Morgaine Christensen

You may be able to continue to run SL even if your video card is incompatible. Does it give you and option to run the program anyway? I have something similar that happens on my work machine; however, I can still run SL, albeit the performances is less than sellar. But, I use Firestorm rather than the "offical" SL Viewer. You might try one of the 3rd party viewers such as Firestorm or, even try Phoenix which is a V1 type viewer and see if that might work for you.

Why not consider purchasing a 2nd set of textures for your alt or, have your alt buy the textures to use for that given line? And, actually, if your alt is being responsible for a 2nd line, why is your main creating items then sending them to your alt? When your alt owns the item and changes permissions, it can look odd. Depending on the item, it can be inspected to show who the original creator is of each piece/part, which could in turn have take downs from the MP for copybotting until the case is investigated and resolved. In the mean time, your product is off the market for the duration. Most textures are not that expensive compared to the work involved creating them, plus they are reusable for many many projects. A texture artist sells them once and a builders can use them over and over again quickly recapturing their initial investment. Texture artists, animators, scripters, sculpters, mesh creators all depend on volume to make their investment back since full perm items can be used over and over. I have been considering making a few textures to sell. My licensure will be for the purchaser only partially for tracking my sales, partially to deal with copy bots, and partially to try and recoup my investment as well.

I believe you will need a Premium Account in order to buy and sell land. You will have to pay a full month's tier on the land you hold, even if it is only for a single day or less. Your tier will depend on the highest amount of land during a given time period. If land doesn't sell as expected, you still have to pay for the tier. Look under the land tab in search, it would list what is for sale from Private Islands to Mainland and where. You can TP around and assess the property. You will need to read the Covenent information on each piece of land to see what you are allowed to do with it. If you need more information, check out the SL Knowledge Base.

The most effective way to make layered clothing is via exterior graphics programs like, Photoshop, Gimp (free), Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop Elements, etc. While you can use the In-World built in clothing tool under appearance, it is not very precise and you are limited what you can use them for. If you want to sell your creations and have a good quality product, I suggest you look at invest in an outside graphics program and educate yourself how to use it. As pointed out by another poster Gimp is free and it is similar to Photoshop in a number of respects.There are many many tutorials available on the web on how to use Gimp and Photoshop and use their various features to create things. A number of merchants In-World and quite a few on Marketplace sell premade clothing layers that you can tint or add textures to In-World. Or, you can look at purchasing the actual layered file for download to your computer to work on your creations then upload to SL. Mind you, not all templates are created equal. Oftentimes, even if you buy a template, you may need to correct elements and rematch seams with a graphics program then upload the correction. Again, you can search the web and/or youtube and find tons of tutorials on how to make clothing for SL. Making clothing is not an easy thing. I have taken the plunge recently (for the umpteenth time). It takes a lot of patience and skill in my opinion to make things really nice. The small amount anyone pays for an outfit that can take hours and hours to create it well worth the money than trying to make their own. Good Luck to you! I hope you enjoy creating!

I am not really that thrilled with any of the V2/V3 type viewers, least of the official viewer. I am an oldie but goodie...LOL...and like V1 the best because it is builder friendly. I been forcing myself to use Firestorm at least once a week to try and get use to the interface...still don't like it....but I do like the built in AO feature. The version on Firestorm needs some improvements, but it's not bad. You can put in a request to LL to add the feature, although I think the 3rd Party Viewer creators listen better to users than LL does. You might want to check the JIRAs to see if there is one already there and follow it.

I hadn't thought about adding a layer mask, but I have not worked with them very much at this point so would not have thought of it. While I know more than I did a couple years ago, still lots to learn. I am sure any graphic artist would hate how my CS files look. I tend to be Miss Overkill and anyone else looking at them would go OMG...what a mess...why in the heck did she ever do that! At the start of any project, I make a group for anything original that I use on that project. THEN...I make a copy of the original group and rename the copy to "working group" and perform all my work on this copy. This way, I can insure the origianls are preseved in case I make an error or, need them later for that project or a future one. If I add a new item, it goes first into the "Base group" then copied to the work group. Even in the Working group I will make multple copies of an item. When satisfied, I will name my working layers I have tried numerous times in the past to make clothing layers...and gave up. I know more now about CS so trying once more. I don't know how other desginers do it, but to improve my chances of learning, I have set up my own starter templates for Upper and Lowers (had done this for uppers some time ago when I started making a shirt or two). I have used CMFF Template as a basis for my own Starter Template that makes sense to me. I have them resized, some presets and guides set up, some shading layers, various pre made wrinkles and folds all housed in their own folder within the file I also have a black & white layers to assist with some visuals, separated each clothing part to their own layers (shirt front, shirt back, pants front, etc) and even cut those parts into halves. While this might seem like overkill to anyone else, this premade work flow file saves me time and keeps me from making excuses not to try something. As I improve, I will probably add pre-cut layers guides for things like sleeves, gloves, pants, etc. Crazy, huh? Anyway, thank you Chosen and Osprey for the assistance.

You are welcome to drop by my shop area and see some of what I create. Most of the builds are in the rezzer. Those that are out, some are complete, some are underconstruction. I don't do upscale I find that too boring and souless for my tastes. I do grungy old things.

I have tried a few demos and none really fit. Some others made good points. I don't want to wear alphas other than for shoes...I don't mind changing my feet, but the rest of me is just fine. My AV is me...I am not changing it to fit someone's else's idea of what clothes are. I don't do that in RL and won't in SL. I want to wait and see what happens with the deformer before I decide to spend my hard earned money on mesh. I am a flexi shirt lover. I think once mesh has been out for awhile, we wlil start to see a combination of flexi, layers, sculpts and mesh mixed together to make the most realistic look possible. As their skills improve, I think we will see some very interesting looks in the future. I hope designers don't solely depend on mesh for clothing. Were some very skilled designers using layered effects and hope they don't toss that skill out for what has been touted as the latest and greatest thing since sliced bread.

My advice when you pop into a sim and bombarded with notecards ...1) read them or, 2) leave. Notecards are given out for a reason more than just to spam a person's inventory or bore them to death...they are generally given to make your experience a pleasant one, as well as pleasant for others. Personally, if I am bombarded with endless and long notecards, I leave. I am not going to stay and pump up some venue's traffic numbers to stop and read endless rules about this and that, droning on and on. I might not even enjoy the place after reading the note cards. If the notecard is brief, I will stay and read it; otherwise, I TP to other places that may wish to have my patronage and traffic count without boring me to tears. I think that the fault of many venue owners is trying to cram too much into a notecard. Notecards are difficult to read at best. The font and font size reminds you of a teacher or professor that drones on and on and puts you to sleep by the repetative sound of his or her voice...same goes when a lot of information is crammed into an SL notecard. To avoid this, rules and/or regulations should be brief, simple, and to the point for visitors. Also, notecards should be reviewed and updated periodically to insure what was written in the past is still appropriate for present times. I sometimes find it humorous that after reading the long involved rules I have waded through then get to the sim to find no one there or the host/hostess/dj spamming chat with endless gestures and sounds that were cute for 5 minutes then just become freaking annoying as hell. There are a lot of posts to this dicussion, and I have not read them all, but did read one saying something to the effect the rules for the venue in question are well known. They may be well known to a particular type of patron in SL, but not to all of SL. I never heard of the venue before this post, and I have been in SL a long time. Because a venue is popular to a particular type of patron, does not mean it well known to others. I can't see the Goths, Goreans, or Sci Fi RPers as a group knowing about the venue, some within those genres might, but not everyone. I think it wrong to assume that any given venue in SL is so well known that everyone in SL would know the rules. If the owner stood up for his/her staff person, then I applaud them. To many times, a staffer makes a call then is bashed up and down by the owner because of a complaint. The staffer was only doing the job they were paid or committed to do...following the rules set for them. If you really wish to patronize that venue, I suggest contacting the owner and politely asking to be unbanned with an apology. Doesn't matter who was right or who was wrong, kind words and acknowledging that a mistake was made can go a long way in resolving issues. As a long time sim owner, I can see both sides to the issue presented by the OP. Ultimately, it is the person that "pays" for the venue, who has say so over who is or who isn't on the land they pay for. I have never been to the venue so don't know how it is supported. I know in my sim...I pay for it all and don't expect one red cent from others. So, if I want to ban someone, I can...rules or no rules. I pay for the place. I can do what I want. If you show up on my land with even the slightest indication you might be a copybot or some type of griefer, you will be banned. Will be no warnings...you will be ejected...and banned. There are no notecards or rules posted for you to read through, it is just my whim because I pay for the place.

If you have been wearing the same outfit for years, they must be awfully worn and dirty by now. Maybe it is time for a new wardrobe? Just kidding....couldn't resist. Are you wearing anything with invisible prims? Like shoes or boots or hair? I have been having some issues with those recently. It generally happens if I swap between Phoenix and Firestorm (I try to force myself weekly to use a V2/3 type viewer, which I still hate) and I have to clear cache and restart each time, but doesn't always work. Also, if I change clothes in one viewer when I sign in to the other, I still have clothes on from a prior time...generally just the prim attachments. I seroiusly doubt it is your computer. It is probably something quirky with the Viewers.

