LDVIEW HELP |
Contents |
Introduction |
LDView displays LDraw models, and consequently requires that LDraw be installed. LDraw can be downloaded from ldraw.org, along with the up-to-date parts library. If you install LDraw in any directory other than C:\LDRAW (/mnt/c/ldraw in the Linux/QT version), and don't already have an LDRAWDIR environment variable, you will be prompted the first time LDView loads to select the directory in which LDraw is installed. Until you select the LDraw directory, you will be unable to load a model.
When you run LDView, it will open its main window and immediately present you with an open panel (assuming you didn't specify a file as part of the launch process). Select the LDraw .ldr, .dat, or .mpd file you want to view. It will then display the file in the window. Note that you can resize this window. Also note that if you open a large model, it could take a substantial amount of time to load. During this time, the status bar will indicate the progress of the load. Hitting Escape, or choosing Cancel Load from the File menu will cancel the load.
Mouse and Keyboard Control |
If you hold down the control key while dragging with the left mouse button down, you will pan the model instead of rotating it. The model will be pulled in the direction you move the mouse. If you accidentally lose the model completely, and can't find it, you can use the Reset View option on the View menu to reset the view.
Click the right mouse button and move it up or down to zoom in or out. The speed at which it zooms in or out is based on how far you move the mouse from where you initially clicked. If you have a mouse with a scroll-wheel, you can also use the scroll-wheel to zoom in and out.
If you hold down the control key while zooming (either with the right mouse button or the scroll wheel), you will adjust the cutaway mode instead of zooming in the camera. Cutaway mode cuts away everything on the model that is closer than a certain distance. This distance is defined by a clipping plane. This allows you to look inside models without having to resort to wireframe mode. Zooming in with the control key pressed moves the clipping plane away from the camera, causing more and more of the model to be cut away. Zooming out moves the clipping plane toward the camera, causing less and less to be cut away. Please note that you will likely have to zoom in a ways before the clipping plane reaches the model, so there will probably be no imediate result. If you want, you can have LDView draw the cutaway portion of the model in wireframe, using the Wireframe cutaway option. Note that this will slow things down considerably, since the entire model has to be rendered twice.
The camera can be moved using the keyboard. At any time, you can hold down shift to double the speed at which you move. The movement keys are as follows:
Movement Direction | Key | ||
---|---|---|---|
Forward: | W | ||
Backward: | S | ||
Left: | A | ||
Right: | D | ||
Up: | R | ||
Down: | F | ||
In addition to the above movement keys, the following keys effect the camera rotation: | |||
Rotation | Key | ||
Rotate Clockwise: | E | ||
Rotate Counter-Clockwise: | Q |
Menus |
File Menu | ||
Open (Ctrl+O): | Open a new model file. | |
Reload (F5): | Reload the current model file. (Use this if you are viewing a model you are in the process of making changes to in some other program, but don't want to use the polling feature below.) | |
Polling: | Submenu containing polling options which allow you to have the model automatically reload when its file changes. | |
Disabled: | Disable the polling feature completely. You can still used the Reload option to reload the current model. | |
Prompt: | Enables polling. When a change is detected, a panel is displayed asking you if you want to reload the model file. This option only polls for changes when LDView is the foreground application. The panel will thus normally be presented to you when you switch to the running LDView application after making changes to your model in some other application. | |
Auto-update when active: |
Enables polling. When a change is detected, the current model file is reloaded automatically. This option only polls for changes when LDView is the foreground application. The model will thus normally be automatically reloaded when you switch to the running LDView application after making changes to your model in some other application. | |
Auto-update immediately: |
Enables polling. When a change is detected, the current model file is reloaded automatically. This option polls for changes whether or not LDView is the foreground application. The model will thus be automatically reloaded immediately after you save changes to your model in some other application. Note that with large models, this reload can have a significant impact on your computer's CPU availability. | |
Save Snapshot (Ctrl+S): | Save a PNG or BMP snapshot of the current model with the current view. | |
LDraw Dir: | Allows you to specify a new location for the LDraw directory. This shouldn't normally be needed, since LDView detects if the LDraw directory is deleted or moved and automatically prompts you to tell it the new location. However, if for some reason you want to manually change where LDView finds the LDraw directory, you can use this menu item. | |
