Ashasekayi Ra

Nalates Urriah wrote: Several viewers added what has become known as Deformer 0.1. Nirans Viewer 1.25 has the Deformer 0.2 a later revision by Qarl. It took some effort on NiranV's part to get it to work. NV 1.32 has Deformer 0.2 but there are some problems. Mesh items flash in and out of existence. Very annoying. Disable the Deformer and all is well. Thanks for that information. Do you know where the on/off switch is for the Deformer in the latest Niran's version? I can't find it in preferences. As for Cool VL, the upload for models is greyed out in the 1.26.3 version. Plus, I'm not sure where the switch is in that viewer either.

Did you have an Ngon in your model when it was inside your modeling program?

Imagin Illyar wrote: According to the website with Cool Viewer you can only upload mesh with the Linnux and Mac versions. Says nothing about the mesh deformer - you sure about that? Anyone know of a viewer that for sure has the mesh deformer? According to Nalate's blog, Nirans version 1.25 has Mesh Deformer 0.2. http://blog.nalates.net/2012/02/17/mesh-deformer-0-2-update/ I'm not sure if the later versions of Nirans' viewer still has it though.

When I make custom mesh items for merchants that later use them in their creations, I give them the item fitted to the default SL avatar and the standard sizing set if they want. If you know what you are doing, it isn't time consuming to re-fit the clothing item for the five extra standard sizing avatars. The way I see it, you might as well be ready for the future. As for the deformer and old clothing, I think Qarl already stated that it won't work for old items. He also stated that there would be an option not to use the deformer on an item as well.

Eve Greymoon wrote: Yes thank you I've seen the developers blog, the last update on the JIRA. They're a month old so I didn't know. That is good that Oz added something on it though on the 31st. So we know it's not dead Yay. /me waits impatiently Yea, I know how you feel. I want the code in there yesterday. But, on the other hand, I'd rather them take longer than put in buggy code. That will just add more chaos and FUD to the mesh clothing issue.

There has already been a number of great suggestions made in this thread. However, I don't think anyone mentioned Zbrush and 3D-Coat which are under 1,000$. I personally adore Zbrush, but you really should couple it with a 3D modeler for the best results. Sculpting programs (for traditional sculpting not SL sculpt maps) like Zbrush and 3D-Coat offer a totally different workflow style that is easier to get into for some people. Pixologic (makers of Zbrush) also have a free program called Sculptris that will let you get your feet wet. Also, I'd have to agree with others that you might want to give Blender a second look, especially if you haven't used the latest Blender. The program has more than you need to make high-quality, professional content for Second Life. Plus, you'll find a ton of support for on the forums and in tutorials. Some resources: http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/ http://www.youtube.com/user/ashasekayi#grid/user/2A3AF00B41F652ED http://www.blendercookie.com http://www.youtube.com/user/cannedmushrooms#grid/user/2BA5BDF79FF50122 http://www.youtube.com/user/cannedmushrooms#grid/user/AB4DF1F21A33CB3B http://www.blenderguru.com/

Brit Zeminoba wrote: Ok Gaia, Thats going great but now i have the problem that when i s want to download the dea file, nnamed so it shut be, i get the line: You dont be aloud to upload mesh models :womansad: I have the last Phoenix version. greetings brit p.s the tutorials are great good job To upload mesh, you have to have "payment information on file", and you have to take the "Mesh IP Tutorial". Read the information under "Prerequisites" on the following link: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Uploading-a-mesh-model/ta-p/974185

As a consumer and a merchant, I'd say that modular is the best way to go. It would give the customer the ability to extend or remove parts as they like which gives the ultimate flexibility. On the building side, it also makes less work for you because you could reuse standard modular pieces throughout various builds.

Luc Starsider wrote: I didn't see anything about it on your profile, but I believe you also have to have payment info registered to be able to upload mesh. Is Charlar Linden still with the Lab? - Luc - Nope. Charlar is gone from Second Life.

Nacy Nightfire wrote: You wrote: (Note: In the Blender version that will be coming out next, you can delete multiple edge loops at once.) ...and I cried with joy. Yipeee! Multiple edgeloop delete! I cried for joy and did a jig when I saw multiple edge loop deletion. It is something I have wanted *so* badly. Seriously, it will shave a decent amount of time off my workflow. @Nal: I haven't played with Remesh since it came to the program officially. I remember that when I tried it before it came out live it didn't do that great of a job of maintaining edge flow. I'll have to give it another look now if it does a better job.

