[Software] LDD2PovRay

[hrontos]

It is not possible to realize a module for powray that allow encrypted communication between the software and LDD2Powray?

Technically it is. POV-Ray supports add-ons, which can do anything.

They can potentialy handle the virtual filesystem tasks, so that it will not be necessary to have LDD2POVRay running while scene is parsed.

But. This does not remove the need for virtual filesystem, since those add-ons does not work like fileformat reading add-ons, they are more like gui add-ons. There is no way to register some new file format with POV-Ray to support direct reading of db.lif or something like that.

And another limitation is that creators of POV-Ray require these add-ons to be open source. I don't know how much open source - if all libraries or just the main library containing the add-on.

Yups LEGO is too much a close minded company just like Apple and Microsoft :( I think in the end they will all need to break up their narrow minded perspectives otherwise they will loose... I'm very much a LEGO and Apple fan (just got my Retina Macbook Pro), but I think open source will definitely be the future.

So: TLG, make everything CC, NC, SA... I really mis certain things like a good way to create instructions of custom models etc.

Unfortunatelly, there too many people making money out open source things without even giving some credit. I have seen on eBay instructions made by designer Han being sold by somebody else. So why should TLG or any other company make their core business open source? Most open source projects are not core businesses of some companies. They are either work of a large comunity of students, fans etc. or some additional line of business of some companies (these solutions make a good promotion to the company).

[csiquet]

A quick question and I'm sorry if it has been answered already.

Is it possible to stop a rendering and to continue it later even after switching the computer off?

[Tore M]

Is it possible to stop a rendering and to continue it later even after switching the computer off?

I have not seen any option to do that in LDD to POV-Ray, so I did it manually.

After stopping the render I added Continue_Trace=on on a new line at the end of the generated .ini file. Then it will continue where it left off the next time you open the .ini file in POV-Ray and start the render. Just remember to start LDD to POV-Ray before you start the render, because of the virtual file system with the include files.

[hrontos]

I have not seen any option to do that in LDD to POV-Ray, so I did it manually.

After stopping the render I added Continue_Trace=on on a new line at the end of the generated .ini file. Then it will continue where it left off the next time you open the .ini file in POV-Ray and start the render. Just remember to start LDD to POV-Ray before you start the render, because of the virtual file system with the include files.

I use this switch when the render is aborted due to some failure. This switch can make POV-Ray continue the render, but POV-Ray will calculate radiosity data once again for the area which was not yet rendered so it can make rendering take longer in total. I had also cases when some rendering block was skipped so I had to rerender that square.

For pausing a render I really use Pause button in POV-Ray and hibernate the computer instead of shutdown. When computer is turned on again, it restores complete session so I just click Pause again and rendering continues without any extra time penalty.

[AndersI]

I really mis certain things like a good way to create instructions of custom models etc.

Take a look at LPub - https://sites.google.com/site/workingwithlpub/ - with that you can create instructions like this: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx3b3JraW5nd2l0aGxwdWJ8Z3g6M2RkOTI3ZTJiM2Y3ZjliZg

Edited August 10, 2012 by AndersI

[Daiman]

When I render figs with texture on the front and side legs I get a repeat

of the decal some two thirds of the way down instead of covering the whole

leg as it would in LDD. Can I fix this in the .pov file or is it a software

glitch ?

Edited August 11, 2012 by Daiman

[Fugazi]

I have a much more basic problem when using LDD to POV-Ray. Whenever I try to run a conversion, I get this error message:

Unable to generate necessary includes.

Access to path 'C:\Program Files\POV-Ray\ldd_main.bin' is denied.

I use the 32-bit versions of both the Converter and POV-Ray with Vista. I have added the required line in the povray.ini file. Any ideas?

[hrontos]

I have a much more basic problem when using LDD to POV-Ray. Whenever I try to run a conversion, I get this error message:

I use the 32-bit versions of both the Converter and POV-Ray with Vista. I have added the required line in the povray.ini file. Any ideas?

I think, Vista and Win7 User Access Control protects some filesystem directories and Program Files usually requires admin access to add or delete file. Please, select some other directory as output path for the includes.

[Fugazi]

I think, Vista and Win7 User Access Control protects some filesystem directories and Program Files usually requires admin access to add or delete file. Please, select some other directory as output path for the includes.

That did the trick, thank you hrontos!

