LEGO Design byME set designed with Lego Digital Designer Lego Design byME was a service connected with the construction toy Lego. The service was launched in 2005 under the name Lego Factory until changing its name to "Lego Design byME". Using this service, people could design their own Lego models using a computer program, then upload them to the Lego website, design their own box design, and order them for actual delivery. The brand also covers a small selection of products that have been designed by Lego fans, and which were available to purchase as a set. Lego Design byME was created for people to build and experiment with virtual Lego bricks. This is done on a program called Lego Digital Designer. Models are uploaded to Design byME on the Lego website, and creations can either be shared with the world in the gallery or purchased as a custom Lego set. When purchasing models from Lego Design byME, the price was significantly high compared to store-bought Lego sets, leading consumers to believe that the prices were unreasonable.
However, the price was divided into a few different parts. These are listed below: Design byME did not accept returns due to its classification as a custom service. Main article: Lego Digital Designer As part of the Design byME service, Lego has produced a computer program called Lego Digital Designer, which allows people to design a virtual Lego model using a selection of virtual Lego bricks. These models can be saved locally, as well as uploaded to the Lego website for sharing and ordering as a physical product. In late 2011, Lego announced that it would discontinue its Design byME service in its current form forcing people to buy Lego models that are designed by the developers. As of January 16, 2012, models created in Lego Digital Designer can no longer be purchased directly as LEGO Design byME sets. This does not affect the HERO Recon Team Hero Creator range of products. Lego has confirmed that it will continue Lego Digital Designer as a free design software, and it will also keep its Pick-a-Brick service operational.
Lego claims that Design byME has proven to be "too complex for children", and that despite its success, "the overall Design byME experience has struggled to live up to the quality standards for a LEGO service". ^ Changes to Design byME in JanuaryThis article should be brickified to fit within the style of Brickipedia. Please follow the guidelines in the Manual of Style and Wikipedia:How to edit a page. LEGO Digital Designer, commonly abbreviated LDD, is a 3D CAD computer application that LEGO fans can use to design models from an unlimited supply of over LEGO bricks available in nearly every colour, including minifigures and minifigure accessories, flexible tubes, and TECHNIC pieces. Models can be as small or as large as the creator wishes. When elements on LEGO Digital Designer are outdated, they are replaced with new ones. In 2010, LEGO Digital Designer 4 was released, on it's LEGO Universe theme access, and all parts from the Minifigures theme were removed. On January 16, 2012, the LEGO DesignbyMe part of LEGO Digital Designer was discontinued, so models can no longer be purchased.
At that time LEGO Digital Designer was also upgraded to version 4.2.5 with many new bricks, colours and printings. In LEGO DesignByMe, after making a model, the creator could design the special packaging and was able to be in control of the backdrop, shadows, shining, and even the back of the box designs. After designing the box, the fan could choose the model's category, from minifigures to buildings to architecture. The category selection made it easier for other LEGO Digital Designer users to view and buy the model for themselves. The fan could make as many sets as he or she wanted but only a strict amount of each set could be bought, though an easy way to get around this was to just copy the model and release it again. You could also only buy that year's models because some of the pieces of the model might become outdated. Starting April 2011, DesignByMe included 31 new Atlantis pieces in the program, although no minifigure parts were updated. Below are the themes that LDD has had:
The system requirements for LEGO Digital Designer are as follows: This article or section is incomplete.Please improve the article, or discuss the issue on the talk page.Here's a statement from the LEGO AFOL Relations team that is not good news: "Good Afternoon everyone, I've just touched base with one of our Digital Product Specialists within the Consumer Services team. A business decision has been made to no longer allocate resources towards the LDD program / initiative. "For now, the program will continue to be offered to anyone interested in utilizing it but please do not expect any updates regarding functionality, the adding of new LEGO elements or glitch fixes. We have decided to pursue other digital experiences. "Although this may not be the answer you were hoping for, I hope this information will be of use to your RLUG members. Thank you for your time and continued support for the LEGO Brand and hobby." Given how popular the tool is I imagine the news will cause much consternation.
Do you use LDD? Are you disappointed by this news? Will it prompt you to take a look at LDraw, which is arguably superior for serious use? Thanks to bricksforbrains for the heads-up in the Brickish forum. Update: Another statement has been made to try and allay some of our fears: "I hope this will help clarify a bit of the confusion and misunderstanding from our end regarding LDD. TLG will remain committed to digital building going forward, in regards to LDD, this means that we will continue to support the current functionality. "We will not be doing automatic updates on elements, however elements will continue to be added from time to time. Unfortunately we cannot ensure that all elements are made available. I can see that the message has spread widely in the community since our original statement and I hope that you will assist us in spreading this message as well. 404's are such a lovely thing. But you know, I'm not going to leave you stranded. Why don't you try a search?