Table of Contents

  1. Introduction to the LEGO System
    1. Basic terms
    2. Common LEGO elements
    3. The geometry of LEGO bricks
    4. LEGO measurement units
    5. Digital building using stud.io
  2. All about scale
    1. The concept of scale
    2. Choosing a scale for your model
    3. Common scales used in LEGO models
    4. Upscaled bricks
    5. Translating real dimensions to LEGO units
  3. Basic LEGO techniques
    1. Interlocking bricks for a sturdy structure
    2. Alternating the orientation of bricks
    3. Tapering using offsets
    4. Tapering using slopes
    5. “Illegal” techniques
  4. Half stud offsets
    1. Half stud offsets in one and two dimensions
    2. Creating recessed wall sections, windows, etc.
    3. Centering elements with odd vs. even number of studs
    4. Smoother tapers using jumper plates
    5. Tapering by unequal amounts in two dimensions
    6. Other uses of jumper plates
  5. Building sideways aka SNOT
    1. The headlight brick
    2. Bricks with studs on their sides
    3. SNOT with half stud offsets
    4. Plates with studs on their sides
    5. Brackets
    6. Half plate offsets
    7. Quarter plate offsets
    8. Stud reversal
  6. Angled Walls
    1. Angled wall basics
    2. Angled walls using hinge elements
    3. Angled walls using turntables
    4. Near triples (when close enough is good enough)
    5. Using jumper plates for even more options
    6. The “mirrored hypotenuse” technique
    7. The “switched diagonals” technique
    8. Building angled walls in stud.io
  7. Round Shapes
    1. Using SNOT to create small cylinders
    2. Bending LEGO walls to create round shapes
    3. Mixing regular bricks with round bricks to create round walls
    4. Round walls using hinge elements
    5. Building round walls in stud.io
    6. Building a sphere by stacking bricks or plates
    7. Lowell spheres
  8. Mosaics
    1. Image resolution and color depth
    2. Quantization and dithering
    3. Regular mosaics
    4. Studs-up mosaics
    5. Lenticular mosaics
    6. Creating mosaics using stud.io
  9. Sculptures
    1. Introduction to 3D models
    2. Creating sculptures from 3D models in stud.io
    3. Creating sculptures using the Lowell sphere method