How do I get started on my own modular?

[biggmo3]

I bought Pet Shop but instead of buying just more sets I really want to build my own modular but I am really stuck on where to start. I have tons of ideas my only issue is actual bricks. I want to build an Irish pub to attach to my Pet Shop so obviously lots of dark green and brown floors, I was planning a two story building.

Now the issue comes as I was looking on pick a brick and I just don't know how many of each brick to order. I am unsure of the amounts of like plates, smooth pieces, windows and everything in general. So what do you guys recommend? Just buy tons of random pieces and hope it works out? I am more one to order everything specifically but I cannot like picture the pieces I will need.

Also what kind of baseplate do you guys recommend for this? I want it to be able to connect to my Pet Shop so i don't know what size plate

[Lind Whisperer]

Your baseplate should be either 16x32 for a single building like one shop from the Pet Shop, or for a larger square, 2 16x32 baseplates/1 32x32 baseplate.

My suggestion is to first construct your building in LEGO Digital Designer:

http://ldd.lego.com/en-us/

This will give you a chance to see how your ideas will work out in real life without paying for a bunch of parts that you may or may not need to use. Granted, it does have the downside of occasionally having a part that is not existent in that color in real life, but unless it's a really old part, this is generally not as big a problem as people make it out to be(And if it's a new and not entirely one-themed part, and and a currently in-use color, there's a good chance that you'll see it in that color sooner or later!).

Once you've built your building*, I would suggest then using Bricklink to pick your parts. It's far less expensive than Pick A Brick, and it also has the benefit of having a huge range of both old and new parts. It has a slight learning curve to using the site, and not all parts are located where you'd think they'd be, but the extra effort is by large and far worth the result:

http://www.bricklink....asp?itemType=P

Hope this helps!

*If you'd care to share your .lfx, I'd be glad to critique it. Although, when I'm MOCcing, I tend to try and lean as much on "official" styles of building as much as possible. Not that that's a bad thing...

Edited September 4, 2014 by Lind Whisperer

[Andy D]

It might be easier to just buy another modular and mod it. This may sound expensive, but buying the bricks separately for a modular can cost much more than just buying a modular and modding it.

You could always do it in LDD, then order from a parts list.

Baseplate, either 16x32 or 32x 32.

Also checkout...

http://amodularlife.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/modular-standards-for-lego-city-buildings/

For standards for modular buildings.

Andy D

Edited September 4, 2014 by Andy D

[timmyc1983]

Very thorough and perfect answer from Lind whisperer there, this is how I and I would say the overwhelming majority (correct me if I'm wrong) MOCers go about creating MOCs. The only thing I would suggest on top of that is, once you have your model finished in LDD, ask or find a topic for help with bricklink, there are a few small pointers that will help you enormously including use of a program called LDD Manager which works really well with the bricklink wanted lists.

Good luck, Happy designing and building XD

[notaromantic]

Another thing to do is try building a facade or two. Look at your favorite MOC's in detail, with attention to the facade - the number of bricks used to create the color for a wall, the types of doors and windows used, and the ways the overall decor and trim were made. Aside from color, a lot of architectural interest is derived with simple insets and offsets - this is true for much of design. Order enough bricks and parts, etc... to mimic what you see.

ALso identify your favorite official LEGO modulars,and then find hi res pictures of them, find their inventories on Bricklink, and find a viewable version of the instructions to the set online. Compare the three with some attention to what you'd need to make something similar. Try one floor, change the color, alter the furniture, etc...

Doing this will give you great insight into how the rest of a building can be constructed once you turn the corner, or when you move inward, or upward. It will also give you a taste for searching for parts and ordering them, which is what most of MOC'ing eventually becomes: familiarity with different parts, the ways to connect them, the colors available, the ways to obtain them, their cost and rarity, etc..., etc..., etc...

This is when your mind will then begin to envision in more detail, and with more control - when you're able to associate what is in your head with the ways in which to actualize that vision. And pretty soon, it becomes not "...how can I build this?", but rather "...what can I build with this." Familiarity with parts and pieces is crucial to that process. Getting your feet wet into the ocean that is LEGO parts and pieces can only be done that way.

