LPub3D is an Open Source WYSIWYG editing application for creating LEGO® style digital building instructions.

LPub3D output include instruction document, document pages, part list and export content.

PDF		Portable Document Format instruction document
PNG		Portable Network Graphics images, instruction document pages and POV-Ray rendered images
JPEG		Joint Photographic Experts Group instruction document pages
BMP		Bitmap instruction document pages
HTML		Hypertext Markup Language sortable graphic part list with element ID and online part lookup
BrickLink XML		Extensible Markup Language BrickLink part list
CSV		Comma-Separated Values plain text part list
POV		Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer (POV-Ray) photo-realistic scene files
OBJ		Wavefront Object files
STL		Stereolithography object files
3DS		Autodesk 3DStudio Max object files
DAE		COLLAborative Design Activity object files

LPub3D uses the LDraw standard and LEGO® Geometrical Equivalent Objects (LGEO) photo-realistic part libraries and reads the LDraw DAT, LDR and MPD model file formats. The LDraw libraries are not required to be preinstalled. Archive (.zip) library files for both official and unofficial LDraw parts are bundled with LPub3D. Follow the linked image below to acquire the LGEO photo-realistic part library.

LDraw		LDraw™ parts is an open standard library that allow users to create virtual models and scenes. Three LDraw part libraries are bundled with LPub3D. LDraw™ official and unofficial LEGO® part library. TENTE® unofficial LDraw part library created by José Alfonso Solera (Jasolo). VEX IQ® unofficial LDraw library created by Philippe Hurbain (Philo). LSynth bendable parts synthesis elements created by Kevin Clague and updated by Don Heyse (deeice).
LGEO		POV-Ray photo-realistic part library created by Lutz Uhlmann (El Lutzo), updated by Owen Burgoyne (C3POwen) and extended with STL object files by Damien Roux (Darats).

LPub3D Blender integration uses the LPub3D Blender LDraw Addon which imports LDraw™ models into Blender, exports models from Blender and renders imported models using the full range of Blender capabilities. LPub3D also provides “native” 3DViewer, POV scene file generation, including POV-Ray PNG image rendering using integrated modules based on LeoCAD and LDView. Additionally, LDView, LDGLite and POV-Ray 3rd-party stand-alone LDraw model renderers are bundled in each LPub3D distribution. All stand-alone renderers are console applications custom adapted to LPub3D for tight integration, optimum configurability and robust performance.

LeoCAD		LPub3D “native” renderer and 3D Viewer - performant, “true fade” rendering
Blender		Best in class, 3D computer graphics toolset for high quality photo-realistic renderings
LDGLite		fast image rendering ideal for proofing
LDView		high quality rendering plus POV scene file generation
POV-Ray		ray tracing renderer - photo-realistic, feature rich rendering

Screenshots

Compatibility

LPub3D runs on Debian, Red Hat and Arch derived Linux distros, macOS and Windows Operating Systems. LPub3D is also available as a Linux ‘no-install’, multi-platform AppImage and Snap or Flatpak ‘sandbox’ deployment. Builds are available for both x86 instruction set (32-bit and 64-bit) and Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) micorprocessors.

Downloads

	GitHub Releases - Linux, macOS and Windows Distributions
	Sourceforge Releases - Linux, macOS and Windows Distributions
	Open Build Service Releases - Linux distributions

Distributions

• Click icon above to download and/or install distribution release.
• ARM builds are available for the following distributions:
  • macOS 14 (arm64)
  • AlmaLinux 9 (aarch64)
  • CentOS 9 (aarch64)
  • Debian 12 (arm64)
  • Fedora 39 (aarch64)
  • Raspbian 12 (arm64)
  • openEuler 21.03 (aarch64)
  • State of openSUSE Leap 15.2 (aarch64)
  • Ubuntu 24.04 (arm64)

Verify Windows Distribution Hash using PowerShell

The following steps are using LPub3D Windows release hosted on GitHub. These steps can be applied to any LPub3D release where a GPG signature file is available.

• Get the hash file LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019.exe.sha512
• Open a PowerShell session
• Add the package download path to > PkgUrl
• Add the hash file sha512 hash to > PublishedHash.

  > WebClient = [System.Net.WebClient]::new()
  > PkgUrl = 'https://github.com/trevorsandy/lpub3d/releases/download/v2.4.8/LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019.exe'
  > PublishedHash = '457845f9267c8cd0bf0a93ab7e210a8ab085fcab73cea42072f1a356ddf9c260c709c8af045a5bd54ff0c4451dfd5b24be9f70a695f9758d51b789ee1122f384'
  > FileHash = Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA512 -InputStream ($WebClient.OpenRead($PkgUrl))
  > FileHash.Hash -eq $PublishedHash
  

• Cut and paste this code snippet into Powershell, a valid return value is True.

Verify GPG Signature using Bash Unix Shell

The following steps are using LPub3D AppImage release hosted on GitHub. These steps can be applied to any LPub3D release where a GPG signature file is available.

• Get the GPG public key: pubring.auto
• Get the release: LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019-x86_64.AppImage
• Get the hash file: LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019-x86_64.AppImage.sha512
• Get the GPG hash file signature: LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019-x86_64.AppImage.sha512.sig
• Ensure GPG is installed and configured: $> which gpg
• Import the public key file into GPG: $> gpg --import pubring.auto
• Verify the against its hash file: $> sha512sum -c LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019-x86_64.AppImage.sha512
• Verify the GPG hash file signature: $> gpg --verify LPub3D-2.4.8.0.3723_20241019-x86_64.AppImage.sha512.sig

Quick Links

• Build and package LPub3D from source
• Release notes
• Change log (Deprecated - use Release notes)
• Questions and discussion
• Report an Issue or Request an Enhancement
• Credits

License

LPub3D is available for free under the GNU Public License version 3.0 (GPLv3).

