for the simple hobbyist. For rendering, your new LXF convertor + Stud.io's rendering is really great. Not as fast as Blueprint for the render but that at least I can get a good workflow on. I hope someone finds a way to re-pack the .LIF file so Blueprint can be used with the new parts. Or MAYBE someone can contact the creator of Blueprint and ask him to make a change to the Software to read the DB directory instead of the file. Either of these changes would pretty much allow LDD to live for a long time.

That's too bad. I find the submodels to be great when you have completely separate element, but doesn't serve the same function as groups. Also means I have to start over for building instructions. Aargh. Looks like I have to go without using the parts in LDD... :(

My current workflow is LDD for building, and Blueprint and Bluerender for Instructions and Rendering. I really like this process and the tools are easy and flexible, but the new parts added to LDD render Blueprint not working. I'm trying to get comfortable with Stud.io but it's not as user friendly as LDD. The biggest problem I have is creating groups. Stud.io seems to make submodels which is not exactly the same as groupings in LDD. With groups I can easily add parts in-and-out, as well as take groups away from the model to work with them separately. They also make instruction creation much easier. Is there an equivalent for groups in Stud.io? With the function to easily and remove parts into them? Or is that functionality not there?

@SylvainLS I tried the html converter you linked to, but when I select the LXF file it doesn't do anything. No link or anything appears even after waiting a long time. I'm on Windows 10 using Chrome. Am I doing something wrong? EDIT - I could not get the HTML file, but I found another post from you which replaces the XML file that LDD uses for export and that worked GREAT!

Thanks much! I found the old binary and reinstalled 4.3.11 - instructions still broken as you say. Still, not having blueprint or bluerender working really hampers the benefits of the new pieces, particularly for instructions. Anyone know of a program similar to blueprint that will work? Thanks!

So it's absolutely amazing what the community has done, but extracting the LIF file works great for LDD but renders some of the other programs inoperable (like Bluerender and Blueprint) as well as breaks the internal LDD instruction builder. So it has a bunch of downsides unfortunately. Both Blueprint and Bluerender need the db.lif file to work properly and can't use the DB folder so both of those programs won't start. When importing the updated files in Stud.io (I was going to use their rendering engine), all of the new parts imported improperly, so the model had to be fixed in a couple ares to render. I thought I would play around more with the internal LDD building guide but now it crashes every time I launch it (I have 4.3.12 that still says 4.3.11 but has the online mode warning) So yeah what a bummer :( I was super excited to use the new parts it was preventing me from finishing a few builds, but unless there is a LIF creator of some sort, or Blueprint/Bluerender get updated, using the new parts has some limitations unfortunately :(

Has anyone figured out how to make Bluerender and Blueprint work once you've expanded the db.lif file? I did that and re-named the .lif file in order to use newer bricks in LDD. However, Bluerender and Blueprint want that file. Any ideas?

Thanks to the amazing community for adding many new parts to the LDD program! One unintended consequence is that Blueprint and Bluerender no longer work - the process of renaming the 'db.lif' file now makes them inoperable. Bluerender isn't a huge problem since you can bring your model into Stud.io and render there. But Blueprint is such an amazing program - is there a way to re-compress the expanded db.lif file from the updated version with the new parts? Thanks!

Very sorry! And thanks for the help!