Shayna Korobase wrote: hello everyone, I have been using Blender 2.61 for a while and enjoy it very much. I recently updated to 2.62 and so far like it alot. I do have a question about lowering poly counts and vertices. I heard (maybe I'm imagining it) there is a script or something in blender 2.62 that when used can help lower the count while keeping the integrity/quality of the mesh. is this true and where is it? I have a few pretty high poly meshes I would love to bring in to SL but don't want my land impact to go through the roof. LOL Thanks, Shayna Korobase ♥♡♥♡♥ As Nacy pointed out, for the best results, you'll probably want to do this process by hand and skip automated solutions, especially if you will make anything that needs to be rigged/skinned (i.e.: clothing, avatars, etc). Depending on how poly heavy your item is, you have a couple of good options for reducing the poly count: removing edge loops or retopology. To remove edge loops, you simply Alt right click an edge loop to select it. Then, hit the "X" hotkey and chose to delete "edge loops". You would go through the model by hand deleting unnecessary loops one by one. (Note: In the Blender version that will be coming out next, you can delete multiple edge loops at once.) This method is better suited for situations where you might have modeled a high LOD model (that already has good topology) and want to reduce it for other LODs. If you are working with a super dense model, you may want to opt for retopology instead. By super dense, I mean a model with millions of polygons that was created during high polygon sculpting in Blender or Zbrush. There was just a thread made about retopolgy in the new Blender: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/Video-Tutorial-on-Retopology-in-Blender/m-p/1473631/highlight/true#M13278 Also, here are some other resources on topology and retopology: http://cgcookie.com/blender/2010/08/30/retopology-and-normal/ http://cgcookie.com/blender/2011/08/08/retopology-with-the-bsurfaces-add-on/ http://cgcookie.com/blender/cgc-series/learning-mesh-topology-collection/ Now, in Blender 2.49, there was a script called "Poly Reducer" that could be found in Edit Mode under Mesh -> Scripts on the header bar. Unlike the Decimate modifier, it preserved the UVmapping. However, it doesn't always do a great job of preserving the forms. As far as I know, the Poly Reducer script isn't in the latest version of the program.

Thanks for posting this Masami ^^ It's strange how you watch a tutorial on a specific topic, but end up learning about something else. Eons ago, when I use to use 3DS Max, it had this feature that let you store various vertex positions. I used that feature a great deal and missed it. The tutorial offered up an excellent alternative method (storing vertex positions in vertex groups) that I somehow never considered before. I could just kiss that speaker for mentioning that. It will really save me some time in the future.

Yes, I think his channel is pretty awesome. He does make an occasional flub where you can tell he mixed up hotkeys between different programs. I usually suggest his series to people starting out because of the class type of structure that goes from point A to Z through an entire process.

Here's the last video that the deformer creator created about the topic: His last blog post on the topic: http://www.qarl.com/qLab/?p=80 Oz Linden's statement about the deformer being added to STORM-1716: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/Deformation-on-custom-avatars/m-p/1461193#M13049

There are two ways to see the log: Option A: Press Ctrl + Shift + 4 and the log will show on-screen inworld. Option B: Look in your Second Life directory in the "Application Data" folder. Default location: C:\Documents and Settings\[uSERNAME]\Application Data\Second Life\logs

Masami Kuramoto wrote: Ashasekayi Ra wrote: No one puts a gun to anyone's head and says "you must answer this email ". If someone wants to ignore an IM all together, they are free to do so. I was banned from a forum over a support request that I ignored. Sometimes they do put a gun to your head. Encouraging newbies to pick personal mentors without prior invitation is a bad idea. Let the mentors pick the newbies instead. Are you saying that you were banned from LL's forum at some point in the past because you ignored a private message for help? Exactly how would a mentor pick a newbie that they don't know exists? How would I know if someone needed help if they didn't ask me for it?

I'd highly recommend the Canned Mushroom Blender texturing series. It is extremely thorough and has a class type structure. Link:

What Nacy described in her first post was not a typical student/teacher dynamic. It is a relationship in which both parties learn from each other and benefit. As for teaching being a skill worthy of payment, I agree. However, it is up to the individual teacher (or creator) when they feel someone should pay and when they will donate their time for free. I get daily IMs and emails for help. It doesn't bother me. If I have time and it is a quick problem to solve, I do it freely. If it something complex that would eat into my time, I let them know my private tutoring rates. It is just as simple and straightforward as that. In all this time, I haven't had anyone be rude either way. No one puts a gun to anyone's head and says "you must answer this email ". If someone wants to ignore an IM all together, they are free to do so. It would only be SPAM if the person kept IMing.

Try hitting the "clear settings and reset form " button. I've found that fixes that issue sometimes when the "include skin weights " button suddenly becomes greyed out with a file that I could upload just fine previously. I assume it has to do with a bug in how the .slm files are handled.

Thanks for taking the time to make this great post Nacy. You've always been such a positive personality on this forum and inworld. It's truly motivating. And, I totally agree that one of the great things about mesh coming to the grid has been meeting cool people that I have helped and been helped by on this crazy SL Mesh journey. And, thanks Pamela I really can't wait to see the amazing mesh house you will make some day.

As Gaia said, you can make your own armature, but it would still need to have the same dimensions and bone names. You can't add extra bones since we don't have support for custom armatures yet. (Although, some people have experimented with weighting to SL attachment point names.) You can most assuredly paint weights manually. It is sometimes better to use that instead of copying weights for certain items like a skirt for example. When it comes to joints, you can move their locations around but the SL uploader doesn't recognize bone scalling and rotation. If you do offset the joints, make sure to select both the model and the armature when you go to export to .dae. Plus, you need to check "joint offsets" in the SL uploader.

Good luck!

Here's an illustration:

Welcome

As Luc said, you've picked a more complex first project. You really need to hand paint the weights of a skirt instead of copying weights from the avatar. The legs are just not a good place to copy weight information from when dealing with something like a skirt. The topology is just way too different between the two. Basically, you want to paint the weights in a way that gives a smooth transition along the panel of fabric between the legs. I'm away from my computer at the moment, but l'll try to post an image to illustrate later if no one else does.