Gizmodo 
Enter your username and password.
Tip your editors:
tips@gizmodo.com
Editorial Director:
Brian Lam | Email | Twitter
Editor:
Jason Chen
Email | AIM | Twitter
Features Editor:
Wilson Rothman
Email | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor:
Jesus Diaz
Email | AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
Email | AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan
Email | AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci
Email | Twitter
Sean Fallon
Email | Twitter
Jack Loftus
Email | Twitter
John Herrman
Email | Twitter
Dan Nosowitz
Email
Chris Mascari
Email
Danny Allen
Email | Twitter
Columnist:
Brendan I. Koerner
Interns:
Don Nguyen
Email
Chris Jacob
Email
Comment Intern:
Nick Ellenoff | Email
Comment Account Questions:
Comments@gizmodo.com
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
06/27/09
Actually, it was pretty cool, but I'm not sure it would have ranked in my top 5. The Indiana Jones mega-diorama and BrickChick's coral reef were definitely the top two, plus PepaQuin had his Futurama Planet Express display and slightly-larger-than-the-10179 UCS Millennium Falcon (with detailed interior) there. Oh, and one of the founders built a large-scale MOC of FLW's Falling Water, though the surrounding landscape was all still just hollow framework.
06/27/09
06/27/09
why call them legos?
its like a lego big flat piece with action figures standing on it.
thats not legos. legos are blocks you BUILD things with.
06/27/09
06/27/09
06/27/09
Your name isn't, by any chance, Bob Parker, is it? Because not too long ago he was whinging on LUGNET about this exact sort of thing, with how it's "not LEGO if you don't leave studs showing" or some crap. That's the sort of stuff that comes in official sets, not the stuff that has Kjeld Kirk and all the official model designers staring in amazement and saying that they didn't think such things were possible with a simple little plastic toy.
@Hello Mister Walrus:
There are several levels of "LEGO purist". This is probably what we'd call the "has to look like a child built it" type, where special elements are off limits, and anything that's not a basic 2x4 brick is probably considered a special element (I actually once saw someone make that very claim).
06/27/09
06/27/09
06/27/09
My question was always how they managed to go so long between reloads, considering how tiny those ammo boxes were compared to the size of the rounds, and how fast those twin guns blazed through them. Seems like it'd take no more than a handful of seconds to run dry after every reload, not unlike you would with an M-16 if you just hold the trigger down.
06/26/09
06/27/09
Nope, and even if it was it'd be pretty expensive for a set that size. I'd estimate the mecha alone as being somewhere in the range of 400 parts, which would run no less than $40 MSRP (I'd actually guess closer to $50, with the full scene running at least $500...if it was an official set). An official LEGO version would be a lot clunkier, but they'd probably drop the price down to $15-20 as a result.
01/16/09
11/07/08
11/07/08
ZOMG ROFL SOOOO FUNNY LOLOLOL XP WTFBBQ i wonderz if it play doomz too!!!!!
(sarcastic commentard post)
11/07/08
11/07/08
CAD isn't as difficult as it looks, especially if you're just making models and not creating formal, ASME or ISO drawings for traditional manufacturing - GD&T is tricky, and takes a lot of practice to do elegantly and in an easily understood fashion.
What i'd recommend is Vectorworks, but only because that's what i'm used to, and AFAIK it's a bit more user friendly than AUTOCAD.
Anyways find some small objects around the house and recreate them in 3D - you may need micrometers to attain any real precision - and work your way up to more complex objects. The trick is being able to visualize the steps you'll take to make a shape - a good way to start making things is to create a rough, encompassing shape and then subtract various other shapes from it.
11/07/08
11/07/08
@jchabotte:
There's also novel methods like sweeps, extrude-along-path, lofts, tapered extrusions that are usually very good for creating a limited number of rough shapes. for example, something that is cylindrically symmetrical (such as a donut or a vase) is actually really simple - a donut is a swept circle and a vase is a swept profile.
if you have the time, it's a rather rewarding activity.
11/07/08
11/07/08
i too get to do CAD for my day job, but I mostly do mechanical assemblies, enclosures, sheet metal and machining, lots of gas flow control and custom test equipment stuff. since it's a small company i also get stuck doing wiring diagrams, design guides, PCB fabs and assemblies, the whole gamut.
I like it a lot : )
11/07/08
What kinds of file types do these printers take? Solid Works?
11/07/08
11/07/08
Good to know, and i'm pleased to find that Vectorworks can export .stl files - useless for now due to a lack of a 3D printer, but still, good to know.
11/07/08
11/07/08
11/07/08
And the best non-vibrating ones are made of glass, also not sure how well water based glue would go over in that... uh... environment.
11/07/08
11/07/08
i tried to post a vid of a 3d printer in action:
+ Watch video
and then some dude who used one to print out an iphone case:
+ Watch video
11/07/08
11/07/08
11/07/08
simian slappers are, needless to say, violent and unshaved. but they are good with the sweet talk.
11/07/08
Hey look at that, you made a new friend.