MLCad Online Help > Overview
From the menu "Settings/General/Change..." you activate the Options dialog which has six tabs (sections):
Lego base path: Enter the installation directory of LDraw here.
Author name: Enter your name here. MLCad will insert a comment containing your name into every new model it creates.
Show warnings: If it is not checked any warning message produced by MLCad is suppressed.
Enable screen selection: If checked, actives a feature which allows to select a part from within the drawing area by just clicking onto it.
Activate edit mode on load: If checked, automaticaly activates the edit mode when a new model is loaded, otherwise MLCad activates the view mode.
Automatic part upgrade: This
option controls if MLCad will check for updated parts when it
loads a model. MLCad detects updated parts by looking at the
first comment line within the part. If it contains "~moved
to" the part needs to be updated. If the option is
"Off" MLCad will not check for newer parts, if the
option is "Ask" MLCad will check for newer parts and
opens a dialog asking if it should update the model to use newer
parts. The third option "On" causes MLCad to update
the model always without asking.
Upgrading in this term means, that references to older versions
of a part are replaced with references to the newest parts, parts
not updated are left untouched.
Language: Toggle the program language between "English" and "German". This setting will not take effect until a restart of the program.
Register file types: Check this to register the file type ".dat" and ".mpd" to this program.
Shading: Will apply a lightning effect to the model, if checked.
Optimisations: This option selects internal optimisation algorythms which need more memory but result in higher drawing speed.
Line width: Affects the width of lines. Select a width between 1 and 3 pixels.
Stud-Mode: Selects the quality of studs. Off doesn't display studs, Lines draws lines instead of studs, Coarse draws inprecise studs, and Normal draws studs normal.
Draw to selected part only: If
enabled, will cause MLCad to draw to the first selected part
only, skipping remaining parts in the model. If this checkbox is
unchecked, all parts are drawn always. For fast operation do
not activate this mode!
This option has no effect in Viewing-Mode.
Background Color: Press the color button to select the color to be used for the background of your models. This option is used for the model only and will not be stored in the model file itself.
Preview Options: Press the color button to change the color of the preview parts, and click the check box 'Small images' to the small previews or uncheck it to get large previews.
Print Model: If this checkbox is cleared MLCad will not print the model.
Print Steps: If enabled MLCad will print each step, otherwice the final step only (the ready drawn model).
Multiple steps per page: Enable to print two steps per page, if disabled MLCad prints one step per page.
High quality: improves printing
quality if checked (doesn't make sence for low resolution
printers).
Print partlist: Enables printing of a part list.
Print parts per step: If enabled
MLCad prints seperate lists for each step, otherwise a summery
over all the steps..
Print all models: Applies to MPD files only, and enables the printing of all sub-models or just the model currently viewed if turned off.
Print headers: If checked prints the model name on top of the page
Print footers: Prints page number information on the bottom of the page
Print step numbers: Additionaly show current step number in the printed picture.
Default 3D rotation angles: Define the rotation angles to be used for any three dimensional view of MLCad here. You can enter the rotation angles for the three axes (each from 0 to 359 degrees).
Position for new unplaced element:
This section defines which position will be used if a part is
added from a menu and not directly placed at a certain position
in the drawing areas.
"Same as previous" means the part receives the same
position as the part above the new in the list.
"Centered" will center the part arround the 0 point of
the model.
Orientation of new element: This section defines the initial orientation of a part added to the model. If 'Default' is selected the part will not be rotated and show as it was defined. Same as previous will copy the orientation of the element before the inserted one.
Color for new element: In this section you define which color a part added to the model will get. If you select "Same as previous" the new part will receive the color from the part before it (the part which is above the new part in the model-list), "Default" assign the same color to all new part. You can select this color by clicking into the color box.
This tab is used to adjust the snap and rotation angle values for part movement and rotation.
Added parts view type: Ignored for
Edit-Mode allow four different ways of displaying parts added
between two steps:
- Off .... Turns this feature off, added parts are not displayed
other than older parts.
- Highligh ... Darkens the previous parts and leaves the added
parts untouched.
- Grayed old ... Draws previous parts in gray and added parts
with theire real color
- Transparent old ... Draws previous parts transparent
In any case the last picture of the model will show it with its
real colors.
Left mouse button in 3D-View: Selects what function the left mouse button has in a 3D-Viewing pane
Fast step count: Selects how many steps will be skipped when fast forwarding or backwarding
MLCad remembers the last position, orientation and size of the window, panes and toolbars, seperatly for the place mode and view mode. The information is stored and retrieved each time the mode changes.
To configure the window you have to follow these steps: