lining things up properly?

[Larrona]

there has to be a better way?

I am limiting myself a little by trying to work by set dimentions e.g I make a prim around the length I want 9.2345M I just make it 9M because its close enough and it (seems) easy to work with.

keeping with the above and trying to Im lining objects up but snapping them to the ruler.

problems,

1/after deciding to collect my work and rez it another day this puts my ruler out of wack and nothing wants to snap into the previous positions I was using.

2/I had taken to rezing a new prim on a surfance just to copy its coords and paste them into the prim I want to line up, this sometimes works but I noticed it somethings hovering 0,00X00 off position, I have to zoom in really close and manually add or take away numbers to force it into place.

is there a better way to snap objects together because Im finding lining things up very consuming for such a small part of a build?

Thanks

[Freya Mokusei]

There's lots of little tricks! It's hard to gauge your experience level with the information provided and I'm not prone to wasting words. Are you familiar with all of the techniques below?

 

• Learn the 75 multiplication table
• Do more maths! (these two are at the top 'cause easily most important)
• Swap between Local and Global rulers
• The Prim Alignment tool (third-party viewers only)
• Axis at root (some viewers only, I think)
• Snap to grid (part of the Edit tool, like rulers)
• Stretch both sides (part of the Edit tool, like rulers)
• Careful placement of axis using cuts/slices
• Using 'shadow' prims to manipulate linked objects around a non-axial point (see image)
• Building from an integer position (e.g. root axis at <10.0,10.0,10.0>)

[irihapeti]

i work on the 1:2:4:8:16:32:64 scale whether is metres or mils. It gives the most halving steps before it rounds

if work in the default 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16th etc then you reach a rounding much sooner when divide down

e.g. 0.5 -> 0.25 -> 0.125 -> 0.062

the 1:2:4:... scale goes

0.4 -> 0.20 -> 0.10 -> 0.05 -> 0.025 -> 0.012 

+

for building I use the Edit boxes and put in the values direct. I always put the root prim on a exact global XYZ point. Like <10.0,12.0, 24.0> then orient it to <0.0, 0.0, 0.0> and then build off that

like if my root prim is size <0.4, 0.4,0.4> then I know the next same size is going to be 0.4 offset from the root prim. If the next is size <0.8> say then the offset is: 0.6

the formula is: (<next> / 2)  + (<root> / 2). 0.4 + 0.2 = 0.6

+

if i am doing a circle or arc out of prims. then align root to <0,0,0> then set the circumference prim on the X. say 1.0m out from the root. then Link. then rotate the root to the desired degree. Then unlink. and rotate root back to <0,0,0>

Then set the next circumference prim same as before. Link and rotate. Unlink. repeat until have all the circumference done then link all

+

the root prim is not always the actual root prim of the build. Most often is the "root" prim guide I am building off, for just a part of the build. using like a guide ruler. After built that part then discard/delete it  

+

eta: just also say that I dont much ever go under 0.2 for a whole prim. If need smaller than this then I will cut it. Just so that if after built the section and I need to scale down then 0.2 will let me resize the whole linkset down to about 16%. If whole prim was 0.012 then hardly resize down at all

eta more (:

the 1:2:4:8:16 .... scale also works better for land. minimum land parcel is 4x4. So I tend to go 8m or 12m rather than 10m. So a house can fit exact onto a parcel

[Larrona]

"hard to gauge your experience level"

total beginner, I have some (very little) experience with 3d modeling software but most of that has built in features to snap and weld (verts) together.

"Do more maths"

I agree, it helps a lot! I have been doing some, what I did to line one thing up was line the center up at 60m horizontal then position two things at either side I added and subtracted to make sure they were both in the exact same places on the opposite sides.

thanks, some of it went a little over my head but very helpful posts, I have taken notes

Thanks

[Amethyst Jetaime]

While you can teach yourself to build, you can benefit from a building class or a mentor/teacher who has a lot of experience.  You will learn the tricks fo the trade much faster than trial and error.  Several organizations offer them for free, Builders Brewery and Cambridge University are two.  I believe NCI also offers them.  Use search to find one at a time convenient for you or join the group of organizations that teach public classes to be notified.. 

There is also the Ivory Tower which offers a self paced self taught basic building tutor.  You can work at your own pace and even just take a unit or two of the class then go practice what you learned, then come back for more.  It is open 24/7 too so you can take the units of instruction at times convenient to you.

[Wandering Soulstar]

Hi Larrona,

Apart from all of the above suggestions, I have used a Prim Alignment tool in SL for years now that simplified how I build amazingly when I first discovered it, and now could not imagine building without it. I cannot remember the name atm and am at work so cannot get inworld to check. Drop me an IM inworld to remind me and I'll send you the LM to the shop.

 

Wanda (Wandering) Soulstar

[Coby Foden]

Here are some video tutorials. Basics about in building in Second Life:

Second Life Building with the Grid Grid Overview and Setup

Second Life Building with the Grid Building Shortcuts and Speed

Second Life Building with the Grid Addition Shortcuts

How To Build In Second Life - The Grid (09-15-2014)

You cand find more videos by Googling: Building in Second Life

[Jack42 Meredith]

Hi irihapeti. in regard to your post . 

i work on the 1:2:4:8:16:32:64 scale whether is metres or mils. It gives the most halving steps before it rounds

if work in the default 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16th etc then you reach a rounding much sooner when divide down

e.g. 0.5 -> 0.25 -> 0.125 -> 0.062

the 1:2:4:... scale goes

0.4 -> 0.20 -> 0.10 -> 0.05 -> 0.025 -> 0.012 

where and how do you change to meters and mils?  and how do get rid of the default? i dont see it anywhere and i thing also it would be easier then doing 1/2  1/4 1/8 1/16 and so on. please how do you change this i cannot find it . ty