Extending the Process

Second Life Seamless Clothing Texture - Image 8

When you look at the texture made into a top, it is pretty nice. There is no seam under the right arm. But, in world you can find a seam under the left arm. If you see a seam on the right side, it is an anti-aliasing and rendering problem on the SL side. That will be hidden when we later add some bleed. Matching up the front and back patterns under the left arm is the same old matching problem one has in the Chip and Robin templates.

So, by now you probably realize that the Mucho 23 maps and all the others in MCH leave a seam somewhere. Using map #4 leaves a seam under the left arm. See Image 7 (page 3). To fix this mismatch one can resort to the basic trial and error pixel sliding and editing most of us use when working with Chip’s or Robin’s templates. MCH offers a more elegant alternative.

As I suggested earlier, you can go from ChanA to ChanB. It is possible to sort of undo a mapping. But, I recommend you don’t use it for that. I think the image loses quality with each remap. If you really want to undo something use your editing software’s undo.

To see what I mean by going from ChanA to ChanB, with the Work1 layer selected open MCH and uncheck Reverse. You will see the texture revert back to map #4. Try changing the ChanB maps.

My experience so far is that MCH’s preview is not perfect. So, don’t faint if some of the changes seem to be dropping parts of the image. When you’re done playing cancel MCH.

Seam Moved for Editing - Image 9

The next step in the process is to make a copy of the map #4 transform or layer Work1. I named my new copy Work2. Start MCH and uncheck Reverse. Map #4 should still be picked for ChanB. Change ChanB to map#3, or a map you like, and click OK. The new transform replaces the texture with the map #3 layout which moves the map #4 seam line to where you can more easily edit it and fix the seam. See Image #9 (Page 4).

There is no magic solution for fixing the seam in this new result. One manually repaints the image to hide the seam. You can see tutorials about editing to hide seams in various tutorials on making seamless patterns and textures. How well you can hide the seam depends on how good one is with PS. But, MCH has certainly made it way easier.

Once you have the seam hidden, make a copy of Work2 and name it Work3. Open MCH, click to check Reverse on and click OK. This will transform the texture back to map #22 which is suitable for use in SL.

Next we need to make sleeves and shoulders to finish the top. Making those is just a matter of repeating the process already covered. So, I’m not going to repeat them.

Puzzle Pieces

Using map #4 you will have an incomplete top. It covers the torso but not the shoulders or arms and is incomplete around the neck too. None of the Mucho 23 maps will give you a complete top. Darn. …or else I have yet to figure out how to do it with MCH.

Neither will the maps in: SLarm_female_c6a.mch, SL_shoulders02.mch, SL_shoulders01.mch, or SL_jacketwaist01.mch. It just isn’t in any of the maps.

But, when on thinks about it, even in real life matching up patterns across the arms and shoulders is a problem. If one matches a pattern at the shoulder, it may not carry across the body and arms the way you want it to. Think of big horizontal strips lining up on the arms and tummy. Plus it is impractical to try to match a pattern all the way around the arm-torso seam. So, MCH provides help in these areas, not a total solution. You will know the problem well, if you have ever made RL clothes from a pattern.

The parts one makes Using MCH can be put together. The torso, shoulders, and arms can be made in separate layers and later composited together in a single image for upload to SL. Use MCH to build the individual pieces and then build the results into a single composite. So, getting all the pieces to match up the way you want isn’t as easy as I hoped.

I get the parts made, like sleeves, then check they are in the right positions by turning on Chip’s template and moving things if needed.

Still, MCH makes matching things up and hiding seams on the arms and torso much easier.