Software Part Engineer, Part Kid

DCoT in Lego When I was growing up, my favorite toy was my Lego set. Now, this was in the days before motors, sensors, etc. All I had were some blocks and my imagination. In fact, I remember one Christmas waking up at 3:00 AM, shaking one present and hearing that distinctive Lego rattle. I opened that gift and didn’t stop playing with it until my mother insisted that I open up more gifts at about 10 o’clock!

Apparently, I was not the only one who loved Lego. A gentleman by the name of Anders has created a software program that lets you design Lego structures right in your computer. The program, BlockCAD, is a freeware application and it really helps to free your imagination. It has more Lego pieces than any kid could dream of and even can show you step by step how to build your Lego masterpiece.

Lego also has their own version called Lego Digital Designer. It adds some other cool features that are not available in BlockCAD and there is also a Mac version. But, be aware, that it is also a lot bigger (17 MB).

If you are planning on getting your kids Lego this holiday season, do yourself a favor and download one of these programs. You will have almost as much fun designing as you will building. The only downside, you will probably end up buying more Lego as you realize which pieces you absolutely “need”!