Cancel Load (Esc): | During a load, you can select this menu item to cancel the load. It is likely that you will generally just use the keyboard accelerator, though, and hit the Escape key. | |
Page Setup: | Setup the page for printing. This shows the standard Windows Page Setup Dialog with the addition of a check box which allows you to choose whether or not the background color should be printed (it isn't by default). | |
Print (Ctrl+P): | Print the current model with the current view. | |
<Recent Files>: | Shows the filenames of the 10 most recently loaded files. Select any one to load that file. | |
Exit (Ctrl+Q): | Exit LDView. | |
Edit Menu | ||
Preferences (Ctrl+Shift+P): | Display the Preferences panel. | |
View Menu | ||
Switch to Fullscreen (Ctrl+Enter): | Switches to the currently selected fullscreen video mode. If you are already in fullscreen mode, Ctrl+Enter switches back to windowed mode. | |
Reset View (Ctrl+R): | Resets the model to the view that is shown immediately after the initial load. | |
Errors (Ctrl+Shift+E): | Displays the Error Window. | |
Status Bar (Ctrl+Shift+S): | Toggles the permanent display of the status bar on and off. Note that the status bar will always display when there is load progress to be indicated. Also, except while displaying load progress, it is never visible in full-screen mode. | |
Always on Top: | Toggles Always on Top mode. When this is enabled, the LDView window is kept above all other windows (with the exception of some other topmost windows). When it is disabled (the default), LDView acts just like a normal Windows program. | |
Examine Mode (Ctrl+Shift+X): | Puts LDView in Examine Mode. In examine mode, clicking and dragging the left mouse button spins the model that is loaded. This is the default mode. | |
Fly-through Mode (Ctrl+Shift+F): | Puts LDView in Fly-through Mode. In fly-through mode, clicking and dragging the left mouse button rotates the camera, and you can use the W, A, S, D, Q, E, R, and F keys to move the camera. | |
XX-Bit Modes: | Submenu containing all of the available fullscreen video modes with a bit-depth of XX (where XX will usually be 15, 16, 24, or 32). There is a separate submenu for each bit-depth of 15 or greater bits supported by your video card. There will be a dot beside the bit-depth menu which contains the currently selected fullscreen video mode. In that submenu, there will be a dot next to the currently selected video mode. | |
Help Menu | ||
OpenGL Driver Info: | This shows a panel containing information about your OpenGL driver. I may request this information from you if you are experiencing problems. The text in the box can be selected, and then copied to the clipboard by hitting Ctrl+C. | |
Contents (F1): | Displays this file in your web browser. (Only works in Windowed mode; hitting F1 from Fullscreen mode will not have any effect.) | |
About LDView: | Displays the About box, which contains version and copyright information about LDView. |
Fullscreen Mode |
As long as your video card supports 2D Windows functionality while in fullscreen mode, the Open Panel and Preferences panel can be accessed from fullscreen mode via their keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+O for Open File; Ctrl+Shift+P for Preferences). If you are unsure, try Ctrl+O first, and if you don't see an Open Panel, hit escape to dismiss the Open Panel that you can't see. F5 for reload also works--whether or not your video card supports 2D Windows funtionality from fullscreen mode--but unless you are displaying a file that someone else on your network is modifying, it's not likely to be very useful.
Error Window |
On the left-hand side is a tree view which displays all of the errors. By default, there is one collapsed entry per error, with a brief description of the error. Clicking on the plus sign to the left of the error shows you more information about that error. The first piece of information is the file that contained the error. If you double-click on this, it will open the file using Notepad. Following that are the line # that contained the error, and the line of text itself. Neither of these has any actions associated with it. Certain errors may contain further information as well.
On the right-hand side of the window are a set of check boxes that determine what types of errors should be shown. By default, all types of errors are shown. You can disable any errors you don't care about. Following are the error types:
Parse Error
A line in the model file was invalid.
File Not Found
The model referenced another model which could not be found in any of the
standard search locations (the current directory, or the LDraw model, parts, or
p directories).
Color Error
The model contains a color specification which LDView was unable to recognize.
When this error occurs, LDView uses an orange color instead.
Part Determinant
The model contains a part which has been distorted in some way. While parts are
rotated and moved around to make up a model, they should seldom if ever be
stretched or skewed. This isn't technically an error, but usually indicates
that the model has a problem.
