Guide
How to read the instructions on Brick Recipe
A tour of a recipe page — the 3D viewer, the step highlight, step cards versus the full parts list, difficulty bars and tips for building from a phone.
Every build on Brick Recipe uses the same page layout, so once you know how one recipe works you know them all. This guide walks through a recipe page from top to bottom and explains what each part is for, plus a few habits that make building from a screen easier.
If you would like to follow along, open a small build such as the Garden Shed in another tab.
The top of the page
The header tells you what you are about to build before you look at a single brick:
- Category and theme chips. The first chip is the category (Buildings, Landmarks, Nature & Outdoor or Street & Props); the others are themes such as Japanese, Winter or Garden. Tapping one takes you back to the gallery with that filter applied, which is a quick way to find similar builds.
- Description. A one-paragraph summary of the scene and its details.
- Parts and steps. The total number of pieces and the number of steps. These two numbers are the most honest guide to how long a build will take.
- Difficulty badge. A label plus one to four filled bars. More on that below.
Many recipes also have an About this build section with notes on the real-world subject, the design choices and which steps need extra care. It is worth reading once before you start.
The 3D viewer
The large panel shows the model in 3D. Until the model has downloaded you see a still picture of the finished build with a progress bar on top of it; larger models take a little longer.
Once it has loaded:
- Rotate by dragging with one finger or the mouse.
- Zoom by pinching on a touch screen, or with the scroll wheel or trackpad on a computer.
- Look underneath by dragging upwards. Many builds hide supports and connecting plates on the underside, so a quick look from below can answer “what is holding this up?”
The viewer only shows parts up to the current step. Pieces from later steps are hidden, so the model on screen always matches what should be on your table.
Moving through the steps
The step controls sit next to the viewer on a wide screen and at the bottom of the screen on a phone. You can:
- press Next and Previous,
- drag the slider to jump to any step (handy for checking ahead or finding your place again),
- use the left and right arrow keys on a keyboard,
- on a phone, swipe left or right on the step card.
The counter above the slider (“Step 4 of 13”) tells you where you are. The controls stay locked until the 3D model is ready, but the step cards are readable straight away.
The step highlight
In each step, the parts being added glow with a warm yellow tint in the viewer. Everything from earlier steps keeps its normal color. If you are not sure where a piece goes, rotate the model until the highlighted parts face you, then zoom in.
Step cards versus the parts list
There are two lists on every recipe page, and they answer different questions.
The step card answers “what do I add right now?” It lists only the pieces for the current step, each with a picture, its name, its color, its part number and how many you need (shown as “4×”). Some steps also carry a short Tip row with a highlighted note about alignment, order or a common mistake.
The parts list further down answers “what do I need for the whole build?” It groups every piece in the model by part and color and gives a total at the bottom. Use it before you start to gather and check your pieces; our guide on sorting and finding parts explains how to read the names and numbers in it.
A simple routine that works well:
- Gather everything from the parts list before you start.
- For each step, pick out the pieces on the step card and lay them in front of you.
- Look at the highlighted parts in the viewer and place them.
- Press Next once your model matches the screen.
Difficulty bars and build size
Each build has one of four difficulty levels, shown as a label and a row of bars:
| Level | Bars | Part count |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 1 | under 120 parts |
| Intermediate | 2 | 120 to 220 parts |
| Advanced | 3 | 221 to 400 parts |
| Expert | 4 | over 400 parts |
The level follows the part count, so it measures how much there is to build rather than how unusual the techniques are. Most builds are standard size, with up to about 300 parts and 30 steps. A few large builds go further: the Japanese Castle has more than 700 parts across 58 steps. Our guide to choosing your first build goes into what each level feels like in practice.
Building from a phone
A phone works well as an instruction screen if you set it up for it:
- Prop it up at an angle so you can see it without holding it, and keep it out of the way of loose pieces.
- Turn off auto-lock or extend the screen timeout while you build, so the page does not go dark mid-step.
- Use the step card more than the viewer. On a small screen the card is easier to read; turn to the viewer when you need to check placement.
- Swipe on the card, not the model. Swiping on the step card changes steps; dragging on the model rotates it. Keeping the two apart avoids skipping a step by accident.
- Landscape can help on larger builds, giving the viewer more width.
If the 3D model fails to load, a Try again button appears. The step cards and parts list work even without the viewer, so you can keep building from the cards in the meantime.
When something does not line up
If your model stops matching the screen, go back a step or two with Previous and compare from a few angles. Most mistakes are one stud off or a piece facing the wrong way, and they are much easier to fix early than five steps later. When you are ready for more, the beginner building techniques guide explains why parts are placed the way they are.