Try doing a search inworld for Builders Brewery or NCI, both have classes, which are free and open to anyone. I know that BB teachers are good and all volunteer. I am sure NCI is the same way. If you can, I would encourage you to tip generously if you are able. Help support those that volunteer by teaching.

You could always create a prim with the texture on it, set it as no copy/no mod with a watermark, example, demo or whatever to sort of protect the texture then set it for sale for 0L on MP. If you have an inworld store, you could do the same thing as well with a dispenser or vendor system. Be sure in your MP listing you state it is a demo, example, etc. and it is not a full blown product unless you would like to give out a free example of your finished product.

Yay! Remind me to kiss you...or at least give you a hug sometime! This worked perfectly! I had only vaguely thought of it but didn't think it would work bececause there were no pixels to select on the edging layer outside the edges, so didn't try it. I was working on the background layer trying to get that black out but CS4 was also selecting pixels in the layer even at a low tolerance level. Thank you for your advice! *adds another piece to the photoshop puzzle*

As a builder, merchant, customer, and resident, I understand the frustration from all sides. Lots of good advice has been given. I know I can't be on 24/7 to assist my customers and sometimes RL can take me away for more than just 24 hours (i.e. illness, death in the family, unexpected emergencies, work). I do the best I can to be responsive and assist as much as I am able...most merchants I know are the same way, but there is a limit. Did you contact the merchant politely by notecard or IM? Many people make jokes about their IMs getting capped, but if you are a merchant, it happens more often than not. If you sent an IM, you might want to drop a dated notecard....naming the card with you name and a purcahse issue with the date...then inside go into to details. And, remember, it may take some time for the merchant to unravel what happened. Yes, I know you may have to wait for your product, but the same would happen in RL. And as others have said, there is no universal place to make comments on inworld purchases.

Question...is the product, when originally sold, state you guarantee updates for life? If not, you are not obligated to send updates to your customers unless you feel it is part of your customer service (for me it is an obligation). Something you might try is, wait till you have several updates to a product then send out an update. Or, create it as a new version and sell it as such after several updates, which effectively what it would be. You might try downloading MP reports to your harddrive, open in a spreadsheet and sort by whatever parameters you want. You will still have to send individually. I do with myself but have started using Caspervend, which I hope will assist me. Or, another option might be when you advertise your product, explain you update frequently and to insure they receive product updates they need to join (your group) xxxx in order to receive the free updates. You can set up multiple groups for different products if need be. When you have an update, either send out a notice with it attached or that they can find an update dispenser at XXXXX for XXX days. Not only does this help with delivery, you can also unveil your newest products to an existing customer base.

Thanks! I downloaded that earlier this morning to check it, but it still has the shaded/unshaded layers with the black ground merged into it. My guess is I am simply remembering the template incorrectly. They say memory is the first thing to go as you age! LOL. Thanks again!

I am not a graphics designer. I only use CS5 Extended for SL and occasionally RL projects so am a hobbyist., but I know lots more than I did several years ago. I have been messing around with Blender a bit and can tell you I don't like how the textures are created in Blender. I find it too complicated and makes my brain hurt even more than learning to use Blender. I can tell you the few times that I have messed with Sculpty Blender .obj files in CS5 Extended, I had some issues with filling at the poles. Even doing a complete layer fill didn't cover some parts of the pole. Of course this is probably a user issue (me floundering around trying to learn). The solution I came up with is create a base texture in Blender, save it as a .tga file, then bring it into the 3D painting mode and when merged down it covers perfectly. You can recolor the base layer as needed and work from there. So for me, it was worth the extra amount to go with the Extended version.

Thanks, Chosen! What I am trying to do, on the layered .psd I have, is take out the black background on either the shaded layer or the unshaded layer (i.e. appears transparent). I have tried "get the black out" a few different ways, but think my photoshop skills are simply lacking too much. I thought I remembered (when I first started ages ago) the template set you could turn off the background and just have the colored & seamed layer. But I have been through about 4 computers and moved a couple of times since then so any old files I had are gone.

Does anyone know if Chip Midnight's Clothing Templates ever came with the black background as a separate layer you could turn off? If so, are those files still in existence and where they can be accessed and downloaded? Thanks!

