Presentations and Classes at Brick Fiesta 2012
Expectations from LEGO by Kevin Hinkle (The LEGO Group)
Come join Kevin Hinkle, North America Community Coordinator, from The LEGO Group as he provides an introduction into what he does with the fan community. An update of current projects will be addressed followed with discussion around what the fan community expects from the LEGO company in regards to support. This informal round table discussion will allow opportunity for questions, concerns and suggestions to further strengthen collaboration between the LEGO Fan community and the LEGO Community team.
The LEGO Design Process by Jamie Berard (The LEGO Group)
Come join Jamie Berard, Senior Designer, from The LEGO Group as he provides an introduction into who he is and what he does. Join us as we take a look into the design process for LEGO products. This discussion will allow opportunity for questions, concerns and suggestions.
Organizing and Storing LEGO collections by Matt Sailors
Learn about how AFOL, TFOL, kids, and parents organize and store their collections of parts and sets. The panel will cover techniques and materials for organizing for personal and business (Bricklink stores, custom kits builders, commission builders) purposes.
Walk the MOC by Glen Wadleigh
This is a loosely organized tour of the MOCs on display. Attendees will stroll through the MOCs and, if the MOC creators are present, the creators can describe their MOCs to the attendees and answer any questions the attendees may have.
Building to Scale by Anthony Sava
Anthony Sava will discuss his techniques and processes in planning, designing, and ultimately building 1:48 scale LEGO train models. While these techniques are used for building 8-wide trains, they can be used for any MOC of any theme! Feel free to bring designs or plans for future MOCs for practice or for guided assistance.
Minifigure Customization Class by Jared Burks
3 classes will be held. Each class will be limited to 60 participants. One class will be exclusively for folks with convention and family memberships, and the other two will be open to the public (Saturday and Sunday). Each participant will receive a minifig and accessories and instructions on how to add custom decals. Participants will be required to sign up prior to these classes. Please inquire at the registration desk starting on Wednesday (July 4th).
Hacking Power Functions… by Mike Hinkle (Techno Chaos)
Want to spice up your LEGO Power Functions? In this session we will explain the Power Functions (PF) interfaces, signals and how to hack into them to broaden their usage. We will discuss the electrical limits of PF devices, how to using PF devices to control other motors and use other controllers to drive PF motors. We will show examples of each.
MOC Photo Booth by TJ Avery
Bring your MOC and your camera! There will be a 48″”x48″”x48″” light tent, lights, and a tripod set up for you to use. The photo booth will be set up and available all day Thursday and Friday. TJ will be available for two 1-hour sessions (Thursday and Friday) to offer assistance and instruction.
AFOL Anonymous No More by Matt Sailors
Did you go through a dark age? How did you deal with your dark ages? What brought you out of your dark ages? How do I explain to my parents / spouse / significant other / kids / co-workers / friends that I really do play with LEGO and that I would like a LEGO set as a present? Come and discuss what it means to be an TFOL / AFOL and how public perception has changed and how much further it still needs to go.
The Future of Brick Fiesta by Chris MacDougald, Kurt Baty, Chris Du-Pond, TJ Avery
Come and discuss in a round table the future of Brick Fiesta. Past co-chairs and current chairs will talk about what is involved and where we think the direction of Brick Fiesta will go.
Accidental Unofficial Lego Designer by Daniel Siskind (Brickmania)
The real life experiences of an unofficial Lego set designer and accidental independent Lego entrepreneur: Daniel Siskind, founder of Brickmania custom kits, will explain why he began making custom kits and how one of his designs became the first fan-created set to be mass-produced by the LEGO Group (3739 Blacksmith Shop). Dan will share his views on the power of fans and fan-created enterprise to help create a richer building (or rather playing) experience, one without dark ages or the idea that a toy is something you must discard when you “grow up.” He will also share some insights for those considering making their own kits, followed by an open Q & A session.
Cuusoo: The crowdsourcing of Lego products by Glen Wadleigh
LEGO Cuusoo allows you to submit your ideas to other Lego fans, and if they make the cut, LEGO might just produce them. Come and learn how Cuusoo works and what makes a successful project.
Online Building Resources by Aaron W. Olmsted
A presentation on using online resources to purchase bricks for your specific MOC’s, resources found online to get help in building your MOC and to get help and suggestions to better your MOC’s, forums to join to help further your skill along with asking questions, and places to see pictures of MOC’s and to post pictures of your MOC’s so they will be seen.
Creating Instructions using Ldraw by Anthony Sava
Anthony Sava will perform a live demonstration of creating detailed and thorough LEGO instructions using the AFOL community resources LDraw and LPub. This will be a great introduction to using the LDraw environment to create virtual LEGO models as well as publishing instructions.
Lego Sculpture Symposium by Evan Bacon
Learn the intricacies of sculpting bust and head Lego® models from conception to sketch phases to production.
Long Distance Collaborative Building by Michael Rutherford
A dissertation on the challenges of collaborative building, and methods for dealing with those challenges. Challenges discussed will include (but will not be limited to):
1. Negotiating a shared vision between all MOC contributors.
2. The use of digital imagery, and PowerPoint and wikis to coordinate the use of space within the MOC.
3. The pragmatic need for humility, objectivity and flexibility in the collaborative process.
4. The need to clearly define responsibilities within the collaborative process.
5. The need for redundant or back up plans.
All topics within the discussion will be augmented with specific examples from previous collaborative efforts, and with PowerPoint slides. Questions will be answered as they arise throughout the presentation.