I try to look up the specs of pieces as I make them. Lego are actually built around a value of 1.6 mm., so most dimensions of most pieces fall into a sort of a “grid”. I decided to make things easy on myself and have traded mm for m. The distance on a brick (in my model) from one stud to the next is exactly 8 m. easy to move bricks around using inference locking and the Move tool by increments of 8m!
As for the bricks, this is my “virtual pile of bricks”:
Each brick is saved as its own component. Whenever I need a new brick, I select one that is close to the one I need, make it unique, rename it, then make the changes I need.
No… it’s pretty relaxed, there… I am using the Move tool to copy from the pile, rather than placing from the component browser, so insertion point has not been critical. Honestly, my naming is so fast and loose, I would spend all day scrolling through the Component window to find each piece… right now I can see my whole “pile” and grab what I need from the corner that makes the most sense. As for gluing, some times pieces are added from the top, or bottom, so gluing seemed like it would cause more trouble that it would relieve…
In my experience, there’s no need to have a unique component just for color. If your component is entirely the default color, it can be colored independently of like components with a single click of the paint bucket. Works with groups too
Well… Bag 3 almost killed me… The last few pages of Bag 3 introduced Greeblies! In real life these are fun little shapes that you get to snap into odd configurations to bring additional detail to your model… in the life where you have to model each piece with little to no reference… it is… less than fun…
I realized how much I like a good reference image!
Awesome effort and results ! Wondering if, when you’re done, you’ll grab your 3D printer and make your own “physical” set of pieces and build that as well?
I’ve had a couple people ask this! I doubt it… this is a LOT of plastic. Plus, I cannot see reproducing the high tolerances of molded LEGO in an FDM print.
Perhaps you need think about some sort of grid for components. THan you can easily find them. Perhaps there is an extension or so which could help with this?! You can always add scenes for that, but eventually it will explode i guess. To bad SU still cant properly and easy link files. Than you could use the base scene pure for modeling, with as many scenes as preferred. Than use a different scene for renders.
Hope you will finishes and make cool renders! Hope you also got a phyisical renderer so you can make stunning shots of this puppy
