Lego!

[kresty]

I've been going crazy trying to figure out how to get the corners of the Lego greebles aligned.  It was complicated by me trying to make things way too short.  I've finally got figured out.

The Lego greebles are 4 identical sections that look like this.

4 rotated sections make a hollow square frame.

A trick has been figuring out where those corners are cut.  This picture is the left side of a section as you face it.  It shows the most obvious cut mark of the photos I have.  You can see where bricks were cut in half at the pink line, I tinted a half brick pink to make it more visible.

Pink cut link on left corner of Lego Greebles

Here is a tinted section of the Lego Greeble model near the corner.  Lots of blank space because the photos are tough.  The pink line shows the cut line, including the pink tinted cut brick from above.  The top and right green shaded bricks align to the above photo just to make the alignment more obvious.

Lego Greeble Corner Model

And here's a section from the right edge.  The pink cut line is very short in this photo.  The green marks are the green bricks on the top and left of the above photo to aid in seeing the alignment.

Right Lego Greeble Reference

Finally, here's a bit of the Lego Greeble model so far:  

Lego Greeble Progress

I uploaded what I have so far to the files section.  It needs Lego Digital Designer to be viewed, but I'll convert it to a 3D model when I'm done.

The pink triangles show where the section would end.  The light blue bits are where the voids for the omniwheels are.  Red bricks show where I have part of the brick in a photo but am kinda guessing (in addition to the holes.)  The purple brick is the middle and alignment to the edge of the opening in the skirt.

Remember, the corners of the droid are cut out, so it won't really go to the end of the pink, besides, there're faux wheels there.  Very little of the sections are missing, I should be done reasonably soon.  I have to fill in the blanks and then was going to copy it over so that it is more interlocking (so it doesn't fall apart when folks build it).

And, as you can see, this resolves to a width of 68 studs.  Each Lego stud is 8mm, so that's 544mm or 21 3/8" wide.  The edge is about 700 bricks.

[Murasaki]

Seriously I do not know how you do it ... You amaze me with your lego skills ... I played with the stuff once as a child and that was it ..

[savagecreature]

Three words:
Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder

It's the only explanation that fits all the data.

[kresty]

Three words:
Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder

It's the only explanation that fits all the data.

That is a possibility   Although you haven't seen how messy my desk is!

I'm cleaning up the model so it's "buildable" (eg: won't fall apart when you try to mold it).  1/2way done with that.  I took some liberties with the corners where stuff was hiding.

Peeps making molds may want to figure out where the faux wheels go and allow appropriate receptacles. 

[Murasaki]

Three words:
Obsessive
Compulsive
Disorder

It's the only explanation that fits all the data.

ROFLMAO ... Yeah most likely.

[kresty]

Had a thumbnail problem, so the bottom greebles file has been moved to http://www.rebeldroids.net/gallery/displ...63&pid=774

[kresty]

The Greebles are "done" - Lego Digital Designer file is in the zip file at http://www.rebeldroids.net/gallery/displ...63&pid=774 - along with some helpful photos.  Note that this is "full scale", which is a couple inches bigger than the current skirt.

Here's a bottom view of the 3,000 Lego bricks (exactly).  The gray tiles should be assembled in black, but represent the approximate locations that would need removed to make room for the omniwheels.

Here's the top view. Gray here is mostly optional bricks.

Edge on view, slighty from the bottom.  There are a couple gray bricks on the top, those are in the corners where the bevel comes down over the faux wheels.  The Lego extends further out than in the center (because the corners stick out), but I'm not certain if those would need trimmed out.

Corner view. Notice that it gets shallower near the corners.

Edge on for the single section.  Notice the ridge in the middle of the wall. If you turn Oliver's build over, there are 5 rows of brick visible on the bottom.  That row could be used as a mount point for something like Oliver's plywood bottom.  Alternatively one could build the wall "straight up" to the top or put the "shelf" at a different layer.

Edge on view of a section just to get an idea of the detail.

The reference photos were missing information, particular near the corners.  I've filled those in with details I think stay true to the original intent of the model, with jagged bits sticking up and little voids, but they're guesses.  Nobody'll ever notice.

[kresty]

About making sections for molds or whatnot...

As mentioned, my section is "too big" for the current skirt plans. You might want to build a section and see if it fits, then figure out how to make it smaller.

My connection edge is jagged. Oliver's was clearly built "too big" and then cut at 45 degrees with a saw. The cut is not always in the same spot. You may want to build it out a little bit so that you can cut to 45 degrees. Or build it in a little bit and fill the 45 degree angle with clay.

The corners by the faux wheels look tricky. If we have good plans it might be good to make a void for the wheels in the molded object. Otherwise plan to cut some out. Another possibility might be to build the corner sections as a separately molded part. Then it could be trimmed to fit smaller shells or otherwise adjusted for fit?

[Murasaki]

Now make a mould from them and make us some resin one please, for our builds .... lol

[kresty]

Now make a mould from them and make us some resin one please, for our builds .... lol

Savage wants to make a mold.  I wouldn't mind molding and casting them - but I haven't done that before, so it might be interesting (but I guess it might be a good time to learn?)