Second Life Wiki - User contributions [en]

Blender

2012-08-24T02:30:04Z

Hibit Spad:

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, computer animation, rendering, computer simulation, video editing, and the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film and visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two versions of Blender that people are using for Second Life. This unfortunately does occasionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender 2.49 has been criticized as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the add-ons available to make sculpt-making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Nevertheless new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new add-on tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

== Support ==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet, such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/] — a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development — and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Inworld User groups ==

== Add-ons ==

There are many add-ons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find add-ons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Add-ons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x, so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

=== Blender 2.49 specific ===

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2

http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL — BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ — Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new Blender, so if you see an interface that doesn't look right, look at one of his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

=== Blender 2.5x specific ===

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephsPlace/videos

http://library.creativecow.net/video-tutorials/blender

http://www.lynda.com/ (this site is not free.)

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro (This is currently being updated so your milage may vary)

=== 3DBuzz Series (63 parts at last count) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

== External links ==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2012-03-19T05:39:59Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender 2.5x specific */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, computer animation, rendering, computer simulation, video editing, and the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film and visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two versions of Blender that people are using for Second Life. This unfortunately does occasionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender 2.49 has been criticized as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the add-ons available to make sculpt-making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Nevertheless new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new add-on tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

== Support ==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet, such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/] — a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development — and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Inworld User groups ==

== Add-ons ==

There are many add-ons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find add-ons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Add-ons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x, so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

=== Blender 2.49 specific ===

http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL — BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ — Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new Blender, so if you see an interface that doesn't look right, look at one of his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

=== Blender 2.5x specific ===

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephsPlace/videos

http://library.creativecow.net/video-tutorials/blender

http://www.lynda.com/ (this site is not free.)

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro (This is currently being updated so your milage may vary)

=== 3DBuzz Series (63 parts at last count) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

== External links ==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2012-03-17T05:21:06Z

Hibit Spad:

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, computer animation, rendering, computer simulation, video editing, and the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film and visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two versions of Blender that people are using for Second Life. This unfortunately does occasionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender 2.49 has been criticized as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the add-ons available to make sculpt-making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Nevertheless new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new add-on tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

== Support ==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet, such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/] — a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development — and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Inworld User groups ==

== Add-ons ==

There are many add-ons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find add-ons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Add-ons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x, so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

=== Blender 2.49 specific ===

http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL — BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ — Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new Blender, so if you see an interface that doesn't look right, look at one of his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

=== Blender 2.5x specific ===

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephsPlace/videos

http://library.creativecow.net/video-tutorials/blender

http://www.lynda.com/ (this site is not free.)

=== 3DBuzz Series (63 parts at last count) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

== External links ==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2012-03-17T05:17:56Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender 2.5x specific */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, computer animation, rendering, computer simulation, video editing, and the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film and visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two versions of Blender that people are using for Second Life. This unfortunately does occasionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender 2.49 has been criticized as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the add-ons available to make sculpt-making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Nevertheless new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new add-on tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

== Support ==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet, such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/] — a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development — and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Add-ons ==

There are many add-ons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find add-ons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Add-ons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x, so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

=== Blender 2.49 specific ===

http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL — BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ — Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new Blender, so if you see an interface that doesn't look right, look at one of his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

=== Blender 2.5x specific ===

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephsPlace/videos

http://library.creativecow.net/video-tutorials/blender

http://www.lynda.com/ (this site is not free.)

=== 3DBuzz Series (63 parts at last count) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

== External links ==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2012-01-25T22:00:39Z

Hibit Spad: correcting some links

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are many addons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find addons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

https://www.youtube.com/user/JosephsPlace/videos

=== 3DBuzz Series (63 Parts at last count) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2012-01-25T19:29:31Z

Hibit Spad: added a new tutorial author

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are many addons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find addons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL25855309155025B4&feature=plcp

=== 3DBuzz Series (8 Parts) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

Series in parts:

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191001-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-5-Over-an-hour-of-new-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191017-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-6-Another-1-hours-of-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191097-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-7-UV-Layout-for-BananaMan!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191204

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Mesh/Basics

2012-01-06T03:55:27Z

Hibit Spad: adding some information that is hard to find in the forums. need to copy the images over from the original article yet.

