Name:
Chris Dee (Username: cwdee)
Age:
51 (as of 2007)
Gender:
Male
History with LDraw:
Chris discovered LDraw in 1997 or 1998 after abandoning a similar project to build a LEGO parts library in PostScript. The initial motivation was to create replacement instructions for second-hand sets he had acquired, and to produce instructions for the alternative models - this was in the days before the existance of internet resources like PICSL and its predecessors. Frustrated at the very first hurdle by the omission of part 4080 (Tipper Bucket 4 x 6) he set about authoring it and was amazed to see it released in the 1998-03 update. More parts followed, and circumstances found Chris concentrating on the patterned minifig torsos, which had largely been overlooked at that time. The intellectual challenge of part authoring and the then lack of functionally rich model creation tools (like MLCad) overtook the instruction creation idea. He soon installed Steve Bliss' LDraw Add-On program (LDAO) and with L3Lab as a renderer found an efficient toolset for part authoring - a combination he still favours today. Appointment as the a second LDraw Library Admin followed in 2003.
Related interests:
Chris didn't really discover the versatility of LEGO until his 30s, having been bought only Airfix Betta Builder as a child, one presumes on the assumption that it was British and thus a superior product. It was not. But his youth was a heyday for contruction toys and he was probably privileged to own rubber Minibrix from an early age, the excellent Bayko, Spears BrickPlayer and of course the inevitable Meccano (all of British heritage, note). Why those Christmas and birthday presents never included LEGO, not once, is a mystery.
These days, Chris builds LEGO mainly for displays, regularly contributing buildings, scenery and rolling stock to train shows in the UK. He has dabbled with MoonBase and representing historical buildings.
Unrelated interests:
Somehow Chris combines his LEGO interests with natural history - more specifically birds. He is the county representative for the British Trust for Ornithology (a non-governmental body organising bird monitoring in the UK), chairs the county bird club scientific committee and is an active bird ringer. He is currently organising the Hertfordshire Bird Atlas, a project aiming to map the distribution of wintering and breeding birds in this southern county of England.
