Mesh/Uploading and wearing a rigged mesh

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MeshWalkthrough-Rigged Mesh Upload-Splash.png

Rigged meshes allow you to represent your avatar skeleton as a mesh that conforms to your joints and motions. This walkthrough explains the process of uploading a basic rigged mesh.

Get a Second Life compatible rigged mesh file

The first step is to get a mesh file onto your computer that you want to upload to Second Life. Second Life's mesh import is able to read COLLADA (".dae") files. You will need to use one that has joint rigging information.

  1. Click on this link -- http://download.cloud.secondlife.com/project-viewers/mesh/examples/simplebot.zip -- to download a zip file containing the simplebot.dae COLLADA file.
  2. Extract and save the simplebot.dae file anywhere on your hard drive where you can find it later.
Warning!

Joint rigging is not supported with 3ds Max's default export, so if you're using 3ds Max you'll need the OpenCOLLADA plug-in.


Upload the mesh file to Second Life

Upload Model window

Upload the mesh file to Second Life:

  1. Select Build > Upload > Model....
    Alternatively, open My Inventory, click the + button, and select Upload > Model....
    A file dialog box opens.
  2. Find and select the simplebot.dae file from your computer.
    The Upload Model window appears.
  3. Enter a name for your model in the Name field.
  4. Select the Skin Weights checkbox.
    The viewer will take a few seconds to process this.
  5. Select the Joint Positions checkbox.
    Note: Attaching a rigged mesh with joint positions will override your avatar skeleton joint positions, and may make your arms/legs/back/neck longer/shorter, eyes pop out, etc.
Rigged Animation Preview
  1. Walk your avatar around or play a gesture. Note that the model in the preview window will animate correspondingly.
    You can use the mouse to zoom in on the preview window or rotate the mesh.
  2. Click the Upload button.
    Two new assets appear in your inventory: one in your Meshes folder, the other in your Objects folder.
    For the simplebot object, these new assets are named Simple_Bot_001.
    Note: We only care about the asset in your Object folder right now.

Wear your rigged mesh

You can now wear the mesh that you imported:

  1. Open your "My Inventory->Current Outfit" folder and manually detach any attachments that you don't want to be part of your final appearance.
  2. Right-click the new uploaded mesh object "Simple_Bot_001" in your Inventory and choose "Wear".
    This will show the object attached to your right hand or some other arbitrary location; the actual location isn't important.
  3. Open your "Library->Body Parts->Alpha Masks" folder.
  4. Right-click on the "Invisible Avatar" item and select "Wear".
    Your avatar will appear as a thin white robot.
  5. Walk or animate your avatar and you will see the white mesh animates just as you avatar did.
  6. To remove the mesh, just detach it like any other attachment:
    • Find "Simple_Bot_001" in your inventory, right-click on it, and select "Detach From Yourself".
    • Alternatively, open your "Current Outfit Folder" and detach "Simple_Bot_001" there.


Continue on to Decomposing mesh for physics shape.