Jeremy Linden

General information Information for landholders and other stakeholders How venues and content are selected Newcomer friendly Editor's picks and popular places Adult-rated areas Submission guidelines Image specifications Inworld photography resources Contact the Linden Lab editors General information The Second Life Destination Guide highlights some of the best inworld locations and Resident creations. For new and existing Residents alike, it is the place to go to explore and discover what's most exciting in Second Life. Linden Lab keeps the Destination Guide fresh with regular updates, so check back frequently! Venues and content featured in the Destination Guide are not paid placements. The best way to promote a venue, event or business is through inworld Search or the classifieds. The Destination Guide is available several different ways: Directly on the Web at http://secondlife.com/destinations. In the Second Life Viewer: Click in the toolbar (by default, this button is in the bottom toolbar). The DESTINATIONS window appears, displaying the categories of destinations; click through and then click on a destination to teleport there. Click to open the Second Life Search window. Then click the Destination Guide tab and search or peruse the incredible variety of locations and events! Information for landholders and other stakeholders Currently, the best way for a Resident to promote a venue, event or business is through inworld search or the classifieds. We encourage all venue owners to review the guidelines at the Search FAQ for information on how to maximize your presence using inworld Search. Venues and content featured in the Destination Guide are not paid placements. However, we welcome Resident suggestions for cool spots to feature. Some entries included in the Guide are also surfaced on the website for Residents exploring SecondLife.com for the first time. You can submit a venue for consideration on the Destination Guide Suggestion Page. Be sure to follow the submission guidelines below. Note: By nominating a venue, you authorize Linden Lab to use its content. Journalists, publishers, filmmakers, and others interested in Second Life often contact Linden Lab for images of Second Life. Linden Lab may direct these parties to the Destination Guide for promotional shots. How venues and content are selected Selections for inclusion are at the sole discretion of Linden Lab. Criteria favoring selection: The venue is a high-quality implementation of the Second Life experience. The venue appeals broadly to the Second Life community, including new Residents. The venue is exceptional or unique. The venue is being promoted outside Second Life and is participating in the inSL logo program, if appropriate. The venue has a real and active community. The submission includes a compelling and visually interesting screenshot. The submitted description text accurately describes the location. Criteria weighing against selection: The venue or one like it has been included before. The venue has been warned for failure to comply with some aspect of the Terms of Service. The venue and/or submitted screenshot appears to contain unlicensed, copyrighted and/or trademarked content that may not be authorized by the rights holder. The venue is currently violating the Terms of Service through use of bots, campers, illegal gambling, or mainland Adult content. The submitted screenshot contains promotion text over the main image. The submitted description text includes lists of keywords and/or incoherent or inaccurate text. Newcomer friendly If you wish to be eligible for inclusion in the Newcomer Friendly Spots category of the Destination Guide, please consider whether your venue meets some of the following suggested guidelines: Is the landing point (and any immediate surrounding areas) optimized for new residents? For example, is it set correctly so arriving visitors land at the right spot? Also, do navigation tools like teleporters route people to the right place? If some of your key attractions are not in the immediate vicinity of the landing point, be sure to include clear signage or arrows that point visitors in the right direction. We recommend including calls-to-action for nearby activities and games so that newcomers can easily find fun things to do. Avoid use of "insider" language or instructions that may be confusing to someone accessing Second Life as a new Resident. Is the venue arrival experience free of unsolicited group invites, excessive notecards and other inventory offers? These notifications are confusing to many new Residents, who are unfamiliar with how groups and inventory work in Second Life. Consider how your venue design and its surroundings will be experienced by someone who is unfamiliar with Second Life. For example, do seats use one-click sit actions? Do other interactive objects, like vehicles, work? (We recommend that you test them using an alt account to make sure non-owners can use them, too.) Are there clear pointers to get further help with Second Life? For example, a scripted sign that links to Second Life Answers community help. Does the venue have an active and welcoming community within close proximity of the landing point? Editors' picks and popular places You can nominate venues for inclusion in the Editors' Picks or Popular Places categories on the Destination Guide Suggestion Page. Editors' Picks features venues that highlight some of the best architecture, activities, communities and/or creative efforts in Second Life. The features are refreshed periodically. Popular Places features venues frequently populated with real people, communities and conversations. This list is periodically refreshed but does not reflect real-time traffic and activity, nor does it aim to reflect the most popular places in Second Life. Every effort is made to include venues that adhere to Linden Lab’s policies on traffic bots and camping. Adult-rated areas Second Life’s Destination Guide aims to include a wide variety of communities and venues, including those in regions with Adult ratings. However, as a globally available service, Second Life is subject to many regional restrictions that prohibit advertising or promotion for some types of content and services, such as escorts and explicit content, including nudity. Because content listed in the Destination Guide can be seen by users of all ages and in all territories, no descriptions — regardless of rating — should contain explicit or overtly sexual language or imagery. Linden Lab’s guidelines for inclusion of adult-rated content in the Destination Guide aim to be consistent with the search-industry standards for advertising and search-engine promotion, as seen in these published guidelines by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo: Google AdWords Adult Content Guidelines Bing Ads Adult Content Guidelines Yahoo!/Gemini Adult Content Guidelines As with all Destination Guide submissions, each entry is subject to review and editing by Linden Lab editorial staff. For more information on Second Life and Maturity Ratings, see Second Life Maturity Ratings page in the Knowledge Base and the Adult_Content_FAQ in the wiki. Submission guidelines You may suggest a destination using the form if: You personally own the parcel. You belong to the group that owns the parcel. You are on the access list of the Private Region that contains the parcel. The parcel belongs to Governor Linden and is set in ABOUT LAND > OPTIONS tab as a Hangout. The parcel belongs to a friend and is set in ABOUT LAND > OPTIONS tab as a Hangout. The parcel is 512m2 or larger. Suggested venues must comply with all of the following: Community Standards Trademark Guidelines Terms of Service DMCA policy Snapshot and machinima Policy Warning: Do not suggest content that is copyrighted or otherwise subject to another party's proprietary rights (including privacy, publicity, trademark, and trade secret rights) unless you own the rights or have the owner's permission. Content determined to infringe upon intellectual property rights is removed from our website and services. Residents are limited to two suggestions per month. You can also email the Destination Guide editors your suggestions. Please include a link to your image that meets the submission criteria below: Image specifications The quality and aesthetic composition of your image helps persuade Residents to visit your suggested inworld location, so submit a well-composed screenshot that captures the creativity, community and/or aesthetic beauty of your venue. Do not layer or embed any text or logos within the photo itself. You have an opportunity to add descriptive text separately in the Description field of the entry form. Focus on specific attractions you want visitors to see first. Specifically, if you're submitting an image for a store, generally emphasize your products rather than the store building. For example, if you make clothes, snapshot your avatar in a flattering pose wearing one of your dresses. Or if you have an attractive and creative vendor display, use that. If you've been selling in Second Life for awhile, you likely already have product photos as part of your branding that you can repurpose to save you time. However, an exception applies if your store is an attraction itself, like it's in a beautiful forest worth exploring. The Destination Guide submission form asks you to include a link to a web-hosted screenshot of your venue. Your image can be hosted on any photo-sharing or web-hosting site, such as Flickr or Photobucket. Use JPG format with the dimensions of 657 width by 394 height, in pixels. For example (see on Flickr😞 Be sure to include the full URL (ending in .jpg) to the web-hosted screenshot for your listing. Please note that the Destination Guide user suggestion form may reject images that do not meet this exact criteria. If you use Flickr to host your image, make sure to include the proper image URL (ending in .jpg) in the form. In some cases, Linden Lab editors may re-shoot images to improve visual clarity or composition, but we strongly prefer you submit quality images to begin with. Note: If you receive a form error when you try to submit your suggested destination, please email the Linden Lab editors. Include the submission suggestion and the info requested in the form (title, description, SLurl link) along with the image as an attachment. Inworld photography resources If you're unfamiliar with taking inworld photos, check out the following resources that offer tips and best practices: Guide to High-Quality Photography by Torley Linden. Taking high-res snapshots by Strawberry Singh. The Checklist is comprehensive photo shoot preparation, by Cajsa Lilliehook. Second Life Flickr Group includes many pictures from other Residents. And of course, look at existing Destination Guide submissions to see what your fellow Residents and the Linden Lab editors have done. Text specifications The submission form asks you for descriptive text of up to 400 typed characters. Destination Guide uses third-person voice, so avoid use of first-person language (such as I, we, our and my). Also, please refrain from using overly-hyped or promotion-heavy language; Destination Guide entries should be informative rather than overtly promotional in nature. Lists of keywords are not acceptable as descriptive text. Linden Lab reserves the right to edit material for length and clarity. Contact the Linden Lab editors For questions or update requests to existing entries, or to report an error — like a wrong SLurl or place that's gone — contact the Linden Lab editors via email. Please note that we are not able to respond to every inquiry, however we welcome all comments, feedback and suggestions.

The user guide for animated mesh objects (code name Animesh) is available on the Second Life Wiki while the project is still in development. See Animesh User Guide on the Second Life Wiki for more details about animated mesh objects.

Visiting a Place Page Managing your Place Pages Setting a landing point Hiding a Place Page Using a 360 snapshot as a Hero Image Determining who last edited a Place Page Bulk enabling and disabling Place Pages Want to tell the world about your Second Life land, parcel or region? Now you can with Place Pages, which are Linden-hosted web pages that make it easier than ever to promote and discover your presence in Second Life. Visiting a Place Page To visit a place page, simply click a Place Page URL in the page you’re viewing or paste it into your web browser's address bar. You may also search for a Place Page using the Google search engine by entering your search terms into the Google search bar on the Place Pages front page. While viewing a Place Page, you may learn more about the location, view images and videos, or ultimately visit the location in Second Life by clicking the Visit this location button located on the large image at the top of the page. Note: Upon visiting a place from a Place Page, you appear at either the parcel's landing point or the region's telehub, depending upon whether the Place Page depicts a parcel or a region. If no telehub is set for the region, you appear at the center of the region. Region owners and Estate Managers always appear at the center of their own regions. Place Page features Visit This Location - Click this button to visit the location depicted in the Place Page. Share It - Click to share this place page on Facebook or Twitter. Region Information - Lists information about the Region if this is a Region Place Page, including Name, Owner, Type, Size, and Maturity. Parcel Information - Lists information about the Parcel if this is a Parcel Place Page, including Name, Owner, Type, Size, Maturity, Category, and Region. Report Abuse - Click to file an abuse report against the Place Page. This may be appropriate if the Place Page: is not marked as Mature or Adult content when appropriate, is spam, or infringes your intellectual property rights. View Covenant (optional) - View the Region's covenant in a pop-up frame. This link is available on both Region and Parcel place pages. Upcoming Events (optional) - View and filter a calendar of upcoming events on this land. Click event names to get more details about each event. Items for Sale (optional) - View items currently for sale on the parcel. Click Go next to an item to teleport directly to the item inworld. FOR SALE (optional) - Appears if the land is currently for sale, and lists the sale price. Managing your Place Pages By default, every parcel and region in the Second Life world has a Place Page that is automatically derived from information in the parcel's existing profile. You may edit and embellish a Place Page for any parcel or region you own, or for group-owned parcels for which you have the Toggle 'Show Place in Search' and set category group ability. However, nobody can visit a Place Page unless the parcel's Show Place in Search checkbox is checked in the About Land window. Please note that this is toggled “off” by default, so you’ll need to enable it. To view and edit your place pages: Visit the place pages dashboard at: https://places.secondlife.com and log in using your Second Life credentials. In the upper right of the dashboard, move the mouse over your name and select My Places from the dropdown to view a full list of parcels and regions you own. Choose a region or parcel and click the Edit link next to that land's listing to begin editing the Place Page for that land. Under Details on the Place Page Edit page, fill out the following: Disable this place page - Disables the Place Page so nobody can view it. Show Covenant - Select this box to allow visitors to view the Region's Covenant on your Place Page. Show Items for Sale - Select this box to show items for sale on the parcel, and the inworld location of those items. Sale items may take up to 24 hours to appear on your Place Page. Each sale item must be set to Show in search on the General tab of the object editor window. Items set to Show in search that are not for sale still appear in the list, but are moved to the end of the list and have a cost listed as "Not Available". Show Calendar - Displays an event calendar and a list of upcoming events for the parcel. Visitors can filter events by specific date and click the event's name to learn more about the event. If there are no upcoming events, the calendar and event list are not shown. Title - The title for the Place Page. Typically, this is the name of your land. Tagline - A short, descriptive subtitle, displayed prominently on the "hero" banner at the top of the page. Description - A longer description or profile for the location, displayed below the images on the Place Page. Under the Optional section, you may provide a YouTube link in order to display a video on your Place Page. The Optional section also provides options for you to customize the color of your Place Page's background and font. Under the Hero Image section, choose an image to be the background of the banner at the top of your Place Page. Hero images must be 1980x700 resolution, or else they may be subject to distortion. Under Additional Images, you may choose up to three additional images to display on your Place Page. The images are shown as a slideshow and periodically cycle if not clicked by a user. Additional images must be of 852x486 resolution or they may be subject to distortion. The Region Information section provides statistical information about the land, and cannot be edited in the Place Page Editor. Setting a landing point A landing point is the spot where visitors appear when they teleport to a parcel of land, including teleports that are initiated by clicking the Visit this location button on a place page. Landing points can enhance your visitors' experience by directing them to an appropriate starting location on your land. Because landing points are a property of parcels and are not specific to Place Pages, they can only be set from within the Second Life Viewer and cannot be changed in Place Pages settings. For instructions on how to set the landing point on land that you own, see Managing your parcel - Setting a landing point. Note: When visiting a region's Place Page, visitors appear at the region's telehub. If no telehub is set, they appear at the center of the region. Region owners and Estate Managers always appear at the center of the region, regardless of whether a telehub is set. Hiding a Place Page Place Pages for land parcels are not visible to other Residents unless the land's Show Place in Search checkbox is checked in the About Land window. This box is unchecked by default. You may access the About Land window by visiting the parcel, then choosing World > About land from the top menu bar. If you wish to hide an entire region's Place Page (and Place Pages for all parcels on the region), you may check the Block Land Show in Search checkbox in the Region tab of the Region/Estate window. You may access the Region/Estate window by visiting the region and choosing World > Region/Estate from the top menu bar. Using a 360 snapshot as a Hero Image Note: The 360 snapshot feature is still in a very experimental Project Viewer stage, and is subject to drastic change or removal at any time as development continues. If you have captured a 360 snapshot using the 360 Snapshot Project Viewer, you may upload a captured 360 snapshot in place of your Hero Image: Capture a 360 snapshot to your computer as described in Taking inworld snapshots. Go to https://places.secondlife.com/spherical_zips in your web browser. You must be logged into the Second Life website in order to complete this step. Click the New button, then click Choose File and select the captured 360 snapshot (ending in ".zip") from your computer. Choose one of your places from the Place dropdown. Press the Update button to upload your 360 snapshot to the selected Place Page. An uploaded 360 snapshot replaces the Hero Image for the selected Place Page, allowing visitors to pan around the image for a full 360 degree view of the place where the image was captured. Determining who last edited the Place Page At the very bottom of the Place Page editor is a Last Updated by field that indicates when the page was last edited, and by whom. This can be of use to groups in which multiple officers may have the ability to edit Place Pages for the group's land. Bulk enable and disable Place Pages You can use the Bulk Enable/Disable tool to enable or disable more than one Place Page at a time. To use the Bulk Enable/Disable tool: Visit https://places.secondlife.com/ Click My Places to open a list of your Place Pages. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the link for Bulk Enable/Disable. On the Bulk Enable/Disable page, you can use the radio buttons in the Edit Status column to Enable or Disable each eligible Place Page. You may use the Enable All or Disable All button to automatically mark all pages accordingly. These changes are not finalized until you click the Update button at the bottom of the page. Click Update to enable and/or disable the marked Place Pages. You are then returned to My Places. Note: To help sort a large number of place paces, you can click the column headings in the Bulk Enable/Disable tool to sort by: Project Name & Description Current Status Edit Status Show in Search You may also use the Search field to look for a specific parcel or set of parcels.

