missouri_bb63

Hi Thomas, what you what you did is just right. You might have to increase the brightness of the final GIF a bit so that it blends in with the existing baseplates, but other than that you don't need to make any further changes (I sharpen them in Photoshop as well, but that's optional). In theory all you need to do is build whatever one would see from the top view. If you would like to share your GIFs you can send me a list of the models you want to make and I will include them in the "under construction" list which you can see in the BlueBrick index. Just include the set number and Peeron set name in a PM message (left click on my username and chose "send message"). Please post any questions you might have once you get to the XML part of you GIF creations. There are slight structural changes between the XML in the Video and the current XML version. Happy building!

Hi Thomas! I see you are new to Eurobricks and I would like to give you a warm welcome from all of us. As I am not sure whether Eurobricks already has a dedicated thread about Virtual Lego, I will keep this answer rather brief for now, but I hope it will give you enough to get started on. I will get in touch with the TrainTec moderator to see if Eurobricks has an appropriate thread and I will get back to you ASAP. For now however...the GIFs are made with a program called MLCad. Although I guess you could also use the Lego Digital Designer (official program made by TLG). The only drawback with the latter is that parts library is still very limited compared to the parts available for MLCad. Here are the links you will need. You can find the "getting started" guide and downloads for the LDraw/MLCad package here. This will provide you with all the software you need which includes the LDraw parts library, the MLCad program with which you can create your models, and LDView which is great for viewing your model in 3D. The parts library in the initial install package is not up to date so you will have to download the updates here and here if you notice that you are missing parts. You can find a basic tutorial on using MLCad on the MLCad homepage . Once you have finished the model you can take a screen shot of it using LDView, dedicated screenshot software or by export a top down view directly from MLCad. Everything else you need to know concerning the integration of new GIFs into BlueBrick is included in part 3 of the BlueBrick video tutorials which you can find here (and there will be a slightly more advanced video as soon as I have time to make it). One of the main updates for BlueBrick 1.6 will be the improved compatibility between Track Designer and LDraw. I have recently started including the baseplates found in the extended TD parts registry. I hope this will be enough to get you started and I am looking forward to seeing your GIFs soon. I will get in touch with you about Virtual Lego on Eurobricks Regards, Alex (EDIT: Thanks for complimenting the GIFs! We all definitely appreciate that! )

Thanks for this review! I fly with AirBaltic almost every week and they have it in their selection. I wanted to buy it for the son of a friend of mine as a Birthday present. Having read the review I now know it will be a good choice.

Hi Stefan, thanks for pointing that out. It will be corrected for the next release. Speaking of German translations, I am assuming that most of the German Eurobricks users are also on 1000steine.de, but incase they aren't I think I should make an announcement here that the German language video Tutorials are now available on the YouTube page. Part 3 in Portuguese is now also available. I noticed YouTube was having some technical difficulties earlier so try it again later if it doesn't work right now. Unfortunately I have not had time to make more tutorials ... or GIFs for that matter. My employer has reduced my two weeks off to less than one. I was a bit surprised not to get any feedback from anyone concerning parts categories which I posted on the 25th?

Yup, already working on that. But I will post a note here if I need an extra pair of hands...which could very well happen.

This MOC definitely has stacks of potential. A very original choice! I like the stripes and the lights. The rear mud guard looks tricky too. What is the black part that pops out of the roof (as in what is it used for in real life)? Getting all those angles in is seriously tricky. My new MOC has the same problem (I am still in the design stage) I would also recommend sacrificing some of the detail along the side such as the door handles and the gray pins so that you can replace them with 1x2 hinge bricks which you could fix the windows too. Those details are a nice touch but I think that sacrificing those and smoothing the lines would bring the overall look closer to the original, as well as looking more sturdy. Perhaps you could also add a 1x4 plate between the roof of the cab and the overhanging sloped brick? Or perhaps lower the sloped brick? For the window I would try a clear or smoke colored 2x6x2 window (if you have one), and you could use a decal for the window frame if necessary. The only problem with the smoked window is that you might have to change the door windows too but I think it would look good. The sideward slope of the original windscreen is relatively small so it should be ok if it is missing in the model. Of course you could use decals for other details too. I would try to replace the rear quarter beams with sloped bricks but I can't tell if that would work. Unfortunately it would only give you one angle, but it might be worth trying. Like I said, I have been facing exactly the same problems getting complex angles to work and having to compromise so I am looking forward to seeing any further changes you make. Good job so far!