{{:Mesh/What is mesh?}}

Prims, Prim Equivalent, Land Impact

This information was originally posted by Jenni Darkwatch over in the Mesh forum at: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/Prims-Prim-Equivalent-Land-Impact-a-too-long-guide/td-p/1293579

Because there's a ton of misinformation and even more woe-to-me, here's a bit of a guide - in laymans terms. For everyone who's interested in the details please do feel free to look over at the mesh forum.

Disclaimer: This information represents my own opinion on how things work, and is largely the result of experimentation and reading various posts from people way more talented than myself. Especially Drongle McMahon, Gaia Clary and Chosen Few.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT LI

There's a good question: Why would anyone besides creators even care? Because with mesh and with the new accounting system that comes with it, the following scenario is quite possible. I built a simple house, it's 11 prims as you can see in the build floater:

PEvsLI_012.jpg

A few things to note: The house was built using regular box prims and a cylinder. It's not exactly well-built either. After all there's no door and no windows :smileyhappy:

More important to note and not immediately obvious is that the build floater doesn't list "Prims" but "Land Impact". For old objects that distinction is irrelevant. But creators are now increasingly using mesh items and/or items which contaim partial mesh content. Mesh accounting, i.e. Land Impact, is vastly different from the good old prim based accounting.

Here is the same house, but using Land Impact (mesh-type) accounting:

PEvsLI_013.jpg

It's the exact same building, but it only has a land impact of 6. In old terms, it means that even though I used 11 prims to build this house, the simulator only subtracts 6 from my parcel allowance.

For consumers this can quickly become difficult to understand, because they might buy this house and the ad might say "11 prims, 6 Land Impact" or more common on the marketplace "11 prims, 6 Prim Equivalent".

PRIM ACCOUNTING - PAST AND PRESENT

We all know the good old region prim count. It's used everywhere. If your region has a maximum capability of 1000 prims, then 1000 prims is what you can rez. Regardless of whether the prim is a regular prim or a sculpted prim, and regardless of their size.

With mesh, there's now a new accounting system: Land Impact (LI). It calculates three values for any prim: Download Weight, Physics Weight and Server Weight. It also calculates a fourth value, Display Weight, but that one is not used for Land Impact (LI) calculations.

Unfortunately, old viewers can not properly display Land Impact, and that's a problem. Because if a customer would buy that house from the first paragraph, old viewers would show both houses as using 11 prims, even though the second one only subtracts 6 from your parcel allowance. Old viewers cannot distinguish the two houses.

HOW LAND IMPACT WORKS

It gets a bit technical here by necessity, but bear with me please. LI is calculated for each and every prim in an object, regardless of whether it's a simple prim, a sculpt or mesh. By default, only mesh is forced to use the new LI system. This is where one misconception stems from: That mesh is less efficient.

In the newer viewers, Land Impact for objects can be examined in the build floater. Here's what it looks like for the good old 0.5m cube:

PEvsLI_001.jpeg

Sorry for the low contrast. The advanced floater appears when clicking on the "More info" link in the build floater. LL changed the terminology across the board. No longer does land have a prim allowance, it has a LI allowance. The distinction is significant.

In the advanced floater there is a section called "WEIGHTS OF SELECTED", listing four values: Download, Physics, Server and Display. These terms are not explained very well in any LL reference that I could find, so here's what they mean based on Linden comments and resident research:

Download: It literally is a measure of how much any prim impacts the network side. More complex objects have higher download weights. The download weight corresponds to the size of most (but not all) prim types. The bigger a prim, the higher the download weight. Box prims stay the same at all sizes. Torii don't. As Drongle has kindly pointed out, the download weight is kind of in-between server and viewer, as it relates to bandwidth use.