Auction requirements Finding a parcel for auction The bidding process Bidding on a parcel What happens next Creating your own auctions In other languages: Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本語 Português The Land Auctions page is now part of Place Pages. Here you can find a list of Open Auctions, Scheduled Auctions and Recently Closed Auctions. You may browse as much as you'd like without signing up for Second Life. Auction requirements To participate in an auction, you must be a Premium Member (because you must be Premium to own the Mainland that is bought and sold through Auctions). Your account must also have a verified email address and a Linden dollar (L$) balance sufficient to make a bid. Please log into your account on the Second Life website to verify your email address and upgrade your account to Premium. Finding a parcel for auction You can click the top of each column of auction results to sort by Name, Size, Start Time, End Time or Leading Bid. Sort by your desired parameters to help you find a parcel that meets your needs. Once you find a parcel you are interested in, click the listing to visit the parcel’s Place Page. Here you can see additional information, such as the parcel’s maturity rating and region location. It is important to check the parcel’s maturity rating, since this determines who can access your parcel and the types of content that can be located there. You can also click the Visit This Location button to go inworld and check it out. Do you like the location? Does the terrain match your needs? How’s the neighborhood? Just like buying a property in the real world, details matter and may be the key to your happiness! The bidding process Bidding uses an auto-bidding process similar to that used on other auction sites. When an auction is created, the seller sets a minimum bid, a bid increment (a multiple of L$10 between L$10 and L$100), and an end time for the auction. To bid, you must specify the maximum amount of Linden dollars you are willing to bid. If your bid is higher than the current leading bid (or the minimum, if there have not been any bids yet), then the auto-bidding system adds the bid increment amount to the current leading bid until either you or the current leader exceeds their maximum bid; the bidder that remains becomes the new leading bidder at that amount. This is repeated for each new bidder until the auction reaches its end time - at which point the current leading bidder wins the auction. Before you place a bid on a parcel, you must have sufficient Linden dollars (L$) already in your account. You can see your current available account balance shown as Your Balance under the “Place your bid” section. Once you place a successful bid, your maximum bid is immediately taken from your balance and held in escrow until you either win the auction or you are outbid. If you win an auction, the land counts against your land allocation and tier fees. Before you bid, be sure you are comfortable with paying any additional monthly fee ("tiering up") that might be triggered. You can review your land allotment by going to Your Second Life Account. You may bid on land that would put you in a higher tier. The system informs you if winning the auction would modify your tier requirement (note that each auction evaluates this based on your current land holdings; if you are bidding in multiple auctions, the land amounts from the other auctions will not be used in the tier calculation). Groups may not participate in auctions either as buyers or sellers. You must bid as an individual, and the land ownership is set to the winner as an individual. Once the auction is over and the land ownership has changed, you may deed it to a Group like any other parcel, but note that your tier obligation may be affected by even the brief period of individual ownership. Bidding on a parcel Choose the maximum amount of Linden dollars (L$) you are comfortable bidding, then enter your bid and press Submit Bid. Once you place your bid, you’ll see a bid confirmation page: If this is not what you intended to bid or you’ve changed your mind, do not click the Submit button. Close the browser window, go Back in your browser, or click Cancel. If you agree and want to move forward, click Submit to submit your bid. You can now see the Auction Place Page and your bidding status. To view your auctions activity, return to the main auctions page and click View my auction activity. Here you can see any open auctions in which you’re participating and any past auction bids (If some entries appear to be missing, you may be viewing an old version of the page; try clicking your browser's Refresh or Reload button). Once you have bid, you cannot decrease your bid amount. The only way to exit an auction where you are the leading bidder is for someone to outbid you. What happens next During the bidding process you receive email updates when you place a bid, when you are outbid, when someone unsuccessfully bids against you, and (if you are fortunate) when you have won. There can be unpredictable delays in email transmission, so you may want to occasionally visit View my auction activity to check the status of your auctions. If you are the leading bidder, all you have to do is wait for the auction to close. If you placed a maximum winning bid and win the auction for a lower amount, the difference is refunded. If you are outbid, we send you an email and return the escrowed funds to your balance. If you would like to bid again to increase your bid, you can do that through View my auction activity. If that really was the most you were willing to spend, there’s nothing more you need to do. “I’m a winner!” Congratulations, you’ve successfully won your auction! Ownership of the parcel is set to you, the auction winner, within an hour after the end of the auction. If there is a problem with the ownership, contact Second Life Support. You can use the Visit This Location button on your closed auction page to get back to your new parcel. Creating your own auctions Soon it will be possible for you to create auctions to sell mainland parcels you own, as long as the parcel is owned individually and not by a group. You will be able to set the parameters of the auction: start and end times, minimum bid, and bid increment. If the auction attracts bidders, at the end time the winner gets the land automatically and the winning bid amount less the Auction Commission fee (15%) is automatically transferred to your balance. For more information about land auctions in Second Life, please read our Auctions FAQ.

Registration May I browse listings without registering for Second Life? How do I register for Second Life? Second Life Auctions and "My Account" Can anyone in Second Life buy land in the auctions? Does the land I win in auction count against my land allocation? Can I bid on land if it would put me in a higher land tier? Can I bid with L$ that I don't have? Bidding How do I bid? How do I increase my bid? Why doesn't my bid show up online after I bid? How will I know if my bid is no longer winning? How will I know if I win? How can I view all bids I've submitted? Why did a bid from earlier today beat my bid? Can I submit a bid offline? What if an auction ends with no bids? Collecting Your New Land How will I know when I can take possession of the land? How do I take possession? Is it possible to avoid tiering up by releasing other land before confirming a new higher tier? Resolving Auction Problems What if I bid in an auction and realize I have made a mistake? Who do I contact if I have a problem? In other languages: Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本語 Português For a walkthrough of the auctions feature, see Land auctions. Registration May I browse listings without registering for Second Life? You may browse as much as you'd like without signing up for Second Life. In order to bid on an auction, you will need to have an active Premium Second Life account with verified billing information and a verified email address. Please login to Your Account on the Second Life website to verify your email address and upgrade your account to a Premium account today! How do I register for Second Life? Visit Join Second Life to register for a Second Life account; basic account creation is free, so you can explore land before you upgrade. Second Life Auctions and "My Account" Can anyone in Second Life buy land in the auctions? No. Only residents that have Premium memberships are eligible to participate in auctions. Your account must also have a Verified email address and a Linden balance sufficient to make a bid. Does the land I win in auction count against my land allocation? Yes. Before you bid, be sure you are comfortable with paying any additional monthly fee ("tiering up") that might be triggered. You can review your land allotment by going to Your Second Life Account. Can I bid on land if it would put me in a higher land tier? Yes. You will automatically be assigned to the tier (possibly increasing your monthly billing amount) when you win. The auction will inform you if winning the auction will modify your tier requirement (but note that each auction evaluates this independently; if you are bidding in multiple auctions, they will not take that into account). Can I bid with L$ that I don't have? No, you must have the Lindens available in your account at the time of bidding because if you submit a new high bid, your maximum bid amount is held in escrow until you are either outbid or you win the auction. Bidding How do I bid? After you review the listing information for the item that interests you, click on Bid on This Property. Enter your maximum bid, and then click Confirm. How do I increase my bid? To increase your bid, go to My Auction Activity & choose the bid you want to increase. You can only increase your bid if you are not currently the leading bidder. Can I decrease my maximum bid? Once you have bid, you cannot decrease your bid amount. The only way to exit an auction where you are the leading bid is for someone to outbid you. Why doesn't my bid show up online after I bid? My Auction Activity should show your bid as soon as it is entered. If it doesn't appear, you may be viewing an old version of the page. Try clicking your browser's Refresh or Reload buttons. How will I know if my bid is no longer winning? We will send you an email and return your escrowed funds when you are outbid. However, there can be unpredictable delays in email transmission. We suggest that you regularly visit our Web site to check your bidding activity on the My Auction Activity page. How will I know if I win? We will notify you by email if you win. How can I view all bids I've submitted? Go to My Auction Activity page and use the filter to find your previous bids. Why did a bid from earlier today beat my bid? If your maximum bid is for exactly the same amount as some earlier bidders maximum, the earlier bidder wins (if their maximum is higher, their bid will be increased to your maximum plus the bid increment). Can I submit a bid offline? No. Only online bids can be made. What if an auction ends with no bids? The original owner retains ownership of the parcel and is responsible for any tier owed on it. Collecting Your New Land How will I know when I can take possession of the land? Ownership of the parcel should be set to the winner within an hour after the end of the auction. If there is a problem with the ownership, contact Support. How do I take possession? The parcel will be assigned to you inworld once the auction ends. Is it possible to avoid tiering up by releasing other land before confirming a new higher tier? To avoid the possibility of higher tier charges, reduce your land use prior to participating in an auction. Land won in auction will be delivered to the winning account and will affect peak land use immediately. Resolving Auction Problems What if I bid in an auction and realize I have made a mistake? Please bid carefully. All bids are final and can not be cancelled. The only way you can leave an active auction where you have bid is if you are outbid. Who do I contact if I have a problem? You should file a ticket through the Support Portal at Second Life Support.

