LDD is HERE!
Lego Digital Designer with NXT parts...
Check out the news here. Download and try it out here.
From the news: "The latest release of LDD has all the LEGO elements found in the MINDSTORMS NXT set #8527 so you can build robotic inventions in 3-D. Also included are three sample MINDSTORMS models to help get you started. They are exclusive attachments you can add to Tribot, and they can only be found on this version of LDD."
Please be aware that the installer for the Mac version is having some issues and is being worked on...
UPDATE: Here is a link to download a 5MB Word document containing a simple walkthrough/tutorial for using LDD and some of the basic controls. I may add more details to it, so please let me know what you think should be added. Thanks. - Jim
Comments
This LDD version was a Beta Test bubble burster for me. Oh well.
Chris
Does that happen for me only?
Yep, beta testing that wonderful baby was fun. :-)
Did bricks download work for you?
Then, it informed me it couldn't connect to the web server, but after saying OK to offline, I shutdown LDD, restarted it and then it downloaded an 18MB palette of stuff. Then I opened it, clicked on the NXT tab and I have the ability to view the 3 sample models or start a new model.
Jim
I know how good the software is, but, for truth to tell, if I downloaded a software and it behaves that way on start already, I never return to it...
Not in this case, though: I know from beta testing that this LDD version is a charm.
Yet, when I say "Ok" to offline mode, it crashes. Always. :-(
Personally, I'll be using LDD more and more - even in the beta form, it was very good, and now I've got something that I can run fairly simply right on my Mac, and detail my models. Wonderful!
--
Brian Davis
(who has not, it should be mentioned, downloaded or tried to install the latest release yet... what are the models included?)
Brian,
Yes it does have collision detection. I have modeled one robot in Google SketchUp. I am making CAD instructions for my NXT brick sorter right now. The way it exports the PNG files is very good. They look almost just like official LEGO instructions :-).
This collision detection doesn't always work. I might be doing something wrong in here though...
The building instructions are finished. Currently I am at step 36 out of 70 of putting them in a PDF file...
I'll let you know when I am done.
Is LDD suitable for making building instructions?
Yes you can rotate the motor shafts with the hinge-tool.
"Building instructions"?
Yes it has a facilty for that but the results are not that great. It's better to step through and take screen shots.
David
1. Any way to reduce the 'light'? The Brick looks too bright on my screen, as well as any other part.
2. Anyone has experience importing LDraw models? The ones I tried (with worm gears and other parts all of the NXT set) didn't import well (it removed many pieces..).
Guy Ziv
I don't know of a way to "turn down the light", unfortunately. The import process as well is going to have that issue that Guy mentioned, as LDD can only model parts in it's parts library... and unlike LDraw (with a huge parts library built over years be many many people), LDD is (right now) limited in this regard. But I suspect it will get better.
As to rotating, yes, there are ways to rotating elements (the aformentioned "hinge tool"), and although it takes some getting used to, it works fairly well.
--
Brian Davis
I was referring to the creation of building instructions for external use ( people that don't have LDD installed). This can be done with the LDD HTML BI generator which still appears to render pieces way too small for identification. As a result, I would recommend the use of screen shots.
However, if someone already has the LDD installed, then I'd say the LDD BI mode would be preferable.
These are new xp machines with 2g ram with 1.86 ghz cpu
graphics card dell 1707fpv on 256mb ati radeon x1300pro
Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
David
This is some pretty neat software!
-Jonathan
I always get an error not on installation (which went apparently well) but on starting LDD: It keeps telling me "an error has occurred" and shuts down (hm..not very significant).
Am I the only one with that problem, I wonder?
Matthias (desperate)
I had that exact problem on the very last "beta" of the software - not sure if this was the solution, but I did finally get it working by doing the following:
1. complete uninstall of the "failed" installed version.
2. Manual deletion of ANY LEGO Company folders found in the c:\program files\ folder. There was also a remnant somewhere else that I had to search for and delete it... I think it was another LEGO Company folder that contained the preferences.ini folder or something like that.