Physics: A server side measurement. This relates to the complexity of the physical appearance of a prim, which is not the same as the visual appearance. More on that below in the physics types section.

Server: This seems to be largely script weight, again server side. Unscripted prims seem to have a server weight of 0.5 regardless of shape or type.

Display: This is the only value that is not relevant for LI. It's meant as a measure of render engine impact and as such is clientside. Because this value is highly subjective it's not used for LI impact calculations.

The LI value of any object is always the highest of the three values Download, Physics or Server, and it always gets rounded up.

You will notice that the simple box has a highest value of 0.5. That gets rounded up to an LI of 1. What happens if we link two boxes together?

PEvsLI_002.jpeg

As we all know, it counts as two prims as seen in the build floater. But the highest weight of the two boxes is 1.0. That is because by default, non-mesh prims use the old accounting system of just adding the number of prims to a prim count total.

That's where it gets interesting. It is possible to opt-in to the new LI accounting system, like I have done here:

PEvsLI_003.jpg

Et voila, the land impact dropped to one. In other words, these two boxes only count as one single prim against a regions old-style prim allowance. And that's why LL has removed reference to prim count in most places including land/parcel info floaters. It's now all called LI. How to opt in to the new system? Change the physics shape of ANY object or prim in a linkset to anything other than prim. If even one prim in a linkset is opted in to the new accounting, the whole linkset automatically gets opted in. Also, if a linkset contains even just one mesh, the whole linkset opts-in to the new LI accounting.

WHY WE HAVE TWO ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS

There always has been a problem in SL. A prim isn't a prim. For servers, a torus is a horrible thing. It's physical shape is complicated, and it's relatively complex to describe the shape of a torus. Boxes are simple.

Most simple objects would benefit from the new LI accounting system. But some would not. Let's opt-in a pair of tori to the new accounting system:

PEvsLI_004.jpg

I admit up-front I cheated. I only opted the root prim into the new accounting by changing its physics shape to Convex Hull. More on these physics shapes later. As you see, this can be a real "Oh damn!" moment. These two prims have a LI of 37! Or in old terms, they count the same as an object made out of 37 prims.

That's why we currently have two accounting systems. The old "a prim is a prim" system and the new LI system. If LL had forced the new system in, a lot of people would have had a lot of their things returned to inventory. When experimenting with the new accounting system it's a good idea to either be in a sandbox or on a parcel with plenty available LI/prims. In a sense, the new LI accounting exposed just how inefficient prim-style building can be in some cases.

Keep in mind, old viewers will not see LI. They only see prims.

PHYSICS SHAPES EXPLAINED

Physics shapes are what make SL useable for avatars. Without them we could not walk into houses, over bridges and so on. Physics are not free, they have to be calculated. The servers handle that. Many objects in SL really would not need to have any physical shape, or could at least use a very simple shape. Next to script memory use, physics are one area where we as residents have direct influence on sim performance now.

We currently have three distinct physics shapes: Prim, Convex Hull and None. Meshes can have their own physics shapes, I'll ignore them for simplicity and just use a torus for explanation.

Physics shape type: PRIM

PEvsLI_006.jpgPEvsLI_005.jpg

I've upscaled the torus enough so I can stand inside. On the right I enabled showing the physics shape of the torus (in Develop->Render Metadata->Physics Shapes). You see that the physical shape matches the visual appearance of the torus quite nicely.

The example torus above is using the default physics shape type for old-style prims, aptly named Prim. Lets switch to Convex Hull and see what that does. To illustrate, I turned the torus so the opening is on top.