Finding items to buy Using boolean search operators Determining usage requirements Determining whether an item contains mesh content Adding items to your cart and giving gifts Giving gifts Editing your cart and paying After you buy Items delivered to the Received items folder Viewing your order history Unreceived and accidentally discarded items Writing a review Flagging an item on the Marketplace Email notification settings In other languages: Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本語 Português Finding items to buy The Second Life Marketplace is the place to buy an amazing assortment of virtual items sold by fellow Residents. The Marketplace fee and listing policies govern the types of items for sale, as well as advertising, fees, and other guidelines for using the Marketplace. To start shopping in the Second Life Marketplace: Go to marketplace.secondlife.com. If you're not already logged into secondlife.com, click Sign In in the upper-right. Enter your Second Life name and password, and click Login. You can look for items you wish to purchase in several ways: By using the search box at the top of the page. By browsing the Categories and Communities on the left. By scrolling through the Featured Items. Important: You must be age verified to view Adult content both inworld and on the Marketplace. In addition, you must adjust your maturity preferences to access both Moderate and Adult content. For more information, see Maturity ratings and Age-restricted content. To search for something specific: Enter keywords in the search bar at the top of the page. You can use the boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT to refine your search. As you type, the search bar attempts to automatically complete your entry based on current marketplace listings. If desired, click the All categories dropdown to specify a category. Select your preferred option from the Show maturity levels dropdown. Press the Enter key or click Search. Items matching your search parameters are displayed on the right. Tip: To search for a particular merchant or store, click the Merchants/Stores tab. Once you have located the store, click Search this store to search only within that store. Using boolean search operators Boolean operators are simple words such as AND, OR, and NOT that can be used to either combine or exclude specific words in a search, which can help to achieve more accurate search results. Here is a short guide on how and when to use each available operator: AND - Narrows your search by requiring both words to be included in each search result. For example, a search of "red AND green" returns only results containing both the words "red" and "green". OR - Broadens your search by only requiring one of the words to appear in each result. For example, a search of "boats OR planes" returns results containing: only the word "boats", only the word "planes", or both the words "boats" and "planes" NOT - Narrows your search by excluding results that contain the words after the NOT operator. For example, "summer NOT winter" returns results that contain the word "summer" but does not show any results containing the word "winter". Exact phrases - Entering a phrase in double quotation marks narrows your search by returning only results that contain that exact phrase. For example, "curly hair" (including the quotes) returns only results containing the exact phrase "curly hair", but not the words "curly", or "hair" individually. Boolean search operators must always be written in CAPITAL LETTERS in order to be recognized by the Second Life Marketplace search. Determining usage requirements Some purchases may require certain conditions for use. For example, a prefabricated building requires that you own land upon which to place it. Some purchases may also come inside boxes, which require a specific un-boxing procedure as described in Opening boxes. Usage requirements can be found on the right side of all item listings in the Second Life Marketplace: Use It Now: This item will be delivered directly to you or a friend in Second Life, unpacked and ready to use. No land or sandbox required. Unpacking Required: This item requires you to find a place in Second Life (such as a sandbox) to unpack and use it. See Opening boxes for additional information. Land Required: This item requires that you have access to land in Second Life in order to unpack and use it. In addition to these usage requirements, you may also see a message stating, "This item contains wearable items for your avatar," indicating that the product contains one or more attachments or clothing items. Determining whether an item contains mesh content Second Life Viewer 3.0 or higher is required in order to view mesh content. Furthermore, any object that is partially or fully composed of mesh content has a land impact based on prim equivalents, which are determined by calculating the actual impact of the object on computing resources, rather than by simply counting the number of prims in an object. You can determine whether an object on the Marketplace contains Mesh by checking the right side of the listing, underneath Permissions. If the object contains mesh, there is an indicator stating either Mesh: Partial Mesh or Mesh: 100% Mesh. If the object does not contain mesh, this indicator does not appear. Adding items to your cart and giving gifts To add an item to your cart: Click the item you would like to buy to see the item's detailed description. Click Add to Cart or Buy Now. Add to Cart saves your purchase to your cart for later payment and delivery. You can keep shopping for more items. Add to Cart as Gift saves your purchase to your cart as a gift for another Resident. The item must cost L$1 or more for this button to appear. See Giving gifts below for more information about giving gifts. Buy Now takes you directly to the checkout screen but does not affect or purchase the other items already in your cart. Giving gifts If you want to send an item to another Resident as a gift: Follow the steps above to find the right gift. Click on the item and select Add to Cart As Gift. Enter the recipient's Second Life first name and last name and click Find Resident. Important: If the recipient has only a username, not a first name and last name, enter the username. The system will show the name as "username Resident." A gift message window appears. If you would like to include a gift message, enter one here. Click Finished. The gift is now in your cart for later payment and delivery. Editing your cart and paying When you've finished adding the items you want to buy to your cart, click the Cart button in the upper-right. For each item, you can choose to: Remove it from your cart by clicking the Remove From Cart link below the item name. Buy more or fewer of the same item by changing the number in the Qty box and clicking Update quantities. You can also update the quantity of individual items by clicking the update link next to that line item. Change the gift message (if it's a gift). Once your cart is edited to your satisfaction: Click the Check out button. Review your invoice, then click Buy now to purchase the items using your Linden dollar (L$) balance.. Tip: While reviewing your invoice, you may click More payment options to add or select an alternate payment method such as a credit card or PayPal account. Note: When you use PayPal or a credit card to make a Marketplace purchase, your Transaction History shows a debit or credit originating from "Commerce Linden" or "Marketplace Linden." After you buy Items delivered to the Received items folder After purchasing an item, log into Second Life. You will see a Received items section at the bottom of your Inventory window. Click it to expand the Received items pane and see items and folders you have recently received: You may drag received items and folders from the Received items pane to one of your existing inventory folders. If you are using a third-party viewer, the Received items pane appears as an inventory folder named Received items. If your purchase was packaged in a box for delivery, you need to open the box before you can use the item.Learn about opening boxes. If you bought clothing or other items to attach to your avatar, see Avatar attachments to learn how to use them. Viewing your order history You can see what you've purchased in your order history: Log into the Marketplace. Click My Marketplace > My Account. On the left, select Order history. You can also check other account-specific information here. Unreceived and accidentally discarded items Has it been more than 24 hours since you ordered? If so, contact the merchant, explain what happened, and politely request redelivery of the item. If it has been less than 24 hours, please be patient and check again later. If the merchant doesn't respond, you can submit a support case requesting redelivery. Make sure to include the order number and the exact name of the undelivered item(s). Note: If an item purchased on the Marketplace using PayPal or a credit card is not successfully delivered to you, the credit or debit will not appear in your transaction history, and the merchant will have no record of the purchase. Simply try to purchase the item again. If you accidentally discard an item, contact the merchant, explain what happened, and politely request redelivery of the item. Often the merchant will understand and redeliver, especially if the item in question isn't "no-copy." Unfortunately, Marketplace deliveries, unlike items sent manually from another avatar, are completely discarded and can't be retrieved from the Trash. Writing a review To write a review for an item you bought: Open your order history. Click Review Product in the order description for the item. Select the number of stars you want to give to that item, give your review a title, and write your review. Click Post your review. Tips for writing relevant and helpful reviews can be found at Writing Item Reviews on the Marketplace. Flagging an item on the Marketplace If you find merchandise on the Marketplace that you think is in violation of the Marketplace listing policies, please flag it for review by customer support. To flag an item: View the listing. Click Flag this item on the right. In the Reason for Flag dropdown, select your reason for flagging the item. In the Detailed Reason dropdown, select a more detailed reason. Click Flag to flag the item. Email notification settings You can change the types of email notifications you receive from the Second Life Marketplace: Visit http://marketplace.secondlife.com. If you are not already signed in, click Sign in in the top right corner of the page. Click My Marketplace at the top of the page, then select My account from the dropdown menu. Click Email settings on the left side of the My account page. On the Email settings page, under Shopping Notifications, click On or Off next to each type of email notification to set your notification preference. As a shopper on the Second Life Marketplace, you may receive the following types of email notifications: Order confirmation Gift notification Redelivery notification Revenue distribution notification Revenue distribution addition/removal notification

Avatar types Which clothing fits which avatar types? Determining your avatar type General tips: Try on a piece of classic avatar clothing and see if it appears correctly Information for merchants How to label your clothing for sale Marketplace instructions Why create a brand to support clothing fit for your custom avatar? Example situations for clothing merchants In other languages: Deutsch Español Français Português Italiano 日本語 As Second Life has evolved, so have the avatars that inhabit the Second Life world. With the introduction of fitted mesh technology for avatars, it has become more complicated to determine whether or not a piece of clothing will display properly on your own avatar. This article will help you to determine whether your avatar is a Classic avatar, Standard mesh avatar, or a custom/branded avatar, and which types of clothing will fit each. Avatar types For the purposes of fitting clothing, avatars can be classified into three categories: Classic - Classic avatars are the original default Second Life avatars. They have a modifiable humanoid shape, and can wear clothing in the form of textures and attachments added to that shape. Most of a classic avatar's appearance and clothing can be modified by pressing the Appearance button in the Second Life Viewer, but cannot take advantage of newer graphical features such as normal and specular maps. Standard mesh - A standard mesh avatar is a classic avatar that is wearing a rigged mesh attachment, usually a full-body avatar, and whose classic body is hidden by a full body alpha mask. It is classified as "standard" if it was created using the standard fitted mesh model available on the Second Life wiki. Custom/branded - A custom avatar is a classic avatar that is hidden by a full body alpha mask and is wearing a customized rigged mesh attachment or attachments that otherwise replace the classic avatar body. These avatars can come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and each model typically requires clothing specifically designed to work with such an avatar. Which clothing fits which avatar types? Clothing may be labeled in one of the following ways to indicate which types of avatars it is most likely to be compatible with: Classic only - The "layer-based" textured clothing applied directly to classic avatars. This clothing type only displays properly on classic avatars and is rendered completely invisible by the alpha mask worn by most mesh avatars. Mesh only - An attachment that is designed to appear as clothing on a standard mesh avatar. It may appear to be a layer-based texture, but does not work properly on classic avatars. Mesh only clothing must be created outside Second Life in a 3D modeling tool. Classic/Mesh - Attachments primarily designed for standard mesh avatars that can be made to work on a classic avatar. In order to be classified as classic/mesh, the clothing must include an appropriate alpha mask designed to hide the affected parts of a classic avatar. Branded - A catch-all term meant to encompass the many possible custom avatar designs. Such avatars can typically only wear clothing specifically designed for that specific avatar; therefore each custom designed avatar and its compatible clothing may be considered a "brand". Likewise, clothing designed for a custom avatar shape should not be expected to work properly with classic or standard mesh avatars, or even other custom avatars. Determining your avatar type If you are new to Second Life or rigged mesh avatars, you may have a difficult time trying to determine which type of avatar you are currently using. Here are some tips on determining whether you have a classic, standard mesh, or custom mesh avatar: General tips: Check the name of your avatar or any notecards delivered with the avatar for details on how it was created and what type of clothing may be compatible with it. Ask the merchant who sold the avatar which type of clothing works best with it. Try on a piece of classic avatar clothing and see if it appears correctly When all else fails, there are a few procedures you can try in order to determine which type of avatar you have. Every avatar in Second Life has access to a shared library of items, some of which are outfits composed of clothing for classic avatars. By trying on some classic clothing and observing the results, you can find out whether you have a classic avatar: Log into Second Life and open your inventory by clicking the Inventory button. Find the Library folder in the Inventory window and expand it by clicking the triangular arrow next to it. Expand the Clothing folder in the library. Expand the Male Shape & Outfit folder inside the Clothing folder. Click the item called Boy Next Door Shirt and then press the Wear button at the bottom of the Inventory window. The shirt is then applied to your classic avatar shape. If you have a classic avatar, a gray shirt with blue stripes should appear on your avatar; if you have a mesh or custom avatar, the shirt will not appear on your avatar or may be partially obscured by the avatar's mesh body. Determining whether you have either a mesh or custom avatar can be more difficult, since both are composed of 3D models created outside Second Life and use similar techniques for hiding the default classic avatar. When standard mesh avatars become available in the inventory library, you may use clothing from those outfits in a technique similar to the method described above for determining whether you have a classic avatar. Information for merchants How to label your clothing for sale In order to help shoppers find clothing that properly fits their avatars, merchants can label their merchandise as described above in Which clothing fits which avatar types? Clothing for custom avatars should be similarly labeled by the seller as being compatible with a particular avatar brand. Marketplace instructions The Second Life Marketplace also provides fields for merchants to mark their clothing as compatible with classic, mesh, or branded avatars. To edit these fields as a Marketplace merchant: Click My Marketplace and choose Merchant Home. On the left side of the page, click Manage listings. For each clothing or accessory item you sell under Manage listings, click Actions and choose Edit. On the Edit Item Listing page, you may check boxes under Clothing Works With for clothing that is compatible with Classic Avatars or Mesh Avatars. If you are selling a custom avatar, or clothing that works with a specific custom avatar, you can provide that avatar's brand name under Custom Avatar Brand and provide a URL with brand information under Brand URL. Why create a brand to support clothing fit for your custom avatar? Mesh avatars that are not built using the standard mesh model provided by Linden Lab can usually only wear clothing specifically designed for that custom avatar. By creating a recognizable brand for each custom avatar you sell, you can help your customers identify which clothing and accessories will work with your products. Branding could be described as a way to group together custom avatars and their compatible accessories in order to prevent customer confusion about what clothing will fit their avatars. For example, if a merchant sells a custom avatar called Paper Panda, customers should look for clothing and accessories marked as compatible with the Paper Panda brand. Attempts to wear clothing designed for classic, standard mesh, or other custom avatars would most likely yield disappointing results and wasted Linden dollars (L$). Example situations for clothing merchants The following examples cover some of the possible situations merchants may face when selling an item of clothing in Second Life, and provide suggestions on how to handle communicating what type of avatars each clothing item will fit. If the clothing was developed inworld by clicking Edit my Outfit: On the Marketplace, mark this clothing as Classic avatars only. Inworld, convey that this clothing item only works on Classic avatars. In the clothing folder name, include the words "Classic avatars only" or similar. Linden Lab recommends this practice to help customers find compatible items in their inventories. If the clothing was designed to fit the standard fitted mesh shape and you do not wish to make the clothing work on classic avatars or create the necessary alpha masks: On the Second Life Marketplace, mark the clothing as Mesh avatars only. Inworld, convey that this clothing only works on mesh avatars In the folder name, include the words "Mesh avatars only". LL recommends this practice to help customers find compatible items in their inventories. If the clothing was designed to fit the standard fitted mesh shape, and has also been tested on a classic avatar with appropriate alpha masks to make the clothing look correct: On the Second Life Marketplace, mark this clothing as Classic and Mesh avatars. Inworld, convey that this clothing works with both mesh and classic avatars, provided that classic avatars use the included alpha masks. In the folder name, include the words "Classic and mesh avatars". LL recommends this practice to help customers find compatible items in their inventories. We do not recommend using the words "all avatars" because this clothing will not necessarily work with custom avatars, and may not work with avatar types introduced by Linden Lab in the future. If the clothing is mesh but was not designed to fit the standard mesh shape, and comes in preset sizes to match the variable size of classic avatars, including alpha masks where necessary: Some rigged mesh clothing pre-dates the fitted mesh feature in Second Life and has special sizing considerations. Merchants should take any steps they feel necessary to communicate proper fit for this type of clothing. Often, this type of clothing has been designed to fit classic avatars only. On the Second Life Marketplace, mark this clothing as Classic avatars only. Inworld, convey that this clothing only works on classic avatars. In the folder name, include the words "Classic avatars only". Linden Lab recommends this practice to help customers find compatible items in their inventories. If the clothing was created for a specific custom avatar: On the Second Life marketplace, mark this clothing as Custom and convey which brand the clothing is intended for. Inworld, convey which brand the clothing is for. In the clothing folder name, and/or in a notecard, include information the customer needs in order to locate the branded avatar.

