Meet Jaco van der Molen
| |
| Jaco van der Molen | |
| Username: | [Jaco] |
| Age: | 44 |
| Country: | The Netherlands |
| Role(s): | OMR admin |
Name: Jaco van der Molen (Username: Jaco)
Age: 44 (as of 2019)
Location: The Netherlands
History with LDraw:
Jaco discovered LDraw way back in 1996 reading an issue of the PC Format magazine which got him straight out of his dark age. During that time he studied New Media and Web Design at the Graphic Lyceum in Amsterdam, graduating in 1997 with creating a website. Back then, that was totally new. He got a job in IT and later at an innovative web design company. He has had a few LEGO related websites. He joined the LDraw discussion list, was active on LUGNET and other (Dutch) fora.
In 2001 Jaco attended LEGOWORLD for the first time and presented LDraw to the Dutch public. The LEGOWORLD event in Zwolle then attracted more the 27500 visitors. Jaco attended LEGOWORLD 8 times to present LDraw and got many people both young and old enthusiastic about LDraw. The most heard comment then was the people were amazed that all the software was free (how very Dutch ;-)
Jaco had a part in co-authoring and editing various chapters of the book Virtual Lego: The Official LDraw.org guide to LDraw Tools for Windows. The book that was written by Tim Courtney, Ahui Herrera and Steve Bliss he sold over 200 copies of in the Netherlands.
Jaco is owner and author of the Dutch website www.binarybricks.nl which features a tutorial on how to install and work with the LDraw suite of tools and guides to MLCad, LDCad, and LPub3D. He also wrote the official online manual for LPub and LPub3D is currently re-writing the manual dedicated to LPub3D.
He has helped many people (both Dutch and foreign) in the more than 20 years of his LDraw experience and has become an expert in using LPub3D. He also authored a few dozen parts for the official parts library.
He made the instructions for the 10th Anniversary model for the famous Hispa Brick magazine and works with LEGO Certified Professional Dirk Denoyelle in designing models and making instructions for them.
Among his many achievements, the two greatest are the complete digital redesign of the large statue of the famous Dutch Sinterklaas which counts almost 35000 bricks and is seven feet tall. And the minifig scale model of the Golden Tulip Hotel in Noordwijk completely designed digitally in LDCad and build for real in 2017 counting almost 8000 bricks.
Related interests:
In addition to LEGO, Jaco has a great interest in graphic design and computer software and works at a school for secondary education. This school has an active First LEGO League team.