I want to build my own home

[Jacki Silverfall]

But I'm not sure how to start and how the work flow would go. If there are any home builders out there that could lend advice I sure would appreciate it.

 

[Dora Gustafson]

Provided you have some land to build on this is the place to start:)

[Alisha Matova]

Soo many ways to skin a cat nowadays!

 

But if I'm building something for a particular location/size, I always start with a floor prim adjusted to fit the parcel neatly. Then, and I think the most important part, I use another prim to set the height of the ceiling, or second floor, then do the same for the doorway area. Getting the scale right, and the camera happy inside, now will save you large headaches later, and help you decide what to build.

[Rufferta]

I'm not sure what skills you already have, but I have been quite happy with the self-paced classes at Happy Hippo. The beginning classes are free, and there are some inexpensive boxed classes that come with supplies and instructions to build very basic structures. There is usually someone at the site to help if you get stuck at any point, and if you join the group, you can ask questions in chat.

I haven't built anything very elaborate yet, but I'm learning.

 

 

 

[hibit Spad]

NCI and Builder's Brewery both offer excellent classes on how to build. 

[Jacki Silverfall]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I should have mentioned that I already know how to build and have taken many classes.

I'm just not sure how to start the process of home building. Start from the bottom up? Start in sections? Do I build it all first then texture? Texture in pieces? etc.

What process or work flow do builders use in making homes??

Thankies!

[Jacki Silverfall]

Thank you! This is the kind of advice I'm seeking

[Scooter Hollow]

It might not be a bad idea to actually start off outside of SL. Draw it out on paper, get some ideas of what you want it to look like. While it might take a little bit to get used to, Google Sketchup can actually be a pretty fast way to model out architecture. I don't build homes but we did use Sketchup as our Artist's Representation of a region-scale building we did recently, was a lot easier than we expected. Certainly easier than any other 3-D modelling program I've ever used, though it doesn't have all the options of Blender/etc.

[Alisha Matova]

Ooo that is good advice!

 

I do a ton of sketching outside SL too. I also comb google images and architectural sites for the style of build I'm after(art deco, craftsmen, etc.), looking for designs that will translate into prims easily. I save a few images for reference, sometimes I'll even upload a sketch or two so I can see it in world while I'm building.

I use the same flow in Blender. Setting up refference images as backgrounds or simply on planes.

[MG Canonmill]

Alicia is correct that starting with the floor is the first step, just like RL home building. Dora's link is great too! Adding a bit to that, I set my 'Units (meters)' in Grid Options to 0.025 this makes using the Building Grid that Torley talks about very precise. More importantly though, when setting your floor down make sure:

1) That the floor is even in it's dimensions and evenly divisable by the Units setting above. Good = 10.00 x 20.00, 12.50 x 15.25 - Not so good 10.16 x 15.32. The later makes it very difficult to get nice flush joints.

2) That the floors position (X, Y and Z) is set at an even amount as well. Again, divisable by the Units setting. You can always move the house after it's complete. Setting it up this way let's you snap most of the pieces flush against one another.

Here is a great forum answer by Penny Patton about camera placement in SL. Forum Link  She gives some Debug Settings that really make a difference in world viewing, I use them. There are many other discussions about scaling in the forums as well. I hope this was somewhat useful. Good Luck!

[Pamela Galli]

I always make a small rough scale model first, so I have a general idea where I am going, and then fine tune as I build.  Building now that the 10 m prim limit is gone is about ten times easier than it was in the past.  

Now, tho, I do all the actual building in Blender, even tho the model is inworld.

[MoiselleErin Teardrop]

Well, the design comes not in prims or textures so much as it comes from the heart.

If you already have a basic knowledge of how to build that is perfect...

Here is how I do mine -

I use a viewer that is capable of resizing megaprims (Phoenix 1.6.1.something in my case, I cannot use V3) V2 doesn't seem to have this ability.

First, have a plan on physical paper. At least a loose guideline.

Then I start with a foundation. This is always the master/root prim. If you plan on using certain scripts for door openings, it will look to the root prim.

Then the walls

Anyways, I also decide and test the best texture repeat pattern and write that down. With some textures you can get away with any ol repeats but if you use something like brick, it is real important to know if you use say 2 repeats per meter vertical and 1/2 a repeat per meter horizontally. JUST an example. might want to have the calculator running in the background in case you have to stick in and texture an awkward sized prim somewhere that is .3 by .8 meters...

If you are going to use hollowed prims to install windows into, make sure and hollow first then rotate. Nothing is more aggrivating than setting up a prim with the proper size and textres on each face only to have to re-do it cause the hollowing came out wrong.

And it really is best to texture as you go. If you build a house THEN try to texture, you will more-less find yourself having to take a bunch of crap apart cause camming might be difficult.

