Difference between revisions of "Sculpted Prims"

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== FAQ ==
#REDIRECT [[Sculpted prim]]
 
'''Q: What is a sculpted prim?'''
 
A: A "sculpted prim" is a prim whose shape is determined by a texture - its "sculpt texture". Sculpted prims can create organic shapes that are not
currently possible with Second Life's prim system.
 
 
'''Q: What is a sculpt texture?'''
 
A: A sculpt texture is a standard RGB texture where the R, G, and B channels are mapped onto X, Y, and Z space. For those familiar with
computer graphics - a sculpt texture is very similar to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping normal map], but instead of encoding surface normals we encode surface positions.
They are also similar to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Displacement_mapping displacement maps], but instead of a single scalar distance we have three values (for each of X, Y, and Z.) They
are also very similar to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parametric_surface parametric] (e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS nurbs]) surfaces.
 
 
'''Q: How can I make a sculpt texture?'''
 
A: The easiest way is to create a model in an external 3d package and use an exporter. We provide an exporter for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_%28software%29 Maya], and hopefully
exporters for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_Studio_Max 3ds Max], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_%28software%29 Blender], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixologic ZBrush] will be available soon. We also have plans to provide a sculpt editor within the Second Life viewer.
 
 
'''Q: How detailed can a sculpted prim be?'''
 
A: Our current implementation samples the sculpt texture by different amounts depending on level of detail (LOD.) Prims which are
close to the camera get a 32x32 grid of vertices, which drops to 16x16 grid as the prim moves away from camera, and so on.
 
 
'''Q: But why use textures (images) to encode shapes?'''
 
A: Because there are a myriad of existing tools for handling images. Image compression, streaming, progressive loading,
and animation are all well-explored problems. For example - we could create a quicktime stream which fades from one sculpt texture to another - attached to a sculpted prim, the prim would "morph" from one shape to the other.  Or, as another example - it would be easy to have a flash animation generate a sculpted prim - and when a resident touches a spot on its
surface, the shape could wiggle and ripple appropriately.  This is the direction we are headed.
 
 
'''Q: How big should my sculpt textures be?'''
 
A: We recommend you use a 64 by 64 pixel image. More data is really unnecessary - less can result in bad sampling when the sculpted prim changes LOD.
 
 
'''Q: How do sculpted prims work in the physics engine?'''
 
A: Currently, sculpted prims are approximated by a lopsided sphere having roughly the same size as the sculpted prim.  In the future we may provide a more exact representation to the physics engine - thereby providing more realistic movement/collisions for sculpted prims.
 
 
 
'''Q: How do i use the Maya exporter?'''
 
A: Go to [http://wiki.secondlife.com/w/index.php/LlSculpt_mel this page] and copy the text of the script.
Paste it into your Maya script editor, and optionally drag it into a button on your tool bar.  When the script is run, it
will pop-up a dialog box of options.  Select which shapes you wish to export and press the "Export" button.  The ideal
candidate for export is a nurbs surface with no more than 16 isoparms per direction.  You may also export polygon meshes - but you must first ensure the poly-mesh has a PERFECT uv space (it must cover the entire surface, and the space must have no holes.)
 
 
 
'''Q: The video shows a lot of smooth prims. Will we be able to make sharp corners and angles?'''
 
A: Similar to NURBS surfaces - a sculpted prim can have a defined edge by dedicating more control points to that area.
 
 
 
'''Q: Will we be able to make flexi sculpted prims?'''
 
A: Not in this version - this is planned future work.
 
 
 
 
'''Q: Will I still be able to texture a sculpted prim like a regular one?'''
 
A: Yes - each sculpted prim has one texture face.  The texture space of a sculpted prim is defined by the sculpt texture.
 
 
 
'''Q: This sounds like it might take some extra processing power - will there be limits or can I have 15000 sculpted prims per sim?'''
 
A: Sculpted prims have the same rendering "weight" as a hollow torus prim.  So no, they aren't more expensive to render, and you'll be able to fill your sim, if you like.
 
 
 
'''Q: is this technology available in the viewer now? if so.. how can I play with this feature? I can't find it!'''
 
A: We've been focused on recent deploy troubles - so no promises - but the sculpted prims should be available on the preview grid by the end of next week, or the beginning of the week after.

Latest revision as of 07:51, 4 November 2009

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