Virtual LEGO: The Official LDraw.org Guide To LDraw Tools for Windows [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Tim Courtney (Author), Ahui Herrera (Author), Steve Bliss (Author) "Chances are, you bought this book because you are already an avid LEGO fan who wants to enhance your building experience by learning about the..." (more)
Key Phrases: building instruction images, parts list images, creating building instructions, Bitmap Image, Animal Horse, Tim Courtney (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Any fan of LEGO kits will want to make sure they get their own copy of this super new book" -- Golden Triangle PC Club, October, 2003

Product Description
Virtual LEGO introduces the reader to a suite of software that allows users to create and document computer-generated LEGO models. Written by maintainers of LDraw.org (the official hub of LEGO model-building software), the book includes coverage of popular freeware tools such as LDraw, MLCAD, L3P, L3PAO, LPub, POV-Ray, and MegaPOV. The CDROM contains all the software readers need to get started, all available LEGO parts models, and templates for building instruction layouts.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: No Starch Press (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886411948
• ISBN-13: 978-1886411944
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #608,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book for People of All Levels of Experience, October 6, 2003

By	"billthefish" (Mt Pleasant, SC) - See all my reviews

This book is excellent in almost every respect.
It does a great job of introducing the reader to the LDraw suite of tool for making LEGO creations on your computer. Though this book is geared toward beginners, it is also a great tool for those intermediate users looking to expand their LDraw horizons. I especially liked the sections on creating building instructions. Additionally, all the reference sections make this book worthwhile for even the seasoned LDrawer; I loved the visual color reference on the inside front cover. This book would make a fine addition to any LEGO enthusiasts library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lego CAD required reading, September 18, 2004

By	Lawrence E Whitman (Wichita, KS USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you want to do lego CAD, this book is for you! I had used MLCAD and LPub before I got the book to some degree, but my abilities exploded after going through the tutorials. LSynth is also very clearly explained. The CD that is included is a big plus for those who have had difficulty installing the software (all of which is free from the internet though) and also includes some tutorial models for use with the book. The additional resources described in the book show that he is interested in getting as much use out of Lego CAD from the general populace.

All in all, well worth the money and the read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for people wanting to make the most of LDRAW!, May 6, 2005

By	J. Tatman "brickfan" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an EXCELLENT book for people SERIOUS about building simple AND complex models using LDRAW. While working with the program I found myself constantly referencing the book--which can be read front-to-back... but ALSO be used as a quick reference book. This has earned itself a permanent position on my bookshelf--no wait--next to my computer!