Help needed for a new SL fashion designer

[insilvermoonlight]

Hey guys! Noob here. I started SL because I want to create a clothing and accesory line for no other reason other than to express my interest in sub-culture fashion. So I've been having fun shopping the market place, meeting folks and exploring the world; now I'm ready to start building! I will admit there are a lot of tutorials out there, but the more I read the more confused I get. My question is; where is the best place to start? I have a favorite designer here on SL https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/52502 Boudoir fashions. Please understand it is not my wish to copy or emulate these designers; but I am interested in being able to create this quality of craftsmanship and performance in my garments.

What are your recommendations for a brand new designer that wishes to set off down this path and create this type of product. What type of building platforms do I need? What is my first step in this process. I have been reading many tutorials but still find myself at odds when I try to apply what I've read to creating a product like this. Any help is very appreciated. 

 

[Sassy Romano]

At this point in creation, you should probably be looking to learn mesh modelling.  Not necessarily for everything but for parts of what you need to do in order to replace sculpts.

Where to start? 

Learn a 3D modelling program, Blender is free with lots of inworld support and tutorials on YouTube.

My advice for clothing is to buy Avastar plug-in for Blender.  It makes creation for avatar accessories much easier (assuming that you know Blender)

The items that you showed use a combiation of sculpts (can be replaced with mesh) and flexi prims as well as texture layered clothing so it's a bit of everything really.

As for step 1, download the avatar templates and create some well textured clothing layer items because you'll always need to know how to texture and create clothing layers even if it's just to create an alpha layer for mesh.

[insilvermoonlight]

Thank you so much, this advice is indeed helpful! I have felt like I've been standing on the edge of a forest with about a hundred paths leading off to different build methods, so it's good to know which one to take now.

What is the difference between sculpty, mesh and flexi? Is one better than other or are they equally needed according to the type of item you are building? 

Thanks again!!!

[Rolig Loon]

Technically speaking, all objects in SL are mesh objects.  They are simply 3D virtual objects.  Until fairly recently (a year and a half ago) the only mesh objects we could use to build with were a small set of primitive objects (prims) that we could stretch, twist, carve, stack, and combine to make more complex objects -- within limits.  Those primitive blocks are in your building tools, accessible to all SL residents.  They still acount for a very high percentage of all objects you will see in world. See http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Build-Tools/ta-p/700039

A much smaller subset of those prims can be made flexible (flexi prims), using the Features tab in your Build/Edit tool.  Only those objects can be made flexible. You can use flexi prims to make skirts, flags, and other objects that appear to flow as you move or as they are affected by wind. See http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorial/Make_flexible_objects

Before Linden  Lab made it possible to import more complex, user-created 3D objects, they introduced sculpties.  Sculpties are mesh objects but are more truly 2D structures that have been folded, origami-style, to create a 3D appearance.  They have a very restricted geometry.  They were useful as a step beyond simple prims, but are an evolutionary dead-end.  See http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpty

When most SL residents talk about mesh, they are refering to user-created complex 3D objects that were made in an external program like Blender or Maya.  The addition of mesh to our toolbox has given builders many more options.  It has made it possible to create very complex organic shapes with a much lower impact on server performance, including some interesting styles of clothing.  Mesh has its own limitations (it cannot be made flexi, for example, and rigged mesh cannot be resized) and there is a sizeable learning curve for people who want to use the external tools, but it is clearly a major step forward for SL.  See http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh

[insilvermoonlight]

Awesome! The advice and help I've received from you two has been very helpful, clear and concise! So applying what I've learned here to this picture of my girl, I would say...since the skirt moves and is affected by wind, it is a flexi prim; the top and underpants are a textured layer, the corsage on her shoulder (doesn't move but is very detailed and 3D) is a mesh and her hair since it also moves would also be a flexi prim. Is this correct? Thanks again guys:)

[Rolig Loon]

All probably correct.  I suggest looking for some free starter classes in building, texturing, etc. at places like Builder's Brewery, NCI, or Caledon Oxbridge University in world.

[Morgaine Christensen]

Here are a few links that may help your with flexible items.  Mermaid Dairies has LOTS of creation information and is a handy link to save for later.

http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2007/07/day-286-creating-flexi-prims-tutorial.html

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Building-and-Texturing-Forum/How-to-make-a-prim-for-a-skirt/td-p/792553

I like this set of layered clothing tutorials.

[brandacrawford]

Who did that character above that so cool dude. my web