Building and Texturing Forum

[LisaMarie McWinnie]

Hi,

I am making this gown on SL:http://www.arqnet.pt/imagens/phmaria2.jpg

I alredy made the skirt,belt and sleeves,now the only thing left are the textures.

As you can see,the top have some details,thta have to be done on photoshop.The sleeves have a lot of

silk effecfts,and the skirt needs a white texture with basic shading.The problem is,I tried making the top,but I got

lost with all the layers of the template,and I cant make the details look good.Can someone please help me?I need a slow and detailed tutorial,wich I cant find anywhere.

[Rolig Loon Senior Helper]

So you finished all the easy stuff and all you have left is the most difficult part?  Creating clothing in SL is all about textures.  The bottom line is that you need to practice a lot with Photoshop or GIMP or you favorite graphic design program until you are comfortable with handling layers and channels, and have a good feel for its basic tools.  Shading is perhaps the most challenging part of creating a good-looking texture, so it will take the most practice.  There's really no subsitutute, even if you have a lot of native talent.  You will find some excellent tutorials listed at https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Clothing_Tutorials.  Personally, I still like Natalia Zelmanov's tutorials.  They are a bit dated by now, but are well illustrated and at just the right level for a new designer.  I also recommend going to your local bookstore to browse through manuals that show how to get the most out of your graphic design program.  There are loads of choices, so look for one that fits your own learning style.

[Morgaine Christensen Member]

Has to agree with Rolig, the basic of shading and highlighting are probably some of the toughest things to do when creating clothing.  It also, is the difference between good clothing and mediocre.  While I attempt it (and am better than I was), I still am frustrated with most of the results....I am not an artist with talent by any means.  You just have to continue practicing....over...and over....and over again.  But, don't give up...take a breather now and again...try making a different piece of clothing for something else or ....build  a building and come back to your original project. 

There are lots of articles and tutorials on making SL clothing....just google it!  Also, check around for Photoshop or Gimp tutorials on shading, creating wrinkles, etc but not strictly geared to SL. 

As far as getting confused with all the layers, create a set of groups, name them accordingly, and move your layers to those particular folders.  For me it makes it easier to work on.  I usualy have a group created that has separate layers for the back, front, and sleeves, which makes it easier for me than working on the would shirt.  Once in a particular group, I create subgroups.  You have to be careful though andn make sure all appropriate layers are turned on when you save  the .tga/png file for upload.  Thank heavens for temporary uploads! 

Here are a few URLs  I found useful...

http://www.vintfalken.com/tutorials/adding-depth-to-your-sl-clothing-textures/

http://chimerafire.wordpress.com/sl-clothing-creation-guide/wrinkles/  ((this is probably my top choice))

http://kryptonradio.com/pop-media/gaming/second-life-resident-guides/clothes-and-costuming/

http://www.ehow.com/how_8270621_shade-drawing-cloth.html

[LisaMarie McWinnie]

Thank you both.

Following a tutorial,I managed to make the sating texture,and I am happy with it

Now,I need to make the bodice texture,wich is the worst part.All the template confuse me,I really

need help in this part.

[Morgaine Christensen Member]

Have to be a bit more specific...."Now, I need to make the bodice texture,wich is the worst part.All the template confuse me,I really  need help in this part."...not really sure what that means.

How do the templates confuse you?  There are really only a few templates, which have multiple uses... Head/Face, the Upper layers (for shirts/jackets), Lower layer (normall pants, socks), and a Skirt layer.  Are you confused on the different clothing layers in SL?  If so, here is some information that might be helpful in relationship to layers. http://avatartoolbox.info/Skins.html