Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:10:54 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/ LDraw.org en-us http://www.ldraw.org/images/ http://www.ldraw.org/ admin@ldraw.org http://www.ldraw.org/Article611.html An updated version of the LDraw All-In-One-Installer, in short AIOI, has been released: It comes with the latest LDraw Parts Library update 2012-01 as well as MLCad.ini file. SR 3D Builder has been added to the package. The AIOI supports Windows XP (Home and Pro), Windows Vista (all versions) and Windows 7 (all versions). On 64-Bit Operating Systems it will install in the "Program files (x86)" folder. The Installer will NOT run on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT Ver 4, 2000, or XP below SP2. You can download the AIOI by going to the download database under the heading Core Files and Libraries. Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:10:54 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article610.html The MLCad.ini file has been updated according to the latest LDraw.org Parts Update 2012-01. The .ini file defines (among other things) the parts available in MLCad's and Bricksmith's minifigure generator. Download the file from: http://www.holly-wood.it/mlcad/ini-en.html Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:38:33 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article609.html LEGO Group Acquisition of LDraw.org Parts Library Announced LDraw.org and LEGO System A/S jointly announced today that LDraw.org has agreed to sell its rights in the development of the LDraw Parts Library to the LEGO Group, the publisher of the virtual building software LEGO Digital Designer (LDD), for $5.35 million. The LDraw.org Steering Committee members have been offered employment by the LEGO Group, who will continue software development and operations from the former LEGO Universe studio in Louisville, Colorado. “We’re excited about the integration of the LDraw Parts Library to fill the gaps of old virtual LEGO parts currently missing in LDD, but re-engineered by the fans and are happy to have the core of the community officially join the LEGO team,” said Søren Askildson, Senior Executive Vice President at the LEGO Software Engineering; Development Department. “This acquisition demonstrates our commitment both to the ongoing success of LEGO Digital Designer and to an overall strategy to expand our brand online.” “LDraw.org’s focus is developing a solid easy-to-use library on an open document file format, and publishing the next generation of virtual building CAD systems,” said Willy Tschager, Member of the LDraw.org Steering Committee . “We’re proud of the library our community built, and are certain that it has a bright future. The transition of members of our team to the LEGO Group enables us to focus completely on internally-published, free-to-play software businesses.” LEGO System A/S entered into a free-data-for-advisory relationship with LDraw.org as to build LEGO Universe in 2006. The acquisition of the rights to the library and the ability to transition members of the team to continue work on the library follows the fulfillment of the LEGO Universe development contract. LDD as a virtual building experience attracts several million people each year to build a huge range of amazing creations. The LDraw System of Tools is a popular system of free software tools for modeling LEGO creations in 3D on a computer. The parts library that is central to the programs is under continuous maintenance and extension by the LDraw community since 1997. Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:30:33 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article608.html The 2012-01 LDraw parts update has been now been released. This update includes 1148 files in the core library, including 601 new parts. Two major features of this release are the inclusion of a large selection of 12V train parts and Mindstorms NXT components, all of which had been waiting on the Parts Tracker for far too long. Many of the primitives have also been upgraded to the current expectations for (counter-clockwise) polygon winding. This is another big step in reducing the backlog on the Parts Tracker and brings the number of files to its lowest level since April 2005. Thanks are due to the small community of part authors who created or corrected parts for this release and to those who have reviewed files in order to make this release happen. I am really pleased with the increased momentum on the Parts Tracker this year and I am hopeful that we can continue to work at this pace to reduce the backlog as well as bringing newly issued parts into the Official Library. I'd like to recognise the pragmatism that has been exhibited in allowing functional (but not necessarily perfect) parts to be released with a "Needs Work" tag. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:02:14 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article607.html Mar 30, 2012 Release Notes Total core library files: 1148 New core library files: 828 New parts: 601 New subparts: 172 New primitives: 32 New hi-res primitives: 23 New alias parts: 4 New physical colour parts: 12 Download Links Preview Parts in Update (graphics-intensive page) Download LDraw1201.exe Use this link to download the Windows installer for the complete library. Download lcad1201.zip Use this link if you just want a zip version of the update. Download complete.zip Use this link if you want a zip version of the entire parts library. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:52:31 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article606.html In prospect of the recent events the LDraw Steering Committee (SteerCo) has elaborated a guideline for those authors who wanna quit their PT authorship: The Part Author (PA) wishing to quit should submit their intention to the Part Tracker Administration (PTAdmin) in writing via email to parts-AT-ldraw.org. Following this, access rights to the Part Tracker (PT) will be removed in a timely fashion. The PTAdmin will keep a record of the signed Contributor Agreement (CA) of the person quitting. As the quitting PA's parts (the parts) were submitted under the terms of the CA, and thus the "copyleft" Creative Commons license, all parts submitted up to that point will be left where they are, whether that be as part of the published library, or in some state on the PT. No changes will be made to the parts that would undermine the existing terms of the CA and associated license. All the parts remaining on the PT will be immediately considered open for editing by anyone, under the usual provisions of the CA and associated license. Any existing reviews will be left as is. If the PA wishes to reattain part authorship, they must apply as a new author, including signing a new CA. Willy Tschager On behalf of the LDraw Steering Committee Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:30:30 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article605.html Since we had only 5 confirmed nominees, no election is necessary. Therefore, without further ado, the 2012/2013 LDraw.org Steering Committee [1] is: Chris Dee Tim Gould Orion Pobursky Willy Tschager Scott Wardlaw [1] Try not to confuse the LDraw.org Steering Committee (SteerCo) with the LDraw Standards Committee (LSC). The Steering Committee sets the course for the LDraw Organization while the Standards Committee deals with the LDraw File Format. Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:08:20 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article603.html The MLCad.ini file has been updated according to the latest LDraw.org Parts Update 2011-02. The .ini file defines (among other things) the parts available in MLCad's and Bricksmith's minifigure generator. Download the file from: http://www.holly-wood.it/mlcad/ini-en.html Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:39:52 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article601.html The 2011-02 LDraw parts update has been now been released. This update includes 786 files in the core library, including 474 new parts. A further 19 parts have been redeveloped by authors who have affirmed the Contributor Agreement, replacing files that were not redistributable. Only five "non-CA" files remain in the library and every effort is being made to replace those in the next update. This is a further big step in reducing the backlog on the Parts Tracker and brings the number of files to its lowest level since September 2006. Thanks are due to everyone who created or corrected parts for this release and to those who have reviewed files in order to make this release happen. Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:43:54 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article600.html The LDraw Steering Committee has agreed to update the LSC Charter - Membership with the following text: Membership Membership of the LSC shall have a minimum of 5 people. The LSC can vote to create additional vacancies for future elections. The LSC also defines a procedure for voting to eliminate seats added in the future. One seat is reserved for a current LDraw Library Administrator. If there is more than one LDraw Library Administrator then the LDraw Library Administrators will self select a member to represent them on the LSC. Willy Tschager On behalf of the LDraw Steering Committee Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:46:43 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article599.html The LDraw Steering Committee (SteerCo) has been questioned what their opinion is about the use of the name "LDraw" in LDraw related programs. The following should be taken as guideline: LDraw.org uses the LDraw trademark with permission from the Jessiman Estate, therefore we cannot grant permission to third parties to use it. It is also our definition that the LDraw trademark represents the LDraw System of Tools and the LDraw Parts Library, so it is our policy that LDraw should not appear in a program's title and/or URL to protect the uniqueness of the LDraw trademark. We recommend that programs/websites wishing to identify with LDraw choose titles that add "LD" in front of the name as a way to associate the program as part of the LDraw software family. Willy Tschager On the behalf of the LDraw Steering Committee Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:31:58 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article597.html The LDraw Steering Committee (SteerCo) has been questioned what their opinion is about the possibility of charging for a third party program. The following should be taken as guideline: Should any person wish to charge money for a third party program using the LDraw Parts Library, the LDraw SteerCo strongly recommends that it is made clear that the charge is for the program itself and not for any derivative of the LDraw Parts Library. The intent of the CC license for the library should be made clear and it should include due credit to reward the efforts of all those who have contributed to the library. We would appreciate that the LDraw logo, as well as a link to the website are included and possibly featured prominently. It should also be made clear that the author is not representing himself as LDraw.org. Furthermore, where possible, the SteerCo would also appreciate a donation be made to Peeron.com as hosts of LDraw.org (a Paypal Donation Button can be found in the top left-hand corner of LDraw's homepage). This is, however, not by any means a requirement. Willy Tschager On behalf of the LDraw Steering Committee Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:59:06 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article596.html The SteerCo is pleased to announce that the 2011 James Jessiman Memorial Award (JJMA) recipient is Travis Cobbs. Travis Cobbs is the author of LDView, one of the cornerstones of the LDraw System of Tools. When it comes down to quickly viewing a LDraw file, LDView is the first choice for many users. Additionally, do to his active development since it's release in 2000, LDView has become the de facto reference renderer for LDraw part and is used by the LDraw Parts Tracker to generate part images. Travis has been a major player in shaping almost all the LDraw standards and specifications and has furthered the LDraw language and community as member of the LDraw Standards Committee since 2006. More information on the JJMA can be found at: http://www.ldraw.org/Article222.html Willy Tschager On behalf of the LDraw.org Steering Committee Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:20:19 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article595.html Since we had only 5 confirmed nominees, no election is necessary. Therefore, without further ado, the 2011/2012 LDraw Standards Committee is: Travis Cobbs, Allen Smith, Roland Melkert, Chris Dee, Willy Tschager. Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:35:33 -0500 http://www.ldraw.org/Article594.html It has passed another year since the last election of the LDraw.org Standards Committee (LSC) were held - and again the SteerCo missed the actual deadlines :-( Nominations are now open at the LDraw forum. All nominations must be received and recorded by November 14. Elections will be held from November 17 'til November 30. The LDraw.org Standards Committee (LSC) is responsible for maintaining semi-regular internal discussions on pending file format issues, the overall progress of the LDraw file format and new or proposed developments made by different LDraw-based software authors. They adopt new official standards by voting on them, and publish documentation on LDraw.org following such a decision. The LSC has documented and will document past, current and future LDraw File Formats. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:51:16 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article592.html Following the establishment of the LDraw Contributor Agreement in 2004 many authors have helped to re-develop the LDraw Parts that we did not have agreement to redistribute. Of the 90 original "Non-CA" files only 24 now remain and all except three have been re-developed, and are sitting in the Parts Tracker awaiting review. I would like to get these into the next Parts Update to remove the need for this complication in the LDraw library. To help prioritize their review I have added a "Review Summary" page to the LDraw Parts Tracker. This includes the re-worked files and any dependents. It would be good if reviewers could take a look at this and prioritize their activities on these files. Thanks in anticipation, Chris Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:21:41 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article591.html In sync with "Section 6.08: Appointed Key Positions" of the LDraw Bylaws the LDraw Steering Committee has appointed Scott Wardlaw as LDraw Colormaster. Scott has maintained the LDraw color file LDConfig.ldr since 2009 and will be from now on officially responsible for corrections and additions. Congratulations! Willy Tschager On behalf of the LDraw SteerCo Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:42:09 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article590.html The winners of the 2011/2012 LDraw Steering Committee [1] Election are (in alphabetical order by last name): Kevin Clague Chris Dee Orion Pobursky Willy Tschager Scott Wardlaw Congratulations to the new LDraw Steering Committee members! [1] Try not to confuse the LDraw.org Steering Committee (SteerCo) with the LDraw Standards Committee (LSC). The Steering Committee sets the course for the LDraw Organization while the Standards Committee deals with the LDraw File Format. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:57:00 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article589.html The LDraw All-In-One-Installer 2011-01, in short AIOI, has now been released: It comes with the latest LDraw Parts Library update 2011-01 as well as MLCad.ini file. Thanks to J.C. Tchang the installer from now on also "speaks" French. Furthermore it detects an old version of the All-In-One-Installer and on request uninstalles it prior copying new files. It lets you also decide if you wanna register LDView to generate thumbnails of LDraw files in the Windows explorer. The search for an installation done manually or by third party software is no longer performed. The quick search did not perform as expected and a deep scan would require too much time. The AIOI supports Windows XP (Home and Pro), Windows Vista (all versions) and Windows 7 (all versions). On 64-Bit Operating Systems it will install in the "Program files (x86)" folder. The Installer will NOT run on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT Ver 4, 2000, or XP below SP2. You can download the AIOI by going to the download database under the heading Critical Files and Libraries. Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:34:11 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article588.html The MLCad.ini file has been updated according to the latest LDraw.org Parts Update 2011-01. The .ini file defines (among other things) the parts available in MLCad's and Bricksmith's minifigure generator. Download the file from: http://www.holly-wood.it/mlcad/ini-en.html Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:20:35 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article587.html In light of continuing problems at LUGNET, LDraw has opened its own forums for discussion. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:03:35 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article586.html The 2011-01 LDraw parts update has been now been released. This update includes 904 files in the core library, including 486 new parts. A further 4 parts have been redeveloped by authors who have affirmed the Contributor Agreement, replacing files that were not redistributable. This is a big step in reducing the backlog on the Parts Tracker and brings the number of files to its lowest level since March 2007. Thanks are due to everyone who has reviewed files and made last-minute corrections in order to make this release happen. Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:00:17 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article584.html The LDraw.org Steering Committee election is now open. To vote, you may log in to the web site with your user account, then visit the: Steering Committee Ballot Only LDraw organization members may vote and you may vote for up to five candidates only. This is a secret ballot. Our PostNuke ballot module does not allow to match the votes casted to an user account. The poll will conclude at 2359 GMT, July 31, 2011 and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter. Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:53:30 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article583.html A quick reference to the candidates for the 2011/2012 LDraw.org Steering Committee (SteerCo) election. The information is drawn from posts on LUGNET and corrections are welcome, please email the webmasters. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:19:53 -0400 http://www.ldraw.org/Article582.html Per the LDraw.org Bylaws, Subsection 6.03(a), the 2010/2011 Steering Committee should have called sometimes in January for the community to nominate individuals as candidates for the 2011/2012 Steering Committee[1]. But ... it's never to late! Sat, 02 Jul 2011 16:07:10 -0400