Interested in creating an event-worthy LEGO display but don't know where to begin? Here's a step-by-step guide to turning a digital LEGO design into a physical model.
There's no wrong way to approach custom LEGO models, no matter their size, and many opt for a physical approach to turn their dreams into reality. However, some great digital tools can make this arduous task a lot easier – and some of them pair perfectly with Pick a Brick.
Using these tools offers an expansive sandbox to experiment in – even when your budget is more limited than that of the most passionate LEGO fans. Here's how we approached an extensive LEGO City
1 – Pick your must-have parts and techniques
Once you have the concept for your desired creation in mind, a great place for anyone to start is simply to browse through the extensive Pick a Brick parts catalogue and select which pieces you want to include more than any others. For the harbour display, we looked specifically at transparent and transparent blue pieces at first, picking out some from NINJAGO, Architecture, Ideas and more.
For every part you find, note down the element ID in a list to make it easier to find them later, but don't start picking the pieces on Pick a Brick just yet, as this list won't be final.
As well as selecting any must-have elements available on Pick a Brick, it's also worth looking through the various LEGO communities across the internet to see which techniques you'll want to include. For less-experienced LEGO fans, this tactic also allows you to get some easy inspiration and motivation to make a massive custom model. This is also useful for those returning to custom model-making after a break.
Waves, coasts and more as depicted by AFOL Store were of particular note for the harbour display, and the ship wake from Pelle1001's creation inspired us too.
With these parts and techniques in mind, it will be worthwhile to make a table or list cataloguing everything you must have in your model, then revisit these ideas to inevitably see what won't work anymore due to budget constraints, conflicting design choices and more. There's no shame in leaving some ideas behind – they can always be saved for a future project.
With a solid list of the must-have techniques and elements to hand, you now just need to design the actual model. While you're welcome to adopt a freestyle strategy using a mixed bag of parts ordered via Pick a Brick, it's well worth using some of the digital LEGO tools available online to comprehensively plan your creation. Even without instructions, there are ways to simplify the task of recreating a digital build.
2 – Get to grips with BrickLink Studio
Other software is available, but perhaps the most straightforward program to use to design digital LEGO models is BrickLink Studio. It's free to use, easy to get to grips with and satisfying to master. The best way to learn how to use it is by following our video guide, which covers everything from navigating in 3D space and placing elements to creating instructions and rendering images.
3 – Determine the layout of the set and create a frame
Start by recreating the exact layout of the set using the vast catalogue of elements exactly as they are used in the free online instructions. Once you're happy with the layout, group those parts together as one sub-build so that you aren't needing to remake this segment every time you move it.
From there, refer to your prepared list of techniques and pieces to see how you want to expand the set – a harbour in this case – as well as where to use these techniques and where to place any included vehicles.
By creating a comprehensive layout of the official model, you can see how to shape the rest of the build around the LEGO set, even incorporating an area to slot the model in and out of the build easily, rather than it being permanently attached. This ends up being especially useful for the next point.
4 – Create a sturdy, easy-to-transport foundation
Whether for storage, taking it to events or something more, custom models don't just need to be impressive – they need to be sturdy too. Stacking plates on top of one another (with four baseplates) is a reliable way to create a sturdy foundation, with the side effect that it keeps the build suitably flat for a water-based build.
This makes your display easy to carry, maybe even with one hand, as if you were holding a surfboard. The downside to this tactic is that it takes up a significant portion of the budget, but the peace of mind you receive in transporting it may be worthwhile, depending on where you plan on storing your model when not on display.
This tactic can also work for models that aren't necessarily flat like water, with the option to split the larger model into sturdy segments and transport them individually always present.
5 – Explore depth and water features in a short space
A thinner build might mean a sturdier and easier-to-transport model, but for a water-centric display, it also means a lack of depth. Unless you're planning to create an undersea section, this doesn't have to be limiting. Using different shades of blue can help to simulate depth with wedge plates to create smoother shapes for an underwater landscape.
Hiding a few of the transparent printed fish tiles (ignoring the fact that they're Koi fish and not saltwater fish) can help simulate underwater creatures, ideally placed throughout the water but especially at a pier where a fisherman is on the hunt for his next meal.
You might also want to experiment with other types of water features, including pollution and overall muck near cargo areas, to create a realistic setting. Shades of green are your best bet here, blending into blue to showcase the end of the muck and the start of shallow or deeper waters.
In our example display, the oval shape means that much of the model's water ends abruptly at the edge, but to help set the scene, you can create a back to the build beyond whatever the central part of your creation is. Surrounding our harbour, we added rocky wall features and even a rockpool near the beach to differentiate the back of the display from the rest of the water-centric build, framing everything with a themed backdrop.
6 – Insert must-have features, but accept compromises
Even after selecting your techniques and removing some planned features accordingly, you might find that further compromises have to be made to fit within a certain budget or to adjust the design based on what is currently available on Pick a Brick. These issues don't have to spell doom, and a reworked build can be just as good as what you originally had planned.
Though your first draft might look different to your final model, it's the journey from prototype to the finished design that shapes a creation. Our harbour started as a small square slate based on the core principle of expanding the harbour, but it evolved with techniques, experimental features and more to become an aquatic tribute that has the harbour as the focal point of the background.
It's also worth revisiting Pick a Brick before you finalise everything to determine whether or not you missed any notable elements, such as the unique but pricey Fresnel lens piece from
7 – Group layers while digitally designing for easy construction
The best tip possible for designing a custom model in BrickLink Studio or any other digital software is simple and effective, but only when you utilise it from the very start of designing. As you build various layers and sections of your model, consider grouping their parts so that they can be separated in the software for a clear visual guide on how to put everything together physically.
For the harbour, layers were created for the four baseplates at the bottom of the build, the two layers and structural dark blue plates, as well as the
Using this tip from the start will ensure a smoother experience when putting the physical model together based on your digital design, but it's easiest to split the build into layers as you go rather than returning at the end and struggling to select parts of the combined build. How many layers and sections you need is up to you and the size of your model.
8 – Order the parts, build and enjoy
With your build designed digitally, most software you can use will allow you to export the list of parts as a CSV, JSON or LXFML file. These file types can be uploaded directly to Pick a Brick to order everything you need according to what you have made digitally. Be aware that Pick a Brick has limits on the number of elements of any one type and the number of types of pieces you can order at once, set to 999 and 200 respectively.
Once you've ordered the required parts (and any additional sets you need), you just need to wait for them to arrive. Then, using your digital model – which you've hopefully split into easy-to-follow layers following the advice above – put everything together. One final tip is to sort your parts once they arrive using boxes, trays or whatever you have to hand. It will take a while depending on how many pieces you have ordered, but it will make the process quicker and less frustrating in the long run.
When all is said and done, you'll have successfully transitioned your dream creation from digital design to physical model, ready to display, play with, or highlight a specific set as your heart desires. Click here to take a closer look at the techniques in our harbour display, or click here for an in-depth look at the overall finished build.
Thank you to the LEGO Group for supplying the bricks used in this guide, and remember that aside from the official LEGO City
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