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Subject: 
Re: First MOC after quite a while of frustration... / Building over grids
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains, lugnet.build
Date: 
Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:50:17 GMT
Viewed: 
7109 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Christopher Masi wrote:

Your models have always been an inspiration, but I think I just learned
a building technique from you that doesn't involve bricks. Does this
picture

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Ben/train-engines/BR39/85_br39_begin.jpg

show a
picture of the model printed on LEGO-scale graph paper? I don't know if
I'll ever try to model a train that accurately, but if I do, I'll be
sure to use that technique.

Dear Chris,

the picture shows indeed a prototype sketch (a sideview of the engine, which I
found on the web). I place this in a grafic program (in my case this is
"Micrografx Designer 7.0" which is utterly cheap (<10Eur) , but still quite
complex, nevertheless easy to operate and reliable // anything like Corel Draw
or AutoCAD will of course do the same to you).

In the past I have one time done a grid (just multiple copies of vertical lines
in 8mm distance (red) and copies in horizontal orientation (blue) in 9.6 mm).

Then I have to place the photo behind the grid and scale it. For example I scale
it, till the wheel centers of the photo show a distance of 5 grid lines. That
means the fitting scale for "BBB"-Drives. Or use windows to scale a building.

Often enough I do not even print the result, because my grid in red and blue
lines is better to be seen on the screen, than on a black and white
laser-printer paper sheet.

I used this technique for not only vehicles, but aeroplanes, buldings etc.
The more complex a structure is, the more helpful a paper print becomes.
For huge structures you may even consider a scale within a scale: 1 paperscale =
4 studs with my A380 jet.
And depending on the model you may also want to have a top view with 8mm x 8mm
grid (shape of airplane wings etc.).

Even if you have a photograph taken under a certain angle, this technique might
still work. Take the picture into some kinde of photoshop and squeeze it into
fitting shape. Just draw a perfect circle above the photo and check the picture
to get round instead oval wheels. Make the horizontal lines in the picture
horizontal and parallel in the squeezed picture and you are ready to place it
behind the grid!

Of course this is by far less accurate, but still helpful in some cases.

Good luck!

Ben



P.s.: some more examples:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Ben/train-engines/BR24/60_br24_grid.gif

- that technique is easy enough even for kids: my 10 year old nephew built the
1st wing of the A380 99% without any help.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Ben/town-assecoires/Aeroplanes/A380/90_bauen_nach_gitter.jpg
(all the papers on the floor are done with the grids)

P.p.s.: and of course I use pictures as John mentioned: sideview scetches are
rally helpful. The rest is just your interpretation what structure has to be
modeled and what is unimportant. Better exaggerate minor details than leaving
them out! It is helpful to give your creations a cartoonish style: most peole
like that.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Ben/train-engines/BR23/97_comparison_draft.gif



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: First MOC after quite a while of frustration...
 
(...) [...] (...) That is an excellent engine that you have built Ben. I also appreciate that you took the time to comment on it. Your models have always been an inspiration, but I think I just learned a building technique from you that doesn't (...) (18 years ago, 29-Nov-06, to lugnet.trains)

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