need custom alpha mask for feet

[PromisingBoy]

Hi,

i sort of need an alpha mask that masks only the lower part of the feet (say, up to the knuckle). Does that readily exist ingame, or how hard is it to make for a newbie? When I create a mask from the appearance menu it asks for a texture, so obviously the difficulty is in producing the right texture...

Thx

[Rolig Loon]

It's fairly easy to make yourself a custom alpha mask if you have access to Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, GIMP, or another program that handles layers and channels.  If you don't have the avatar body templates to work with, you can download them from one of the top links at  https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Clothing_Tutorials .  Then it's just a matter of using the lower body template, creating a mask to isolate the part of the foot that you want to be transparent, and creating an alpha channel image from that.  Because the geometry of the foot portion of that template is a little hard to visualize, you may want to temporarily upload it and wear it as a clothing layer so you can see how it fits your foot.  When you see where the template lines up with your own foot in world, it's easier to understand how to draw your alpha mask.

The alternative, of course, is to shop around for packages of freebie alpha foot layers.  There are loads of them in world and in Marketplace.  Some ar better than others, but they are free and you migh just hit on one that's close to what you need.

[PromisingBoy]

Hi, thanks for all those pointers.

I created a TGA as per instructions, uoloaded it and created an alpha mask with the new texture. I had some issues but I think it worked in the end, only the texture gave me the wrong results. So I'll keep trying.

Btw, is it correct that only the alpha mask of the TGA is relevant, ie. the actual bitmap doesn't matter?

[Rolig Loon]

Yeah, the foot part of the template is very poorly designed. There's no way to guess exactly how to draw your mask unless you either use PhotoShop CS4 or CS5 (or some other program that lets you texture in 3D) or do a series of trial and error designs until you are satisfied with the results.  Fortunately, you can upload temporary textures for free if you use the Firestorm or Phoenix viewers, or if you work on the Aditi grid (where everything is free).

Yes, the alpha clothing layer that you want in SL is a TGA file.  When it is received by Linden Lab's servers, of course, it is converted to a JPEG2000 file, so it doesn't really make any difference whether your original was TGA or PNG.  I prefer to work with TGA myself, which is why I described things as I did in my first reply, but you could get to the same end by using PNG.

[PromisingBoy]

OK, I need to check out the temporary textures in Firestorm. So far I spent L$30 but I'm finally getting somewhere.

What's an Aditi grid?

I'm a convinced Gimp user, btw. Free and legal to use.

[Rolig Loon]

L$30 is a drop in the bucket.  That's three uploads, for a total of a little more than a dime.  They can pile up, though, so it's good to use temporary uploads when you can.  I am a commited Firestorm fan, in small part because of the free temporary uploads.

The Aditi (or Preview) grid is parallel to the Main Grid.  When you are on the login screen, type CTRL + Shift + G to see the menu of grid choices.  Aditi will be among them.  If you are using the Firestorm viewer, that dropdown menu is always right on the login page by default.  When you are on the Aditi grid, you get an allowance of L$50K that can only be used there, not transferred to your normal account for use on Agni (the Main Grid).   Since there's not much to spend money for on Aditi except uploads, that funny money will last you forever.  Learn more about Aditi here >>> https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Aditi

[Arwen Serpente]

When I've done foot/shoe alphas, I upload (temp) the SL template (I think it may also be in the Library in your inventory) and wear it so I can see where the lines fall on the foot, toes, heel. I don't have an external 3D program, so I use sl and my avatar to see.  Then in my graphics program I cut the alpha based on what I see on my avatar.

As Rolig points out, the feet are especially tough. Temp uploads on the Beta grid or with a TPV are very helpful so you can see what you are achieving and edit in increments until you've got what you want.

[PromisingBoy]

That's precisely what I've done last night. I went on Aditi, created a skin using Robin Sojourner's UV templates, and created an alpha mask based on that. The result was much better than previous attempts with the Linden UV templates.

 

I think I learned a lot about the creation of clothing and that alone made it worthwile. What I didn't succeed with was the ultimate  goal of fitting sculpted feet to my avatar. The result just isn't good enough. Even if it was I now realize that I lose the mobility of the feet using this approach, so the whole concept of using prim work for sculpted feet is questionable.

 

Anyway, kudos to both of you.

[Kwakkelde Kwak]

If you want to replace the feet, try rigged mesh, I've seen some great feet inworld.

[PromisingBoy]

ok, thanks, but being a newbie i'll try to do the simple things first. everything else i have to buy.