I really liked this set and actually found the original 6397 (released in 1992), in a supermarket looking dusty and faded back in 1996. As it happened they had a ton of older sets lying around so I ended up buying as much as I could afford. Thanks for all the pictures Bricksters. That really brings back memories. Here is the BlueBrick set GIF for those who want to add it to their virtual layout. GIF XML : 6397 Gas and Wash Express

It has been a busy week so unfortunately my contributions have been a little sparse. As I have some time off work over the next two weeks so that will hopefully change. Here is my contribution for this week. A set which I had in my real life layout. GIF XML : 6397 Gas and Wash Express In addition I also corrected the GIF sizes for the Football Stadium sets 3308 and 3309 so please download these again if necessary (they were actually off by quite a bit), and I have also completed the XMLs for all of the football sets. You can find them in the BlueBrick Index. We are also aiming to release version 1.6 mid November (in 2-3 weeks), so let me know if you would like to contribute any GIFs etc... Please don't forget to adjust the coloring so that they match excisting baseplates as closely as possible. If we still have problems getting the sets to look uniform for the 1.6 release we might organize one person to do the GIF editing for all the sets. In the mean time I have adjusted the sets from the last version where necessary and they will be available in 1.6. As the diversity of the sets increases we are also looking for ways to introduce new categories for the BlueBrick parts tabs to help keep things organized. I was thinking of splitting the "Set" tab into one for "Train" and one for "Town". You guys think that would be enough for now? Another, longer term option would be to introduce a set navigation similar to MLCad with visual and text listing. Let us know what you think! During the next week I will be focusing on the TD and LDraw compatibility for the 1.6 release as well as at least 1 additional video tutorial for XML files (new 1.5 features as well as figuring out angles etc...) Happy Building!

Fantastic. The front end is spot on and I really like the fact that the doors open on your model. Nice details under the train too. Great job!

Thanks for showing the SNOT techniques and that linkage system is so simple yet so effective!! The shape and colors are gret too really well done! I will check out the video now. Post video viewing EDIT: WOW that is pretty quick! Sounds quick too.

No they don't you are right, but like you said, the fact that they can do it at all is pretty ingenious. Especialy as one often doesn't even see all the engineering trickery when it is positioned on a straight piece of track. HoMa made a wide curved track for his ICE 3, that would suit the Lego Big-Boys quite well.

As my first venture into trains was not so long ago, I can remember the experience quite well. A lot of good advice has already been given so I will try not repeat anything (although I probably will ). General: Base your first MOC on a train which you can visit locally instead of pictures that are on the net. Firstly I believe it creates a greater attachment to the project and secondly you will have the opportunity to do a walkaround and take pictures from every angle. Meeting people who work with the trains, especially if they are in a museum, is often also very inspiring. Genereal Links: http://www.iltco.org/ (which seems to be down at the moment) has a presentation on building techniques for trains. Unfortunately I found it when I was already done with my MOC. Once the site is up and running again I will post the direct link. Check out the Lego Train Groups on Flickr.com for inspiration. These guys are brilliant builders who share and discuss their ideas. This site has many great pictures of trains from most angles. http://www.railpictures.net/ Steam locomotives: I got ideas for future projects from here. http://www.steamlocomotive.com/. Photography: SavaTheAggie posted a good article on how to base an MOC on photographs. Look for the "modeling with photography" article here If you have the opportunity to build an MOC on a train which is based locally, do a full walkaround and take lots of pictures. I found it helped to draw an overhead sketch of the train and draw from which angles, and of which sections I had taken pictures. That way you shouldn't miss anything. What is quite important is that you get a side on shot of the full length of the train (at least individual carriages), and also head on front/rear shots to help you get the proportions right. You will see how that works in Tony's article. Happy building!

Sorry, I made the list in a bit of a hurry. It is a good idea! I have added it to the list. My contribution for this week is what was a very important part of my old layout. Besides the track, I would say this was actually the focal point. I have not completed the XMLs yet, but for several of the sets you don't really need them. The playing field GIF consists of baseplates 4186p01, which were bought separately, as well as sets 3303, several 3304 and 3305, set 3306 and some of the minifigs from set 3314. I have just called the GIF "Playing_Field" for now as it consists of many sets. Other than that, sets 3308-3314 make up the rest of this multi-part set. You can see it in the original layout on my Brickshelf account. As you can see I managed to include the original stickers in sets 3308,3309, 3310 and 3312 thanks to Photoshop and the Brick Factory. GIF XML Playing Field GIF XML : 3308 Tribune GIF XML : 3309 Head Tribune GIF XML : 3310 Commentator and Press Box GIF XML : 3311 Camera Tower GIF XML : 3312 Medic's Station GIF XML : 3313 Light Poles GIF XML : 3314 Stadium Security You can see what it looks like in my original and BlueBrick layouts here.

That is huge! You did a great job there. I have no doubt it needs both 9V motors to move along. I guess you have to make quite a bit of room around the corners? Your other MOCs are great too. Keep it up!

Hi Stefan, I am glad that worked! It is always handy to have the creator of the software involved in the thread. Even though it might no longer be required, I have added your idea to the others in a "features and add-ons" list at the bottom of the BlueBrick Index. I will update the status on a regular basis and I will do a bit more work on it this weekend. Happy building!

