Three dimensional world construction with LEGO blocks

Content Partner: Lincoln University. In this project a three dimensional virtual world is constructed with the use of a LEGO camera and a set of LEGO blocks. The goal is to design a construction method that is simple enough for middle school-aged children to use and at the same time is able to produce quality models for higher end users. The method was developed using RoboLab and involves a one-camera view of Lego blocks that are arranged in a certain pattern to represent a building and its contents. When the pattern is placed in the view of the camera, the software identifies the pieces by their position and colour and builds a 3D model in OpenGL. This 3D model is displayed on the screen with the specified characteristics. The user can then modify these objects to further refine the model.