[JopieK]

Take a look at LPub - https://sites.google...orkingwithlpub/ - with that you can create instructions like this: https://docs.google....3ZTJiM2Y3ZjliZg

I have been an LDraw user for years, that worked well, but still LDD is easier than e.g. Bricksmith.

But since LDD generates HTML files, it is quite easy to make instructions from it in a DTP tool.

[hrontos]

Version 1.2.3 released.

Change list:

• added CustomHQ radiosity settings (courtesy of EB member whitew0lf)
  
• corrected errors when outlines enabled
  
• corrected decorations mappings
  
• corrected errors in part position variances definition
  
• disabled beveling of flexible parts
  
• removed oily effect from some colors
  
• modified finishing of transparent colors
  

[Daiman]

Version 1.2.3 released.

Change list:

• added CustomHQ radiosity settings (courtesy of EB member whitew0lf)
  
• corrected errors when outlines enabled
  
• corrected decorations mappings
  
• corrected errors in part position variances definition
  
• disabled beveling of flexible parts
  
• removed oily effect from some colors
  
• modified finishing of transparent colors
  

Many thanks I'll give it a whirl...

[hrontos]

I think you know this model:

1366x768, 1803x1014, 2732x1536

On this view I tried the focal blur (it is may be a bit too strong):

1366x768, 1803x1014, 2732x1536

[Daiman]

Version 1.2.3 released.

Change list:

• added CustomHQ radiosity settings (courtesy of EB member whitew0lf)
  
• corrected errors when outlines enabled
  
• corrected decorations mappings
  
• corrected errors in part position variances definition
  
• disabled beveling of flexible parts
  
• removed oily effect from some colors
  
• modified finishing of transparent colors
  

Once again thanks for the quick update, unfortunately the mapping is still translating incorrectly.

See attached.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Daiman

[hrontos]

Once again thanks for the quick update, unfortunately the mapping is still translating incorrectly.

See attached.

Thank you for pointing this out. The original problem was repeated textures.

This one is a bit different. Unfortunatelly POV-Ray expects, that texture mapping is based on triangles having all coordinates in range from <0,0> to <1,1> where <0,0> means one corner of decoration and <1,1> means the opposite corner. LDD uses also coordinates out of this range which means, that POV-Ray will ignore them (they map out of the decoration bitmap).

For the next release, I will have to "stretch" LDD coordinates to fit into POV-Ray's range.

EDIT: when you look at the decoration image (just check Use custom decorations to see it), it can be seen that LDD is doing some kind of stretching, since the decoration image does not contain that large blue stripe, it contains only what is seen in the POV-Ray image.

EDIT2: LDD is repeating last row of pixels. So for example in case of that checkered patern you used for the test, LDD renders it as checkered pattern, but lower half of the the legs show only black/white stripes altering from the left to the right.

I am not sure if this is a bug or feature, but I will try to repeat it in POV-Ray.

Edited August 12, 2012 by hrontos

[Daiman]

Thank you for pointing this out. The original problem was repeated textures.

This one is a bit different. Unfortunatelly POV-Ray expects, that texture mapping is based on triangles having all coordinates in range from <0,0> to <1,1> where <0,0> means one corner of decoration and <1,1> means the opposite corner. LDD uses also coordinates out of this range which means, that POV-Ray will ignore them (they map out of the decoration bitmap).

For the next release, I will have to "stretch" LDD coordinates to fit into POV-Ray's range.

EDIT: when you look at the decoration image (just check Use custom decorations to see it), it can be seen that LDD is doing some kind of stretching, since the decoration image does not contain that large blue stripe, it contains only what is seen in the POV-Ray image.

EDIT2: LDD is repeating last row of pixels. So for example in case of that checkered patern you used for the test, LDD renders it as checkered pattern, but lower half of the the legs show only black/white stripes altering from the left to the right.

I am not sure if this is a bug or feature, but I will try to repeat it in POV-Ray.

Thanks for the analysis on this one.

It seems like the LDD team took a shortcut here.

Removing the tiling sure helps with the creation of leg element decals at least in a predictable manner.

One other thing which I would assume is unavoidable is that the generation of the bevel emits the decal information

and just uses the leg color.

So far I have a custom file which doesn't render bevels onto the legs and all looks fine.

Not asking for a fix on this one just a little clarity for my own information as to how it is computed.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Daiman

[Nachapon Lego]

I think you know this model:

On this view I tried the focal blur (it is may be a bit too strong):

The focal blur one is my favorite. Very very realistic.