I do think designers (new or old) need to be cognizant of the wants and needs of customers. I think the most successful ones will be those that listen and make different sizes and shapes available of their clothing. I am not even sure I will buy mesh with the deformer coming. I don't like how chunk and blocky they look with lack of movement, but that is just me. And besides, it took me years to get my shape the way I like it, and I don't want to conform to another person's idea what I should look like to wear their clothes I am paying for! We have too much of that in RL...having to look model thin or some ideal of what others think we should look like. To many out there were in a hurry to get the jump on the market for mesh, that it currently is not all that great in my opinion. In time, I think it will be better. I do think you are going to see, like RL, specialty designers at some point that to cater to less than average AV figures, but that may take awhile. Until that time, be patient and stick with the clothing you have now...it has worked thus far...should be fine till the deformer shows up.

Yes, it can be a costly investment to make even simple things in SL. But the good news is, there are many free and open source software out there that can be had...things like Gimp, Blender, DAZ Studio (depends on when they have specials), Audacity, etc ...to assist you. Will just require an investment of your time to learn to use them. And, learning can be had for free with lots and lots of tutorials on the web. I assume you have either Chip Midnight or Robin Wood templates to experiment with placement? Do you use a viewer capable of allowng temporary free uploads? You might just experiment with the letter size. I think someone already mentoing the warp/arc tool in photoshop. I know when I used equal size buttons for a shirt in certain areas it was a disaster. My remedy was to make particular buttons smaller. While it did not completely resolve the issue, it lessened the stretched look. And to be honest, while we may not like this effect, we all put up with it. We do the best we can to lessen it, but in the end, it is due to the limitations of the SL Avs.

Have to be a bit more specific...."Now, I need to make the bodice texture,wich is the worst part.All the template confuse me,I really need help in this part."...not really sure what that means. How do the templates confuse you? There are really only a few templates, which have multiple uses... Head/Face, the Upper layers (for shirts/jackets), Lower layer (normall pants, socks), and a Skirt layer. Are you confused on the different clothing layers in SL? If so, here is some information that might be helpful in relationship to layers. http://avatartoolbox.info/Skins.html

Has to agree with Rolig, the basic of shading and highlighting are probably some of the toughest things to do when creating clothing. It also, is the difference between good clothing and mediocre. While I attempt it (and am better than I was), I still am frustrated with most of the results....I am not an artist with talent by any means. You just have to continue practicing....over...and over....and over again. But, don't give up...take a breather now and again...try making a different piece of clothing for something else or ....build a building and come back to your original project. There are lots of articles and tutorials on making SL clothing....just google it! Also, check around for Photoshop or Gimp tutorials on shading, creating wrinkles, etc but not strictly geared to SL. As far as getting confused with all the layers, create a set of groups, name them accordingly, and move your layers to those particular folders. For me it makes it easier to work on. I usualy have a group created that has separate layers for the back, front, and sleeves, which makes it easier for me than working on the would shirt. Once in a particular group, I create subgroups. You have to be careful though andn make sure all appropriate layers are turned on when you save the .tga/png file for upload. Thank heavens for temporary uploads! Here are a few URLs I found useful... http://www.vintfalken.com/tutorials/adding-depth-to-your-sl-clothing-textures/ http://chimerafire.wordpress.com/sl-clothing-creation-guide/wrinkles/ ((this is probably my top choice)) http://kryptonradio.com/pop-media/gaming/second-life-resident-guides/clothes-and-costuming/ http://www.ehow.com/how_8270621_shade-drawing-cloth.html

No, I haven't checked, but not that concerned about seeing what others wear. I spend most of my time building; thus, the use of Phoenix. But, if I do decide to get out some, I will do a web search. My Groups are too full to add another.

*raises her hand at not seeing mesh clothing* I am using Phoenix because of the issues with building with V2/3 viewers, and while it seems to work for mesh building components, it doesn't work well for clothing. I still see lots of bald women, naked, with only 1/2 a body at that. It is most unappealing to see, and makes me laugh to myself at how ridiculous they look. I will wait till Qarl's deformer is rolled out before I even think of spending any money with any designer. I think there are more folks out there using older viewer than what is thought, especially with old builders. As I have posted elsewhere, I am not going to alter my body shape for what some designer thinks it should look like, heaping layers of alphas on is not the answer, but that is my personal choice. To me, mesh clothing is too expensive. I understand it is new and I understand the cost of upload, and a learning curve in order to create, but still some of the costs I have seen are simply ridiculous in this economic downturn. But, I keep forgetting the greed factor that is common in humankind. I barely make enough with what I create to reinvest in my business let alone be able to afford over priced mesh that doesn't necessarily look that great in my opinoin. Plus, to me when I chose to use Firestorm, mesh is still pretty static and doesn't flow. It reminds me of the clothes in the old day before flexi prims. I think I am glad I am not a fashionista that has to keep up with all the latest! LOL...I still wear some of the well crafted clothing from when I started back in 2005. Good luck folks!