Using the World Map Legend Other map functions Navigation beacon Tracking your friends Teleport to a landmark Region search Copy SLurl to clipboard Using the Mini-Map Using the world map The world map helps you explore Second Life by finding other Residents, land sales, and points of interest. Pan around the map by clicking and dragging on it. Click a place to set a destination beacon you can follow after you close the map. To dismiss the beacon, click the red arrow that points to it or right-click the mini-map and choose Stop Tracking. Double-click a place to teleport there. Legend Me Shows your location on the map. Click to center the map view on your location. Person Another Resident. Infohub A place to socialize and find information. Land sale Yellow blocks - For sale by a Resident owner. Purple blocks - Land for auction. Home Shows your home location. Click to teleport home. Events Resident-run events come in three maturity rating levels: General, Moderate, and Adult. Select which maturity levels you want to see on the map. You can only see events whose maturity matches your preference settings. Choose Me > Preferences to set your maturity preference. To show Adult events, you must verify that you are at least 18 years old. Other map functions The World Map has several other useful functions for exploring and navigating Second Life. You can track your friends' whereabouts, teleport to one of your landmarked locations, or teleport directly to a region by name! Navigation beacon When you set a destination on the world map, it appears as a red circle. At the same time, a vertical red beacon appears inworld to guide you to your destination. The beacon is most useful when you teleport into a region that is using a telehub; you may not land at the location you desired, use the beacon to guide you the rest of the way. To clear your current destination/beacon, press the Clear button on the map or click on the beacon arrow. Tracking your friends You can track your friends' location inworld if they have chosen to allow it. Click the My Friends Online dropdown and choose the friend you want to find. The avatar's location appears on your map as a red destination marker. To allow a friend to see your location on the map: Open your friend's profile Click on the gear icon. Click Permissions. Select the See me on the map checkbox. Tip: It is possible to teleport directly to your friend's location by pressing the Teleport button. However, it is good etiquette to respect your friends' privacy by IMing first. Teleporting to another Resident's location unannounced is considered very impolite! Teleport to a landmark To teleport to a landmark: Click the My Landmarks dropdown Choose a landmark from the list to mark your destination Click Teleport to travel there instantly. If you teleport into a region that is using a telehub, you may need to use the navigation beacon to reach your final destination. Region search To search for a region by name: Type part of its name in the text field next to the Find button. Click the Search button. The results show all matching region names Click on one of the names shown in the list to center the map here. Click Teleport to teleport there immediately. If the region has a designated telehub, you will arrive there; otherwise, you will go to the center of the region. To arrive at a specific location in a region: Search for the region name and select it from the search results as described above Type the coordinates into the Location boxes Click Teleport. Copy SLurl to clipboard Click Copy SLurl to clipboard to copy the SLurl link of your current destination to your computer's clipboard. You can use SLurl links to post Second Life locations on web pages, in chat, or emails. For more information see SLurls. Using the Mini-Map The Mini-Map helps you navigate around Second Life. To view the Mini-Map, select World > Mini-Map or click the button in the toolbar.

Saving textures Texture icons Alpha channels How to use alpha channels and get clothing templates Saving textures You can export any fully-permissive texture from Second Life and save it to your hard drive (or other storage medium). Fully-permissive means you must have ALL Modify, Copy, and Resell/Give away (transfer) rights for the texture. You can check this by right-clicking a texture in your inventory and selecting Properties. Example of a fully-permissive texture: By default, textures you upload yourself, whether it's via File menu > Upload Image or the Snapshot Preview's Save to your inventory (L$10) mode, are fully-permissive for you. So here's how to do it: Double-click the texture in inventory to view it. Go to File > Save Texture As. Give it a name (it doesn't auto-copy the name of the texture), and save it to a directory. If you go to that directory on your computer, you should see a texture.tga file. The TGA file format can also be used to upload textures into Second Life. Most graphics editors are capable of viewing TGA, and there are some free ones, like FastStone or XnView, which can convert into other formats too. This video tutorial shows you how the above steps work in action: Save textures to disk from Torley on Vimeo. In any case, once the texture's on your local disk, you're free to edit it, then re-upload it back into Second Life if you want. You can upload them to a photo-sharing website like Flickr, which has a lot of Second Life pictures in many groups. Texture icons All textures have two icons, and they function the same, but the icon denotes how the texture got into Second Life. If you use File > Upload Image, the resulting texture has this icon and ends up in the Textures folder () and looks like this: And if you take an inworld snapshot (Snapshot button, choose Save to your inventory ($L10), then click Save (L$10)), the resulting texture has this icon and ends up in the Photo Album folder () and looks like this: One other difference is, if someone else sends you a snapshot with the latter icon, it'll end up in the Textures folder. Alpha channels Transparency information in TGA and PNG textures, which can be uploaded with the Second Life Viewer, is stored as a grid of grayscale data called an alpha channel. The alpha channel's pixel values, ranging from black to white, determine the texture's degree of transparency. Transparent textures are used to create organic shapes such as flames, trees, clothing with ripped fabric — just about anything where visibly boxy dimensions are undesirable. How to use alpha channels and get clothing templates Different image editors have different specific implementations. Consult your preferred paint program's manual for guidance, and try to find knowledgeable people who have created the kind of image you want to make. Most image editors have forums or other social networks dedicated to getting the most out of their product. Alpha channels are a critical part of advanced clothing creation. The Texture Tools and Clothing Tutorials pages are good resources to help you get started. For more information, see the SL Creation Forums and Second Life Answers.

Adding attachments to your avatar Editing attachments Removing attachments from your avatar Any object in your inventory can be attached to your avatar and worn as part of an outfit. Examples of attachments include customized hair, jewelry, shoes, weapons, and other accessories. Attachments may contain scripts, but they do not count against a land parcel's object limit. Adding attachments to your avatar The easiest way to add an attachment to your avatar is to click the Inventory button on the left side of the Viewer window, find ithe attachment in My Inventory, right-click it, and select Wear. This causes the object to attach to your avatar at its last known attachment point and rotation; if you position a hat object on your avatar's head and then remove it, it will reattach itself in the same location next time you wear it. If the object has never been attached to an avatar, choosing Wear attaches it to your avatar's right hand, replacing any attachment that is currently worn on that attachment point. If you wish to attach an object to a specific part of your avatar's body, find it in your inventory, right-click it, select Attach To, and then select an attachment point. Attachments move and rotate relative to the attachment point to which they are attached. For example, a wristwatch object attached to your avatar's left forearm moves with his arm, even if you use the Build Tools to edit its location. To wear multiple attachments on a single attachment point, find an additional attachment in your inventory, right-click it, and select Add or Attach To. Add works similarly to Wear but does not replace existing attachments. Editing attachments You can use the Build Tools to edit or adjust attachments on your avatar. However, some building options (such as linking and physics) are unavailable while the object is attached to your avatar. Residents commonly edit attachments in order to fit hair, clothing and accessories properly to their avatars' unique proportions. Removing attachments from your avatar To remove an attachment from your avatar, find it in your inventory, right-click it, and select Detach From Yourself. Objects worn by your avatar appear in bold text in your inventory along with a note showing where each object is attached. You can also right-click directly on the object and select Detach. Note: Remember that you can only remove objects made of prims; you cannot take off any body part but must replace one with another of the same kind, or edit the one you're wearing. For more information, see Editing your appearance.

Creating and uploading animations Uploading animations into Second Life Using animations Using QAvimator to create animations Creating and uploading animations An animation is a set of instructions that causes an avatar to engage in a sequence of motions. You can create custom animations with commercial and open source tools such as Poser, Blender, and others. Important: Animations should not be confused with gestures. For information about gestures, see Using gestures and animations. Residents have created several animation applications especially for Second Life: Posemaker - see forum discussion. QAvimator - see forum discussion (and see below). Slat - see forum discussion. Uploading animations into Second Life To upload an animation into Second Life: Save the animation in biovision hierarchy (BVH) format Choose Build > Upload > Animation (L$10)... in the Second Life Viewer. There is a L$10 fee for uploading an animation. For more information on uploading an animation, see Uploading assets. Using animations You can use animations in gestures, but don't confuse the two. To activate an animation in your inventory, double-click the animation name. This opens a dialog box with the animation name, a field in which to see or enter a description of the animation, and two buttons: Play Locally allows you to see the animation, but it will not will be visible to others. This is useful to make sure the animation is really something you want others to see your avatar doing. Play Inworld allows those within visual range to see your avatar perform the animation. Using QAvimator to create animations The video tutorial below explains how to create and upload animations using QAvimator, a free program for creating animations specifically for Second Life. Note: This video was created in April 2008 and may contain outdated instructions for the current Second Life Viewer. Creating & uploading animations from Torley on Vimeo.

How to build objects Getting started Editing prims Using Shift-drag to copy objects Using the Copy selection feature Using the Content tab Linking objects Linking The Undo Feature In other languages: Français How to build objects This page presents a short "crash course" on building in the Second Life® virtual world. Getting started You can create objects only on land that permits building. Land that prohibits object creation is marked Building/dropping not allowed: when you are on such a parcel, you will see an icon at the top of your screen as shown in the image at right. To begin building: Right-click the ground and choose Build to open the Build window. You can also press Ctrl+4 or Ctrl+B or select Build from the top menu on your Viewer. In the Build window, choose the type of basic shape (or primitive) you wish to create, then click the location inworld where you wish to build it. The shape appears (typically with a resounding "whoosh" sound). Editing prims Use the Build window to move, resize, rotate and otherwise manipulate inworld objects. Tip: Checking Snap to grid in the Build window forces you to position objects on an arbitrary grid. This is helpful in making sure that objects line up correctly and are precisely spaced. The video tutorial below discusses working with the building grid, which is useful for precision in building. Topics include: Turning on the grid Adjusting grid increments Adjusting grid snap-to increments Altering grid length Snapping objects to the grid How to use the building grid from Torley on Vimeo. Moving Right-click an object and select Edit. This opens the Build window to the Object tab. Choose Move to enable the Position function. Click and drag the red/green/blue axes on an object to move it around. Clicking on the red (X), green (Y), and blue (Z) arrows lets you drag the object only along those axes. Rotating Right-clilck an object and select Edit. Choose Rotate in the Build window to bring up the rotation sphere. Click and drag anywhere within the sphere to rotate the object freely along all three axes. Click and drag a specific ring (red/green/blue) to rotate the object only around that axis. Resizing Right-clilck an object and select Edit. Choose Stretch from the Build window to bring up the sizing box. Click and drag one of the white corner boxes to scale the entire object proportionally. Click and drag a red, green or blue box to re-size a prim's length, width or height (respectively) without changing the other dimensions. If the Stretch Both Sides option is checked, the object's opposite corner moves in the opposite direction. If Stretch Both Sides is unchecked, the opposite corner remains in place. If the Stretch Textures option is checked, the object's textures are proportionally resized together with the object. If unchecked, the textures retain their original size. This means that if you are increasing the object's size, the textures repeat rather than stretching to fill the additional area. If you are downsizing, you will see only as much of the original texture as fits on the smaller object. Entering specific values Under the Object tab (shown above), enter specific X, Y, and Z coordinates to move, re-size, or rotate the object. Changes to these values are always based on the center of the object (the point where the red, green and blue axes meet). Advanced edits The Object tab offers several additional options for editing basic prim shapes. Here are some common examples: Path Cut (begin/end): Takes out a slice of the object along its Z axis. You can specify where the cut starts and ends. Hollow: Puts a hollow center in the object starting from the center of the shape and expanding out. You can specify what percentage of the radius is hollow. Twist (begin/end): Puts twists into the object, warping its shape as well as texture alignment. Taper: Reduces the size of the top or bottom sides (x or y axes, negative or positive) of the prim. Top Shear: Shifts (shears/skews) the top surface of the object away from the bottom. You can shift the X and Y axes separately. Dimple (begin/end): Cuts a hole in a sphere from ring of latitude (you specify the percentage) to the top or bottom of the Z axis. The dimple cuts straight to the origin of the object (leaving a cone-shaped hole). Three useful features You may find the following features useful as you build and move objects: Show Hidden Selection - Choose Build > Options > Show Hidden Selection to see the hidden contours and planes of a selected object. Show Light Radius for Selection - This feature shows the range of illumination for a lighted object. To use it: Right-click the desired object and select Edit > Features. Select the checkbox next to Light.The object is now a light source. Choose Build > Options > Show Light Radius for Selection to see how far the emitted light from the object travels. To adjust the distance of the object's emitted light, right-click it, select Edit > Features, and click the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the Radius. Show Selection Beam - The selection beam is the line of particles you see when you are pointing at and manipulating objects. The feature is on by default, but if you think it gets in the way, you can disable it: Choose Build > Options and uncheck Show Selection Beam. Using Shift-drag to copy objects You can Shift -drag to copy an object you have permission to copy. This isn't obviously stated in the build tools but is a popular way to copy objects. Here's a simple example: Right-click the ground and choose Build. Click the ground again to rez a generic cube. Right-click the cube and choose Edit. The positioning arrows appear. Hold down Shift , left-click one of the arrow heads, and drag the object. You're dragging the original, and a copy is left behind at the original location. Tip: If you use Build > Undo (Ctrl+Z) after Shift -dragging an object, the original snaps back to its original position — a creative use of selective Undo. You can do this to align it another way. Using the Copy selection feature Copy selection allows you to duplicate selected prims and align them adjacent to each other. For example, if you're copying sections of a wall and Shift -dragging to copy is proving tricky to fine-tune, you may want to take advantage of this alternative. To understand how this works, let's use a simple example: Right-click the ground and choose Build. Click the ground again to rez a generic cube. From the Build Tools window, select Create. Check Keep Tool selected so we can do the following steps repeatedly. Click the Copy selection checkbox. For now, check Center Copy and uncheck Rotate Copy. Now, click on the faces of the cube. Each time you do so, the cube is duplicated, aligned edge-to-edge with a previous cube. Here's what the options do: Center Copy - Copies are centered on the target object, which is useful for neat building in-a-line where you want objects to be aligned along an axis. Otherwise, objects will be placed edge-to-edge, but may be staggered or askew. Note that with curved prims like spheres, this means one of the copy's edges is touching the source, but isn't interpenetrating (overlapping). Rotate Copy - Copies rotate to match the target object, instead of the original values the source object has. This can make it easier to line up something that's already at an angle, such as a house's slanted roof. Using the Content tab If you have permission to modify an object, you ca use the Content tab to:: Drag any objects from your Inventory into the Content folder. Copy or move the contents of an object to your Inventory. Permanently delete objects from the Content folder. To add inventory to the object Content folder: Right-click the object inworld and choose Edit from the pie menu (or press Ctrl-3 and click on the object). Open the Content tab (click More if you can't see it). Drag the desired item from your Inventory into the Content folder. To remove objects from the Content folder: Right-click on the object inworld and choose Open from the pie menu. Use one of the following options: Open your Inventory and drag the contents to your Inventory window. Click Copy to Inventory. Click Copy and Wear. Note: If the contents have copy permissions, a copy is placed in your Inventory. If an object is (no copy), the object will leave the Contents folder and move to your Inventory. Select one or more objects (Ctrl-select more than one object), right-click and select Delete (or press the Delete key on your keyboard) to remove objects without placing them in your Inventory. Important: Objects that are not rezzed, but are instead deleted from a Content folder do not go to your Inventory Trash folder! They are permanently deleted. If the object is (no copy), be aware it will be gone if you select it and press the Delete key! Note: Unlike your own inventory, an object's inventory cannot have two items with the same name. If you copy an item with the same name as an existing item into the object's inventory, the new object will be renamed; e.g. object, object 1, object 2 etc. Linking objects You can link several primitives (prims) together to create one cohesive object. A linked object is, for all intents and purposes, considered one object. It has one name, acts as one object (for example, if physics are enabled on it), and it cannot be broken apart unless you Unlink it. However, a linked object still counts as the sum of its prims when determining your land's object limits. One prim of the object is considered the parent or root link. The name of the parent link is the name of the whole linked object. The inventory of the root prim is, for most purposes, the inventory of the whole object. The center (or origin) of the root prim is the center of the whole object, even if the root prim is not the physical center of the object itself. Vehicle scripts look at the root prim's orientation to determine the "front" of the vehicle. As a result, it is important which prim you select as the root prim. Linking Follow these steps to link together two or more prims: If you are not in the object Editor already, right-click any object and choose Edit, or open the Editor with Ctrl-3. With no object selected in the editor, hold down Shift and click on each prim you wish to link together, one at a time. Make the most important prim and/or scripted prim (root) the last one you select (such as the seat of a vehicle). Then, go to the Tools menu and select Link, or just press Ctrl-L. You can select Tools->Unlink or press Ctrl-Shift-L to break the object apart. Be aware of the following limitations: A linked object cannot exceed 54 meters in any dimension. Normally a linkset can have up to 256 prims; sitting avatars count as one prim each. Vehicles, or any physics-enabled object, cannot have more than 32 prims (sitting avatars don't count toward the physical prim limit). There is no nesting of linked groups. In other words, if you link a third object to two objects already linked and then unlink them it will not yield two groups but three. The Undo Feature Second Life's Undo is used to revert certain changes to an earlier state. While selecting an object, use Build > Undo, or the much quicker keyboard shortcut of Ctrl-Z. Watch this video to learn more: How to use Undo from Torley on Vimeo. Limitations Undo doesn't work if you have: Changed any of the texture settings on an object. (It won't switch back to the previous setting.) Deleted an object. (It won't bring it back inworld.) Added contents to an object. (If you drag a no-copy object from inventory into another object's contents, selecting Undo won't take it out.) This isn't all-inclusive; Undo generally doesn't work for most of an object's parameters. What does undo work on? Undo primarily reverts changes made to the position, size, and rotation of an object. For example, if you accidentally move a sofa inside a wall, undo snaps it back to where it was last. As shown in the video above, Undo can help you retrieve objects lost in walls. If you change the position, size, or rotation of an object using the numerical entry fields in the Build window's Object tab, you must click the object again to bring into focus and make Undo work. You can also use Undo when writing notecards or editing scripts; in this context, it functions similarly to a word processor's, and untypes what you last entered. Undo should also work on attachments. Please note that: Each object has its own independent "chain" of undos which remembers multiple steps. Since this data is stored on our servers, you should be able revert changes to objects inworld even after relogging. Remember that you must specifically select an object to undo changes to that object. (You'll see the positioning arrows and a yellow silhouette glow.)

