Philo's NXT 3D laser scanner

Philo from France, well-known for numerous great NXT creations and as an author of many LDraw files, has updated the web page for his NXT-3D Laser Scanner. The Scanner is able to create three-dimensional computer models of things it scans with a laser:

Amongst other things, Philo uses it to create LDraw models for new LEGO® parts.

LDraw & MLCad Updates!

I consider myself a happy person and this news makes me even happier. I like LEGO and I also like re-creating and saving LEGO contraptions with a CAD setup. You might have seen products of such a setup in the form of building instructions shared on the web or in several MINDSTORMS books available on the shelves. My setup of choice is LDraw and MLCad and both have inhabited my PCs for over 12 years. These are excellent free programs and are supported by a fantastic group of developers that work with an impeccable attention to the details. Their work really shows in the building instructions that can be created. Updates and new versions are always big news...maybe this is one of the bigger times things are coming together. MLCad version 3.30 is released to the world and the LDraw 2010-02 Parts Update is now available containing a great number of new finely-crafted official CAD parts. Installing the software can be a bit tricky sometimes but help can be found in a few books (including, 'The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Idea Book', and 'LEGO Software Power Tools') as well as the websites that offer the software and other user websites like LUGNET. The work by all those involved is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Users new and old will benefit from these updates. If you have never seen such a thing...I suggest looking deeper. This rabbit hole goes very deep!

Chris

Lemon speaks Multipart

On popular demand (and personal need) I have enhanced Lemon, the NXT model comparer, with the capability to handle LDraw multipart files.
Next to LDD and classic LDraw (.ldr) files you can compare also a LEGO® model against the different NXT sets now that is stored as a multipart model in the LDraw .mpd format.
Check out the new version 2.1.0 here and do not hesitate to provide feedback.

Lemon 2.0: Compare your model against different NXT sets

Lemon (LEGO® Model Nibbler) is a tool that allows for finding out whether a LEGO® model can built with a particular NXT set or which parts are needed beyond the contents of that set. The brand-new version 2.0 is a Java application that compares a LEGO® models laid down in LDraw or LEGO® Digital Designer  format against different NXT sets and lists  the parts that are used in one model but not in the kit (and vice versa).
Using a graphical user interface, the model can be checked against

• the NXT Kit 1.0 (#8527)
• the NXT Kit 2.0 (#8547)
• the NXT Education Kit (#9797)
• the NXT Education Resource Set (#9648)
• the NXT Education Kit plus the NXT Education Resource Set

The results might be exported to a HTML, PDF or Excel file then.

All you need for installation (best with Firefox web browser) is a Java 6 Runtime on your machine.

Give it a try - I'd be grateful for feedback, proposals or bug reports.
Don't hesitate to contact me in case of troubles with the installation.

LDraw parts for WeDO

As an addendum to yesterday's post on WeDo: the according LDraw parts are available now, again provided by Philo:

• the USB hub
• the tilt sensor
• the distance sensor

Treads available for LDraw

Philo, MCP and relentless Wizard of LDraw parts, has published LDraw files for the treads contained in the NXT Education supplemental kit (other configurations of the treads can be found here and here).
Hence you can model your NXT robots that run on these treads now in LDraw.

Thanks, Philo!