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Chic Aeon

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Posts posted by Chic Aeon

  1. Catwa heads are a bit different than many of the other mainstream mesh heads in that you can buy the BASIC head (which I think are $900) and then you can buy -- if you choose huds that let you change expressions and such. So be sure and try both to see what you want.

     

    Also my alt is a big gal and she had some issues with getting heads to look large enough for her body. Again TRY things out together.

     

    Spend some time with the head, your Maitreya body and some APPLIER demos to find just the look you want. You can only make minor changes to the heads so far as shape goes, but the skin appliers definitely can change the look of heads (I have a Lelutka, not a Catwa but I did try the Catwa).  The big plus of Catwa other than the low basic head price if that works for you is that LOTS of skin makers have the Catwa appliers where the other heads seem to have less (the Catwa applier system was free for designers at one time and may still be -- other head applier systems are more difficult for designers to get. At least that is what I have heard :D.

     

    And so far as eyes go, most should work. I used my older Mayfly eyes and they worked great in my Lelutka head. You will likely need to READJUST THEM though for the shape of the head.

     

     

     

     

  2. I don't make clothes but this is a typical problem in SL with transparencies and mesh.

     

    There is a VERY good (and long) thread on how to get around the problem. Be sure and read toward the end where the answers show up.

     

    https://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/Checkerboard-distortion-about-phong-reflection/td-p/2326219/highlight/true

     

    Good luck. I did manage to get it done (took awhile). My comment is the last on that thread as I type this :D.

  3. If you decide to use Blender, I have some very simple starting tutorials here which are designed for our type of game assets.

     

    https://plus.google.com/u/0/100190052320604204973/posts/a8DDxZXB5Eh

     

    Blender is a HUUUUUUUUUGE program and does almost everything, so there will be many tutorials that are not about what we need in Second Life and other games --- they are designed to make lovely superrealistic photos and such amoung other things (even film).

     

    Start simply. Give yourself time. Be prepared to spend LOTs of time learning. I have many thousands of hours in and still have LOTS more to learn. That's a good thing if you love learning.

     

    Have fun!

     

    • Like 2
  4. ONE reason to go to a mesh body from this time and into the future is that many to most of the top designers of clothes for women are now ONLY making their things for the popular mesh bodies (typically Maitreya, Slink and Belleza). These are fitmesh made for those specific bodies so you can use your own shape (you may want to tweek it a bit depending on the body used).

     

    If you are into fashion, photography, film, or getting naked a lot, then a mesh body is important. Many role play folks simply ignore those that are not "updated" so that fits into the mix.

    It all depends on what you are doing in SL and how much you identify with your avatar.

     

    If you don't get a mesh body you will likely still need to get Slink feet as there are almost NO shoes now that are not at least for SLink (older) or the mesh bodies.

     

     

  5. Ahh. Thanks sweetie.

     

    Yes I have baked at 4096 and resized but then the things I wanted sharp get less sharp - LOL. Such a PICKY GAL!!!!!

     

    I am in 2.75 not the newest and typically don't update instantaneously.  I will search some on the new anti-alias feature and see what I come up with.  I thought maybe there was some setting in that long menu that wasn't the default :D.   

     

    I have noted that even the folks in Maya seem to go for "blurry" textures over crisper ones. I just like  --- my chocolate dark, coffee strong, and textures cripsy with contrast - *wink*.

     

    Thanks again. Will report and also bookmark this thread so I don't lose it.

     

    Update: here is the page that talks about Anti-alias or oversampling, but I haven't found if this affects BAKING yet.  

    https://www.blender.org/manual/render/blender_render/antialiasing.html

     

     Update 2: 

     

    Further research and some experimentation (not in 2.77) suggests that the anti-alias doesn't translate into the bake. I tried some suggestions on anti-alias with Gaussian Blur and it had no effect on the bake at all.

     

    So hopefully someone knows - LOL.  

     

    I did find a SLEW of folks complaining for years :D.

     

    Onward.   

     

    PS. I followed your link to the bug reporting form but when I look at this note, it "seems" like there is still an issue even with 2.77.

     

    

     

    but I am SO NOT GOOD at readying JIRA type things so I may have that all wrong.

     

    Hopefully in the future anyway! Will watch this thread :D.

     

  6. So typically when I bake in Blender I end up with ragged "inside" edges. Places where another piece of mesh intersects. While I don't love intersecting meshes, sometimes that is the best choice for poly count etc. And sometimes even when edges DON'T intersect there is a very ragged edge.

     

    Adding a larger margin does nothing to help these "inside" edges. Reading in the Blender manual is not making the DAWN APPEAR :D.  

     

    I typically fix this in my graphics program but if there is a setting that I am overlooking I would love to know.

     

    Uping the sampling rate doesn't fix this issue and neither does making the margin larger :D. I typically bake at 300 - 400 on a 1024.

     

    Thanks.