Saving an outfit Re-using an item in multiple outfits The Outfit Gallery Upload a photo Select a photo from your inventory Take a snapshot Wearing a saved outfit Replacing your outfit Adding to your outfit You may save and load many different looks for your avatar by using outfits. An outfit can include everything that makes up your avatar, including but not limited to your shape, skin, hair, clothing, and attachments. You may access your current outfits by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar in the Second Life Viewer. This opens the Appearance window, which allows you to browse, edit, and save outfits. Saving an outfit You can easily save your current outfit by using the Appearance window: Customize your avatar's appearance to your liking. For tips and helpful information about customizing your avatar, see Controlling your avatar's appearance. Once you've settled on a look, open the Appearance window by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar of the Second Life Viewer. Press the Save As button to save what you are currently wearing as a new outfit. Choose an appropriate name for your outfit and press the Ok button. If you want to save changes to an existing outfit, you can click that outfit in the Outfit Gallery or My Outfits tab of the Appearance window to select it, then press the triangle next to the Save As button to reveal and click the Save option. Re-using an item in multiple outfits The items in an outfit are actually links to the items in your inventory rather than distinct copies. In addition to reducing overall inventory clutter, this allows you to include no-copy clothing and attachments in many different outfits without having to purchase them more than once. The Outfit Gallery For each outfit, you can select a thumbnail image to help you remember what that outfit looks like. This can be incredibly helpful for Residents who like to maintain many different looks! You can access the Outfit Gallery by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar of the Second Life Viewer and clicking the Outfit Gallery tab. Every outfit in your inventory is shown in the Outfit Gallery; if you have not yet assigned a thumbnail image to an outfit, it is shown as a folder image with a clothing hanger on it. There are three ways to assign a thumbnail image to one of your outfits: Upload a photo You can upload an image from your computer to be used as the thumbnail for an outfit. The aspect ratio should be 1:1, such as a 256x256 pixel image. Open the Appearance window to the Outfit Gallery tab by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar of the Second Life Viewer. Right-click the outfit for which you'd like to upload an image and select Upload Photo (L$10). Choose an image file to upload from your computer. The file is uploaded to Second Life and automatically set as the thumbnail for your selected outfit. You can also now access this image in the Textures folder of your Inventory window if you wish to use it again later. Select a photo from your inventory You can select a thumbnail image from your inventory in Second Life rather than uploading or creating a new image. This method is useful if you already have a good image of your outfit in your inventory and you'd like to avoid spending L$10 on uploading a new image or taking a snapshot. Open the Appearance window to the Outfit Gallery tab by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar. Right-click the outfit for which you'd like to select an image and choose Select Photo. Choose a saved texture or snapshot from the Select Photo window, which automatically opens to the Textures folder of your Second Life inventory, then click OK. The image is set as the thumbnail image for your selected outfit. Take a snapshot You can use the Outfit Gallery to take a specialized snapshot at the correct size and 1:1 aspect ratio for use as an outfit thumbnail. Frame your avatar on the screen as you would like it to appear for the thumbnail image. Open the Appearance window to the Outfit Gallery tab by choosing Me > Appearance from the top menu bar. Right-click the outfit for which you'd like to take a snapshot, then choose Take a Snapshot. The Outfit Snapshot window opens, showing a preview of the snapshot image. If you are unhappy with the way the image looks, you can re-frame the snapshot and press the Refresh button to recapture the preview. Press the Upload (L$10) button to upload your snapshot and set it as the thumbnail for your selected outfit. For additional information and tips on using the snapshot tool in Second Life, see Taking inworld snapshots. Wearing a saved outfit You may either replace or add to your current outfit, depending upon both your current outfit and the outfit you'd like to wear. Replacing your outfit You may replace your current outfit, which means that all parts of your existing avatar are removed and replaced with the saved outfit. This is most useful when your outfit includes a complete set of body shapes, parts, and attachments that may not necessarily work with your current outfit, such as when changing from a human avatar to a creature avatar. To completely remove your current outfit and replace it with one you have saved: Open the Appearance window by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar of the Second Life Viewer. On the Outfit Gallery or My Outfits tab of the Appearance window, right-click the name of the outfit you wish to wear and choose Wear - Replace Current Outfit to replace your current outfit. Adding to your outfit You may add to your current outfit, which means that the contents of the saved outfit are added to your avatar without removing your previous outfit. This is useful for adding specific clothing parts to your existing outfit, such as an overcoat that includes several avatar attachments. To add an outfit to your current appearance without removing your current outfit: Open the Appearance window by choosing Me > Appearance... from the top menu bar of the Second Life Viewer. On the Outfit Gallery or My Outfits tab of the Appearance window, right-click the name of the outfit you wish to wear and choose Wear - Add to Current Outfit.

What is the Statistics Bar? Basic Advanced Render Texture Network Simulator Time What is the Statistics Bar? The Statistics bar presents a detailed list of information about the performance of your computer and the Second Life world. While the sheer amount of information can be confusing, knowing what to look for can tell you a lot about what's going on in Second Life. To view the Statistics Bar, choose View > Statistics Bar. Basic Displays basic information about your Second Life performance. Click on the word Basic to hide or display this panel. FPS: The number of times per second your computer is redrawing(or refreshing) what's on the screen. Higher numbers are better. A framerate between 15-30 frames per second (FPS) is about as smooth as broadcast television. Bandwidth: How much data is being transferred between your computer and the Second Life world. This number varies wildly depending on what bandwidth settings you've used, where you are inworld, what's going on, and whether you're still loading some things (objects/textures/etc) that are in your field of view. If bandwidth is 0kbps, something may be wrong (you may be partially disconnected). Packet Loss: The amount of data being lost as it travels between your computer and the server. Any nonzero packet loss is bad; packetloss above 10% is very bad. Packet loss might be caused by a dying server (in which case everyone in the region would be experiencing it), a bad connection between you and Second Life (possibly a bad router between your ISP and Second Life, or congestion at your ISP), or problems on your local network (wireless networking, or internet security or firewall software on your computer). Ping Sim: How long it takes data to go from your computer to the region you're currently in. This is largely dependent on your connection to the Internet. If Ping Sim is high but Ping User is not, the server might be having problems. Advanced Displays lots of nitty-gritty details about your Second Life performance. Most of these details are less useful than Basic or Simulator. Click on the word Advanced to hide or display this panel. Render Displays information related to drawing the Second Life world. KTris Drawn: (per frame) Computer-generated 3D objects are built out of triangles (the basic geometric shape). This is a count of the number of triangles, or "tris", in each frame of the current scene. KTris Drawn: (per second) This is a count of the number of triangles ("tris") drawn every second. Total Objs: The number of objects currently in view, which includes: Prims Avatars Terrain patches Trees Particle groups Water patches New Objs: The number of objects being downloaded per second. Texture Detailed information on the textures currently in use. Click on the word Texture to hide or display this panel. Count: The number of unique textures loaded by the viewer. Raw Count: The number of textures loaded by the viewer that have been paged out (exist in application memory and not driver memory). GL Mem: The amount of driver memory consumed by textures. Formatted Mem: Raw Mem: The amount of application memory consumed by textures. Bound Mem: The memory size of all textures bound for rendering per frame. Network Information coming soon! Simulator Displays statistics for the region (simulator) you're currently in. Click on the word Simulator to hide or display this panel. NOTE: an "agent" is either a user in a given region (a "main agent") or a user in a neighboring region (a "child agent"). Any user who can see objects inside a simulator region increases the load on that simulator. The nominal values below are for simulators running on a single simulator per CPU. On other simulators (such as water simulators), these number will be different. Time Dilation - The physics simulation rate relative to realtime. 1.0 means that the simulator is running at full speed; 0.5 means that physics are running at half-speed. Sim FPS - The simulator frame rate. This should now always be the same as the physics frame rate -- 45.0 when things are running well. Physics FPS - The frame rate at which the physics engine is running. This should normally be at or near 45.0. Agent Updates/Sec - The rate at which agents on this simulator are being updated. Normally 20 updates a second, this will decrease if the simulator has a large number of agents on it. Main Agents - The number of agents (users) who are on this simulator. Child Agents - The number of agents who are not on this simulator, but can see it. Objects - The total number of primitives on the simulator. This value does not include primitives being worn as attachments. Active Objects - The number of objects containing active scripts on the simulator. This value does not include scripts inside attachments, unless the attachment wearer is sitting on a scripted object. Active Scripts - The number of running scripts that are currently on the simulator, including scripts attached to agents and objects. Script Perf - Number of LSL opcodes being executed a second by the simulator. Note that this is the number of ACTUAL instructions executed in the last second, not the theoretical maximum opcodes/second. If your simulator is not running very many scripts, this number will be low even if performance is good. Packets In - UDP packets being received by the simulator. Packets Out - UDP packets being sent by the simulator. Pending Downloads - Number of asset downloads to the simulator that are pending. If this is greater than 1, this means that you may see delays in viewing notecards or scripts, and rezzing objects. Pending Uploads - Number of current uploads of asset data pending. If this number is non-zero, this means that there may be performance issues when attempting to teleport. Total Unacked Bytes - The size of the reliable packet data sitting on the server waiting to be acknowledged. A large number may indicate a thin pipe or other possible problems between the viewer and the sim. Time The following are the different times listed in the Time section of the Statistics bar. Click Time to hide or display this panel. Total Frame Time - The sum of all time values listed below it, this measures how much time it takes the simulator to run everything that the simulator is trying to do each frame. < 22 ms - The simulator is healthy, everything is running as fast as it can, and more scripts can be added without reducing the performance of individual scripts. approx. 22 ms - The simulator is healthy, but there are probably a lot of scripts and agents on the simulator, meaning that script execution is being slowed down in order to maintain the simulator frame rate. > 22 ms - The simulator is experiencing severe load, either due to physics or a large number of agents, such that even by slowing down script execution it is impossible to compensate. The simulator frame rate has been reduced as a result. Net Time - The amount of time spent responding to incoming network data. Sim Time (Physics) - The amount of time that frame spent running physics simulations. In general, this should be less than 5 milliseconds. Sim Time (Other) - The amount of time that frame spent running other simulations (agent movement, weather simulation, etc.) Agent Time - The amount of time spent updating and transmitting object data to the agents. Images Time - The amount of time spent updating and transmitting image data to the agents. Script Time - The amount of time spent running scripts. Note: The 'Script Time' reported here is the total time slot the server used to run all scripts, so it includes lots of overhead when compared to the Estate tool, Top Scripts.