Concave Quad
The model contains a concave quadrilateral. Concave means that one of the four
points is inside the triangle formed by the other three points. This also isn't
technically an error, but is considered bad form, and may produce incorrect
results on other LDraw-compatible renderering programs.
Concave Quad Split
The model contains a concave quadrilateral that could not be successfully split
into two triangles. It may not be possible to generate this error.
Co-linear Points
The model contains a quad or a triangle that has three or four co-linear points.
When this is detected in a quad, the quad is turned into a triangle (or a line
if all four points are co-linear). When it is detected in a triangle (all three
points are co-linear), the triangle is turned into a line.
OpenGL Error
There was an OpenGL error during the compilation of the model.
If Show errors after loading is checked in the preferences dialog, the error window will automatically be displayed when a model is loaded that contains errors that are set to be shown. It will not be shown if the only errors in the model have been unchecked in the error window, the model contains no errors, or the error window isn't set to show automatically.
Preferences |
Reset:
This resets all the General preferences to their default values.
Full-scene Antialiasing
Box
Antialiasing (Default: Off):
Enables/Disables Full-Scene Antialiasing (FSAA) support (if supported by the
hardware).
2x (Default?: No):
This option is only available if full-scene antialiasing is enabled. Selecting
this sets the FSAA mode to two times antialiasing (if supported by the
hardware).
2x Enhanced (Default?: No):
This option is only available if full-scene antialiasing is enabled. Selecting
this sets the FSAA mode to two times antialiasing with an enhanced filter (if
supported by the hardware). An example of such an advanced filter is the
Quincunx antialiasing introduced with the nVIDIA® GeForce3™ chip.
4x (Default?: No):
This option is only available if full-scene antialiasing is enabled. Selecting
this sets the FSAA mode to four times antialiasing (if supported by the
hardware).
4x Enhanced (Default?: No):
This option is only available if full-scene antialiasing is enabled. Selecting
this sets the FSAA mode to four times antialiasing with an enhanced filter (if
supported by the hardware). An example of such an advanced filter is the
Quincunx (2x) antialiasing introduced with the nVIDIA® GeForce3™ chip.
Misc Box
Antialiased lines (Default: Off):
Enabling this option causes lines to be drawn using antialiasing. This does not
effect wireframe mode. Line antialiasing can significantly improve the visual
quality of lines, but it can also significantly impact the frame rate. This
option may not have an effect if Full-scene
Antialiasing is enabled.
Show frame rate (Default: Off):
Enabling this option causes the frame rate to show up in the lower left-hand
corner of the window. A number is only displayed while the model is in
constant motion. The easiest way to do this is to spin it (see
mouse control).
Show errors after loading (Default:
On):
Enabling this option causes the Error Window to
automatically be displayed after loading a model that contains any errors that
have been selected for display in the error window.
Fullscreen refresh override (Default: Off):
When checked, this setting allows you to override the default refresh rate used
in fullscreen mode. Enter a number in the field for the desired refresh rate.
Please note that if the refresh rate you enter is not supported another refresh
rate will be used.
|
if you enter a value that is too high, and have told Windows that you have a monitor which is capable of higher refresh than what you actually have, you can damage your monitor. |
Background color (Default: Black):
This allows you to set the color used to draw the background behind the model.
Default color (Default: Black):
This allows you to set the default color. Normally this is only visible when
you load a part directly. Most models don't ever use this color.
Note that edge lines on default-colored objects will be black unless you choose
the exact RGB value used by one of the standard LDraw colors. The default
custom colors in the color panel correspond to the first 16 standard LDraw
colors. Resetting the General preferences also resets these colors.
Reset:
This resets all the Geometry preferences to their default values.
Model Box
Seam width (Default: On/0.50):
Enabling this option allows you to set the width of the seams between pieces
using the up and down arrows to the right. This setting produces the same effect
as the Seam Width option of
L3P. The field then
displays the current seam width. Use the arrows to set the seam width to a range
of numbers between 0.00 and 5.00. Note that setting this to large values can
produce extremely odd results.
Wireframe Box
Wireframe (Default: Off):
Enabling this option causes the model to be drawn in wireframe. Note that with
many 3D accelerators, this actually runs slower than when drawing as a solid.
Fog (Default: Off):
This option is only enabled if wireframe drawing is enabled. Enabling it
causes fog to be used to make it so that the lines that are farther away are
drawn more dimly.
