From Toy to Tool: Lego X Translates Your Brick Models into 3D Ones

When I applied to architecture programs, I was strongly cautioned against mentioning Legos in my personal essay. Thanks to a group of London-based software wizards, that advice may soon be rendered obsolete to the delight of plastic-brick-loving designers everywhere.

The Gravity Research Club was formed in 2013 by a team of design engineers from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London. The group immediately received attention for their first prototype, an augmented reality design tool — consisting of a special pad, pen, and headgear — that enables the user to design in 3D. While this tool is still in development, the Club recently revealed another project progressing in parallel: Lego X.

While the project isn’t officially affiliated with the LEGO lines of toys, Gravity Research Club’s engineers were certainly inspired by the simple lelegance of the Lego building block. “As we all grew up with Lego we are familiar with the simplicity of the rules — you can only stack on top of another — and we found it a great platform to develop on,” says Oluwaseyi Sosanya, one of the four engineers developing Lego X and Gravity Sketch. While she couldn’t reveal how Lego X works, its capabilities are straightforward: The program instantly translates the physical Lego construction into a 3D model. That model can be manipulated, simplified into basic volumes, and saved in multiple file formats. Lego X is still in an early proof-of-concept stage (at the lower ‘resolution’ of the larger Duplo bricks) but the Gravity team hopes to progress to standard Lego blocks soon.

The novel Lego X technology could have many applications. As a professional design device, it could help translate the intuitive process of physical model-making into a digital design. As many architects will tell you, a physical model is often the best way to understand and craft architectural spaces. Moreover, as the digital aspect of design becomes increasingly prominent in the architectural profession, Lego X could serve as a powerful digital educational tool for all ages. If Frank Lloyd Wright’s froebel blocks are any indication, what passes for play early in life can be practice in adulthood.