Selecting Bricks
On the right side of the screen is the Brick Palette. You can grab a brick by clicking on any of the brick icons. To look at different kinds of bricks, click on one of the brick categories in the Category Palette, right above the Brick Palette.
Rotating and Placing Bricks
To rotate bricks, use the arrow keys on your keyboard (but not the ones on the numeric keypad). Left and right will spin the brick around its vertical axis, and up and down will rotate it away from or towards you. Try it out! Place a brick by clicking on the baseplate again. The brick will connect to the stud closest to where you click.
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Category Palette
Brick Palette
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Changing Your View
Sometimes it's useful to change your point of view in order to place bricks. Try the arrows and +/- buttons on the Camera Gadget to move around your model, see the other side of things, zoom in and out, or get a bird's eye view. You can also use the keys on your keypad (8 4 6 2 + -) instead of clicking on the Camera Gadget.
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Camera Gadget
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Coloring Bricks
Choose a color from the Color Palette, beneath the Brick Palette. Bricks that you grab from the Brick Palette will now appear in this color. Click on the Paint Tool and then on a brick in your model to change that bricks' color. The colors with a letter "T" in them are transparent!
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Color Palette
Paint Tool
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Moving Bricks
Click on the Selection Tool and then on a brick in your model to grab that brick again. If you want to grab more than one brick at a time, try the Multi Selection Tool which lets you click on more than one brick, or the Super Selection Tool which can select a group of connected bricks all at once. You can find these tools by clicking the arrow to the right of the Selection Tool. You can color a whole lot of bricks at once this way, using the Paint Tool!
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Selection Tool
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Stick Mode
The Stick Mode Button changes the way bricks connect to other bricks when you place them on your model. Stick Mode is usually on, but if you click this button and turn it off, bricks won't automatically connect to each other anymore. This is handy when you want to put a brick into your model without connecting it to anything. When Stick Mode is off, you can also rotate bricks in smaller steps. Turn Stick Mode back on if you want to snap bricks together again!
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Stick Mode Button
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Clone Bricks
Use the Clone Tool to make a copy of brick that's already in your model. If you select more than one brick, you can clone all of them at once. Try making a huge wall this way, or extra legs for a robot or creature!
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Clone Tool
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Adjusting Bricks
Some bricks, like hinges, can be adjusted using the Hinge Tool. Pick the hinge tool, then click on a hinge brick in your model and use the arrow keys to adjust it. You can move hinges back and forth just like like in real life!
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Hinge Tool
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Palette
When you start a new model in LEGO Digital Designer you'll need to select the brick palettes/sets you want to build with.
A Brick Set Tray is available to allow you to add and remove the brick sets you want to work with. The tray is divided into two sections, Available Assortment and Active.
Using the right palette is crucial if you would like to purchase your own model, or if you would like to upload your model to the LEGO Factory gallery.
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Active Palette
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Building Instructions
The Building Instruction Window may be toggled on and off in view mode by clicking the Building Instruction button on the function bar. It contains buttons for stepping through the construction of your model and shows the bricks to add at each stage.
You can open up the building instruction steps in your web browser for viewing or easy printing.
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Building Instructions button
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View mode
Switch to building instructions and screenshots to look at your model from all angles and to step through the building stages.
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View mode button
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Animate your Train model
Press this button to make your model move around the scene. If you've created a train and attached it to a straight piece of track, it will run around (See Trains in the manual)
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Animate button
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