Rebrickable Help Guide: Mecabricks | Rebrickable

MecaBricks

MecaBricks is a website that allows you to build LEGO models online without downloading any software. From any browser simply go to www.mecabricks.com. MecaBricks models are a suitable instruction format for free MOCs, similar to other 3D model files. This guide is intended for users trying to navigate a MecaBricks model file, as well as desgners who may be new to MecaBricks.

MecaBricks does not have an instruction maker, and does not export in a format that is compatible with Studio or other LDraw software. If you plan to make .pdf instructions, it is recommended to build your MOC in Studio first, then export to MecaBricks and/or Blender in turn.

Compatibility

While MecaBricks will import most commonly used LEGO 3D files, it WILL NOT export in these formats.

MecaBricks imports:

MecaBricks (Project file saved from MecaBricks workshop)
.lxfml(.lxf) (LEGO Digital Designer)
.ldr (LDraw)
.mpd (LDD/LDraw)
.io (Studio)

MecaBricks exports:

.zmbx (Blender addon)
.dae (Old 3D file; most programs use .obj now)
.obj (Common 3D object file)
.stl (3D file; commonly used with 3D Printers)

Using MecaBricks

If you haven't used MacaBricks before, you will first need to create an account and log in.

To get to the LEGO-building area, click on the Workshop button on the top of the MecaBricks website.

Importing a Model

If you already have a model, such as one made in Studio, you can import this by clicking File > Import....

Then you just choose the file type, navigate to the file, and click Import.

The controls are a bit different to Studio, so please read the below section to understand the basics.

Building Basics

First, navigation. If you are used to Studio, this can be hard to adjust to.

Function	MecaBricks	Blender	Studio
Pan	Hold right click	Shift + hold scroll wheel	Hold scroll wheel
Rotate	Hold left click	Hold scroll wheel	Hold right click
Zoom	Scroll wheel, or hold down scroll wheel and move mouse up and down for a more precise zoom	Scroll wheel	Scroll wheel

To start building, click on a brick in the bar at the bottom of the screen. This will place a brick in the origin point, which is 0, 0, 0 on the X, Y and Z axis, or in the center of the scene. You can move this brick by clicking on it and dragging any one of the arrows that appear. Clicking the coloured squares instead of the arrows, allows you to move the brick anywhere in that plain.

Next, you can add another brick into the scene by clicking again on any brick in the library. Try moving the bricks so one is connected to the other in the scene. You can change how much the bricks move by changing the grid size up in the bar that says “Medium” at the top. You can also change the colors of the bricks using the palette on the bottom right.

MecaBricks files are a suitable instruction format for free MOCs. As such you may want to hide bricks on someone else's model to see how things are connected underneath. You can do this by clicking the glasses symbol on the left, or pressing H.

MecaBricks uses Blender as a base for its Workshop. As such, a lot of the keybinds/keyboard shortcuts are the same, so if you are familiar with Blender some of the below commonly used keybinds will be familiar:

Save (Ctrl+S) - Saves all edits made to current scene to MecaBricks
Undo (Ctrl+Z) - Undoes last change made to the scene
Redo (Ctrl+Y) - Redoes last change that was undone
Select all (A) - Selects all bricks in the current scene
Box select (B) - Selects an area of bricks
Clone selection (D) - Duplicates current selection
Flexible part tool (F) - Allows edits to flexible parts
Hide selection (H) - Hides current selection
Show hidden (Alt+H) - Shows all hidden bricks
Translation/Rotation toggle (M) - Toggles between the translation (move) and rotation tools
Select pivot point (P) - Allows selection of a pivot point by which to rotate a brick

Getting Help

MecaBricks has a forum on MecaBricks.com that you can ask for help in. Additionally, there are people on the Rebrickable Forums who may be able to assist, so feel free to join in the discussion there.

Special thanks to Tiggerljc for writing most of this guide and providing screenshots.

Last modified Feb. 17, 2025 by icedragonj

Resource	Value
User CPU time	221.991 msec
System CPU time	5.828 msec
Total CPU time	227.819 msec
Elapsed time	251.072 msec
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HELP - Mecabricks

MecaBricks

Compatibility

MecaBricks imports:

MecaBricks exports:

Using MecaBricks

Importing a Model

Building Basics

Getting Help

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