Building Off the Grid – An Introduction to Advanced LEGO Techniques

Introduction

  1. Building Sideways (SNOT)
    1. The Geometry of LEGO Bricks
    2. The Headlight Brick
    3. Bricks with Studs on their Sides
    4. Plates with Studs on their Sides
    5. Brackets
    6. Half Plate Offsets
    7. Quarter Plate Offsets
    8. Stud Reversal
  2. Half Stud Offsets using Jumper Plates
    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
    7. SNOT with Half Stud Offsets
  3. 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
  4. 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 Digitally
    6. Building Spheres by Stacking Bricks or Plates
    7. Lowell Spheres
  5. Exploring the Math Behind the Techniques
    1. LEGO Boutique Hotel 10297
    2. LEGO Spring Lantern Festival 80107
    3. LEGO Corner Garage 10264
    4. LEGO Orchid 10311
    5. The Magic Circle (custom model by Jason Pyett)

Glossary