Thickness (Default: 0%):
This option is only available if wireframe drawing is enabled. It adjusts the
thickness of the lines used to draw the model in wireframe mode.
Edge Lines Box
Edge Lines (Default: Off):
Enabling this option causes the edge lines that outline all the pieces to be
drawn.
Conditional lines (Default: Off):
This option is only available if edge lines are enabled. Enabling it causes
conditional edge lines to be computed and drawn. Conditional edge lines show up
as a silhouette of curved surfaces; they are only drawn when they are visually
at the edge of the surface from the current viewing angle.
High quality (Default: On):
This option is only available if edge lines are enabled. Enabling it causes
edge lines to be drawn slightly closer to the eye than everything else,
resulting in much better looking lines.
Always black (Default: Off):
This option is only available if edge lines are enabled. Enabling it causes
all edge lines to be drawn in black. This can be useful to part authors, as it
causes the edge lines in the default color (light gray) to be much more
visible.
Thickness (Default: 0%):
This option is only available if edge lines are enabled. It adjusts the
thickness of the lines used to draw the edges around the pieces.
Reset:
This resets all the Effects preferences to their default values.
Lighting Box
Lighting (Default: On):
Enabling this option enables lighting. If you disable lighting, it is strongly
recommended that you enable edge lines, unless you are
in wireframe mode.
High quality (Default: Off):
This option is only available if lighting is enabled. Selecting this enables
high quality lighting. The easiest way to see the difference between having
this option on and off is with a baseplate. If you angle a baseplate until the
specular highlight becomes visible (it gets shiny), and
then switch back and forth, you will see that the highlight is located in a
specific location when high quality lighting is enabled, and covers the entire
surface when it is disabled. Enabling this can significantly decrease
performance, especially with large models.
Subdued (Default: Off):
This option is only available if lighting is enabled. Selecting this sets the
lighting to a subdued level. Subdued lighting is about halfway in between
standard lighting and no lighting at all. This can produce nice results when
edge lines are enabled.
Specular highlight (Default: On):
This option is only available if lighting is enabled. Selecting this turns on
the specular highlight. This causes the model to appear shiny.
Alternate setup (Default:
Off):
This option is only available if lighting is enabled. Selecting this causes
LDView to use an alternate lighting setup, which may improve performance on some
video cards, but will more likely decrease performance. The alternate setup is
used automatically when specular highlight is enabled,
whether or not this option is enabled, since specular highlight only works
properly with the alternate setup.
Stereo Box
Stereo (Default: Off):
Enabling this option turns on stereo mode. Stereo mode draws two images: a
slightly different one for each eye.
Cross-eyed (Default?: No):
This option is only available if stereo is enabled. Selecting this sets the
stereo mode to cross-eyed stereo. The two images are drawn side by side, with
the image for the right eye on the left and the image for the left eye on the
right. By crossing your eyes and then focusing, you can see a stereoscopic
image. Many people find it difficult or even impossible to focus with their
eyes crossed.
Parallel (Default?: No):
This option is only available if stereo is enabled. Selecting this sets the
stereo mode to parallel stereo. The two images are drawn side by side, with the
image for the right eye on the right and the image for the left eye on the left.
By looking in the distance and then focusing, you can see a stereoscopic image.
This will only work if the distance between the two images is no greater than
the distance between your eyes, so the window will need to be kept fairly
narrow. Many people find it difficult or even impossible to look at an image in
this way and then focus.
Amt (Default: 50%):
This option is only available if stereo is enabled. The slider controls the
stereo spacing. A small value will result in a very subtle stereoscopic effect,
as if you were looking at a very large object from a very long distance. (The
minimum value results in no stereoscopic effect at all.) A large value will
result in a pronounced stereoscopic effect, as if you were looking at a small
object from a very short distance.
Wireframe Cutaway
Box
Wireframe cutaway (Default:
Off):
Enabling this option causes the cutaway portion of the model to be drawn in
wireframe. Hold down the Control key and click and drag up with the right mouse
button to increase the amount of the model that is cut away. Control right drag
down to decrease the cutaway amount.
Color (Default?: No):
This option is only available if wireframe cutaway is enabled. Selecting it
causes the wireframe cutaway to be drawn in color.
