Building with the released vintage toys could be done with LeoCAD.
(LeoCAD works on Windows, Lunix & macOS.)

For using the vintage toys library, the ‘standard’ LeoCAD library basically needs to be replaced with this vintage toys library. That’s what this article is about.

1. Download LeoCAD

LeoCAD installation should be downloaded here: LeoCAD.org/downloads

Choose your operating system.
(For me it’s Windows: “LeoCAD-Windows-23.03.exe”).

Run the installation program, incl. ‘Parts Library’ if you like so.
(Default installation path: “C:\Program Files\LeoCAD”.)
And open the application:


2. Try the tutorials

For a better understanding of LeoCAD, just read the online tutorials: https://www.leocad.org/docs/tutorial1.html


3. Install specific library

For the easy of use, LeoCAD comes with it’s own “library.bin” file, containing many LDraw parts.

There are different methods, changing the library with the custom vintage toys:

  • Chapter 3.1: Pointing LeoCAD to a specific library, for instance: “mobaco_v1.1.zip”. You are now able to build with Mobaco.
  • Chapter 3.2: Generate your own library, being able to use many part libraries.
  • Chapter 4: Adjust parts category list.
  • Chapter 5: Where to find pre-created models?

3.1 Use a specific library (easy method)

  1. Download the libary of interest from: Cults3D.
    • You will get a ‘Cults3D.zip’ archive.
    • Inside this archive, you will find for the custom library, for instance: ‘mobaco_v1.1.zip’ archive.
    • Extract this ‘mobaco_v1.1.zip’ archive to a folder on your harddrive.
  2. Open LeoCAD.
  3. Open ‘Preferences…’ window.
    (Select menubar: View – Preferences… )
  4. Click the ZIP-icon & select the downloaded library.
  5. Press ‘Ok’ and re-start LeoCAD.

The next time LeoCAD is started -in this case- the ‘Mobaco’ library is loaded.

Just check if everything went okay:

  1. In the ‘Parts categories’, click on ‘All Parts’.
  2. Now the ‘part list’ should contain all Mobaco parts.
  3. If everything seems to be okay, read the next chapter: “4. Adjusting part categories”.

3.2 Managing your own library

Depending on your use case, you could also mix many libraries into one big library. This allows you building with multiple libraries at once.

For instance, you want to combine Bayko, JeuJura & Mobaco and the original LDraw-Lego library.

Since we cannot select multiple ZIP files, we need to create a directory storing all part files. So let’s build this directory structure:

  1. Creating a new folder,for instance:
    “C:\Users\Public\Documents\LDraw\all_ldraw_parts
  2. Open the mobaco.zip file and move the complete “parts” folders into this your new folder: “..\all_ldraw_parts\parts
  3. Within LeoCAD, we now select this new folder: “..\all_ldraw_parts“.

At this point, there should be the next folders:

  • ..\all_ldraw_parts:
    Containing one subfolder.
  • ..\all_ldraw_parts\parts:
    Containing many part files (.DAT) (& optional one subfolder):
  • ..\all_ldraw_parts\parts\textures:
    Containing some pictures, which are used by some parts.

Reload LeoCAD. Like step 3.1, select ‘All Parts’ in the ‘Parts categories’. Now all Mobaco parts should be visible.

3.3 Adding a 2nd library

For adding a 2nd library, the folders & settings are already done. Only the new parts from this new library have to be copied in the same destination library/folder. So let’s try ‘Bayko.zip’.

  1. Open the ‘Bayko.zip’ file and move the complete “parts“-folder into the same folder: “..\all_ldraw_parts\

You are done. The existing files will stay and new Bayko-files are added.

So if you open the “..\all_ldraw_parts\parts” folder, you see now:

  • A subfolder, called: “Textures”
    This contains some pictures, used for Mobaco parts.
  • A lot of files called: “bayko_xxx.dat”
  • A lot of files called: “mobaco_xxx.dat”

So basically both Bayko & Mobaco libraries are installed. Continue with the last chapter: “4. Adjusting part categories”.

3.4 Include the official LDraw library

It might also be fun, adding virtual Lego to the scene. Herefore we again use our custom library from chapter 3.2. Now we have to add all official LDraw parts into our custom library.

The latest LDraw libary could be found here: https://library.ldraw.org/updates?latest

So download: ‘Complete LDraw.org Library Zip archive (complete.zip)

Again coping all ‘official’ files into the “..\all_ldraw_parts”, (this time using Windows explorer window):

  1. Click on the ‘ldraw’ folder inside the ‘complete.zip’ file.
  2. Select all files.
  3. Drag them to the ‘all_ldraw_parts’ folder.
    (This takes a while…)

So again, the ‘parts’ folder did exist already and it should contain it’s previous content. LeoCAD will take a bit longer when starting up. Continue with the last chapter: “4. Adjusting part categories”.


3.5 Create LDraw parts ZIP file

For the advanced user: it’s possible to create one ZIP file again for your entire customized library. If it’s done right, LeoCAD will load a bit quicker.

  1. Rename the “all_ldraw_parts” folder into “ldraw”.
  2. Make a ZIP-file from this “ldraw” folder.
  3. Optional rename the ldraw.zip file, into something more meaningful, like “all_ldraw_parts.zip”.
  4. Within LeoCAD, refere to this “all_ldraw_parts.zip” file.

4. Adjusting part categories

Within the ‘part categories’, many LDraw official catergories exist already. And when selecting ‘All parts’, you get all available parts. But that’s not handy for building with Mobaco or other vintage toys. So let’s change these categories.

Again within the LeoCAD ‘Preferences’ window, there is a tab: ‘Categories’, open this window:

Based on the use-case:

  • Delete all categories (manualy) and only add vintage toys categories or
  • Keep this list (& official LDraw library) and add new vintage toys categories.

Options to use:

  • ‘Reset’: This default LeoCAD catergory list -in picture above- will be re-created. (So don’t be afraid screwing something up.)
  • ‘Import’: Import a “category.txt” file, which overwrites the current list.
  • ‘Delete’: Deleting the selected category.
  • ‘New’: Type a new catergorie yourselfs.

All the vintage toys libraries includes a category file, inside the ZIP file: “leocad_CATEGORIES_Vintage_Toys.txt

You could either:

  1. ‘Import’ this list, if you want use ‘vintage toys’ only.
    (It consists again of multiple categories, so you could clean this list yourselves.) (See picture above.)
  2. Add ‘new’ categories manually. Open the provided text file and add only the wanted categories. (See picture above.)

5. Where to find pre-created models

Inside each library.zip, you will also find some pre-created models. Check the submodels in those file(s).


Ready to build

Now your favorite LeoCAD part library is installed and the categories are updated, it’s time to build!

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