Technology

Go Ahead, Have Some Fun: Lego Now Allows You to Build 3-D Cities in Google Chrome

Google is giving anybody the opportunity to become city architects with digital Legos.

In partnership with Lego, Google Australia has developed “Build With Chrome” — or just “Build” — which provides 8 billion blocks for users to construct virtual, 3-D buildings on virtual properties.

Wired explains how the project works:

Once you log in, you can start building on your virtual property with virtual Lego bricks. You can publish, but that’s something you want to do when you’re finished. Once published, you can’t delete your creation, and you consent to letting Lego and Google use it for promotional purposes. Advertise away, Lego. This is just cool.

You can claim any chunk nobody else has claimed, but hurry because it’s first come, first served.

Here are a couple examples of what the interface looks like:

Google and Lego Launch Build With Chrome

(Image: Build With Chrome)

Google and Lego Launch Build With Chrome

(Image: Build With Chrome)

Google Australia said on its blog that Build is a “collaborative 3-D building experience,” which although it may seem simple to use, would not have been possible with the technology available only a few yeas ago:

It shows how far browser technology has come and how the web is an amazing platform for creativity. We made the bricks with WebGL, which enables powerful 3D graphics right in the browser and demonstrates the upper limit of current WebGL graphics performance.  We then mixed in Google Maps (another Aussie invention) so you can put your creation in a LEGO world alongside everyone else’s.

 Right now Build is an experiment we’ve been working on in Sydney. We’re launching first in Australia and New Zealand and hope to open up in other countries soon. This year is the 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick in Australia and Build joins the celebration of the LEGO Festival of Play online.

If you login to Build and find no plots available — as of the time of this posting there were plenty — you can at least check out the buildings made by others. As The Next Web puts it, “bye bye productivity,” but at least you’ll never waste your time looking around for that ”missing 1-by-1 piece” anymore, GeekOSystem pointed out.

Watch Google’s demo of the project:

Start building here.

Comments (9)

  • MrObvious
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 11:26pm

    Tried it in FF just to see. It works up to a point. My guess is they could make it work in all WebGL Gecko based browsers, if they wanted to. Probably just a matter of testing, finding the errors, and tweaking some WebGL canvas javascript.

    Report Post »  
  • Bikkiboo
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 10:11pm

    You’re never too old for Legos. My 67 yr old ex still plays and did so with our sons. Now they’re 42 and 32 and still expect Legos for Christmas. So do my grand kids. While they’re expensive, they actually were the cheapest toy ever when you figure the cost per hour played. My bunch played with them everyday as kids and still do frequently. They developed lots of imagination creating their own things. I even completely lost the use of my blue carpeted living room because it was perfect for sea battles. They made a Death Star long before Lego came out with one. Best toy they ever had. I’m still instructed to buy old ones at garage sales. Wish there was easy-to-use software that let you create anything. (They‘re currently insensed that Lego hasn’t worked with Cedar Point to make an amusement park.)

    Report Post » Bikkiboo  
    • fenyxofshadows
      Posted on June 28, 2012 at 5:29pm

      There is. The best one I have found is “Minecraft” (screen): http://www.nerdsraging.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/minecraft2.png (site): http://www.minecraft.net/

      Be warned, this game is just as addicting as real LEGOs.

      Report Post » fenyxofshadows  
    • samureye
      Posted on June 29, 2012 at 3:03pm

      @bikkiboo
      “Wish there was easy-to-use software that let you create anything.”
      After six years, the LEGO® Design byME service was closed in January 2012. It was an online software design tool offering a unique customization service, where consumers could design whatever they imagined on their computer, and buy the real model in their own LEGO box. One of the best features was that you were not limited to stock pieces; pieces unique to your design would be made for your kit. Sad that it is no longer available, but they still offer HERO Recon Team Hero Creator to build and buy your own customized Hero.
      Lego Digital Designer (ldd(dot)lego(dot)com) is still available for online only design, so you may enjoy that.

      Report Post » samureye  
  • lukerw
    Posted on June 27, 2012 at 3:01pm

    I stopped playing with Blocks at age 4.

    Report Post » lukerw  

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