Error messages Waiting for region handshake Your account is not accessible until (date/time) You cannot log into Second Life from this location DNS could not resolve the host name Possible causes Linden Lab may have temporarily restricted all logins Wrong password Account disabled due to delinquency Account on hold due to disciplinary action The system is logging you out What to do Change your login location In other languages: Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本語 Português Русский Türkçe This article helps you identify your problem and choose an appropriate solution. Before you start troubleshooting: First check Second Life grid status to make sure there are currently no known issues that prevent login. Error messages If you can't log in to Second Life, the error message may indicate the source of the issue. Waiting for region handshake The "Waiting for Region Handshake" message occurs when the Second Life Viewer does not receive an acknowledgement from the server. The usual cause of this error is a firewall blocking UDP packets. Reconfigure your firewall to resolve this problem. For information on how to configure firewalls, see: Using Second Life with a firewall. Your account is not accessible until (date/time) If the error states that you are already logging in (or out), then Second Life is still attempting to log out your avatar. Close Second Life, wait fifteen minutes, then attempt to log in again. If you see this error message: Login failed; Your account is not accessible until (date/time) — this usually means that your Second Life account has been administratively blocked. Short-term blocks (less than an hour) may be the result of inappropriate behavior inworld. Longer blocks are typically the result of abuse. You will be unable to use Second Life until the indicated time; if that is more than an hour away, you will receive an email from the abuse team on the matter. Be sure to check your spam filters. Linden Lab is unable to remove administrative blocks for abuse. You cannot log into Second Life from this location This error message may also appear as: Login failed. Second Life cannot be accessed from this computer. These messages generally indicate you have been blocked from the Second Life servers by Linden Lab as the result of: Documented cases of fraud Use of Second Life by a minor Exceptionally flagrant abuse activity Note that someone else in your household may be responsible for this activity, not necessariliy with your account. If you believe that this is an error, submit a support ticket via the support portal. To help customer support determine what block has been placed and why, include in the ticket your Second Life account name and any Second Life accounts that log in from your location. DNS could not resolve the host name This error may also appear as: Host http not found Login failed. Unable to connect to a simulator. These messages indicate that your computer has a general networking issue with the domain name service (DNS) that translates numerical IP addresses into human-readable ones. Confirm that you can reach internet sites such as secondlife.com, Google, or others. Once your computer can connect to these websites, this error should no longer occur. Also check whether there is a wider issue with Second Life, as described below. Usually, restarting your computer and your router will resolve this issue. If not, contact your internet service provider. You may also wish to try using Google's DNS servers to see if that will resolve the issue. See Using Google Public DNS for more information. Possible causes Linden Lab may have temporarily restricted all logins Linden Lab occasionally restricts access to Second Life when its servers experience severe technical difficulties or require major maintenance. These outages affect all Residents and are not limited to your computer or account. Check the status of the Second Life at http://status.secondlifegrid.net. This page lists any known issues. Wrong password Incorrect passwords are a common cause of login failure. Passwords are case-sensitive, so remember to check Caps Lock if you know you entered your password correctly. If you've forgotten your user name or password, follow the instructions in Account credentials to retrieve it. Account disabled due to delinquency If you do not pay your tier or private Region fees in a timely fashion, your account and your alternate accounts may be disabled for delinquency. For more information, see Delinquency Policy. Account on hold due to disciplinary action If we find that a Resident has broken our Terms of Service, Community Standards, or other policies, we may place that Resident's account on hold as a disciplinary measure. When we place an account on hold in this way, we send an email to the account holder at the address registered to that account. Important: Make sure you add "secondlife.com" and "lindenlab.com" to your email client's trusted senders list to prevent our messages from getting marked as spam or junk mail. The system is logging you out Your previous session must be logged out before you can get back into Second Life. Sometimes, usually after a recent logout or crash, Second Life mistakenly thinks you are still logged in. If you receive a login failure message stating that "The system is logging you out...," try waiting a few minutes before logging in again. If you continue to receive this message, you may be a victim of "stuck presence," which can be fixed by restarting the region in which your avatar is stuck. Residents with premium or Concierge level accounts may request a region restart via live chat, ticket submission, or phone support. Basic accounts do not have access to avatar-level support at this time. What to do If you're not sure why you can't log in, try these things: Double-check your username and password. If you continue to receive an error message, try logging into the Second Life website. If you are unable to log into the website, the problem is likely to be your username or password. Follow the Forgot your login information? instructions on the website to reset your password. Change your login location to a different region. See below for instructions on how to do this. Restart your computer, modem, and router. When restarting, make sure to leave everything powered off for at least ten seconds before restarting. This step can often fix routing issues and other connection-related problems. If you are still unable to log in, premium and Concierge Residents may contact customer support via live chat, support cases (tickets), or telephone. Basic customers may file a support case. See How to contact customer support for more information. Change your login location A starting location field appears on the login screen; you may choose to log in at your last location, your home, or you may enter the name of any Region in order to attempt to log into that Region directly. (Optional): Set these preferences in order to enable your favorite locations in the dropdown on the login screen: Start Second Life. At the login screen, go to Me > Preferences. Click the General tab. Check the box marked Show favorite locations on login screen. Click OK.

Graphics card basics Cost What to do if you're having graphics problems Tip: If you want to learn about whole systems that run Second Life well, see choosing a computer! Graphics card basics Your graphics card (also called a video card) is the hardware that creates the images shown on your monitor. This card does much of the work involved in calculating and drawing the 3D world for applications like the Second Life Viewer. As a result, your graphics card plays a crucial part in your Second Life experience. To find out what kind of graphics you have, get your system info. Important: Make sure your graphics card is Second Life capable! If your card doesn't meet our System Requirements, you may not be able to use Second Life at all. Cost While prices around the world vary, these days you can easily find a graphics card that exceeds our Recommendations — one substantially above the minimum Requirements — for US$50-100. The Buying graphics cards page contains helpful suggestions from fellow Residents about where to purchase your card. What to do if you're having graphics problems Important: Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions. Consult the websites below for details and support. On Windows: ATI/AMD drivers NVIDIA drivers Intel drivers Apple integrates hardware and software more closely than Windows. Problems are less likely, but there are fewer revisions and workarounds (provided through Software Update). The following procedure, called a clean install, will often fix problems related to graphics cards and drivers: Download the latest graphics driver from the chipset manufacturer (ATI, Nvidia, or Intel), not the maker of your graphics card or computer. Save the file where you can easily find it, but do not install it yet. Run Windows Update and make sure your system is fully patched. Reboot your computer and enter Safe Mode by pressing F8 at the Windows logo screen. Uninstall your old video driver. On Windows XP use Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager (steps will be different on other operating systems). Then open Display Adapters, right-click and choose Uninstall. Reboot your computer. If Windows displays a message that it found new hardware, do not let it automatically install drivers. Instead, run the installation program that you downloaded in step 1. Reboot your computer You should now have a clean version of your video driver. If this doesn't solve the problem, try searching the Issue Tracker for known issues. Note: Intel Extreme graphics are not compatible with Second Life. It may be possible for certain configurations of hardware and software to successfully run Second Life while using Intel Extreme graphics; however, these configurations are inherently unstable. Note about NVIDIA drivers NVIDIA graphics cards may cause driver-related problems. After installing the latest NVIDIA drivers, the Second Life® Viewer may crash with an error message that states: "Second Life is unable to run because your video card drivers did not install properly, are out of date, or are for unsupported hardware." This appears to be a problem with the NVIDIA drivers' initial installation: the first time the install process is run, something fails silently — a file or set of files doesn't copy properly, but the installer doesn't give you any notice that something went wrong. There is a solution: ensure that all of your applications are closed, and install the NVIDIA drivers again. For some reason, the drivers almost always install correctly the second time. If these steps do not solve your problem, please see NVIDIA's Driver Installation Hints. Note about Windows Vista Second Life requires that the Windows drivers for the system's graphics card fully support the OpenGL graphics standard. Any graphics card whose installed driver does not support OpenGL detects as a "GDI Generic" instead. This message means that Second Life has detected no hardware with OpenGL support. It's up to the graphics vendor (Nvidia or ATI) to provide drivers that support both OpenGL and your operating system. As of this writing, we have successfully run Second Life on Vista under several PCs equipped with Nvidia's Geforce graphics cards. If you receive this message under Vista, are running graphics hardware that meets our Minimum System Requirements, and can't find a driver provided by your graphics vendor that provides OpenGL support, you'll be unable to run Second Life under Windows Vista on that computer.

The following software services are known to be incompatible with Second Life and are currently unsupported. This list is subject to change as we continue to upgrade and expand the capabilities of Second Life: Software Notes HP Remote Graphics Software TeamViewer Bigfoot network cards Faulty installer. A workaround can be found here. Microsoft Skydrive

What is a Third-Party Viewer (TPV)? I have a problem. Is it my viewer, or is it the service? Does this mean I have to switch viewers to get support? I have a problem that occurs on a specific Third-Party Viewer. What can I do? Example Contacting Second Life Support What is a Third-Party Viewer (TPV)? A Third-Party Viewer (TPV) is a piece of software created by individuals or groups other than Linden Lab which is used to access the Second Life service. Examples include chat clients, programs to operate automated accounts (bots), or full-scale clients to interact with the Second Life service in much the same way that the official Second Life Viewer operates. Many Third-Party Viewers are listed in the Viewer Directory on the Second Life Wiki. Viewers listed in the directory must obey the Linden Lab Policy on Third-Party Viewers, which includes provisions to protect privacy and intellectual property rights. I have a problem. Is it my viewer, or is it the service? Identifying the source of a performance problem can sometimes be difficult. Problems can exist in the viewer, which runs on your computer, or with the service that the viewer connects to, including the servers and network infrastructure that run Second Life's virtual world. One relatively simple way to determine the source of a problem is to try to reproduce the issue on a different viewer. If a problem exists on two or more different viewers, either a Third-Party Viewer or the official Second Life Viewer, the issue is probably with the service or the network connection between your viewer and service -- both viewers connect to the same service by the same internet connection. If the problem continues to exist after switching viewers, this points to a problem in something those two viewers share -- in this case, the service or the connection. If only one of the viewers has the issue, then the problem is with the viewer and you should seek support from the organization that created that viewer. Does this mean I have to switch viewers to get support? You do not need to switch viewers in order to get support from Linden Lab. Our support staff frequently suggests to Residents experiencing performance problems that they should attempt to replicate the problem using a different viewer -- ideally, one that is significantly different from the one they are currently using. In most cases, we offer the official Second Life Viewer as an alternative because it is the most heavily documented and tested viewer available to our team for troubleshooting purposes. Switching viewers is a temporary diagnostic action; once the source of the problem is identified, Residents should be able to continue using their usual viewer of choice. If the performance problem is related to the Second Life service, a network issue, or can be reliably reproduced on multiple viewers, the Second Life support team can provide assistance. Often the quickest way to receive assistance with a performance issue is to visit our Support Portal for tutorials, Second Life Answers, and our Knowledge Base. Note: Premium and Concierge Residents have a variety of Support options available to them, including LiveChat with a Support Agent and expanded support case options. Visit our Support Portal for more information. I have a problem that occurs on a specific Third-Party Viewer. What can I do? Most Third-Party Viewer developers are extremely passionate and active about maintaining their work, and many offer support services for their viewer and code. Many TPVs are updated with bug fixes on a regular basis and developers frequently encourage feedback and bug reports to help improve their projects. The Viewer Directory has links to many of the developers' websites, which are the best place to find information specific to a Third-Party Viewer's issues. Many developer websites have forums, specific email addresses, and lists of known issues. Residents who prefer a Third-Party Viewer experience are encouraged to check their developer's website frequently for updates and important information. Example The Phoenix Firestorm project is a Third-Party Viewer developer whose primary goal is to improve the Second Life user experience with new features while extending usability, functionality and flexibility of the Viewer 3 code base. Their website at http://www.phoenixviewer.com/ has updates to current events, new features, and announcements of upcoming changes which may affect their users. They offer a support page for their viewer at http://www.phoenixviewer.com/support.php as well as information about how to contact volunteers and support staff inside Second Life and through their website. Contacting Second Life Support Many issues can be resolved by Residents themselves at the Second Life Support Portal -- often the quickest answers come from other experienced and helpful Residents through Second Life Answers or the Community Forums. When more in-depth support is required, the Second Life Support team is here to assist. When contacting Support, please be sure to include what steps you've already taken to address the problem. When filling out a Support case, please be as thorough and specific as possible in order to assist the Support Team in providing you with the help you need. To contact Support, please follow the instructions in the article: How to contact customer support.

Graphical errors in the Second Life Viewer If you are running Second Life on a PC with an Intel HD 4000 graphics processor with outdated drivers, you may experience some or all of the following symptoms: Color corruption on buttons and floaters Flickering user interface (UI) components such as buttons and menus All inworld textures appear black when S3TC is enabled in the Hardware Settings section of the Graphics Preferences window Seemingly random or intermittent crashing while not performing a specific activity These issues may be resolved by downloading and installing the latest Intel HD 4000 driver from Intel's download center. Second Life crashes when logging out on a secondary monitor Second Life may crash when you try to log out while the Second Life Viewer is displayed on a secondary monitor. This issue only occurs when the viewer window is maximized; you can avoid this crash by either moving the viewer window to your primary monitor or unmaximizing the window before logging out. This issue may be resolved in a future update to the Intel HD 4000 graphics driver.

Starting with Second Life Viewer 4.0, the internal web browser of the Second Life Viewer has been updated to use the Chromium Embedded Framework. This allows content creators to use a much wider array of web technologies in their products for Second Life, including Adobe Flash. However, in order to use Flash in the Second Life Viewer, you must first install a specific version of the Adobe Flash Player on your computer. Installing the Adobe Flash Player for use with Second Life To install the Adobe Flash Player on your computer for use with Second Life: Make sure that plugins are enabled in the Second Life Viewer by choosing Me > Preferences from the top menu bar, then clicking the Setup tab of the Preferences window. Enable plugins should be checked. Visit http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/ using your web browser. Under Step 1, select your operating system. Under Step 2, select FP 20 for Opera and Chromium - PPAPI. Click the Download now button to download the Flash Player installer. Run the Adobe Flash Player installer and follow the instructions onscreen to complete the installation. Restart the Second Life Viewer. You may now view Flash content in the Second Life Viewer's web browser, and on Shared Media-enabled objects in the Second Life world.

