Why is LDD no longer being worked on?

fourstud

Hey guys, if you know me you know I LOVE working in LDD. But the last update was Jan 9 2018 and they added only 2017 pieces. Nothing from 2018 onward has been added. I know they said it wasn't being supported anymore years ago but then they dropped two updates since then. Is there a legitimate reason? Because I really would like to use all the new pieces that have come out since then.

I don't like Studio, and MECABricks is nice but it's not as easy as LDD to use. 

Can anyone get an official statement? I know myself and tons of others would love to keep using the program.

pxchris

Just a curiosity question - what is it in particular about Studio that you don't like?

fourstud

pxchris said:

Just a curiosity question - what is it in particular about Studio that you don't like?

The way minifigures are modeled isn't entirely appealing, some pieces just don't look that accurate to the real thing, It never works for me and I'm not a fan of some of the renders.

davee123

I believe the official word was that LDD would no longer be funded back in early 2016:

https://www.brothers-brick.com/2016/01/21/lego-digital-designer-officially-defunded-and-unsupported-news/

From Kevin Hinkle at the time:

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 & hobby.

Followed up on the Ambassador forum by:

Dear Ambassadors, 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 Kevin’s statement and I hope that you will assist us in spreading this message as well. Thank you!

As I understand it, LDD was initially rolled out in concert with Design By Me and LEGO Universe, so that fans could build what they wanted to and upload it into a LEGO digital venue.  However, when they discontinued those programs, there wasn't really a solid reason to keep LDD up to date.

To that end, I believe the jist of the message was "we won't spend any significant amount of money to enhance LDD or make it keep working".  They might decide to update the parts library now and again, or (say) fix a bug so that it'll run on the next version of Windows-- but it's not really important to them to make sure that it's supported like an active product.

DaveE

sid3windr

Yep, and I believe the last update was to add some elements (1x1 with 2 studs on side?) that were being used in some online (ideas?) contest.