Create Mosaic for LDD - how?

[Superkalle]

In the "LDD 4.0 Wanted Features"-topic, Brickwild brought up an interesing question of creating a mosaic in LDD.

I haven't tested it, but maybe a moscaic creator for LDraw could be used, i.e. create a moscaic in LDR-format, and then import it into LDD (even though the LDD import/export function is pretty bad).

Found this online-version

Here is a tool that apperantly can create Ldraw mosaics. Haven't tested it.

Perhaps someone else here on the forum has some tips?

The coolest would of course be a utility that can create mosaics directly in LXF-files. Anyone feel like having a go? The LXF-file format is an open XML-based format (specifications here), so it's easy to programmatically create a LXF-file. The algorithm for the moscaic creator would be the hard part (i.e. taking a photo and making it into "brick pixels" based on a given color palette).

[DLuders]

I like using PicToBrick ( http://www.pictobrick.de/en/pictobrick.shtml ) to create Lego mosaics. It is VERY EASY to "pixelize" a photograph into 1x1 Lego Tiles or 1x1 Plates. I have no idea how to transfer the results directly into LDD, however....

[Calabar]

Could you provide a simple step-by-step guide for PicToBrick?

I've some difficulties to use it.

[DLuders]

PicToBrick has this tutorial covering 5 topics:

"On the following pages you will find a short instruction with screenshots making it possible for you to generate your first mosaic. Enjoy yourself!

"In this tutorial we use Vincent van Gogh’s painting Starry Night as an example that is available on visipix.com. To make the first steps in PicToBrick easier for you you can download and use this painting [starry Night]."

On the Media page, it says that "A five page article about PicToBrick ("Discovering PicToBrick") was published in the ninth issue of the Lego fan magazine". If you visit that webpage, you can click on the five thumbnails shown there to read the full-size article.

[Calabar]

Yes, I've seen the tutorial, but is is not a "Step by Step" guide.

I think most people need to follow few simple steps to obtain a result, and the software is not exactly user friendly. Later they could try to modify software parameters.

However, I was not be able to obtain a "brick patern" still.

I was looking for a result like the one showed in the zoomed circle of Einstein's mosaic.

[DLuders]

@ Calabar: Does this Instructables (series of 8 webpages) help?

[Calabar]

It is not a guide to use pickbrick, but a generic guide to make lego mosaic.

An surely is something more complex than what I have in mind, that is a few lines step by step guide.

Note that now I understood as pickbrick works, except than how to obtain a 3D result such as this I can see in the Einstein's mosaic photo (precisely in the "lens" detail) you reported in post #2 (so that I'm thinking that's not a result the software can provide).

The "Short guide" I've in mind will be aimed to other users that approach the software for the first time and want to easily see a result.

[Bojan Pavsic]

Note that now I understood as pickbrick works, except than how to obtain a 3D result such as this I can see in the Einstein's mosaic photo (precisely in the "lens" detail) you reported in post #2 (so that I'm thinking that's not a result the software can provide).

The "lens" detail doesn't contain any 3D mosaic, it's just 1x1 plates / bricks on a single plane. If you check closely, no part stands out, it's a normal 2D mosaic.

[Calabar]

Oh, certainly it could not be a true 3D, but an effect like this would be perfect for me.

The studs over the bricks/plates are clearly in "3D view", while I, using pickbrick, obtained only an image composed by big squares.

Some time ago I tried to reproduce it using a pattern in photoshop, but the result was not enough good.

Thanks