I have added the Shell promotional football stadium today. My brother gave me these sets (3308-3314), as a present during the beginning of my dark ages and it actually got me back into Lego for a year or so during which time I made this layout. With a bit of photoshop and images of the original stickers provided by the brick factory, I mananged to place them on the GIFs as they were on the original models. The GIFs will be available in the BlueBrick index this weekend.

Could it be a language issue? Looking at the wide range of countries that are represented by the users who are actually posting comments, I would say that many others from those and other countries simply might not feel comfortable writing English in such a public place. All I have to say to those users is, don't worry about it! People will be pleased to see you make the effort. It is the content that counts and no one here is going to comment on your level of English. If your post is unclear someone will probably write another post to help explain what you meant, or one will simply ask you to explain it a bit more. I am on Belgian and German LUGs and no one has made a comment about my Dutch and German mistakes so far. (of course I am simply hoping that there weren't any... but that just wouldn't be realistic ) We AFOLs are quite a friendly bunch. So like Brickster said "Let your voices be heard!" If of course you aren't commenting because you aren't a member yet, then please sign up!!

That is a great creation Duq! You did a really good job of the nose and I really like how you managed to get all the right colors in the right places. The details under the train are nice too. Was it powered by one 9v motor or two? (hard to see the back of the train) It looks pretty heavy. Did it have an intererior too?

Yes, that is exactly what I was referring to. Other than the compatibility, the question will be how we collect and share the files. Whether to include the LDRs with BlueBrick, or place them in a separate download file, post them on Brickshelf, etc... But we've still got a ways to go until then. Seeing all the ideas that are coming up in the thread I have decided to make an ideas list in the BlueBrick index to make sure they don't get lost in the thread (I will try to do that tonight). You can check out the planned feature updates and bug fixes in the Read Me file that came with BlueBrick (located in the root folder). With the feature request I believe Stefan would like to select two individual or groups of parts (let's say two halves of round track), and connect them by simply pressing on a button (in this case creating a round track) instead of having to drag one to the other and positioning it so that they connect. One would have to define which of the two actually moves to the other. That is the second point Stefan was making. His idea is that the group of parts that is selected frst, moves to, and connects to the group that was selected last.

I have to agree with FreeBee. I already praised this creation on Flickr, and I think I should do it here too. Knowing how incredibly difficult it was to conceal all the PF gear in my steamer which is almost twice the size of this one, to see how it was done here is simply amazing. Plus the fact that it is all so neat and tidy. Fantastic!

Thanks for the contribution Duq! I had never seen those 6 wheelers before the one in Blumberg. They really look nice in good condition!

I was thinking exactly the same about combining our LDRs. Imagine being able to make and edit your layout quickly in BlueBrick, and the export it to LDRaw with all the sets. You could take a virtual 3D tour through your layout complete with houses etc. We need to ensure a better compatability between LDraw and Bluebrick first and that is definitely on the priority list. Then we also need to think about the size of the parts/set libraries and how to package and organize them, but I think/hope these obstacles can be overcome. Let's see how far we get in the next releases. One's gotta have dreams. I will get back to both of you on your ideas for additional features. Keep 'em coming!!

OOPS! Thanks for pointing that out. Got a little carried away with the copy/paste there. Yes it really does have 3 sets of wheels in real life. Unfortunately almost all the picture I took of the train were damaged when my hard drive crashed.. but in this picture you can still see the three sets of wheels (you just need focus a little harder as there is a break running right down them middle of the picture ). As the car is quite short I guess it doesn't have any problems going around normal curves and switches. Fortunately I will be back down there soon and will re-take all the pictures.

As promissed many weeks ago (was only home for one weekend inbetween and forgot), here are the pictures of the custom Minifigs that represent the family to whom this train will be given at Christmas (details mentioned my previous post). As you can see they have all their favorite things with them. In the standard setup, two of them are being pulled along on their snowboards. Unfortunatety I haven't managed to get that to work on the track though. I might have to make something to help guide the boards along the track. As I also mentioned that the 3 original 3 wheel setup had to be changed for the car to go around corners (yes, it really looks this bland in real life too... but it is authentic ) By simply moving the middle wheels to one of the train bogie plates, placing an extra set of wheels on the other, and then removing the 1x10 plates that lock the bogie inplace... one has a car that goes around corners. I tried various techniques to get it to work with the original 3 wheel setup (including stiff tubing), but nothing worked particularly well so I went with this option. ther is a picture of the underside of the car on Brickshelf.

I can't wait to see your interpretation of the BR50. I had a great time building mine. Please do post some pictures of the roundhouse mechanism and all the other complicated parts. I think many people underestimate the amount of planning and testing involved in getting your MOC to look and work as it did. Any chance you could make a video of the turntable in action?