Second Life and Virtual Worlds
This video is too fun to pass up. It shows the side of 3D virtual worlds that most Second Life residents do NOT have to deal with. As we move in to using Blender and 3DS Max to build for Second Life™ we start to move into this world.
[youtube LDogpuChe94]
In Second Life we tend to use open source products. But, some people use the professional products from Adobe, Photoshop being the best known. I think it has no equal. There are other image editors. But, Photoshop (PS) is the industry standard. If you plan to work for a gaming or other company that works with images, you have to know PS. But, Adobe is making big changes that will radically affect casual users.
Adobe is changing how they deliver their software. Until now they have sold their software in a package with a perpetual license. I can still use an old copy of CS3, CS4, CS5.5, and CS6. (CS = Creative Suite) It isn’t cheap. A new version of PS costs US$800. Updates can be $300 to $400 per version come every 12 to 24 months. People can find PS on Amazon and in stores for $650. But, quite often that is the ‘basic’ version not the ‘Extended’ version.
When modeling I am often looking for just the right texture. I skip looking for textures in Second Life™ simply because it is too hard to look at what is there. Some Third Party Viewers have better tools for managing textures and there are texture managers for sell in SL and the Market Place. But, I find them slow and awkward.
I usually browse over to CG Textures. They have an easy to browse collection of textures. Some are great and some are crap. Most require some serious work before they can be used and many lack the supporting files; normal, specular, occlusion, etc. But, they are free, with a daily download limit.
A new site I came across is RenderTextures.com. They also have free textures and Terms of Use I can live with.
I just found 123D Catch and wrote about it in: New 3D Modeling Tool – 123D Catch Review. 123D Catch is a program that runs on iPhones, iPads, and desktops. It allows you to turn photos of an object into 3D models that can then be ‘printed’ as real physical models. Of course Second Life™ users would use the result as 3D models with textures for import to SL.
However, 123D Catch is only part of a suite of 123D programs being created by AutoDesk to capture the consumer design market. We have new technology like Cubify 3D Systems that can turn 3D models into real life objects.
The suite of programs is free and consists of:
[youtube 6aU2s85Zw3A]
Available for iPhone, iPad, and Desktops.
Redpoly has a new tutorial video out. It is for the people buying mesh clothing kits that plan to sell the clothes made from the kit. Check it out and then I’ll explain why the kits are sold in such a complex way.
[youtube epaA9AmD81w]
Creators making mesh clothes and uploading their model are shown as the creator in the objects’ properties in-world. But, if you buy a mesh kit, usually a mesh object and template files, the creator that uploaded the mesh object shows as the creator. This kit misnaming creates problems for everyone.
Several blogs have covered the art of Whiskey Monday. See the following articles for information on who Whiskey Monday is and some of her art.
Obviously I like Whiskey’s art. You can see it on her web: WhiskeyMonday.com, and Flickr.
The notable change is Whiskey is now selling RL prints, giclee, of her Second Life™ art. Giclee is a high end printing process used for fine art. It is expensive, but it lasts. When one cannot afford original art, a giclee is the next best thing.
You can find the art for sale at Fine Art America. Getting the source for giclee printing is a bit of work. So, not all of Whiskey’s art is on Fine Art America. If you find something on Flickr, you can ask that it be uploaded.
Good luck Whiskey.