Subject:
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Re: building problems
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.build
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Date:
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Sat, 6 Mar 1999 01:51:33 GMT
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Viewed:
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548 times
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Anne Sullivan writes:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm new to lego world, I never had them as a child but have gotten heavily
> into them lately. I really enjoy building my sets but now I'm looking to
> build my own things. Upon doing so I found out that I have a deficiency. I
> seem to have a lot of problems thinking in 3D. So I end up making a facade
> instead of a building, or unstable creations. Does anybody have any hints or
> tips for this?
I have some, but the remainder of this post is a bit lengthy so bear with me
if you can stand it :) I love to hear myself talk..
> I suppose this sounds strange, but all my life I've been more into 2D things,
> drawing, photography, etc.
Actually, that's not strange at all. If I can assume for a moment advantages
that you may already have:
1. You can visualize in your head.
2. You already know how to look at a facet of an object, or even multifaceted
objects on a 2D surface, and often know what you're looking at.
3. You can plan for sections of completed creations and know they ought to fit
into a finished creation.
IMO, what you don't really employ when engaged in those "2D" activities are
active construction techniques: you see things like arches, girders, hinges,
etc. and you know what they do. But spacial displacement, function and
strength are only depicted and not actively used in those representations.
With Lego, they are.
IMO:
Tip #1: First and foremost, you're a bricklayer. Get good at basic brick
building and worry about becoming a carpenter and architect a little later.
(There have been whole discussion threads about nothing but how to build
pyramids involving people that have been building for years :)
Tip #2: It is often better to build from the ground up than doing one face at
a time. When building a house, start with the very bottom pieces of the walls
or the floor first and build up all the walls at equal rates. You'll find that
achieving stronger interlocking sections is easier this way.
Tip #3: When making a wall for a building, don't use all the same size bricks
in it. A wall made of 1x8 bricks (maybe with a window in it) stacked only on
top of each other may look correct, but it won't make for a strong building if
all the walls are that way.
Tip #5: Size can matter. I use larger pieces where they matter most, small
pieces where they matter most, and medium pieces less discriminantly. Larger
often work better as part of a skeleton or major structure of a creation.
Tip #6: Having said Tip #5, be willing to investigate using several pieces
that could do the job of one piece, or look like it; and then see if one piece
could do the job of several: then measure the pro's and con's of both to see
which you can live with. Sometimes a better way of connecting pieces will
present itself to you.
Tip #7: Having said Tip #6, simpler is always better. If you can achieve the
same visible appearance and function with fewer pieces, do it.
Tip #8: Contradictions in building tips are often only differences in building
styles. :)
True building elegance comes with time after you start figuring out which
pieces are the best to use and when, and how many you need to get what you
want. Those of us who have been building for years are still always on the
lookout for new building techniques, as that's part of the fun. New builders
occasionally surprise us by using techniques that we've either never seen, or
took us years to discover, and we are happy for them, especially if they share
their tips. So if you find a good technique, feel free to share it! Often, a
technique will seem old to everyone, but often the old timers love to
reminisce and you'll get them to talking about and showing even more ways to
connect things :) !
BTW, no one person has all the answers to building with Lego. Even The Lego
Group itself falls short more often than we'd like.
-Tom McD.
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: building problems
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| Tom's tips are great. I suggest starting slowly. Like drawing still life, start with simple, manageable projects. Build one room houses, simple trucks and planes. Things no bigger than 2 handfulls. My father taught me to build with wood by making me (...) (25 years ago, 6-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
| | | Re: building problems
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| Wow, good explanation Tom! All I want to add is that Anne, I use your method of construction for most of my new LEGO buildings. I call it prototyping. I build one wall (and then rebuild ... rebuild ... rebuild) until I get it the way I want it to (...) (25 years ago, 8-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | building problems
|
| Hi all, I'm new to lego world, I never had them as a child but have gotten heavily into them lately. I really enjoy building my sets but now I'm looking to build my own things. Upon doing so I found out that I have a deficiency. I seem to have a lot (...) (25 years ago, 6-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
|
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