Monochrome (Default?: No):
This option is only available if wireframe cutaway is enabled. Selecting it
causes the wireframe cutaway to be drawn in monochrome. This isn't available on
all graphics cards.
Opacity (Default: 100%):
This option is only available if wireframe cutaway is enabled. The slider
controls the opacity of the wireframe cutaway. When Color is selected as the
type of wireframe cutaway to draw this may be fixed at 100% on some graphics
cards. Also, when color is selected and sort is not selected in the
transparency box, transparent pieces will ignore the opacity setting and be
drawn with the standard opacity for transparent pieces.
Thickness (Default: 0%):
This option is only available if wireframe cutaway is enabled. The slider
controls the thickness of the lines in the wireframe cutaway.
Transparency
Box
Sort transparent polygons (Default: On):
Enabling this option causes transparent shapes to be drawn in back-to-front
order in order to produce a correct result. If they aren't sorted, distant
transparent shapes can end up being drawn as if they were in front of less
distant transparent shapes. Unfortunately, this can cause a significant
slowdown in some models. This option is mutually exclusive with the use stipple
pattern option.
Misc Box
Flat shading (Default: Off):
Enabling this option causes flat shading to be used. Note that while flat
shading is less complicated to draw, with a modern 3D accelerator this will not
likely improve the performance at all. Flat shading will only likely provide a
visual difference if you have either high quality
lighting or primitive substitution
enabled, in which case turning on flat shading can produce odd results. This
option is mutually exclusive with the smooth curves option.
Reset:
This resets all the Primitives preferences to their default values.
Primitive Substitution
Box
Primitive substitution (Default:
On):
Enabling this option causes LDView to use its own optimized version of many of
the primitives (such as cylinders, cones, etc). As well as providing enhanced
performance, this also provides improved visual quality, since smooth shaded
primitives are generated where appropriate.
Texture studs (Default: On):
This option is only available if primitive substitution is enabled. Enabling
it causes a LEGO® logo to be textured onto all the standard studs.
Nearest filtering (Default?: No):
This option is only available if primitive substitution and texture studs are
both enabled. Selecting it causes nearest texel texture filtering to be used.
This is the lowest quality texture filtering.
Bilinear filtering (Default?: No):
This option is only available if primitive substitution and texture studs are
both enabled. Selecting it causes bilinear texture filtering to be used.
This is the middle quality texture filtering.
Trilinear filtering (Default?: Yes):
This option is only available if primitive substitution and texture studs are
both enabled. Selecting it causes trilinear texture filtering to be used.
This is the highest quality texture filtering.
Curve quality (Default: 9%):
This option is only available if primitive substitution is enabled. It adjusts
the quality of substituted primitives by changing the number of facets used to
draw curved primitives. Changing this from its default value can lead to holes
in the model between the substitute primitives and other geometry. Be very
careful with this setting. Setting it too high can lead to huge slow-downs.
The default setting of 2 (9%) is fine for most models.
Misc Box
Low quality studs (faster) (Default: On):
Enabling this option switches to using the low-resolution stud files instead of
the normal-resolution stud files. This can produce significantly faster
rendering.
OK/Apply
Changing certain of the options above will require the model to either be
reprocessed, or reloaded entirely. If you change any of these options, there
will be a pause after you hit OK or Apply while it either reprocesses or
reloads the model. During this pause the status bar will display progress. If
the status bar is not set to be visible, it will be made visible temporarily.
Command Line |
You can specify a filename on the command line, and LDView will open that file (if it exists) instead of presenting you with the initial Open Panel. You must either specify the complete pathname of the file, including the extension (e.g. .ldr, .dat, .mpd), or be in the directory that contains the file when you run LDView.
