How I wish I'd known about Mecabricks and this brilliant community before I'd started on my latest Lego project! I don't use Blender and I'd not heard of this site or the Mecabricks tool/workshop until a couple of days ago, after I came cross it when I was looking up brick stud logo variations.

I'm aware of Blender, obviously, and have tried it, but I've thus far not given myself enough time with it... plus I can't use Cycles due to my old PC not having a CUDA-enabled graphics card. I work with Modo as my main modelling tool, and have done since version 102, so I naturally fell to that for creating the Lego pieces I'd need.

To ensure accuracy (and thinking it might save me some time), I looked into a CAD tool/builder, which I could export from. I tried Ldraw initially, because I'd heard it had the biggest library, but for some reason it just wouldn't install properly. After that I tried LDD, which worked a treat. The only problem was that it didn't export in a format recognised by Modo (I should have checked!). So I ended up going from LDD as .ldr, to LeoCAD, where I could export as .3ds.

The problem then was that the bricks would come into Modo with faces flipped and generally messed up. At that point I was just resigned to modelling them in Modo, using the LeoCAD exports as guides. Once I had a few basic bricks, it became easier to model others because I could duplicate parts. Still took ages though!

I'm very comfortable with Modo, having used it for years. I normally use Subdivision Surfaces for everything because then all objects are resolution independent. However, for this Lego project I decided to try standard poly modelling but use Modo's edge rounding options, which doesn't alter edges physically but makes them round in the render. A cheat bevel, I suppose. The results are good though, and the amount of roundness is customisable and can be applied on a per-material basis. Which is great because I can have studs set at a larger bevel than brick edges, for example.

Anyway, back to how I came across Mecabricks... I see that it exports the stud logo? Or have I got that wrong? In Modo, I've had to resort to mapping each exposed stud in my model separately. Yay! 😕

My next project, where I'll have more time to experiment, I'm definitely going to try Mecabricks and Blender together.

My WIP:

1. Bricks built in Modo using LeoCAD exports as guides.
2. Noise/bump maps on Rudolph slopes
3. Sub surface scattering
4. Stud logos using displacement mapping for Rudolph
5. Working on stud logos for Sleigh - you can see they're just diffuse/colour maps at the moment, while I position them.
6. Lighting is a few Area Lights - no HDR images for lighting/reflection yet.

Once all stud logos and slope bumps are in place, I'll add a Santa minifig (I'd already modelled a minifig a couple of years ago), then other details like reins etc. and finally add colour to the bricks, and add some dirt/dust and wear & tear maps.