How Does Your SL Look Today?

[SandorWren]

In our Gallery now, in the portion devoted to other Artists.Yes, give us peace.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Bagnu

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Bagnu said:

In our Gallery now, in the portion devoted to other Artists.Yes, give us peace.

Thank you, Sandor! That's very flattering! I do like to see people enjoying my pics!

(You found the additional pic inside, right?)

[Scylla Rhiadra]

Puzzling over where to best display this lovely, whimsical, and charming Xmas card from @Sid Nagy!

It doesn't quite fit on the mantelpiece. And I think it should be somewhere the little bearded guys feel cozy and comfy.

[Istelathis]

I really wanted to play around with textures for PBR, but couldn't get it quite right.  I wanted to produce a wall that looks like this:

But I don't think there is a height map for SL, I'm not sure this is all new to me.  I tried making different maps, but I couldn't get the Metallic map right, what I mostly accomplished was to make the texture look like shiny plastic.  I have a lot to learn regarding how this all works, I don't even know which software I should be using for it.

This looked even worse in some environments from different angles, I played around with a few settings in SL, adjusting things, but I think I just need learn more before it looks better.

So, after a while of playing around with textures I decided to go for a drive.

I noticed things look a bit different on mainland, it was as though I were transported to a new world!   Are these different textures on the ground?  

I even stumbled upon a place with lots of Christmas trees 🎄🎄🎄

[Luna Bliss]

Winter Solstice -- dancing to the return of the light...

[Garnet Psaltery]

Here I'm standing in the middle of Minimal's latest group gift, which is available only until 31st December.  It comes with its own Windlight and is very dark but it could make a very atmospheric skybox, if you have room for the 283 LI.  

[WereBeast Alpha]

Early morning time with my son. 

[Katherine Heartsong]

Downsizing my tier from 1/4 a sim to 4096 for my home and a nice 2048 (covered by my Premium Plus) for my gallery. Home was all done yesterday, combining two Scarlet Creative homes into one (a house and I attached the gallery), and redecorating is always fun.

Finally have the gallery moved to a nice 2048 on Gemmed, but gosh it was hard since everything is on a 45° angle and my sea walls kept getting returned. This is the front of the new gallery space, using one of my favourite commercial buildings.

House here ... a Lockhart Cabin for my studio nestled nicely up against her Kert Warehouse. The door to the house and the pillar on the studio front deck framed each other perfectly. (Technically, my male alt holds the property title until I can sell at least one of my 8192s. Men, right?)

Edited December 22, 2023 by Katherine Heartsong

[Katherine Heartsong]

20 minutes ago, Katherine Heartsong said:

Dupe post.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Katherine Heartsong

[Nalates Urriah]

7 hours ago, Istelathis said:

But I don't think there is a height map for SL, I'm not sure this is all new to me.  I tried making different maps, but I couldn't get the Metallic map right, what I mostly accomplished was to make the texture look like shiny plastic.  I have a lot to learn regarding how this all works, I don't even know which software I should be using for it.

 

Yes and no... for terrain there are height maps. Not for prims... For prims we use Normal Maps.

You can find a lot of this information in the SL Wiki.

[SandorWren]

21 minutes ago, Nalates Urriah said:

Yes and no... for terrain there are height maps. Not for prims... For prims we use Normal Maps.

You can find a lot of this information in the SL Wiki.

Yes. Height maps will alter a terrain physical. Normal maps will only alter perceptually, without changing an object's shape.

[SandorWren]

Thanks Scyll, Thanks Jenn. Thanks Bjoyful, Thanks Sid!!! They are up in the gallery!!!

My cards will be coming late. RL has dictated that.

I have been feeling a little, cough, restricted, so my sense of touch isn't quite, cough, cough, what it used to be, so I needed a bit of help from Scylla, to open the second pic inside her main one.

 I couldn't make Jenn's card lager, but I wouldn't have been able to post it here if I did!!!

Edited December 22, 2023 by Bagnu

[Istelathis]

Thank you both @Nalates Urriah and @Bagnu

I'm still playing around with textures, and have not really noticed that much of a difference other than a sheen in PBR when it comes to the textures I am playing around with.  I think perhaps it is better served for reflective surfaces, rather than trying to generate a more realistic image that gives depth, but I'm still learning.

Above is one of the materials from LL, as an experiment I removed the metallic-roughness and Normal from the texture closest to me, as well as placed the metallic factor to 0.  From my own eye's view, what mostly vanishes is just the sheen of reflective colors from the sky I believe.  