Disclaimers

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this application.
TENTE® is a construction game owned by Educa-Borrás SA which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this application.
VEX IQ® is a trademarks or service mark of Innovation First International, Inc, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this application.

Documents

• LPub3D Metacommands
• LPub3D macOS Library Dependencies
• LDView Help
• LDGLite Readme
• LPub3D-Trace (POV-Ray) Help

Tutorials

3rd-party tutorials:

• Working with LPub by Jaco van der Molen
• LPub3D par J.C Tchang (en français)

Resources

• LPub3D meta commands UDL for Notepad++ (zip download)

Features and Enhancements

• Show individual part instance in BOM and PLI #766 (NEW!)
• Enhanced Blender LDraw model render, import, and export integration #416 (NEW!)
• Apple silicon arm64 (M1/M2) builds #761 (NEW!)
• Support base64 encoded !DATA meta command #722 (NEW!)
• Display model STEP supports part lines #704 (NEW!)
• Enhanced STEP part fade and highlight behaviour #710
• Model load status available from file menu action #698
• Build modification - visual editor build modification actions #633
• Reset viewer assembly display menu action #652 #652
• Specify viewpoint latitude and longitude angles #654 #654
• LPub command snippet system #602
• Expand WhatsThis help to preferences, dialogs and actions - Ctrl+F1 #618
• Add shortcut to Zoom Extents - Shift+X #470
• Append page STEP placement options #491
• Bill of Materials(BOM) STEP placement options #492
• Configurable Theme colors #490
• Dynamically generate fade STEPs and/or highlight STEP final model STEP #483
• Enable LEGO Digital Designer and set inventory import #506
• Execute fade, highlight, and preferred renderer locally #505
• Executable verification with exported SHA-512 checksum file for GitHub builds #460
• Make generate pointer arrow optional when converting STEP to CALLOUT #501
• Native renderer official, unofficial LDraw parts load/lookup order option #509
• Set project start page and start STEP number for multi-document layouts #477
• Build modification - BUFEXCHG replacement, modify part settings with ease #411
• Double-click editor line, time-line item, part or submodel for 3D preview #441
• Substitute part dialogue with part preview #280
• Manage camera properties, including target, rotation and position, from 3DViewer #344
• Streamline formatting and command reuse with Include File meta command #396
• Add point, sun or area light to Blender rendering #413
• Render wire, raised and rounded stud logo #425
• Add bring-to-front and send-to-back for page items #244
• Open model file with external program #420
• Insert display model between STEPs #415
• Colour picker and part lookup #427
• Set PDF, PNG, JPG and BMP pixel ratio for output resolution #333
• Center justify MULTI_STEP and CALLOUT STEPs #333
• Page items bring to front and send to back #244
• Add, remove, edit substitute part from PLI context menu #244
• Automatically load LDCad generated flex parts #272
• Configurable LEGO style CSI, PLI and BOM annotation formatting #186 #187
• STEP and range dividers with configurable pointer arrows #185
• Render configurable POV-Ray generated images #207
• Continuous submodel STEP numbering #179
• Generate Sortable HTML part list with element ID #196
• OBJ, 3DS, STL, DAE, CSV and BrickLink XML exports #188 #195
• Show submodel image at first STEP
• Pre-bundled LSynth bendable part elements. Add to archive and, optionally, extract to LDraw folder
• Pre-bundled and fully integrated LDraw part libraries for LEGO, TENTE and VEXIQ models
• Continuous page processing - step through your model with one click
• Go Dark - Dark mode theme, switch on the fly
• Multi-segment page, divider and callout pointers
• Enhanced “True” previous STEP part fade
• Current STEP SILHOUETTE part highlight
• Scene horizontal and vertical ruler and axis guides
• Console commands - enabling “Batch” mode
• “Headless” mode on Linux, macOS and Windows platforms
• “Native” POV file generation powered by LDView
• Integrated 3D viewer and image renderer powered by LeoCAD
• Integrated and custom adapted image renderers (LDGlite, LDView and LPub3D-Trace (POV-Ray)) - no more additional installs
• Renderer config files accessible from the LPub3D user interface
• Custom LDraw library LDConfig (part material) file can be passed to LDGlite and LDView renderers
• Set ROTSTEP (STEP rotation) meta using 3D Viewer
• Fade previous STEP’s parts (Fade step)
• Unlimited part list (PLI) annotations
• Split the BOM (divide parts over number of BOM occurrences)
• Sort PLI/BOM by part size, colour and category
• “Go To” page navigation and submodel display via drop-down dialogue
• Automatically generate formatted cover pages
• POV-Ray high-quality rendered instructions
• LGEO high-quality rendering library support and auto detection
• Customizable content page header and footer
• Text and picture (e.g. logo) front and back page attributes
• Print/Export preview
• PDF, PNG, JPG and BMP export formats
• Standard and custom page size options
• On demand, software and LDraw archive library updates
• All features from legacy LPub - enhanced and stabilized
• Linux, Linux AppImage, macOS and Microsoft Windows distributions
• Windows automated installer and portable distributions available
• Full capabilities to build and package from source or Cloud Continuous Integration Service
• Automated build and deploy from Cloud CI Service: GitHub Actions and Open Build Service
• Docker container builds using Docker Compose available for Arch, Ubuntu and Fedora Linux distros

Portions of LPub3D are based on LPUB© 2007-2009 Kevin Clague, LeoCAD© 2024 Leonardo Zide, LDView© 2024 Travis Cobbs & Peter Bartfai and additional third party components. See Credits for full details on contributing content.

Copyright (c) 2015 - 2024 by Trevor SANDY