All of the options available in the Preferences Panel can be set from the command line, if so desired. These are all preceded with a - in order to indicate that an option is being specified. Command line settings override settings in the Preferences Panel. They may be saved as a persistent preference if you modify them or other preferences via the Preferences Panel. Otherwise, the old values will be used the next time you run the program without specifying a value for those options on the command line. Preferences are set on the command line in the following manner:
LDView -<setting 1>=<value 1> -<setting 2>=<value 2> ...For example, to set the default window size to be 640x480, you would do the following:
LDView -WindowWidth=640 -WindowHeight=480Below is a list of all the possible settings. Note that while most of these settings correspond directly to the Preferences Panel interface, some may have inverted logic from the panel (as noted). The Type column can be any one of the following:
Integer: | An integer value with a wide range of possibilities. There may be limitations on the range of valid values; if so, they will be listed in parentheses. Using a value outside a listed range will produce undefined results. |
Boolean: | An integer value representing either true or false. 1 represents true; 0 represents false. Other values produce undefined results (usually interpreted as true, but not necessarily). |
Enumerant: | An integer value with a fixed number of possible values, each of which corresponds to a choice that probably isn't related to the numeric value in any way. If you use a number that isn't one of the options listed, it will produce undefined results. |
Color: | An integer value representing a 24-bit RGB color. The bottom 24 bits of the value specify the RGB color desired. The top 8 bits are ignored. It is suggested (but not required) that this be specified as a hexadecimal value by prefixing the number with 0x. So, to have a bright blue color, you would specify 0xFF0000. Note that in hexidecimal format, the order is 0xBBGGRR (2 blue digits, followed by 2 green digits, followed by 2 red digits). |
String: | A free-form character string. |
Setting | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
AllowPrimitiveSubstitution | Boolean | Equivalent to the Primitives->Primitive substitution check box. |
Antialias | Enumerant |
Equivalent to the General->Full-scene Antialiasing box.
Selects which FSAA option to request: 0: none (Full-scene Antialiasing check box not checked). 2: 2x 3: 2x Enhanced 4: 4x 5: 4x Enhanced Note that while all but the first option request FSAA to be used, it will only be used on graphics hardware that supports FSAA in addition to supporting the OpenGL extension that allows it to be set from a program other than the driver control panel. |
BackgroundColor | Color | Equivalent to the General->Background color button. |
BlackHighlights | Boolean | Equivalent to the Always black check box in the Geometry->Edge Lines box. |
BottomMargin | Integer (0-???) | Equivalent to 1000 times the value of the Bottom field in the Margins box on the Page Setup dialog box. |
ConditionalHighlights | Boolean | Equivalent to the Conditional lines check box in the Geometry->Edge Lines box. |
CurveQuality | Integer (1-12) | Equivalent to the Curve quality slider in the Primitives->Primitive substitution box. |
CustomColors/Color00 - CustomColors/Color15 |
Color | Controls the colors that show up in the Custom colors boxes on the Color dialog box. |
CutawayAlpha | Integer (1-100) | Equivalent to the Opacity slider in the Effects->Wireframe cutaway box. |
CutawayMode | Enumerant |
Equivalent to the Color and Monochrome radio buttons
and the Wireframe cutaway check box in the
Effects->Wireframe cutaway box. Selects the cutaway
mode: 0: None (Wireframe cutaway check box not checked) 1: Color 2: Monochrome |
CutawayThickness | Integer (1-5) | Equivalent to the Thickness slider in the Effects->Wireframe cutaway box. |
DefaultColor | Color | Equivalent to the General->Default color button. |
EdgeThickness | Integer (1-5) | Equivalent to the Thickness slider in the Geometry->Edge Lines box. |
FullscreenDepth | Integer | Color depth used for full-screen display. This will normally be either 16 or 32, but other values (such as 15 and 24) may work on some video cards. Future video cards will presumably even support 64. Use this setting with caution, and only specify one of the depths that shows up on the View menu; specifying an unsupported color depth may result in problems when you try to switch to full-screen mode. Note that while I listed the type for this as an integer, and didn't specify a range, the only values that will actually work are the ones that show up on the View menu when LDView is run. |
FullscreenHeight | Integer | Vertical resolution used for full-screen display. As with the FullscreenDepth setting, care should be taken when specifying this option. Also, you should always specify the FullscreenWidth setting when you specify this setting, and make sure the width, height, and depth combine to make a video mode supported by your video card. |