[hrontos]

Thanks for the analysis on this one.

It seems like the LDD team took a shortcut here.

Removing the tiling sure helps with the creation of leg element decals at least in a predictable manner.

Yes, the tiling was completely wrong.

One other thing which I would assume is unavoidable is that the generation of the bevel emits the decal information

and just uses the leg color.

So far I have a custom file which doesn't render bevels onto the legs and all looks fine.

Not asking for a fix on this one just a little clarity for my own information as to how it is computed.

It should be possible to retain the texture even after beveling the edge. But POV-Ray will do some kind of decoration average in this case, because the front and side textures are different. I did not checked the real bricks to see, if they are printed also on the edge.

The focal blur one is my favorite. Very very realistic.

Focal blur is nice, but makes it quite slow. At least on my machine. I almost took the inspiration from that minifigure and started looking for some rope for me.

[Superkalle]

On this view I tried the focal blur (it is may be a bit too strong):

The render is amazing.

But what happened to that one plate in the top right corner. Is the position variance playing a trick on us?

(or put otherwise - maybe the position variance should somehow be a function of the size of the brick too?)

[hrontos]

The render is amazing.

But what happened to that one plate in the top right corner. Is the position variance playing a trick on us?

(or put otherwise - maybe the position variance should somehow be a function of the size of the brick too?)

Yes, I think, it is an effect of a part position variance. Looks like built by clumsy builder.

The variance actually is a function of the brick size. To be more precise, the definition specifies how much can be the brick edge randomly offset. This also defines maximum size of the "gap" between bricks introduced by the position variance. The allowed range seems to be too large for this brick. Or, since variance is calculated along 2 axis for this brick, it is possible that the effect just sum up. I will examine the definition for the plate and also the surrounding bricks.

[legolijntje]

Yes, I think, it is an effect of a part position variance. Looks like built by clumsy builder.

That adds realism to the picture

But I think the picture is very nice and the focal blur isn't really too strong.

[Classicsmiley]

What's the recommended method to upgrade? Should I uninstall the old version first, or just run the exe for the new version?

(Here's one of the render's I've done so far. I'm looking forward to playing around with more scene-based models. )

[hrontos]

What's the recommended method to upgrade? Should I uninstall the old version first, or just run the exe for the new version?

(Here's one of the render's I've done so far. I'm looking forward to playing around with more scene-based models. )

Higher version can be installed without uninstalling previous. Simply download the installation package and start the installation. Your existing settings will be also preserved.

[009]

Thank You very much

I am so happy in using this LDD + POV ray.

[XimenaPaulina]

I'm a bit late to the party, but just got around using this wonderful rendering program, and all I can say is: Wow, this program is simply amazing!!! And also, the Ultimate Test of Patience! It took me almost 17 hours to finish this render, but oh boy the long wait is definitely worth it! Good things sure do come to those who wait.

Tumbler_Render by Kiel.Da.Man (flickr) Click the image for higher resolution image (1287 x 768)

Model Statistics:

Part count: 402

Unique part count: 148

Bevel count: 43518

Valid bevel count: 43518

Render Statistics:

Default LDD2PovRay settings (no changes)

512x384, No AA

Image Resolution: 1366 x 768

Total Render Time: 16h 45m 34s

Computer Specifications: Intel Core i3-2310M CPU @ 2.10GHz, 2.00GB RAM, 64-bit OS

Reference Images:

LDD Build:

Real Model:

Feedback on the LDD to POV-Ray Converter

I'm a total noob with regards to digital rendering using POV-Ray, having not used it before at all. At first I was a bit hesitant and intimidated by the programming lingo which is all foreign to me, but I was pleasantly surprised how I managed to figure out everything just by simply following the installation instructions in the LDD to POV-Ray website. The converter program itself is user-friendly and is easy to understand, though I have yet to explore tweaking the settings to find out its corresponding effect on the rendered image (I just used the default settings to test the program). Overall I'm really excited about the limitless possibilities this program could offer to digital LEGO builders like me!

To the great Martin Hronský, a BIG THANK YOU for sharing this innovative breakthrough program! You have given the ordinary LEGO fan an extremely powerful tool to transform their digital creations into realistic life-like images. What you have done is truly a great service to all of the FOL community.