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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Mon, 8 Mar 1999 14:59:14 GMT
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Viewed:
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1984 times
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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 look. Then I go back a and partially dismember it to incorporate it into
the 3 dimensional building. (Note: it is structurally stronger to rebuild than to
add 3 additional walls to the fascade I just built.) But then I use a lot of
arches, columns and towers in my historical buildings, so doing a fascade only as
a prototype saves me a lot of time in the end.
The downside to this is that after I finally finish a fascade, I sometimes tire of
building on it, and my prototype inventory gets to be quite large (only 1 or 2
sides of the building). Right now I have partially completed: 2 sides of a
notched arch Art Deco movie palace, 3 sides of an English university medieval
college quadrangle, one side of a 19th century Parisian townhouse with Mansard
roof, 2 sides of a 12th century Gothic Guild Hall, a 6 story 19th Century
Victorian office building with cornice, and 2 sides of an 8 story 1930's Moderne
(streamlined Art Deco) department store.
Gary Istok
Tom McDonald wrote:
> 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 1 Reply:
 | | Re: building problems
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| Gary Istok wrote in message <36E3E5C1.CEE2E344@u...ch.edu>... :Right now I have partially completed: 2 sides of a :notched arch Art Deco movie palace, 3 sides of an English university medieval :college quadrangle, one side of a 19th century (...) (28 years ago, 10-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: building problems
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| (...) 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.. (...) Actually, that's not strange at all. If I can assume for a moment advantages that you may already have: 1. (...) (28 years ago, 6-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
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