FullscreenRefresh | Integer | Equivalent to the Fullscreen refresh override check box and field in the General->Misc box. Setting this to 0 causes the check box to not be checked. Any other value checks the check box and is used as the override value. |
FullscreenWidth | Integer | Horizontal resolution used for full-screen display. As with the FullscreenDepth setting, care should be taken when specifying this option. Also, you should always specify the FullscreenHeight setting when you specify this setting, and make sure the width, height, and depth combine to make a video mode supported by your video card. |
InstallPath | String | Only used in screen saver mode (where command line options can't be given). Used to find LDView data files (font and stud logo) when running as a screen saver. Only included in this list for completeness. |
LastOpenPath | String | Path used as the initial path for the first Open File dialog box displayed. This is normally the last path that a file was opened from the last time LDView was run. |
LDrawDir | String | Specifies the full path to the directory containing LDraw. |
LeftMargin | Integer (0-???) | Equivalent to 1000 times the value of the Left field in the Margins box on the Page Setup dialog box. |
Lighting | Boolean | Equivalent to the Effects->Lighting check box. |
LineSmoothing | Boolean | Equivalent to the General->Antialiased lines check box. |
MaxRecentFiles | Integer (0-99) | Controls how many recent files are recorded and displayed. Note that there is no way to set this value in the LDView interface. |
OneLight | Boolean | Equivalent to the Alternate setup check box in the Effects->Lighting box. |
Orientation | Enumerant |
Sets the paper orientation during printing: 1: Portrait 2: Landscape |
PaperSize | Enumerant |
Sets the paper size during printing. There are too many sizes to
list all of them here, but here are some of the standard sizes: 1: Letter (8.5 x 11 in) 3: Tabloid (11 x 17 in) 5: Legal (8.5 x 14 in) 8: A3 (297 x 420 mm) 9: A4 (210 x 297 mm) If you want to use another size, you can print using that size in LDView, and then look at the following key in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Travis Cobbs/LDView/PaperSize |
PerformSmoothing | Boolean | Equivalent to the Smooth curves check box in the Effects->Misc box. |
Poll | Enumerant |
Selects the polling mode: 0: Disabled 1: Prompt 2: Auto-update when active 3: Auto-update immediately |
PolygonOffset | Boolean | Equivalent to the High quality check box in the Geometry->Edge Lines box. |
PrintBackground | Boolean | Equivalent to the Print Background Color check box in the Page Setup dialog box. |
RecentFiles/File01 - RecentFiles/File99 |
String | Contains the list of recent files. Each entry specifies the full path to one of the files. File01 contains the most recently opened file. By default, only File01 - File10 are used. You must set the MaxRecentFiles setting to a value greater than 10 in order for any of the other entries to be used. |
RightMargin | Integer (0-???) | Equivalent to 1000 times the value of the Right field in the Margins box on the Page Setup dialog box. |
SaveActualSize | Boolean | Equivalent to the inverse of the Save image with specific size check box on the Save File dialog box. |
SaveAlpha | Boolean | Causes PNG format snapshots to be saved using an alpha channel to acheive a transparent background. This option is currently still experimental, and may not work on all video cards. Note that there is no way to set this value in the LDView interface. |
SaveDigits | Integer (1-5) | Equivalent to the Number of Digits field in the Save snapshot series box on the Save File dialog box. |
SaveHeight | Integer (1-4096) | Equivalent to the Height field in the Save image with specific size box on the Save File dialog box. While 4096 is the max for this value, your video card may not support images this tall. |
SaveImageType | Enumerant |
Spefies the default image type for snapshot saves: 1: PNG 2: BMP |
SaveSeries | Boolean | Equivalent to the Save snapshot series check box on the Save File dialog box. |
SaveWidth | Integer (1-4096) | Equivalent to the Width field in the Save image with specific size box on the Save File dialog box. While 4096 is the max for this value, your video card may not support images this wide. |
Seams | Boolean | Equivalent to the Seam Width check box in the Geometry->Model box. |
SeamWidth | Integer (0-500) | Equivalent to 100 times the value of the Seam Width field in the Geometry->Model box. |
ShowAllType5 | Boolean | When set to true, causes LDView to display all conditional lines (line type 5), instead of only the ones that should be displayed. They are still only displayed if they are enabled via the preferences panel. This setting can not currently be set from the UI, but can be potentially useful to part authors. |
ShowErrors | Boolean | Equivalent to the Show errors after loading check box in the General->Misc box. |