3. I downloaded a completely new executable for installation and ran it.
4. I think I did the above twice and it finally started working.
I know this isn't very helpful and doesn't really explain what the problem was, but I think the moral is "keep trying" - good luck.
Jim
THAT DID IT! THAT DID IT!
*jumping around and laughing like a man possessed*
Thank you very much! :-)
I owe you something ... (again)
The university machines that I installed the new version never had prior versions on them - yet I'm still dead in the water.
As soon as you try to do something, they just hang at 50% cpu usage. I am eager to use this in my camp next week and time is running out.
These are new xp machines with 2g ram with 1.86 ghz cpu
graphics card dell 1707fpv on 256mb ati radeon x1300pro
-david
Sorry you're having such trouble.
1. I know that I had to upgrade my video driver at one point during the beta... would you have time to try and update one PC's video driver and report back?
2. Before installing, can you disable virus and malware checkers? That 50% processor thing occurred a while back when I tried to install some freeware and my virus checker was stuck spinning and wouldn't let the install continue.
Jim
I'm not sure if I want to mess with the college's video drivers. They are new machines so I'm under the impression that their drivers are up to snuff... but who knows.
( funny... they all run AutoCaD)
It could be a virus or firewall problem.... but I did install successfully. The program hung after I started it , clicked on the MINDSTORMS tab, and then clicked the start freeform editing button.
I'm going to go back tomorrow and try a few things related to virus and malware checkers?.
thanks for the advice.
David
Guy Ziv
You are correct.. There is no comparison to the other CAD tools. However, I can teach a third grader to produce a model with LDD in a very short time. The biggest challenge with the LDD is developing the proper hand eye coordination ( esp. with the hinge tool)
Again. no competition to MCLAD and the like. But for anyone previously unwilling to go beyond BI's constructed from photos, I'd strongly urge you to try this out.
I only wish the thing would work on the machines at my camp. I've got a 3 to 1 ratio of kids to robots and LDD would help fill in the downtime.
Some specific replies to your last posting
1) "it does not have a 'Group' action (which let you later move the group as a whole, rotate it, clone it etc."
I actually complained about this during the beta but then found that it had a 'select by connected' mode. The fastest way to get there is to hit 'shift-V' until the selection cursor shows "*".
2) "It also can't allow you to make a 'submodel' and add it multiple times into the main model as a single entity."
I've only been able to do this by saving the submodel as a separate LXF file and importing it later
- not the best solution.
3)"It should have an 'Advanced' user level which give more control on building instructions sequence and view angles."
Totally agree... it's way to arbitrary in that respect. Taking your own screen shots and manipulating them in another editor seems like the best alternative.
The Select Connected feature is nice, completely undocumented in the User Manual. In fact, all the 'Select' modes are not documented, which is a pity. It is not exactly a substitute for grouping, but it makes life easier for sure. Still, if you have a large subassembly which you allready "connected" to the main body, and now wish to move it aside (for manual BI, for example, of for repositioning) the Select Connected will select the whole model.
As for the import - again, if the imported model was a 'group', this would have been much better. I would strongly vote to raise these issues to whoever was in charge of the beta program.
It would have been nice to have also the 'hide'/'unhide' options of MLCad. This way you can manually build BI by hiding parts and create model images for each step. This also could've been made an 'Advanced' user option, with some user level control in the preferences window.
Another issue - anyone knows why the Paint tool does not work in the mindsensors theme but does work in the factory theme?
I guess this program is not intended for AFoL as much as it is for kids ;-D
Is there a trick to this?
thanks.
Last I heard the LDD is stocked with pieces from the 8527 Retail Kit. Although you may not find all the pieces you need for the 9797 Edu Kit vehicle you may be able to improvise by substituting similar pieces.
The Axle / gear problem:
It sounds like you need to rotate the gear so the teeth fall inline with the other gear.
You may be better off logging in to the forum and posting a topic here
Attaching an LCX file to your question will also help.
I am a newbie with LDD. Pardon me if I am asking dumb questions. Once we complete an instruction set in LDD, is it possible to load that into Lego Mindstorms EV3?
Thanks,
Dennis