Once you begin to recognize parts, you'll began to recognize techniques. Once you recognize techniques, you'll begin to see the whole, and then it is way less daunting than it once was. And then you'll envision your own buildings with more accuracy, and with more precision, imagine the ways to build what you see in the outside world as well.

You'll never drive anywhere anymore without thinking - "Hmmm. I bet I can build that in LEGO..."

Anyway, kinda' worked for me that way.

Edited September 4, 2014 by notaromantic

[Vincent Kessels]

Welcome to Eurobricks, biggmo3.

The others said it all basically.

I would start with a 16 x 32 like the Petshop because of the smaller size.

And buying a second Petshop is a good start.

Use LDD to tryout different facade's.

Dark Green was always a difficult color to build with because of the available elements, but it is getting better.

My advise would be to use a second Petshop to build a 16 wide residential home first.

[jimmynick]

Another thing to do is try building a facade or two. Look at your favorite MOC's in detail, with attention to the facade - the number of bricks used to create the color for a wall, the types of doors and windows used, and the ways the overall decor and trim were made. Aside from color, a lot of architectural interest is derived with simple insets and offsets - this is true for much of design. Order enough bricks and parts, etc... to mimic what you see.

...

You'll never drive anywhere anymore without thinking - "Hmmm. I bet I can build that in LEGO..."

Everything in this post is absolutely right - make models based on buildings you see in your daily life (ideally the ones that are striking in some way). When you have the facade down, (to me) the rest is a matter of stacking bricks to keep it standing.

Also, if you sketch features of buildings, you can decide on a scale for the details of a facade and for the size of the actual building. It's a balancing act between getting the details and keeping the building small enough to be manageable. I wouldn't try and make a building larger than 32 (or even 24) studs wide; the narrower it is, the fewer floors you have to build to get the MOC well-proportioned and tall.

If your building might end up too wide: what can you do to simplify it? If the real building has 3 windows and a door, why not try 2 or even just 1 window? If the real building has 7 floors, why not try just 4 (or 3?)

If you sketch real buildings and tinker with real bricks and LDD, then eventually you will get a sense of conveying the 'spirit' of a building.

Good luck!

[biggmo3]

Thanks for all the good answers guys!! I am definitely going to build a modular on a Pet Shop size plate but I was looking at brick link and I found it very hard to use. It seemed all the pieces were in places like Finland or Germany but I live in the US. Does anyone have any advice for ordering from brick link? Also do they send you all your pieces together or will you end up getting like hundreds of small little packages

[Lind Whisperer]

Thanks for all the good answers guys!! I am definitely going to build a modular on a Pet Shop size plate but I was looking at brick link and I found it very hard to use. It seemed all the pieces were in places like Finland or Germany but I live in the US. Does anyone have any advice for ordering from brick link? Also do they send you all your pieces together or will you end up getting like hundreds of small little packages

Probably not hundreds, unless you specifically use hundreds of different parts. From what I've read, most sellers either put each individual type+color in its own bag, or put them all together in a mailer if it's a small order.

The U.S. is actually one of the best countries to Bricklink from, after Germany.

I'd advise that you wait on actually buying the parts until you've built and are satisfied with your planned modular in LDD.

If you have trouble finding a specific part, try to find a set that you know it was included in(just has to be the same part, doesn't have to be the same color), and then use Bricklink's Set Inventory feature to track the part down and find the right page.

Edited September 5, 2014 by Lind Whisperer

[L@go]

The U.S. is actually one of the best countries to Bricklink from, after possibly Germany(Being the country that actually contains the company kind of gives Germany an advantage over the huge number of American AFOLs.).

This made me a bit curious - which company are you talking about...?

[Lind Whisperer]

This made me a bit curious - which company are you talking about...?

EDIT: How the heck did I get those mixed up...

Edited September 5, 2014 by Lind Whisperer

[streifen]

One of the key things is to buy more than what you assume you need. This is especially true for the basic parts e.g. bricks, plates, tiles.

The shortage/lack of these parts can "paralyse" your build for a while (until new order arrives).

Any extras can always be used in future MOCs.