    

  7. Can't say I have a definitive answer but that flickering typically happens when there are faces intersecting  where they shouldn't OR when there are extra faces very close together.  You didn't say what program you are using. I use Blender so that's what I will talk about :D.

     

    Selecting all the edges you can SEE on one of the squares with the circle cut out and then looking in Wireframe would give you a hint. Easiest to see in FACE mode I think.  You could also SAVE your file then delete the faces that you can see -- uncovering any extras. Hand mapping, unwrapping and then baking will also show up extra (inside) faces as they will of course not bake (no light).

     

    If you circle cut out is supposed to be FLAT rather then elevated like a pyramid (hard to tell in the photos) then I suggest simplifying to an ngon shape. This is the default I believe in the newer versions of Blender; (I am in 2.75).  Again, not sure what program you are using.  This would get rid of those edges that are attracting light variences.

     

    IF it is supposed to be elevated with four sections, then maybe simplifying into a less complex shape  would help.

     

    Here is a screenshot of something I worked on the other day that might help explain things.

    Hopefully someone will have that difinite answer soon :D.

    

     

     

     

     

  8. I am with Drongle in that we are making guesses here.

     

    IF (assumption) you made a wall inworld with prims

     

    AND (sorry somehow published this without trying)  

     

    then exported from a viewer (Firestorm and Singularity will let you export as DAE  but I logged into the Linden viewer -- which I almost never  use -- and didn't see an obvious way to do that) you would get a DAE file to export. In this case you have a OBJ file however you exported from SL.

     

    Blender as Drongel said using .blend as its ACTIVE file so you cannot open a "published" file like a DAE or OBJ -- you need to IMPORT it into blender AFTER you deleted the default cube that shows up in Blender EACH TIME YOU OPEN A NEW FILE (unless you have changed your default).

     

    But here is a bit of extra info that you probably need to know. It has been mentioned often but not lately :D.

     

    1. A  "ported" (exported from inworld via a viewer or other software and then imported into Blender) is not great mesh. It has WAY more faces than it would have if you made it from scratch in Blender.

    2. The JOINED object can only have 8 materials total and in my experience those materials need to be reassigned (I will reread Gaia's note as I just skimmed it in case there is a magical way).  They typically get assigned a material automatically and it gets VERY messy.

    3. If you export several pieces of mesh over time, reassign materials and such and THEN want to join them you often end up with an issue of UVMaps not combining easily. A way around this but not really a beginner thing.

     

    There are LOTS more issues but the bottom line is that if you are building with prims in hopes of lowering land impact etc etc -- it really doesn't work that well. Exporting prims as mesh is very handy for SIZING and giving you basic shapes and perameters to build FROM, but not so much as a finished product.   Better to learn how to make mesh from scratch. There are TONS of good tutorials out there (including mine which start VERY basically :D).

     

    If you simply want to "move" a prim build between platforms (SL to Opensim or the other way around for example) the Export LINKSET works much better and is almost instantaneous. 

     

    You can also (depending how you build your prim structure) change it to CONVEX HULL in the build menu and cut your prims in half. This ONLY works if you don't have cut out doorways and such, but it is a real land impact saver and VERY easy to impliment.

     

    Good luck! 

     

     

  9. I think no one is answering because :

     

    A. this is not about mesh

    B. It seems like what you are doing is against the terms of service. It is unlikely that the original creator's EUL allows you to export their file for use outside of SL.

     

     

  10. Just a note as you have probably already thought of this but be SURE and check that your power supply is up to the job of the graphics card.  And not only should the power supply be rated for your card, it needs to be "overrated" if you are going to push things. 

    I recently had the power supply on my NEW machine go out because while it was rated for my graphics card, it wasn't all that GREAT of a power supply (sort of a computer from hell story but that is beside the point). The power supply went out taking the motherboard with it. Was a VERY expensive lesson. So do your homework there too.

     

    Traditionally Second Life has run better on Nvidia cards. I have had both. Currently GeForce GTX 980/PCIe/SSE2 which of course is a dream :D.

     

     

  11. I agree with the other two posters. TMP was first (or at least first mainstream) long ago. Now there are tons of great looking mesh heads and better working bodies.

     

    I suggest you get some of the demos of the heads and then check out skin makers FOR those heads. When I have done that with girl heads I had no issue. You can then mix the body you like with the head you like.

     

    It IS a process switching to mesh. I have not done it yet for my not often used "guy Chic" :D, but new options are coming all the time.

     

    Strawberry Singh pretty covers ALL the new mesh heads and bodies (both gals and guys) and she makes videos so that would be my first recommended spot for you to research.

     

    http://strawberrysingh.com/

     

     

  12. Here are some general tips while you shop (from my point of view anyway).

     

    * Stay away from integrated graphics cards

    * Get Win10 already installed, NOT an upgrade certificate

    * Buy directly from Amazon (or the company rather than a secondary company)

    * FIND THE RETURN POLICY so that if it DOESN'T work for you,  you can send it back.