Don;t forget that with a single prim, you can hold SHIFT and drag it to duplicate it, like say you have two walls that are identical and both need a window opening.

 

Let me be real honest - you are going to probably make a ton of blunders with your first house building attempt. I have built a ton of houses and I am still learning new tricks.

I consider myself rather good with it, however I cannot do sculpts or mesh. I would be more than happy to help with things if you wanted to contact inworld. I will not do the work but can coach you thru any rough patches. You could even drop me a notecard with the issue and I would get back to you. I am in SL daily.

 

[Wolfen Greggan]

I've been building houses here for a few years and I agree with what everyone has said. I'm still learning new techniques and I don't think I'll ever stop learning.

I always start with the foundation and I like to keep it thick - usually 2m - to allow for uneven terrain. I'm kind of a 'design as I build' builder, although I do look at pictures of homes to get a rough idea. It's difficult (or impractical) to do a full copy of an existing RL plan for SL so a lot of improvising takes place. As for when to texture, that's kind of a personal decision. I like to texture as soon as possible as some textures might not work well with certain construction and it's not fun having to start over and make changes to your beautifully designed home because that texture just won't work.

I've seen a lot of homes here with doors 10 feet high and tall walls. This is great for camera angles and moving around, but I prefer to keep my builds as realistic as possible. I usually make my walls 4m high, give or take. This seems a good compromise in height for realism and still allows for a decent camera angle. Of course, this is something that's entirely up to you.

As someone else stated, make sure you keep everything square. Setting your prims at 0,90,180, or270 degrees makes life so much easier. And learnign how to adjust textures so they line up and look scaled properly can make a big diffference in the way your home looks.

One thing no one touched on that you will need is a way to package your home. SL only allows you to link 256 prims in a linkset. If your home is under that, it's not an issue, but I find that's rarely the case. And there are some pieces, such as kitchens, that I like to keep separate so if a customer doesn't want it, they can just delete that linkset with one click and it won't affect the rest of the house. A rez-box system is the way to do this. They allow you to have several linksets and it will keep everything aligned and in the correct position.There are several available, and CasperVend makes one you can buy for 1L$.

One thing that I found extremely useful is a prim generator that creates simple sculpties. It's easy to use (like building with regular prims) and it helps cut down a lot on prims while still maintaining a decent level of detail. There are a few inworld sculpt tools available so shop around, but i found this one to be the easiest to learn.

Hope this helps you get started. I must warn you, I find building here a bit of an addiction and when I finish a house I can't wait to get started on another one. Good luck, and if you ever need some help or advice, feel free to contact me inworld.

Wolfen Greggan

 

[Peterson111]

Recently I build my new home through some professional builders with reasonable price and I am totally satisfy with them. You should contact builders nearby you or ask the peoples living around you or call your friends they will definitely helps you. Now the world is a global village, search for builders in your area on the internet.

[anthonyc12]

Many of my family members have built their own homes, I have not (I do not swing a hammer......it's just not a skill I have ).

Four years ago, I built a home through a general construction company- I chose a floor plan, chose my lot, chose my upgrades and moved in 6 months later.

At the same time, a close family member had bought a lot and began building his house........he still hasn't moved in. He and his wife have devoted four years to the home, worked on it constantly, had additional family help and hired subs for some parts of it.

His home was recently appraised at a value nearly identical to what my own home cost me (within $5k).......but that was 4 years ago. Meanwhile, my home value has skyrocketed well beyond what I paid for it (and I've been living in it all this time).

Granted, 4 years is an unusually long time to have a house built, but over a year is common (plenty of people run into the two year mark before they can move in).

In addition, these days, mortgage companies and insurers are shying away from individual home builders, so you may have some challenges there.

It sounds like a wonderful idea, and many people can pull it off just fine and be very happy with the process and the end result, but it can also be fraught with difficulties......I'd map it all out on paper in great detail before I'd even buy the lot.

Best of luck with your decision .

[steph Arnott]

I have not read all the replies, but i draw on graph paper first. starting with the floor plan.

[Shelby Silverspar]

---

anthonyc12 wrote:

Many of my family members have built their own homes, I have not (I do not swing a hammer......it's just not a skill I have ).

---

you do know they are talking about building a home in Second Life, not in real life, right?

[Kwakkelde Kwak]

---

Shelby Silverspar wrote:

---

anthonyc12 wrote:

Many of my family members have built their own homes, I have not (I do not swing a hammer......it's just not a skill I have ).

---

you do know they are talking about building a home in Second Life, not in real life, right?

---

You do know you're probably talking to a bot right?

[Shelby Silverspar]

herp, forgot where I was for a minute, derp.