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IvyTechEngineer

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  1. IvyTechEngineer
    Thanks, the hollow was set to 95 so the wall thickness would not be zero I don't think ...
  2. IvyTechEngineer
    Thanks Aquila, I agree that it is easier to draw in Blender more complex geometry but I was surprised that the downloaded SL dae file was not better. The Mesh cleanup really helped and I understand your comments about Ngons to Quads. I wonder if some of these mesh cleanups would also help me on my mountain mesh model. OBTW, when I tried the last time to use the high LOD for the physics SL said that I have some small triangles. However, when I look at the model in Blender I don't see the same mesh. Not sure why Blender and SL would have two difference geometries ...
  3. IvyTechEngineer
    My impression of using Blender as a model editor recently came into question when I drew a hollow ramp in SL and saved it to my desktop. I wanted to add some architectural significance to the ramp by adding cutting out on both sides based on one of the truss designs we worked on last semester. However when I imported the dae file into Blender I was surprised some of the questionable edges I saw in edit mode in Blender. My not cleaner geometry? https://www.ivytechengineering.com/SecondLife/files/ramp.dae Thanks
  4. IvyTechEngineer
    Was was documenting the process used to build the mesh model from the terrain.raw file and was reviewing this post on parsing errors. I had also wanted to see that all the faces were properly I found this YouTube video with more info ...
  5. IvyTechEngineer
    I think I might have copied the wrong url link to the YouTube video I was watching. I think this might work Stupid question #14, lol - so why bother with texturing in Blender? Why not just use the textures in SL?
  6. IvyTechEngineer
    I think I might have copied the wrong url link to the YouTube video I was watching. I think this might work
  7. IvyTechEngineer
    Hello, thank you for your comments and I just had a follow on question for you. The process should be to: Hunt and kill all vertices that don't actually alter the look of the mesh and also those that only causes insignificant changes to the shape. Avoid long and narrow triangles if at all possible. They will distort the texture mapping and the physics engine hates them. I get that but in terms of workflow and making decisions on what to keep and what to get rid or or change in Blender experience is needed or some sort of "good enough" test. One test is the number of triangles and another is the LI. Is there any modifier or utility that I can use to eliminate geometry that would drive the LI up?
  8. IvyTechEngineer
    Hey thanks for the fast response. I just found this website, lol. I am still working on improving the mesh but maybe I should add some geometry (loop cuts) around face boundaries? Also, the shading that can be done in Blender with Nodes can't be used in SL? I was watching this YouTube video but don't think it will translate to SL?
  9. IvyTechEngineer
    Hello, I was able to create a mesh model for a portion of my region in SL and wanted to texture it in Blender. The model is pretty large and I can subdivide it in Blender but I wanted to find appropriate terrain textures that could be used. The terrain in SL is "automatically" textured based on the height of the terrain and it looks pretty good but I want something a little more realistic. I did find some textures @ https://polyhaven.com/textures but they are coarse and provide an uneven texture for the terrain. Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on a work flow and texture resource to texture in Blender or should I attempt to just texture large objects in SL? Thanks
  10. IvyTechEngineer
    It should be pretty easy to build objects in Blender. I started with this video and he explained the basic commands for building: He also has a follow on video that describes texturing ...
  11. IvyTechEngineer
    Great idea to ask the forum. I have also been working on building object that can be upload to SL (but more based on CAD drawings). I believe the idea for uploading models in sections will help you texture inworld. Blender is a great tool but it has a steep learning curve. Many tutorial as too fast or just difficult to follow but it is a tool worth learning. The only other thing I can add is LOD considerations when building. I built my house and uploaded it but failed to consider the LOD. This results in poor rendering from a distance.
  12. IvyTechEngineer
    I am relatively new to Second Life but my reason was to expand opportunities for student learning. However, to develop course content and link material to what we are learning in the real world there has been a significant learning curve to overcome. For example, I wanted to clear-up some space on our island to add a pre-built building but I wanted to maintain the terrain for a section of the region and just make it a mesh and offset it vertically. To do that (and I am still working on texturing) took a knowledge of Blender, L3DT and Photoshop and I needed to either use Opensim or request a sandbox in SL to rez terrains. The result is you need some time to develop the inworld material because you will need to learn many more software programs that would typically be beyond most coursework requirements. It is not a quick process because there are so many things to consider...
