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.
Related Stories
| May 18, 2011
New Tool Takes PDFs Beyond 2D
Our IT expert puts a new PDF creation package through its paces and sees value for AEC firms that want to move more aggressively into 3D documents.
| May 16, 2011
Dassault Systèmes to distribute Gehry Technologies’ digital project
Dassault Systèmes and Gehry Technologies announced that Gehry Technologies’ Digital Project products will be integrated into the Dassault Systèmes’ portfolio and distributed through Dassault Systèmes. Digital Project is a suite of 3D BIM applications created by Gehry Technologies using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA as a core modeling engine.
| May 3, 2011
Scott Simpson of KlingStubbins on how to get more value from BIM
Too few AEC professionals have developed a strategic idea of how BIM can and should re-shape professional practices and drive dramatic improvements in both creativity and production, according to Scott Simpson, FAIA, senior director of KlingStubbins. While BIM enables the exploration of design ideas quickly and in new and different ways, it can lead people to think they’re making more progress than they actually are. A simple adjustment in perspective is all it takes to put things right.
| May 2, 2011
URS acquires Apptis Holdings, a federal IT service provider
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and CHANTILLY, VA– April 28, 2011 – URS Corporation and Apptis Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of information technology and communications services to the federal government, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which URS will acquire Apptis.
| Apr 12, 2011
BIM Grows Up: Separating Hype from Reality in a 3D World
While BIM adoption still lags in both design and construction, some enterprising owners, architects, and contractors are unlocking the potential of this dynamic technology.
