All the LDraw tools are very easy to learn and use. Excellent tutorials and documentation is available on the LDraw website, or linked from it, and I will not attempt to duplicate it here. Instead I have prepared a short “reading list” with links to the appropriate pages.
If you want to just explore on your own, and learn all there is to know about the LDraw package, the starting point is:
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Follow the various links under “reference” on the left of the screen.
Alternatively, for a guided path through the bits you need, in order to become proficient in Minibrix construction, read on...
This is the starting point, and the tool you will be using to build the models. In the Lego world, one of the functions of MLCad, apart from building the models themselves, is to create the step-by-step building instructions that go with them. While these could just as easily be created for Minibrix buildings, you will probably not want to bother – which means you can skip at about half the documentation!
There is a short but excellent tutorial, starting at:
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There are a few points to note, as you work through this tutorial:
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Near the beginning of the tutorial is a reference to the different grid settings. With the Minibrix customisations installed the advice changes. You should use the coarse (left) grid for Lego constructions, and use the medium (middle) grid for Minibrix constructions. The fine setting can be used with both for the accurate adjustment of pieces. |
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You can ignore the references to “adding a step” as you work through the example. This is only necessary if you intend to generate the corresponding step-by-step building instructions. |
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When working with Lego you have to select the colours of the parts as you use them. This is not necessary for Minibrix construction as all the Minibrix parts are pre-coloured. (We will mention this point again in Step 4) |
There are a few short-cut keys in MLCad which, together, will greatly speed up the building process, especially when laying large slabs of plain wall. They are:
| The four cursor keys, Home (up) and End (down) – move the object | |
| Ctrl+Cursor Left and Ctrl+Cursor Right – rotate the object (in the horizontal plane) | |
| Ctrl+Cursor Up (twice) or Ctrl+Cursor Down (twice) – turn the object upside down | |
| Ctrl+D – Duplicate the selected object |
L3P is the command-line program that converts LDraw model files into the POV-Ray language ready for rendering. L3PAO is a handy graphical interface to set up all the parameters for L3P. POV-Ray is the ray-tracing tool that creates the images.
For a comprehensive beginner’s guide to these tools, and the rendering process in general, start at:
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Most of the first page is taken up with describing how to install the tools, which you have already done. So after you have read the introduction, skip straight to page 2.
When you feel confident enough to want to take the rendering process further, and want to learn what POV-Ray can really do, there are several further articles to read under “Rendering” at
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LDView is a real-time 3D viewer for displaying LDraw models. It can sometimes be a useful tool for quickly checking a model without going through a long rendering process. For instructions on using LDView, either read its online Help pages, or go to the LDView web site at
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Step 4: Learn how to use the Minibrix add-on. |
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Page last updated 29 July 2008 |
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