Generic Brick Classification:  Notes
Background:
From an early age I have enjoyed making things with building bricks. Quite a few years ago I began a more determined approach and one of my first desires was for an inventory. It is much easier to know what can be built if one knows what materials are at hand. I started to classify the pieces I had accumulated and created what I call my 'Generic Brick Classification' coding scheme. I drew pencil drawings of bricks and pieces, making a sort of identification booklet that I would use when doing an inventory. Recently I have begun the process of re-creating drawings onto the computer since it is easier to print them (for labels and such), add new drawings (of newly acquired pieces) or change the classification codes (of areas that need a little tweaking). Below follows some of the objectives and restrictions I have come to adopt as I have been working on this endeavor.

Objectives:
While there is a lot of information available online regarding bricks, I have not found a numbering scheme that I like well enough to use. Especially since I want to include both LEGO and MEGA bricks together in my classification. Most of the numberings I have found are based on the manufactoring number for the pieces, which makes too many distinctions between similar pieces. And yet other schemes I've run across do not make enough distinctions. So for now, I have continued to use my coding structure while moving to computer format.

Likewise, I found there are many, many images of bricks online and I considered taking what I found there to use in making my identification guide but soon decided against that as well. The pictures and drawings did not seem to fit my purposes as they lacked multiple perspectives, were unsuitable for printing or were too large to be practical. While my drawings are not completely accurate my sense of order, as well as my artistic bent, seem more satisfied with what I have begun to draw than the others I found, despite the limitations I have accepted and imposed.

Limitations:
While I wished to have views from several angles, I often drew less than the six possibilities. In part this is because of (1) the duplicative nature of some pieces or groups, (2) the ability to identify and classify from fewer views, and (3) the space limitations. For the most part I use a straight-on profile view for the drawings. Occasionally I use a perspective view (without regard for technical accuracy) to reduce the numbers of drawings (especially with boring pieces).

I have opted for using one of three scales for the pieces; (1) Normal scale (just a bit smaller than actual lifesize), (2) 1/4 scale and (3) 1/16 scale, depending on the size of the item being depicted. These scales are not totally accurate as some consessions were made for ease of drawing and clarity.

As stated above, I have not attempted to remain accurate in all (or many) of the situations. I came to this compromise because (1) sometimes a less accurate drawing makes a more identifiable picture, (2) it causes less trouble (especially due to the simplistic drawing approach I use, and (3) I have not found a satisfactory solution to pixels on monitors and printers not being square. So I have resigned myself to being less than technically accurate. If you desire accuracy then I can only point out that there are a myriad of drawings and/or pictures available online for you to pursue.

Now, on to the Bricks           My Home Page