Prerequisites and setup Configuring device settings Technical requirements Enabling and disabling voice Testing voice Overview of voice in Second Life Voice-enabled land Voice dots Using toggle-to-speak mode The Conversations window Blocking people Speech gestures Nearby voice chat Volume and camera position Listening distance Controlling speakers' volume Individual voice chat Ad hoc conference call Group voice chat Voice settings for landowners How to enable or disable voice Maturity ratings and voice Troubleshooting Reducing background noise Voice morphing How to preview a voice morph How to get voice morphs How to use a voice morph This article describes Second Life's voice features and how to use them. Prerequisites and setup To use voice chat you need a: Computer that fulfills the System Requirements. Broadband (DSL or cable) connection to the Internet. Headset (strongly recommended), or a microphone and speakers for your computer. Using earphones avoids potential issues with feedback or disruptive echoes. Configuring device settings Your device settings determine the microphone and speakers that Second Life uses. To configure your device settings: Choose Me > Preferences. Click the Sound & Media tab. Click the Input/Output devices button. Click the Input dropdown to select a device for your microphone Click the Output dropdown to select a device for your speakers. In some cases, you may need to exit and restart the Second Life Viewer. If you prefer, you can change the default input and output devices on your operating system. See your operating system documentation for more information. Technical requirements Voice requires at least 32kbps upload and 64kbps download bandwidth, regardless of the number of speakers. UDP ports 5060 or 5062 must be open. For information on using voice behind a firewall, see Configuring your firewall. Enabling and disabling voice By default, voice is enabled in the Second Life Viewer. To turn it off: Choose Me > Preferences. Click the Sound & Media tab. Deselect Enabled next to Voice Chat. Voice is disabled immediately, and all of the voice settings will be grayed out. This means you can't hear anyone talking nor be heard yourself. Testing voice Teleport to Voice Echo Canyon and start talking. Whatever you say there will be repeated back to you so you can test the quality of your voice. Overview of voice in Second Life There are the following types of voice chat in Second Life: Nearby voice chat among people in close proximity inworld. See Nearby voice chat. Individual voice chat (also called a voice call), a private conversation between two people. See Individual voice chat. Group voice chat among members of a Second Life group. See Group voice chat. See Group voice chat. Important: You can only participate in one type of voice chat at a time. For example: If you're talking to people around you in spatial chat and then start an individual chat, you won't be able to hear those around you anymore in spatial chat, nor will they hear you. Voice-enabled land To use voice, the land you are on must be voice-enabled. If the land you are on does not have voice enabled, the Speak button is dimmed and you can't click it. To check whether the land you are on is voice enabled, choose World > Place Profile. This window shows On next to Voice if the parcel has voice enabled. Voice dots Voice-enabled avatars have white "voice dots" floating above their heads (including your own). Green or red waves radiating from the voice dot indicate someone is speaking. This is the voice intensity indicator, and also indicates their volume: green indicates the volume is within normal range; red indicates the volume is too loud, potentially causing distortion or clipping. Important: If the voice intensity indicator turns red, then either: You're speaking too loudly. The microphone is too close to your mouth. Your microphone's volume control is turned up too far. Adjust these things until the voice indicator stays green when you speak and seldom flickers to red. Using toggle-to-speak mode In toggle-to-speak mode, you turn and off your voice chat microphone by pressing a certain key. To configure toggle-to-speak: Select Me > Preferences > Sound & Media. Select Toggle speak on/off when I press. Click Set Key. A popup prompts you to Press a key to set your Speak button. Press the desired key and click Set Key. Click OK to save your changes. Now pressing that key toggles the microphone on or off. The Conversations window Click the Chat button to display the Conversations window that displays the people in your current chat, either spatial, group or individual chat. People who are talking are shown at the top of the list. To control the speaker's volume: Mouse over their name in the Conversations window Click . Use the slider to set their volume. Blocking people Block someone to silence their voice chat, instant messages (IMs) and text chat: Right-click their avatar choose Block. Alternatively, right-click the Resident's name in the the Conversations window to block them. This should always be your first step if someone inworld is irritating, attacking, or griefing you. For more information, see Blocking. Speech gestures Second Life speech gestures are animations that automatically play as you are speaking in voice chat. The speech gestures are randomly selected from nine different animations in your Library's Gestures folder, based on the intensity of your voice. There are sets of gestures for low, medium, and high-intensity speech volumes. To enable speech gestures, drag the folder labeled "Speech Gestures" from your Library on to your avatar. To disable them, right-click the Speech Gestures folder and select Take Off Items. For more information on gestures, see Gestures and animations. Nearby voice chat Nearby voice chat is when you are talking to someone you can see inworld. It is sometimes referred to as spatial voice chat. If you're on voice-enabled land, simply walk up to another voice-enabled avatar and click on the Speak button at the bottom of the Viewer window to talk to them. When others speak, you see their intensity indicators and hear their voices as they hear yours. As you walk around someone speaking, you'll hear their voice move around in 3D. For example, if you turn toward someone and move closer, for example, his or her voice grows louder. Volume and camera position By default in nearby voice chat, a speaker's volume depends on how far the avatar is from your camera's position. For example, if you walk up to someone who is speaking, their voice becomes louder. As you move away, the voice becomes softer, until you can't hear it at all. Use the camera controls (Alt-mouse zooming, for example) to create a momentary "audio focus" on a given speaker. This is helpful to pick a voice out of a crowd of talking avatars without moving. You can set whether to listen from your avatar's position or your camera's position as follows: Choose Me > Preferences > Sound & Media Click Listen from: Camera position to listen from the camera position. Click Listen from: Avatar position to listen from your avatar's position. Click OK. Listening distance The listening distance for nearby voice chat depends on a preference setting. You can hear voice chat up to 60 meters from your listening position. Therefore, if you selected : Listen from: Avatar position, you can hear voice chat up to 60 meters away. Listen from: Camera position, you can hear voice chat from up to 110 meters away (because your camera can be up to 50 meters from your avatar, plus 60 meters from your camera). Group voice chat and indivdual voice calls have no distance limitations. Controlling speakers' volume To adjust the volume of people in nearby chat: Mouse over their avatar Click . Adjust the slider at the bottom of the window or click on the speaker icon to turn off someone's speaking volume altogether. Alternatively, you can control volume using the VOICE SETTINGS window as explained below. Individual voice chat You can talk to another person directly, no matter where you are inworld. This is sometimes referred to as a private call or private voice chat. If you're using IM to talk to someone and they have voice enabled, you can click Call to initiate a individucal voice chat session. To start a individual voice chat session with a friend: Click at the bottom of the Second Life window. The PEOPLE window opens. In the NEARBY or FRIENDS tab, mouse over the person to whom you wish to talk. Double-click on their name. In the window that opens, click Call A pop-up advises you that you'll be leaving nearby voice chat; meanwhile the person you are calling sees a pop-up asking if they want to accept your call. If they do so, your private conversation starts. If not, then you are returned to nearby voice chat. Ad hoc conference call An ad hoc conference call is a private conversation among a set of people you choose. They don't have to be your friends or in a group. To start an ad hoc call: Click at the bottom of the Second Life window. The PEOPLE window opens. In the NEARBY or FRIENDS tab, Ctrl-click on the people to whom you wish to talk. Right click on the selected people and choose Voice call. An ad hoc group conference starts among the people you chose. Group voice chat To start a voice chat session with a group: Click at the bottom of the Second Life window. The PEOPLE window opens. Click the GROUPS tab. Double-click the name of a group. A new window opens. Click Call. In general, when you're talking to a group, the window works exactly like it does for nearby chat. It: Displays a list of everyone in the group who's talking or typing Tracks the volume of individual speakers Displays the group text chat history Offers individual volume and mute controls Voice settings for landowners Voice is available by default across all of Second Life, but you must be on land that has voice enabled and with other Residents who have voice enabled. As a landowner, you can enable or disable voice for a single parcel and for an entire estate. To use voice, it must be enabled for both the estate and the parcel you are in. How to enable or disable voice To enable or disable voice for a parcel you own: Stand on the parcel. Right-click the ground and select About Land or choose World > About land. Click the SOUND tab. Select (or deselect) Enable Voice. To restrict voice to the parcel, select Restrict voice to this parcel; those outside the parcel won't be able to hear those in the parcel talking. To enable or disable voice for a whole estate you own or control: Go to a region within the estate. Choose World > Region/Estate. Click the Estate tab. Select (or deselect) Allow Voice Chat. Maturity ratings and voice If you are in an Adult region, you can speak in nearby voice chat only with other Residents who are also in Adult regions. See Maturity ratings for more information. Troubleshooting If you are having voice issues, check the following: Make sure you've downloaded and are using a Second Life Viewer that has voice chat. Voice is part of the standard Second Life Viewer, but some unsupported alternate viewers exclude it. Make sure Skype isn't running. Even if you're not engaged in a Skype call, having Skype open can affect your audio settings. Check your Viewer preferences: Choose Me > Preferences. Click the Sound & Media tab. Make sure the Enabled checkbox next to Voice Chat is selected. Check that the Voice Chat slider is at a good level (it's halfway by default) and not muted. Ensure the estate you are on is voice-enabled: Click World > Region / Estate. Click the Estate tab. Check that Allow Voice Chat is selected. Ensure the parcel you're on is also voice-enabled: Click World > About Land > Place Profile. Make sure Voice is On. If your volume works but some people can't hear you, your microphone: May be too far away. May not be working properly. Settings may be incorrect or have changed for some reason. If you've followed all these steps and voice still doesn't work, make sure your headset and/or microphone are set up properly as detailed above. Also check whether your headset or mic has a mute switch and it is off. The same goes for mute settings on your computer. Reducing background noise To reduce background noise when using voice chat: Use the toggle-to-speak feature. By only "transmitting" when you have something to say, you won't inadvertently broadcast any ambient noise or side-conversations happening around you. Make sure the room you're in is as quiet as reasonably possible: close doors to noisy rooms, turn down loud music and ask your friends and colleagues to quiet down. No amount of noise-cancellation will filter out a wild party! Get a computer headset with a noise-canceling microphone. Using a headset ensures that you won't transmit the sounds made by your computer's speakers, and a noise-canceling microphone can filter out unwanted ambient noise from your surroundings when you speak. Voice morphing Voice morphing transforms your natural voice into something bigger, smaller, bolder, or completely different. As you speak, the technology seamlessly modifies the pitch, speed, tone, and other key attributes of your voice. Depending on which morph you choose, the effect can be subtle or quite dramatic. Since the system is not a text-to-voice synthesizer but instead builds on your own voice, you can continue to speak naturally into your microphone while your new, morphed voice is heard inworld. How to preview a voice morph You can preview what your voice will sound like with any of the available morphs before you decide to subscribe to a Morph Pack: Choose Communicate > Voice morphing > Preview from the top menu bar to open the Voice Morphing Preview window. Click Record then speak a sample phrase into your microphone. The Record button turns into a Stop button. Click Stop. Click the name of a voice morph in the list to hear your sample phrase under the influence of that morph. How to get voice morphs Voice morphs are available exclusively in themed Morph Packs. You can subscribe to a Morph Pack in 30-day increments by paying a scripted vendor object inworld: Choose Communicate > Voice morphing > Subscribe to open your web browser to: https://secondlife.com/destination/voice-island. In your web browser, click Teleport to teleport to Premium Morph Services. Find a voice morph vendor that contains a voice morph you like. Be sure to preview each voice morph before subscribing, as described above. Click the vendor. How to use a voice morph Choose a voice morph from Communicate > Voice morphing. When transmitting, your voice is now altered by the selected voice morph.

