Spring Is the Time for Fun with LEGO Bricks
Spring is in full swing and I’ve taken time away from running to complete a few LEGO renders. The topics range from movie blockbusters, old BASIC sets, to random sets from Pinterest. I even did some experimenting with Mecabricks rendering to see how it compared with mine…
Posted Jun 02 by Steven
4 min read
Have a Super Happy Blocky Easter!
With the arrival of Spring and warmer weather, I found myself inspired by the cheerful colors. Looking through my pins for ideas, a rainbow sparked my creativity. Thoughts of an Easter hunt with eggs and grass completed the theme. The blocky nature of the LEGO bricks invoke adolescence and whimsy
…
Posted Apr 19 by Steven
4 min read
Here Are the Two Faces of Moai on Rapa Nui
After posting my artistic image of Custombricks’ Moai, I decided to share the models on Mecabricks. I probably should have checked first, as I found others had already shared. Oops. Nevertheless it was also an opportunity to download and render the models for a more realistic image.
Moai on Ra…
Posted Mar 29 by Steven
1 min read
Moai on Easter Island
Although I posted this on Flickr awhile back, I’m getting around to sharing on my blog. I was looking for something quick to render and had this Moai of Rapa Nui from custombrick in my Pinterest. Not thinking twice, I was off to Mecabricks to build the scene.
Moai on Easter Island by Steven Re…
Posted Mar 27 by Steven
2 min read
February Fun with a Sleeping Lego Caterpillar and More
As February closes, I thought it fitting to recap my renders this month. Four in total, although not quite one a week. Added to last month’s render, I’ve almost shared as many as last year. Hopefully this means a lot more LEGO fun is in store for the rest of year…
Posted Feb 25 by Steven
4 min read
Time to Kick off 2019 with a Render
It’s been awhile since I rendered a LEGO model. Checking into Mecabricks, I noticed a comment that the name plate for my Sydney model had been added. Although someone had been kind enough to add it to the model, the render was now out of date. So, I got to work updating it!
21032 Sydney (2019) by S…
Posted Jan 30 by Steven
2 min read
Time for More Ocean Fun in Blender and Mecabricks
I generated water in a previous model, but I wasn’t overly happy with it. It was a bit too smooth—more like bath water. So, I tried again with a different LEGO model. And, this time I’m pleased with the results.
2882 Speedboat by Steven Reid, on Flickr
Building a better ocean…
Posted Feb 18, 2018 by Steven
3 min read
Having a Little Photography Fun with This Year's Challenge
Since the start of the year, I’ve been participating in a weekly photography challenge in an attempt to improve my photography. Although I shared them on Flickr, I wasn’t blogging about them…
Posted Feb 17, 2018 by Steven
3 min read
How to Add Stickers to Complete My Renders
Taking some time to unwind before my workout, I traced out the last few stickers needed to finish this set. Although I had the images from previous POV-Renders, they weren’t of a high enough quality. I’m not done with this set yet. But, it is close to what is sitting in my storage cases
…
Posted Feb 04, 2018 by Steven
8 min read
Don’t Just Fix a Mistake, Try Something New
While uploading my last render, I noticed that something was wrong with my Windmill. It didn’t take long to figure out what. When I’d rotated the top part, I must have grabbed the wrong rotation point. Easy fix, but I needed to do more then render it again. Time to play in Blender.
550 Windmill (fi…
Posted Jan 14, 2018 by Steven
2 min read
Enjoy the New Year with a Pair of Renders
Starting the year off with new renders of old LEGO sets. Both of these are from 1976 and are great examples of the styles from that era. Trying out some different lighting techniques, I enjoyed rendering these as much as building them.
455 LearjetGreat little airplane from the late 70’s, the cover …
Posted Jan 06, 2018 by Steven
2 min read
2017 Was A Fantastic Year For Renders
Last year is over, but it was one of my more prolific years for LEGO renders. I ended up sharing 67 renders on Flickr, plus a few other renders I did only for Mecabricks. I even have a few test images squirreled away I won’t be sharing…
Posted Jan 02, 2018 by Steven
6 min read
Here Are a Few Renders to Kick of December
Trying to keep with my promise, here are my latest LEGO renders. Each is an experiment. I’m trying different techniques, or testing new ideas. Some work, and some don’t. But, that’s okay. Life is about learning and trying. Why shouldn’t my hobbies be the same? Let’s dig in.
