Virtual Lego
You don’t have to own a single brick anymore to be an expert Lego builder (though it's highly recommended). Thanks to the pioneering work of the late James Jessiman and others who have contributed, anyone with a PC (or other computer) can become a virtual Lego pro. I do not claim to be the definitive expert on virtual Lego, and there are others who have created more extensive collections of virtual Lego links. I merely intend to allow others to follow the path I have found through the maze of virtual Lego resources.
For me, virtual Lego began with Ldraw, a Dos-based program created and distributed free by James Jessiman. While other Lego-cad programs have been developed, for its ease of use I continue to use Ldraw. To get a fee copy of Ldraw, visit
In addition to the Ldraw program files and parts files, you will find there a wealth of virtual Lego resources.
To get started with Ldraw, read the Ldraw FAQ at:
Of particular use for Windows 95 users, I recommend the Ldraw Add-On, or LDAO. This program, created by Steve Bliss, provides a graphical interface for using Ldraw, which must otherwise be run from a Dos shell with line commands. It can create a printable "visual element catalog" showing all the virtual Lego pieces. It also has a text editor, which can be very helpful for building models. Find LDAO at:
http://home.att.net/~blisses/ldaddon.htmlOnce you really get into Ldraw, sooner or later you’re going to run into a problem: Lego pieces you want to use which are not created yet. At this point you have a choice. You can request that current part authors help you out, or you can learn to design parts yourself. Parts requests can be made on the Requested Parts Page of the Ldraw Parts Tracker at
http://www3.hmc.edu/~zbenz/parttracker/reqlist.shtml. If your willing to take on the challenge of creating parts, check out the relevant parts of the Ldraw FAQ (http://fys.ku.dk/~sparre/LEGO/Værktøj/LDraw-FAQ.html). I would also recommend that you join the L-Cad list, which has plenty of accomplished parts authors who are happy to help new parts authors along (especially those who have taken the time to read the FAQ). See the Ldraw FAQ for how to join the list.Once you have learned to create parts, when you find one you want to design, check out the Parts Tracker Page at: to find the official Lego part number and a suggested description. Then let other authors know you are working on the part by posting it to the Parts Tracker Page (
http://www3.hmc.edu/~zbenz/parttracker/reqlist.shtml. ) This helps prevent duplicated effort among authors. When you think you have the part completed, you can submit it for inclusion in the next Official Ldraw Parts Update by sending it to Terry Keller at .If you model official Lego sets in Ldraw, share them with the rest of the virtual Lego community by sending them to Bryan Ourso’s Ldraw Model Repository at
The Next Step – Raytracing
Ldraw is great for creating models, and for making instruction pages. However, its bitmap output lacks the realism to make virtual lego models look as good as pictures of the real thing.
Enter POV-Ray, the powerful raytracing program capable of rendering 3-D models with perspective, shadowing, and textures. All the pictures and animations on the M:tron HQ page were created using POV-Ray. Despite its power, POV-Ray is available free of charge, and works on a great variety of platforms. Download POV-Ray at
http://www.povray.org/. To learn POV-Ray, the best source is the POV-Ray Documentation under the help menu. It contains extensive reference of POV-Ray features, along with many examples.To convert your Ldraw files to POV-Ray format, you’ll need either L2P created by Lutz Uhlmann or the more recent L3P, created by Lars C. Hassing. L3P works great for me, and can be obtained at:
http://www.netby.net/Nord/Mandelvej/Hassing/l3p.html. Once your Lego model has been converted to .pov format, you can open POV-Ray and edit the .pov file to add all kinds of goodies. Galaxy and other background scenes, special lighting effects, and even animation can add realism to your virtual model. Many of these goodies come in the form of "include" files for POV-Ray, a large collection of which can be found at the Pov-Ray Include Files Page: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/1434/.Well, that’s about as far as I’ve gotten so far. Playing with Lego models in POV-Ray has been a lot of fun. The possibilities are as endless as the imagination.