The previous part of this tutorial is OpenSim Terrain Tutorial via Blender – Part 1. The previous part is about getting terrain from Second Life and OpenSim into Blender. This part is about exporting  the terrain from Blender 2.59 as a height map image.

Height Maps via Blender Nodes

Terrain

By the time you start this tutorial you should have a completed terrain or at least have a test terrain to try.

Also, you should have a backup of your region. Loading the tutorial can mess up your region. So, a backup is a good idea. In OpenSim I make OAR file backups. (save oar [filename.oar] – save to OpenSim’s working folder. You can specify a path.)

Now is a good time to back up your Blender file too. It is a great idea to work in a copy of the file.

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With the addition of mesh objects we have some nice possibilities for creating new things in Second Life. Ashasekayi made a great 6 part clothing/rigged mesh tutorial. Gaia also makes wonderful tutorials for working with sculpties, going from sculpties to mesh, and mesh. They have the basics pretty well covered. I want to get beyond the basics and find more Blender features. I have found several features that can help with modeling and in particular with making clothes. This article is about one of the Blender features.

Nice Clothes Example

Looking through loads of tutorials I’ve found some I think are pretty good examples of how to use the feature for making clothes look like they are made from real cloth. This is not a complete how to make a top. This is about a feature you can use in making a blouse.

Feature

Cloth Simulation – This is a feature in Blender that I have seldom seen discussed in Second Life circles. I wanted to explore what it can do and try it out. I used Blender 2.59.

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There is a new Blender release out that several people are using with Second Life. Results are varied in regard to rigged mesh.

The current ‘stable’ release is 2.58a. If you search on Blender Download, you will find the 2.58a download files. The 2.59RC is hidden away in the development sections. Download Blender 2.59RC. If you move up one directory/folder you can see all the Blender releases. All the version information shows the version as 2.58.1. But, the archive is clear this is the 2.59RC.

Blender 2.59 Release Candidate - Uses older art

The download I have linked to is the ARCHIVE not the Installer. If you are not using the Blender Archive for your install, you’re working too hard to get Blender installed. See my article Blender 2.57b Released for information on how to do easy installs and upgrades.

A new Blender version is out. Like any upgrade this one is loaded with bug fixes. It also has new features added from the To Do List. You can find the well written Release Log here: Blender 2.58 update log. I’m not going to write about all the fixes and additions, there are too many and I have no idea what a number of them actually do. I’ll touch on a few of the things that are interesting to me as a person interested in Second Life.

New Blender 2.58 Release

Collada

Collada is the file format used by Second Life to import 3D models. Those of us working on rigged mesh, used for replacement avatars and clothes, have been using Blender 2.49b to export them. The Collada export in 2.57b has problems with rigged mesh.

If you have been put off learning Blender because of the arcane user interface and myriad of invisible shortcut keys, it is probably time to reconsider learning Blender. If you learned Blender 2.49, you may be frustrated with 2.5. I know one of the challenges I’ve had shifting over to Blender 2.57 is figuring out where the tools are that I use in 2.4. The new 2.5 user interface in Blender has drastically changed. I think it is much easier to learn than 2.4. If you are looking for good, simple tutorials on 2.5 read on.

Blender 2.57b

Blender Basics

It seems most tutorials are about how to do something in Blender. How to use Blender, it’s user interface, is a byproduct of learning to build or texture something. The basic information needed to use Blender is skipped over and it is assumed you know or can find the commands needed.

Version 2.57b was released a couple of weeks ago. This version has over 100 significant bug fixes. You can get your copy at: Blender 2.57b Download

Blender 2.57b Released

Windows Installing?

One of the problems I’ve had with Blender is my need to run multiple versions. Until just recently building for Myst-Uru Plazma required 2.49b. Also, the Collada exporter in 2.49b is reputed to be better for Second Life. Then there are the JASS and Primstar tools made by Gaia Clary and Domino Marama which have dependencies on Blender and Python versions.

The current stable release of Blender remains 2.49b. In Second Life two of the main sculpty tools use Blender: Primstar and JASS2. Both of those still use Blender 2.49b. However, the beta versions of Blender 2.5 are becoming popular with those working with mesh in Second Life. The reason for that is the Collada Export/Import features in Blender 2.56a have more fixes. The Collada features have just been updated again and this week more work will be done on Collada.

If you are finding problems with your Second Life Mesh Imports because of Collada bugs, get over to Letwory Interactive and the Blender 2.5 Tracker and let them know.

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If that title makes no sense to you and you make sculpties then pay attention. There are some great 3D models spread around the Internet. The problem with using them in SL is there is no easy way to get them into SL. The only meshes we can bring in, for now, are Sculpties (4/09).

Sculpties have strict limits on the number of vertices a mesh can have and the number of rows and columns of vertices. You can bring in almost any arrangement of vertices. The problem is it may look like vertex vomit (I heard that somewhere). One must get the numbers right for it to look good in Second Life. Shrink wrapping is a way to turn those models into sculpties. One can take a premade sculpty mesh and shrink wrap it over another model. Presto easy conforming mesh.