The closest prim here is just a regular texture on a prim, not using PBR materials.  I tried using a projection light to see if I would notice much of a difference.  The one further out has the same sheen.  I believe I had changed the environment to midday and changed the personal lighting.

Here is where I changed the environment to midday again, without adjusting personal lighting.  

 

So, most of my time in SL right now, is just playing with the environment and textures.  I have a feeling I am going to spend many days goofing around with textures before I really get the hang of it all and what PBR is capable of.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Istelathis

[Scylla Rhiadra]

3 minutes ago, Istelathis said:

I'm still playing around with textures, and have not really noticed that much of a difference other than a sheen in PBR when it comes to the textures I am playing around with.

Yeah, it's the "sheen" that is bothering me about the PBR materials I've been playing with. It's there on EVERYTHING, and it can almost overpower the texture in some kinds of light. It's just this sort of bland "greying" that blurs and muddies the texture, and it doesn't seem even particularly dynamic.

As you say, shiny on metals, good! "Sheen" on old wooden planks? Not so much.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

Sooooo, this is how my entryway looks today, thanks to the lovely @Scylla Rhiadra and @Sid Nagy!!!

 

Thank you two so much for the gifts and holiday wishes! I love them. I'm leaving these up forever (or until I move, whichever comes first, and then I'm putting them right back in!). Have a big squeezy wonderful holiday from meeeeeeeeeee.

 

[Eddy Vortex]

Thank you @Scylla Rhiadra for the lovely gift! It fits right in my home office.

[SandorWren]

Preparing for something.

[SodaGnome]

Getting rejected by another horse.

[SodaGnome]

Lot's of horse riding going on in this Christmas sim.

[Eddy Vortex]

Hanging out with friends.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

So, the holiday card (behind me on the wall, which I stupidly left too dark) from @Eddy Vortex and @Gregorian Chant put me straight into the Christmas mood.

Well, maybe more a Boxing Day mood.

Ok, maybe just a Vegging-on-the-couch mood.

But the antlers from @Ajay McDowwll are festive, right?

Edited December 23, 2023 by Scylla Rhiadra
HOLIDAY card, Scylla, you idiot, not "gift" card!

[Love Zhaoying]

Thanks for the gift, Scylla! Prominently displayed where I meditate outside my "most often rezzed" temporary home.

 

[Love Zhaoying]

Reading the caption of Scylla's gift.

[Nalates Urriah]

20 hours ago, Istelathis said:

Thank you both @Nalates Urriah and @Bagnu

I'm still playing around with textures, and have not really noticed that much of a difference other than a sheen in PBR when it comes to the textures I am playing around with.  I think perhaps it is better served for reflective surfaces, rather than trying to generate a more realistic image that gives depth, but I'm still learning.

Above is one of the materials from LL, as an experiment I removed the metallic-roughness and Normal from the texture closest to me, as well as placed the metallic factor to 0.  From my own eye's view, what mostly vanishes is just the sheen of reflective colors from the sky I believe.  

The closest prim here is just a regular texture on a prim, not using PBR materials.  I tried using a projection light to see if I would notice much of a difference.  The one further out has the same sheen.  I believe I had changed the environment to midday and changed the personal lighting.

Here is where I changed the environment to midday again, without adjusting personal lighting.  

 

So, most of my time in SL right now, is just playing with the environment and textures.  I have a feeling I am going to spend many days goofing around with textures before I really get the hang of it all and what PBR is capable of.

This isn't the thread for long tech discussions. This is a thread for showing off the results of our skill, knowledge, and talent... however little or much that may be. We get to enjoy, compliment, encourage, and gather ideas.

The Technology Forum is a better place for the technical discussion. It is common to add questions here and get quick answers. But tutorials and long discussions need their own thread. Two reasons: for some the discussions are boring and it gets tedious skipping over them and next, the discussions here are very difficult to find for those searching for the same how-to, which is more appropriately placed in the Technology Forum.

Also, when moving to a new thread it is common to place a link in this thread.

Edited December 23, 2023 by Nalates Urriah

[Scylla Rhiadra]

2 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Reading the caption of Scylla's gift.

Awww! 🙂

I wish it were more interesting. Sometimes I put poems and stuff on them.

I should note that (obviously, I suppose) you don't at all need to keep the tombstone (the prim label) attached. I just include them by default with my pics because people started asking me to a while ago. Removing it -- and the shadow prim -- will obviously reduce the LI too.