The people at London-based sketch and modeling studio Gravity have found a way to turn Lego blocks into a digital modeling kit.
With the Lego X system, users can transfer the forms they’ve created with Lego into real-time digital files, Dezeen reports. The system recognizes forms built with Lego building blocks, and using location-mapping and gyroscopic sensors, it plots the position and orientation of each block to create a digital 3D model.
The tool models each block individually. If a physical block is moved, turned, lifted, or put down in real life, its digital “twin” in the monitor (a tablet or laptop) will behave exactly the same.
When multiple blocks form a larger cluster, they act as a single entity within the program. The saved files can be built upon more with image processing software, or sent to a 3D printer.
Dezeen believes that when the software is paired with the Lego Architecture Studio Kit, the technology “could provide a new tool for designing buildings” and prototyping.
Read more at Dezeen.
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