custom brick paper generator

[DKS]

I like the fact that their software sufficiently randomizes the color distribution so that there are no evident patterns.

[wazzou]

I like the fact that their software sufficiently randomizes the color distribution so that there are no evident patterns.

Except for the 3 evenly spaced vertical mortar lines, distributed evenly, left to right.   

[nkalanaga]

Jimmo:  "My observation of real brick structures has shown me that mortar is rarely ever white."  I agree.  In fact, I think the only truly white mortar I've ever seen was painted.  Most of it seems to be more of a "light cement gray".

That's why I specifically used their light gray for my two test pages.  Especially in an industrial/mining town with nearby rail traffic the mortar certainly won't stay white.  Also, the sand used in the area I model isn't white to start with, so the mortar wouldn't be pure white anyway.  Besides the variety of brick patterns they also include quite a selection of mortar colors, and, if you're good with hexadecimal color codes, you can make up your own.  I'm not, so I stuck with the preset custom colors, under "Browse Mortar Colours".

[DKS]

Except for the 3 evenly spaced vertical mortar lines, distributed evenly, left to right.   

I'm pretty sure they're a consequence of the scanning/sizing process (optics/pixel alignment, or a kind of Moiré effect) as opposed to being present on the print. There's not just three of them, and they're not evenly distributed, either. And if they are present in the print, then I'd bet it's a similar artifact from the printing process; very fine parallel lines will quite frequently present issues for any reproduction process that works with images on a pixelwise basis.

[C855B]

I kept trying the Adobe PDF browser preview plug-in, and it continued to lock-up my machine. When I changed browser settings to download the file instead, it was fine. Gave my (PostScript) laser printer fits, however. I didn't record the exact start/stop times, but my SWAG is it took about 4 hours to print. I'll give it a try on the inkjet and see if it does any better.

If there was a wish I had for the site - maybe it's there and I didn't see it - is sample images of the brick styles and colors. I chose "red" and American Common, and the result was a little too uneven for modern brick production. Common red bricks in the past 60 years or so have tended towards uniformity in color and texture within the same production lot. The bricks on our house (and the RR tower I'm looking to model!) are very consistent in appearance.

PS to DKS - Our dog's name is Moe-Ray (Moiré). He's a Dalmatian.

EDIT: Obviously I'm not having a good day... or two. I found the samples. Duh. Smooth red is the color I need, and "stretcher" is what we call "running bond" in the U.S.