Using text chat How to stop the typing animation Text chat emotes Text chat distance limits Automatic text chat translation Sending instant messages (IMs) How to start an IM conversation Offline instant messages Group IM sessions Ad-hoc conferences IM backlogs Scripted objects limit Chat and IM logs Log files Changing log file location Additional chat log settings There are several types of instantaneous text communication in Second Life: Local text chat, where everyone nearby inworld sees what you type. Instant message (IM), where only the recipient sees what you type. Group text chat, where everyone in a group to which you belong sees what you type (if the moderator allows it). Note: Text chat and instant messages are not encrypted. This article explains text chat and IMs. For more information on group text chat, see Group moderation. Using text chat To text chat, click the Chat button (by default in the lower toolbar) or choose Communicate > Chat How to stop the typing animation By default, when you type text chat, an animation plays so that your avatar appears to be typing in mid-air with an accompanying typing sound. To stop the typing animation and sound: Choose Me > Preferences Choose the Chat tab. Deselect Play typing animation when chatting. Text chat emotes You can add emotional nuances to text chat by using emotes. The following emotes affect text chat. /me Begin a line of chat with /me to phrase it from your perspective. For example, if your display name is "Professor Doc" and you enter: /me feels delighted to emote It appears to everyone as: Professor Doc feels delighted to emote /shout Type /shout before text chat to "shout" something. The text will be seen by everyone within a 100 meter radius. You can also shout by completing your line of chat with Ctrl + Enter ↵. Additionally: The text in the Conversations window is preceded by "shouts:". Your avatar plays a shouting animation. For example, if you type /shout Hello, world! The Conversations window shows: shouts: Hello, world! /whisper Type /whisper before a line of text chat to "whisper" something. The text will be seen only by those within a 10 meter radius. Additionally: The text in the Conversations window is preceded by "whispers:". Your avatar plays a whispering animation For example, if you type /whisper Hello, world... The Conversations window shows: whispers: Hello, world... Text chat distance limits How far away your text chat is seen depends on the type of chat and whether you use an emote: Normal text chat has a range of 20 meters; that is, you must be standing within 20 meters of the source to hear the chat. To use normal text chat, input your text into the chat field, then press Enter. Shouted text chat has a range of 100 meters. Whispered text has a range of 10 meters. Instant messages, group chats and friend conferences have no distance limitations. The recipients will see the text regardless of where they are inworld. Automatic text chat translation You can set up the Second Life Viewer to automatically translate text chat into the language of your choosing. You must set up an account with Google or Bing to enable text chat translation. Previously, Google provided free translation services, but this has now ended, and you must establish your own account with Bing or Google which may incur a cost. Choose Me > Preferences > Chat, then click Translation to display the Chat Translation Settings window. Sending instant messages (IMs) Instant messaging (IM) is a private way to communicate with individuals or groups to which you belong. You can IM any Resident, no matter where they are, inworld or offline, at any time, in contrast to local chat which is limited to those inworld at the same time. How to start an IM conversation Start an IM conversation with a person in any of these ways: Right-click a nearby avatar and choose IM. Click the People button in the toolbar, then in the Nearby or My Friends tab: Double-click a person's name. Alternatively, right-click the person's name and choose IM In a person's profile: Click Choose IM. Click to open the Search window, then: Select People in the dropdown. Enter your search term and click Search. In the search results, click IM under the desired person. To put more than one person in the same IM conversation, see Group IM sessions. Getting IMs when you are not logged in By default, if you get an IM and are not logged in, Second Life emails the IM to you offline at the email address specified in your contact information. You can change this preference in your Second Life dashboard or the Viewer. On the Web: Log in to your dashboard. On the left, click Account, then click Change Email Address. Check or uncheck I would like to receive offline IMs via Email. Click Save Changes. In the Second Life Viewer: Choose Me > Preferences. Click the Chat tab. Select Email me IMs when I'm offline. Replying to IM emails If you reply via email to an IM, the original sender receives an IM. You still receive the forwarded IMs the next time you log in (up to 25), but you do not see any replies you've made via email. When replying to an IM by email, the message is limited to 1023 characters, and you must reply within five days. Group IM sessions As a member of a group, you can send IMs to everyone in the group. To do this, double-click your group's name in the People window to open an IM session with all online group members or choose Communicate > Groups. For more information, see Group moderation. Ad-hoc conferences In addition to individual and group IMs, you can also create an ad-hoc IM conference among a set of your friends. To start an ad hoc IM conference: Click the People button on the toolbar. Click the Friends section. Use Shift-click or Ctrl-Click to select friends for your IM conference. Click the dropdown and choose IM or Call. Type something in the IM chat box to start your IM conference. Press Enter. Note: Ad-hoc conferences are limited to no more than twenty participants. IM backlogs If you receive an IM and are not logged in, the IM goes into a "backlog" that appears as a set of notification icons in the upper right of your Viewer when you log in. The backlog can contain up to 25 IMs, including inventory transfers, group invitations, and group notifications. If someone gives you an inventory item (generating an IM message), the message lands in your inventory's Trash folder, and you can rescue it when you return. If a scripted object sends the inventory, it is deleted immediately. Second Life retains IMs in the backlog for 31 days. If you do not log in within 31 days to view your IMs, they are no longer available. Scripted objects limit An object may send up to 5000 IMs per hour. Chat and IM logs By default, Second Life automaticallys saves local chat and IM conversations to log files on your hard drive. Log files Log files are saved to a location that depends on you operating system: Windows: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\SecondLife\chat.txt Mac OSX: Users/Username/Library/Application Support/SecondLife/Avatarname/chat.txt Where Username is your system account name and Avatarname is your Second Life username. Important: You may need to enable your file browser's ability to view hidden files to access your chat logs at their default location. Changing log file location To change where chat log files are stored: Choose Me > Preferences on the menu bar. Choose the Chat tab. The Location field shows the path to the chat log file. Click Browse to change the location. Click OK. Note: This does not change the location of your existing log files. To keep appending to your current logs, move them to the new location. Additional chat log settings In this window, you can also set the following options: Save - Choose from the dropdown to save the nearby chat log, IM transcripts, both, or none. Clear log - Clears the nearby chat log. Delete transcripts - Deletes IM transcripts.

Adding snapshots to your activity feed Emailing snapshots Saving snapshots to your inventory Saving snapshots to your computer Advanced options 360 snapshots (Project Viewer) Taking a 360 snapshot Viewing 360 snapshots Disabling snapshot sound and animation Snapshot Tips Antialiasing Other graphics settings To take a snapshot in Second Life, click the Snapshot button (shown at left), choose World > Snapshot, or press Ctrl-Shift-S. The SNAPSHOT PREVIEW window opens. You can then: Post the image to your Second Life profile feed. Email the image. Save the image to your inventory for a L$10 fee. Save the image to your computer. With any of these options, click to display advanced options. Click ? in this window for additional help information. When you take a snapshot, your avatar performs a picture-taking animation and makes a whirrr-click sound effect. For instructions on how to disable the sound animation, see Disabling snapshot sound and animation. Note: If you don't see the Snapshot button, you can add it to your toolbar as follows: Right-click on one of the Viewer toolbars (left, right, or bottom) Choose Toolbar buttons... Drag the Snapshot button to the location you want it. Important: When taking snapshots inworld that include other Residents, please be sure they have given you consent to take their photo. See also the Second Life Snapshot and machinima policy. Adding snapshots to your activity feed Click Post to My Profile Feed to post the snapshot to your Second Life profile feed. You can also add a caption and the location of the snapshot if you wish. Emailing snapshots Click Email to email the snapshot to one or more people. The maximum size for a Send via email snapshot is one megabyte, or a little over 1,000,000 bytes. If you go over that, File size will turn red and you won't be able to send your email. Adjust the file size of the snapshot using the drop down menu; the manual Width and Height settings; or lower the Image Qualityslider. Saving snapshots to your inventory Click Save to My Inventory(L$10) to save a snapshot to your inventory. You will be charged L$10 for this option. Snapshots are saved to the Photo Album folder, and named based on the location where you take them. Saving snapshots to your computer Click Save to My Computer to save a snapshot image to your computer's hard drive. Tip: To move snapshots from your computer to your inventory, choose Build > Upload Image (L$10). The image is saved to your Inventory Textures folder. Large textures can affect region performance. For best results use textures of size 512 x 512 or smaller. See the Intro to Textures video tutorial to learn more about textures. The Capture advanced option is available only when saving snapshots to your computer. The options are: Colors: Takes normal pictures with all the color information you are seeing with your settings. Depth: Gives the per-pixel depth information of a scene. You can use this information when post-processing images in an image editor like Photoshop to create distance blur in an image when combined with the color information. Advanced options Interface: The user interface of Second Life includes the Toolbar, menus, windows, and other things you use to interact and change things in the world. Select this option to show the UI in snapshots, which can be useful for making tutorials like teaching others how to build, or diagnostic purposes such as illustrating a bug. HUDs: Heads-Up Display objects are useful, but can get in the way of picture-taking. Select this option to show HUDs in the snapshot. Keep open after saving: This keeps the Snapshot Preview window open after you've saved a picture; useful if to take multiple pictures in rapid succession and pick out the best later. Freeze frame (fullscreen): Provides a fullscreen preview of the snapshot. You may notice ithe screen flashes and may look a little blocky, especially at a high resolution. Don't worry; this is just a preview, not the final result. You'll also notice the rest of the user interface (toolbar, menus, windows) disappears; the world is "frozen" and you can't move around. Don't worry about this, either: if you click the Discard button, everything will go back to normal and you can click Snapshot again. While in Snapshot Preview, the cursor turns into a magnifying glass with a + on it, so you can click-and-drag to get better shots. (It's the same as normally holding Altand clicking the mouse button.) Another important thing that might be confusing at first: whenever something changes within the "scene" (for instance, if you zoom to a different angle) and the snapshot requires an update, the screen will appear to drop away with a cool visual effect, like a Polaroid. Select Auto-Refresh to have the snapshot image automatically refresh instead of using the Refresh Snapshot button. File>Take Snapshot (and its shortcut Ctrl-Shift-S) will behave like Refresh Snapshot if the Snapshot Preview window is open. Depending on the method you selected for saving your snapshot, click Send, Upload, or Save to save your snapshot. Click Discard if you don't like this snapshot and don't wish to pay for it. The snapshot will be discarded. 360 snapshots (Project Viewer) Note: This feature is still in development and is only available in a Project Viewer, available on the Alternate Viewers page on the Second Life wiki. For current tips, workarounds and known issues, visit the 360 Snapshots page on the wiki. 360 snapshots allow you to capture a series of images that face all directions at once. When placed on a website with some HTML and Javascript, the image can be stitched together and panned to provide a full 360 degree view of the location where the snapshot was taken. Taking a 360 snapshot You can take a 360 snapshot using the Snapshot window: Find a location where you'd like to take a 360 snapshot, then slowly look in every direction until you see that the world has fully loaded. Choose World > Snapshot or press your snapshot shortcut key. In the Snapshot window that appears, select the 360° Snapshot checkbox. Click Save to Disk. When 360° Snapshot is selected, all other options are disabled. Under 360° Capture to file, select Small, Medium, or Large to choose an image capture size. Click Save to save your 360 Snapshot to your computer. Viewing 360 snapshots At the current state of development, viewing a 360 snapshot requires you to download and use a web viewer and a web server. For up-to-date information about viewing 360 snapshots and setting up a temporary local server on your computer, see the 360 Snapshots page on the Second Life wiki. As development continues, we will update you about 360 snapshot hosting solutions as well as other 360 compatible features. Disabling snapshot sound and animation To disable the "whirrr-click!" sound and snapshot animation that happens whenever you take a snapshot, follow these steps: Enable the Advanced menu: On Windows, press Ctrl + Alt + D. On Mac OS, press Ctrl + Opt + D. Choose Advanced > Quiet Snapshots to Disk. Snapshot Tips Use the shortcut key Ctrl-` (sometimes the ~ key, located next to 1 and above Tab) to save several snapshots of something quickly and easily. Then, choose File > Upload Image to upload the best shots to Second Life. This way, you don't have to pay for shots you don't want, and don't have to decide which images to keep while you're still taking pictures. Antialiasing Antialiasing is a way to smooth the jagged edges you sometimes see on curved surfaces inworld. Antialiasing improves overall image quality in Second Life. For an example see the two images below. By default, antialiasing is off in the Second Life Viewer if you are using Low or Mid quality graphics; with High and Ultra quality graphics, it is on at x2 by default. Most graphics cards today support antialiasing. To enable antialiasing: Choose Me > Preferences > Graphics. Click Hardware. Click the Antialiasing dropdown and change it from Disabled to 2x or greater. Click OK. Restart the Second Life Viewer. Now compare the graphics: the difference should be subtle yet noticeable. Note: If you don't see a change after you restart the Viewer, it's possible your graphics card drivers are overriding Second Life's own antialiasing. Higher levels of antialiasing provide better results, but can reduce overall performance unless you have a very powerful graphics card. On slower graphics cards, antialiasing may cause a noticeable loss of performance, or even bugs or crashes—so experiment to see what's best for you. Other graphics settings See Lighting and shadows for information on other graphics settings that may be useful when taking snapshots.

How to block a person or object How to block someone How to block an object Disabling chat popups Allow only friends and your groups to call or IM you If someone is abusing you through voice or text chat, the best response is to block them. How to block a person or object When you block another Resident or an object, you cannot: See text chat, hear voice chat, or receive IMs from that person or object. See particles emitted by the blocked avatar or object. Receive items from the blocked object. Likewise, a Resident on your Blocked List cannot hear or see voice or text chat or receive IMs from you. How to block someone There are several ways to mute voice chat inworld: Right-click on the avatar and choose Block. Select Communicate > Nearby people, right-click the person's name and choose Block/Unblock. Click the Chat button at the bottom of the Viewer window to open the Conversations window, right-click the Resident's name, then choose Block Voice and/or Block Text. Either option also visually mutes the Resident's avatar. Note: If you IM with, Pay Linden dollars to, or give inventory to someone you muted, that person is automatically unblocked. Chat history informs you of what's happened. How to block an object After you block an object, you cease to receive messages or items from it. First, locate the offending object. If the object is making noise, you can find it easily by selecting the following settings in the View menu: World > Show > Beacons. Then check Sound sources in the Beacons window. Objects that are making noise are highlighted with a yellow beacon. To block the object, right-click on it an choose Manage > Block. Disabling chat popups To disable incoming chat popup notices: Choose Me > Preferences > Chat. For Friend IMs, Non-friend IMs, Conference IMs, Group chat, Nearby chat, and Object IMs, you may choose a behavior from the dropdown menu. To prevent popup notices, choose No action and make sure that Play sound is not checked. To disable notices from a specific group: Choose Communicate > Groups. Right-click the group and choose View info. Un-check Receive group notices. Allow only friends and your groups to call or IM you To allow calls or IMs only from friends and groups to which you belong: Choose Me > Preferences. Click the Chat tab. Check Only friends and groups can call or IM me and click OK. Note: Non-friends won't get any acknowledgment that you haven't received their message. You may want to note in your profile that you prefer not to be bothered. This can be an alternative to selectively blocking specific Residents, and can be used in tandem with busy mode.

1.1 What is an Infohub? 1.3 Finding Infohubs 1.2 Official Infohubs What is an Infohub? An Infohub (also known as a Welcome Area) is a place where Residents congregate and socialize, and where there are usually kiosks providing Second Life information. Infohubs can be fun places for new Residents to hang out and learn about the world. Official Infohubs are owned by Linden Lab and mostly built by Residents, but some Residents run their own, unofficial social spaces which they also call Infohubs. Infohubs are represented on the World Map with blue i's, like this: To show them, make sure that Infohub on the right-handLegend is checked. If you find an infohub that you really like, you can set it as your home location. Finding Infohubs All the official Infohubs are listed below. You can also find Infohubs using search: Choose Search > Places tab. Change Any Category to Linden Location. Search for "infohub" (not case-sensitive). This shows most of the Infohubs, although some are listed using other keywords. Official Infohubs First generation Ahern (Ahern Welcome Area) Ambat Infohub Anzere Infohub Bear Infohub (Bear Dream Lodge) Bonifacio (Ahern Welcome Area) Braunworth Infohub Calleta Infohub (Calleta Hobo Railroad) Clementina Infohub (Governor Lindens Mansion) Dore (Ahern Welcome Area) Gukyeol (Hanja Welcome Area) Hangeul (Hanja Welcome Area) Hanja (Hanja Welcome Area) Hyles Infohub (Hyles Swamp) Idu (Hanja Welcome Area) Iris Infohub (Temple of Iris) Isabel Infohub Korea (Korea Welcome Area) Mahulu Infohub Mauve Infohub Miramare Infohub Morris (Ahern Welcome Area) Periwinkle Infohub (Railroad Station) Ross Infohub Violet Infohub Warmouth Infohub Wengen Infohub Second generation Moose Beach Degrand Bay City Municipal Airport Boardroom Castle Valeria Hyannisport Helfell Zebrasil Zindra Arapaima Nelsonia Oritz Ungren Vilania