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Build Legos in Chrome with Google Build
Grab a plot of Lego land and get building to celebrate 50 years of Lego.
The Lego land grab is on. Google Chrome and Lego Australia fastened themselves together to roll out Build, a Web app for Chrome that lets you build impressively realistic Lego structures right within Google's browser.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)
To get started, you can browse the map to find an open plot or click the blue Build button and have Build find one for you. Each plot is a 32-by-32-peg square, and you are given 1,000 virtual bricks to use. There are 10 different type of Lego bricks in 10 different colors, plus two extras: a door and a window. (My son is home today and was more than happy to assist with the research required for this post.)
(Credit:
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)
Choose your pieces and color from the left panel and drop them on your plot on the right. Left-click to place a brick on your plot; right-click to remove a brick. Use the rotate button in the left panel (or just use your arrow keys) to turn your bricks to your desired direction, and hold down the space bar when mousing to spin the plot to get a better look at the part on which you are working.
Once you have finished your building, click the green Publish button in the upper-right corner. You will need to use your Google account or an e-mail address in order to publish your design. You can share your design (on Google+ or via e-mail), and you can see it on the map right away, but it won't show up on the map for others to see until someone from Lego approves it. Or you could publish a screenshot of it on a blog, like so:
Lego castle, by Henry Elliott
(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)Lastly, before you begin, take a look at the house rules:
(Credit:
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)