ShowErrors/Error00 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Parse Error check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error01 | Boolean | Equivalent to the File Not Found check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error02 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Part Determinant check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error03 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Concave Quad check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error04 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Concave Quad Split check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error05 | Boolean | Equivalent to the OpenGL Error check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error06 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Color Error check box in the Error Window. |
ShowErrors/Error07 | Boolean | Equivalent to the Co-linear Points check box in the Error Window. |
ShowFPS | Boolean | Equivalent to the Show frame rate check box in the General->Misc box. |
ShowHighlightLines | Boolean | Equivalent to the Geometry->Edge Lines check box. |
ShowType5ControlPoints | Boolean | When set to true, causes LDView to draw a line from the first point in each conditional line (line type 5) drawn to each of the conditional control points. This setting can not currently be set from the UI, but can be potentially useful to part authors. |
SortTransparent | Boolean | Equivalent to the Sort check box in the Effects->Transparency box. |
StereoMode | Enumerant |
Equivalent to the Cross-eyed and Parallel radio
buttons and the Stereo check box in the
Effects->Stereo box. Selects the stereo mode: 0: None (Stereo check box not checked) 2: Cross-eyed 3: Parallel |
StereoSpacing | Integer (0-100) | Equivalent to the Amt slider in the Effects->Stereo box. |
SubduedLighting | Boolean | Equivalent to the Subdued check box in the Effects->Lighting box. |
TextureFilterType | Boolean |
Equivalent to the Nearest filtering, Bilinear
filtering, and Trilinear filtering radio buttons in the
Primitives->Primitive substitution box. Selects the texture
mode: 9984: Nearest filtering 9985: Bilinear filtering 9987: Trilinear filtering |
TextureStuds | Boolean | Equivalent to the Texture studs check box in the Primitives->Primitive substitution box. |
TopMargin | Integer (0-???) | Equivalent to 1000 times the value of the Top field in the Margins box on the Page Setup dialog box. |
UseFlatShading | Boolean | Equivalent to the Flat shading check box in the Effects->Misc box. |
UseQualityLighting | Boolean | Equivalent to the High quality check box in the Effects->Lighting box. |
UseQualityStuds | Boolean | Equivalent to the inverse of the Low quality studs (faster) check box in the Primitives->Misc box. |
UseSpecular | Boolean | Equivalent to the Specular highlight check box in the Effects->Lighting box. |
UseStipple | Boolean | Equivalent to the Stipple check box in the Effects->Transparency box. |
WindowHeight | Integer (240-???) | Specifies the initial height of the LDView viewing area. The overall LDView window height will be larger due to the menu, title bar, and window borders. The maximum is dependent on the resolution of your display. Specifying a value greater than the maximum will result in a window that is the maximum allowable height. |
WindowMaximized | Boolean | Specifies whether or not LDView should start out with its window maximized. |
WindowWidth | Integer (240-???) | Specifies the initial width of the LDView viewing area. The overall LDView window width will be larger due to the window borders. The maximum is dependent on the resolution of your display. Specifying a value greater than the maximum will result in a window that is the maximum allowable width. |
Wireframe | Boolean | Equivalent to the Geometry->Wireframe check box. |
WireframeFog | Boolean | Equivalent to the Fog check box in the Geometry->Wireframe box. |
WireframeThickness | Integer (1-5) | Equivalent to the Thickness slider in the Geometry->Wireframe box. |
ZoomMax | Integer (1-???) | Sets the maximum Zoom level. See the description below. |
Notes |
1. | Many of the current features in LDView are the result of user comments and suggestions. I always welcome more comments at the e-mail address below. |
2. | A list of planned features and possible other future features can be found on the LDView website here. |
3. |
Advanced users can adjust the maximum zoom level. This isn't something that is
generally useful except to LDraw part authors. Currently it can only be done by
specifying using the -ZoomMax command line option,
or creating or modifying the following DWORD registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Travis Cobbs\LDView\ZoomMax The default behavior can be achieved by setting it to 199 (decimal). Increasing the value above this allows you to zoom in further. Doing this results in the view position moving inside the model. Decreasing the value below 199 limits the amount you can zoom in. Setting it to values less than 100 may produce odd results, and setting it to zero will cause a division by zero which may produce a crash, or possibly a corrupted display. Setting it to values significantly larger than 199 may produce odd results as well. Anything between 199 and 1000 should be fine, other than the fact that when the view position moves inside the model you get a cutaway effect. |
Website |
LDView is Copyright © 2000 Travis Cobbs.
LEGO® and the LEGO logo are registered trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponser, endorse, or authorize this program. You can find the official Lego website at http://www.lego.com.