LEGO Digital Designer inventory changes

aplbomr79

Has anyone else noticed that LEGO frequently changes their available pieces? Does this have anything to do with their production, or just a way that they can keep things fresh?

icey117

I opened an elder LDD set I make some years back and quite some of the rare pieces was not there! Here're my guesses for reasons:

1) They can't possibly keep all the pieces in the selection (on the LDD at least), it would be confusing.
2) They gotta keep the theme-sets attractive, by having some special bricks in them that can't be purchased elsewhere.
3) Maybe their "Pick-a-brick" robot machine thing have a limited amount of cases it can select from in order to keep the selling effective. (and they they do adjust some of the special bricks to each years theme. 2007 they had some castle-pieces that are out now. Last and this year they have several Atlantis-themed pieces).

So I guess you are right. Keep the shop FRESH, but also EFFECIENT and maybe keep their themes a bit EXCLUSIVE!

vynsane

First off, I think you need to qualify what exactly you mean - LEGO Digital Designer is the program that allows you to virtually build with LEGO elements. Design by Me is the part of LEGO Digital Designer that allows you to purchase the design you've created in LDD from LEGO directly. In the past, these things were synonymous, but now that the 'LEGO Universe' and 'LDD Extended' building themes have been added to LDD, it's not the sole focus of the program.

1) They can't possibly keep all the pieces in the selection (on the LDD at least), it would be confusing.

Yes, actually, they can and do! 'LDD Extended' mode allows you to use nearly every piece ever available (some notable exceptions being finger-hinge pieces). It's all digital in LDD, just bits and bytes, so why couldn't they?

2) They gotta keep the theme-sets attractive, by having some special bricks in them that can't be purchased elsewhere.

I think this is the main point, at least in the modes of LDD that allow you to purchase the models you design. If they made every piece available in any color, there wouldn't be as much 'specialness' to the sets that are available in stores, thus not as much demand for them.

3) Maybe their "Pick-a-brick" robot machine thing have a limited amount of cases it can select from in order to keep the selling effective. (and they they do adjust some of the special bricks to each years theme. 2007 they had some castle-pieces that are out now. Last and this year they have several Atlantis-themed pieces).

While there may be some distinct patterns between PaB and DbM availability, I don't think it goes beyond an artificial governance by TLG regarding what's available in each. They can make anything they want available, but only release specific pieces that compliment the currently available in-store themes without competing with them. It's just synergy, plain and simple. Support the market without deluging it.

brickmatic

^All great points. I also add that at any given time there are a limited number of pieces in production. The factory where bricks are made is designed to be flexible. They have a collection of molds for each of the various pieces that they swap out of the machinery that produces the pieces. So I'm sure availability of pieces has something to do with factory logistics as well.

aplbomr79

Alright, someone clue me in... what is the LDD Extended mode? I have searched and found some outdated sites and info - but nothing on LDD Extended in the current version (4.1.6) of LDD.

vynsane

@aplbomr79 - See my topic about LEGO Digital Designer updates for more info on enabling 'LDD Extended' mode.

aplbomr79

Thanks Vynsane... after I commented, I found the rest of the LDD (and like the Universe mode very much). I was mindlessly using LDD with the updates without trying any of the new tabs - I didn't even notice them.

Great way to keep me addicted to Bricklink.

vynsane

Universe Mode in LDD 4.1 is a watered down version of the same theme from LDD 4.0 (which was hidden, and needed to be unlocked). 'LDD Extended' is the new 'power user' theme in 4.1, which also needs to be unlocked - see that topic I linked to in order to find out how.

teslin1212

this new patch has problems

StuBoy

^ What problems? I've been using it for a few weeks and it seemed fine. I havn't used the previous version much though, so don't know how it used to operate.

malachirobertson

I recently downloaded LDD 4.2. I read about it on Eurobricks. I gather that this is the post-Design-by-me version. It adds elements and fixes bugs.

HuskerDont

Is there a way to filter out unavailable bricks in the new LDD?

jwsmart

I was just working on drawing up a MOC in LDD 4.2 (LDD Extended) and I found these two bricks, which I don't recognize from any sets:
Have these appeared in sets yet? I don't recall seeing these in anything.
They also appear to have most of the Series 6 Minifig parts, and the Alien Conquest stuff they were missing in 4.1, including the ADU Gun...

@teslin1212 - I haven't spotted any problems yet.

sidersdd

Haven't seen those. The new tipper truck has something similar, which is new:

PewPewMan

Is Design by ME official down? I've just download LDD 4.2 and I noticed that LEGO has added every existing brick (if not most of them) onto the list but removed the check price button. So we can no longer purchase our designs?

Matthew

^ http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=1705

jwsmart

I answered my own question about the mystery pieces in LDD.
Looks like they're new pieces in the Marvel Quinjet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tereglith/6908125130/

Very, very exciting.

sidersdd

I answered my own question about the mystery pieces in LDD.
Looks like they're new pieces in the Marvel Quinjet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tereglith/6908125130/

Very, very exciting.

Yep, they come in the Loki set and Wolverine set as well.


What's with the prevalance of rounded corners on everything these days? The worst is with the single high panel pieces like this, which now have small gaps when strung together to form a wall:



Are they just trying to reduce foot injuries?

jwsmart

^ The rounded corners are annoying.
They don't really bother me on the SNOT bricks, but the panels are another story.

Oldfan

Those rounded corners are much easier to mold than sharp corners, so TLG is probably trying to make their lives easier on the production floor. Just a guess on my part.

Of course, the other corners on those parts pictured above have sharp edges, so I'm not sure exactly what TLG is trying to accomplish here...

stephenvw

Has anyone else noticed in LDD there are dark green 1x1 plates? Have these ever existed because I can't find them anywhere on BrickLink.

StuBoy

^ I'm not sure, but I have noticed a number of other bricks that LDD allows you to use in certain colours that don't exist (or have yet to be produced).

jwsmart

^^According to Bricklink, Dark Green 1x1 Plates don't exist. However, LEGO has different names for colors: http://www.peeron.com/inv/colors

The color we all call green is "Dark Green", Color ID 28 to LEGO.
"Earth Green" (ID 141) is what we would call dark green.
Perhaps that's what you're seeing?

stephenvw

^Ok, that would make sense but if you looked at it in LDD it looks like Dark Green (or according to LEGO, earth green). Thanks for the help!