    **Keep in mind that any older review about SL will have very little to do with the needs of SL today (lots of mesh, mesh bodies etc).

     

    Get your personal criteria straight and then start looking at the options. Read reviews on the big tech websites and don't rely too much on the "personal" ones as many of those are paid fakes these days :D.

     

    Good luck. I think getting a new computer is harder than picking out a new car - LOL. 

  13. If you MADE the gowns and have the texture files, they can be converted using a "developer kit" for the various bodies. They then become appliers for that body. I have no idea how difficult this is but I do know designers who have done that with their older files (possibly ACTIVE files and not pngs or tgas.  If you BOUGHT those items, then the answer is no.

     

    And I am going to go ahead and say what doubtlessly a LOT of other folks are thinking too.

    Aside from nostalgia (I have my first hair that I sat for a Calla (sp?) and a bunny outfit from 2009 or whatever) the quality of garments now is SO MUCH BETTER NOW -- partly due to technology and software enhancements.

    You can get some lovely things as group gifts or on 50 Linden Friday etc so there isn't a huge need to spend a lot of money -- and you won't look out of date then :D.

     

    Good luck!!!!!  

  14. I don't think you will find a "definitive" answer here as none of us have official status.

     

    Both money trees and camping chairs WERE legal for many many years. The reason that you don't see them any longer is that they offer little use to the sponsor of said items. Long ago TRAFFIC was a big determination of placement in search. Hence folks went to great lengths to get people to come and stay in their shops and sims.

     

    That is no longer much of a part of the rating system (the actual criteria for search ratings is private and not published) so no one has them any longer. I can't remember seeing a money tree OR a camping chair in years.

     

    There may still be a few out there. I am guessing the trees don't really have money in them (a typical thing in their last years).   I have seen a few camp for products chairs around.

  15. Not a mesh clothing maker and I am happy you found a body that works for you.

     

    BUT reading through your criteria, there is a least one body that will do what you want. AND I see gals with mesh bodies and huge butts and boobs (why oh why they wan't them I have no clue).

     

    While "I" am thin and modelesce, my alt is definitely not and she looks very realistic in her plus size manner with slightly sagging breasts and fat thighs etc. What almost always needs to happen is that you need to rework your "old" standard avatar shape to get the look you want. And yes, if folks use the shapes that come with the different bodies -- well I tried them for examples and wasn't thrilled.

     

    It isn't hard to learn how to make shapes. All it takes is some time and watching what each slider does.  I never really liked the TMP body and I do agree that at least the one for the males is faulty in many respects as changing the sliders either does very little or then the body doesn't work at all. 

     

    Again though, this body that you love is not the only one that can look REAL. With the market very much inline with the top three makers, it will be difficult to get a foothold I am guessing. Maitreya was able to do that coming to the party late because many folks appreciated the difference. I for one waited and didn't buy any body UNTIL Maitreya. I did try them all. Perhaps if this body is as great as you say, that will be true with your favorite.

     

    But as someone mentioned, new folks buying bodies will likely go for ones that have the most clothes that they like. The trend now it seems is making mesh for ONLY mesh bodies (no standard sizing). Many of the original mesh designers are taking that route assuming (and I have a feeling they are correct) that most of the people that buy their items have one of the top three brands.

     

    My two cents :D.

     

     

    • Like 3
    • Confused 1
  16. Yes, I figured that out and was coming here to say so - LOL. Was in the middle of my night and not toooooooo clear. But will leave here for folks that do not know.

     

    I will say the snipping tool also lets your 'draw' right there. You and even write a note (not with the keyboard - so printing or cursive :D) or draw and arrow. It isn't PRETTY mind you, but it does work.

  17. :D.

     

    You don't need Dropbox for the Print Screen key to work. It has for about twenty years. That's what many of us used before we found the Snipping Tool *wink*.   Alt + Print Screen will do JUST the open window (sized down if you wish) and not the full size of your monitor.

  18. Reasonably most PRIVATE regions are set to 40 (shopping venues and other busy areas) so that once in the area folks can move (often still very difficult and I have a very hefty computer).

     

    Mainland sims have always been less robust and honestly 30 is very reasonable now; likely 20 would be better. Also while I don't KNOW this, is seems very likely that more mainland sims have been stacked on the servers; it would just be practical. Since much of mainland is empty now (in many sims anyway) that seems fairly reasonable.  I am pretty much the only land (tiny parcels) on the two sims that I have group land on.

     

    In the olden days you actually could get 100 people on a private island and even dance. BUT there were no mesh items or bodies, smaller textures, no sculpts etc. So things were very different then.

    The "best" you could do would be to buy corner parcels on four mainland sims. That wouldn't make your neighbors any happier though. If you want to have big parties then likely renting a section of an island (not homestead) would be the answer.

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