A little Disney goes a l…
Posted Dec 06, 2017 by Steven
6 min read
Time to Catch up on My Lego Renders
Although I haven’t posted many picture lately, I haven’t been idle. Old, new, large, and small, I’ve been trying out a few different things over last two months. Of course, this was between working, running, and other projects. So, time to catch up! Here are five images to round our your day.
Somet…
Posted Dec 03, 2017 by Steven
4 min read
Bringing New Life to an Old Lego Taxi Garage Set
Browsing through my collection of ideas on Pinterest, I ran across a great vintage taxi set. At first glance, it seemed Mecabricks would have all the pieces needed. Yet, that wasn’t the case. A few key pieces were missing, which required some ingenuity on my part.
368 Taxi Garage by Steven Reid, on…
Posted Oct 15, 2017 by Steven
2 min read
A Quick Blender Render of a Colorful and Happy Dinosaur
With the recent release of Blender 2.79, which officially supports filmic color and denoising filter. Keeping current, Mecabricks released the latest advanced blender add-in that supports it. Besides the above changes, it supports the Principled shader also introduced in 2.79…
Posted Sep 29, 2017 by Steven
2 min read
Overcome Your Attachment to the Weighted Companion Cube
Portal was one of those games that game out of no where. Released as an add-on to the Orange Box, the Half-Life 2 box edition for consoles, the puzzler shined. Combining wry humor with entertaining game play, Portal gained a place in pop culture.
In one of the more memorable levels, you are given a…
Posted Sep 03, 2017 by Steven
4 min read
Spider, I See You Hiding in the Window
I was actually working on a different model when an idea struck me. Wanting an object to look abandoned and old, I grabbed a spider web and threw a black spider in it for fun. But, the web was too large, so I left it off to the side…
Posted Aug 04, 2017 by Steven
3 min read
Enjoy This Cute Little Octopus That Floated By
I haven’t cranked out pictures as much lately. My intent was to work on my writing this month, but life and work intruded. Uninspired to write last night, I searched for something new to render. This cute little LEGO creature offered me a nice diversion.
40245 Octopus by Steven Reid, on Flickr…
Posted Jul 14, 2017 by Steven
3 min read
Trying Not to Be Sad Today with My Love of LEGO
July 4th is bitter sweet for me. I’ve always enjoyed the holiday with its fireworks and celebration. Food, fair and patriotism mix for a usually fun day. Yet, my wife’s mother died on the 4th, making it a day of remembrance and sadness. Time to find something to take my mind off it.
More sadness to…
Posted Jul 04, 2017 by Steven
4 min read
Enjoy This Simple and Elegant LEGO Dragonfly
Each month I check to see what the latest LEGO mini build is. Since I don’t have a local LEGO Store, I often build and render them using virtual bricks. This month, I only needed to render it as as mathieub already built it. Yet, I decided to give it a little character.
40244 Dragonfly by Steven Re…
Posted Jun 23, 2017 by Steven
2 min read
What Happens When You Mix Together Balloons, Boise and Bricks?
One of the first things I saw when I arrived in Idaho were colorful balloons floating across the brown desert and blue skies. A defining moment that I’ve carried with me for the almost 20 years I’ve lived here…
Posted Jun 18, 2017 by Steven
4 min read
Ego the Living Planet and How to Make a Great Background
Last weeks, I ran across this build by changewing1 of the living planet. Mecabricks is a great community for such finds. Plus, I needed something to tax my old computer while trying out denoising feature in Blender. Stars aligned—pun intended, and I was off to render my next image…
Posted Jun 11, 2017 by Steven
5 min read
A Lonely Ostrich, Sometimes Simple Is Better
The lively colors in this Duplo ostrich caught my eye and inspired me to render it. My version of this lonely ostrich uses standard LEGO bricks, I was never a big fan of Duplo, nor do I have models of them. Yet, the simplicity of the model is quite effective. The render recreates that charm well.
O…
Posted Jun 04, 2017 by Steven
2 min read
Rub-A-Dub-Dub See My Little Boat in the Tub
I saw a great Pirate Ship render yesterday by saabfan. The water in it impressed me, and I had commented that I didn’t know how to model it in Blender. Scrubs informed that it was easy, providing me the how. Off I went to try for myself.
To my surprise, it was easy. Sort of…
Posted Jun 01, 2017 by Steven
4 min read