  13. IvyTechEngineer
    Back in 2020 I was looking for alternative ways students could present work and Second Life was the answer for me. It has been a wonderful experience for my students and me. I also wanted to create a virtual cleanroom that could be used by students and faculty. A cleanroom can be used to build electronics such as MEMS devices. I had gotten this idea by visiting Evergreen Island 3 (no defunct) and reading an article about teaching in SL - Engineering Education Island: Teaching Engineering in Virtual Worlds (University of Ulster) describe many ways a 3D environment could be used to teach virtual. I am hopeful that people will share what they have learned, the tools they have used and the methods that have worked. In engineering the possibilities seem endless but the knowledge required to build a virtual learning environment is daunting but exciting. To design, build and fix is at the core of engineering and I am excited to be a part of this effort...
  14. IvyTechEngineer
    Anyone use the Solidify modifier in Blender. I was thinking that maybe I could add a cave to the mountain. The Solidify seems good but it does the entire mesh vs a face. Also, I am not sure the dae file would include the wall thickness (I don't thing Blender or SL really use solid models). I have also been experimenting with bisect and dividing the top and bottom parts of the model into two parts to make the cave creation easier. The top and bottom mesh models could be edited separately and then join together using Append and control J. Still trying to add textures to make it look more realistic. I was also thinking that the texture I was using was too complex (got it from polyhaven.com). Since I have two distinct textures maybe I can combine in Photoshop or even the Paint two textures and scale the uv map sections into regions of the 2K texture? OBTW, I was able to setup OpenSim to play with terrains but still do not have it setup on the school computers. Also, need to add some more shape to the inside of the cave maybe some stalactite and a stalagmite. Not sure what the best way it would be to draw inside the mountain. The other model based on the terrain file with the cave looks even better but I am having some problems with getting the uv uwrap viewport to show up in uv editing mode ...
  15. IvyTechEngineer
    I am using Opensim and FireStorm and trying to fly. I thought flying was controlled by "E" and "C" but instead the E and C showup in the nearby chat window. How do I turn off the nearby chat? Thanks
  16. IvyTechEngineer
    I am curious about the texture. How could I make a mesh model look better? OBTW, this is the decimated island and drawn island Decimate Drawn in Planar=0.5 Blender Vertices = 882 515 Edges = 2555 984 Faces = 1675 449 Triangles = 1759 934 Still need to work on the physics models... Thanks
  17. IvyTechEngineer
    Thanks Quarrel, I figured out that I needed to do the UV unwrap. The mesh model that was made using L3DT from the terrain.raw file looks good but I need to simplify the mesh. I have been trying to experiment with with whether to decimate before or after adding the texture. The PBR approach was just something I was trying. Not really happy with the suggested textures from Poly Haven. I may just ignore the displacement maps at this time and go for something simpler. Have you done much with terrain files and Blender. There looks like some really cool stuff that has come out with using Google Earth, GIS data etc ..
  18. IvyTechEngineer
    Hello, I would like to add textures to my mountain and I found this video It doesn't seem to work on the mountain but it works fine on a plane. Not sure this is what I want but can I use this technique to add texture to the mountain? Thanks
  19. IvyTechEngineer
    Thanks Chin
  20. IvyTechEngineer
    After a model has been uploaded is there a way to review its tris, quads, LI, etc? If you build it you should know these things but how would someone else know these values?
  21. IvyTechEngineer
    Some of the geometry was created as I drew it in Blender, I had attempted to clean things up. The ridge lines were added so that I could pull the elevation up along the ridge. I will work on cleaning up the model and thanks for your feedback. Blender sometime adds unwanted geometry ...
  22. IvyTechEngineer
    OBTW, there is an obvious Z dimension error in the first model that needs to be corrected ...
  23. IvyTechEngineer
    The other model that is dimensionally correct is 56.8 x 63.9 x 26.251 and I have not done any mesh reduction using decimation so the land impact is 127.351 and I used the lowest LOD as the physics. It still needs to be textured ...
  24. IvyTechEngineer
    This is what I would have now if I used the medium LOD as the physics model and does not include a texture. Also, I may still want to tweak the model to improve the match to the terrain file in the Z direction since some of the objects don't sit flush on the surface of the model.
  25. IvyTechEngineer
    What would be an acceptable Land Impact value for a model like this one. I was thinking about building the physics model in SL and saving it as a dae file the editing it in Blender. I am trying to get Opensim set up now on the school computers.
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