Physics shape type: CONVEX HULL

PEvsLI_009.jpgPEvsLI_008.jpg

You see that my avatar stands on the hollow part, it does not fall in. Again enabling display of the physics shape shows why. When switching to Convex Hull, the physical shape ignores the hole and closes it. Convex Hull can be thought of as a gift-wrap shape. It just follows the outline and ignores any holes. Here's a side-by-side of the two physics shapes:

PEvsLI_005.jpg PEvsLI_007.jpg

You can clearly see the difference when looking at the triangles. Also, Convex Hull does not conform nearly as precise to the actual prim shape. It's a lot easier on the physics simulation though.

Physics shape type: NONE

The last new shape doesn't require an image, as there would be nothing to see. Physics shape type "None" removes any physics shape from a prim. It effectively turns the prim phantom. This can be used in linksets to have individual prims phantom, removing the need to either script objects for that or have a separate linkset for all phantom prims.

Linksets can have a mix of all physics shape types. I'd expect that the better creators use that new ability to optimize builds for low server impact. But I'm not holding my breath for every creator doing it. Most don't give a damn anyway, it's easier to blame LL for lag.

I'd like to warn again: Be careful when experimenting with this - it's quite possible to blow LI through the roof especially with complex builds. Go experiment in a sandbox if you're low on free prims.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR SL

The new accounting system gives us yet again a new tool in our arsenal to make SL a pleasant place and cut down on lag. I'm sure many here are familiar with the statistics floater (in Advanced->Performance Tools->Statistics Bar). It gives, among other things, a snapshot of the sims health:

PEvsLI_010.jpgSpecifically the time display is of interest, as it tells us where the sim is using its processing time.

The three weights that make up LI are more or less directly tied to three of the time values in this display:

Download Weight affects (vaguely) Net Time.

Physics Weight directly affects Physics Time.

Server Weight (at this point in time) mostly affects Script Time.

This is overly simplified of course, but it illustrates just why we, as residents, should care. Not every performance problem can be attributed to poorly created content of course, that would be unfair to creators who put a lot of time and effort in to making quality products. A lot of content is badly built regardless, partly because we didn't have the tools to effectively measure the impact of our creations on SL.

Now we, creators and residents, have better tools at hand. As residents it allows us to make more educated choices when buying things in SL.

PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW SYSTEM

The new LI accounting system has a number of flaws, as near as I can tell.

An object thats set Phantom still gets the full physics penalty, even though at that point it should not affect the physics engine at all.

Since the new system is opt-in unless you use mesh, it does somewhat encourage "cheating" by setting all objects that benefit from it to the new LI system and leaving all objects that do not benefit out of the LI system. Personally I don't see that as much of a problem, but it definitely is a problem.

The new system also places A LOT of weight on scripting. Scripts kill any objects LI quite fast. No idea what the reasoning behind that is.

Template:Navbox/Mesh/Project

2012-01-06T03:48:51Z

Hibit Spad: Made a change so when someone clicks on the mesh forum that is where they go

** [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/bd-p/Mesh Mesh forum]
** [[Mesh Project Viewer FAQ|FAQ]]
** [[Mesh/Mesh rollout plan|Mesh rollout plan]]
** [[Mesh/Report_a_bug_or_request_a_feature|Report a bug or request a feature]]
** [[Content_Creation,_Mesh_Import,_Scripting_User_Group|User group (office hour)]]
** [[Mesh/MeshRegions|List of Mesh-enabled regions]]
** [[Mesh/Mesh_Tests|Mesh tests]]

Blender

2012-01-05T19:16:34Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender 2.5x specific */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are many addons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find addons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

http://www.tutorialtrack.com/?series=Blender%20crash%20course

=== 3DBuzz Series (8 Parts) ===

Whole series in one page: http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?223-Blender-Fundamentals

Series in parts:

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191001-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-5-Over-an-hour-of-new-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191017-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-6-Another-1-hours-of-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191097-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-7-UV-Layout-for-BananaMan!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191204

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2011-12-30T07:15:41Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender 2.5x specific */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are many addons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find addons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.blendercycles.com

=== 3DBuzz Series (8 Parts) ===

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191001-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-5-Over-an-hour-of-new-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191017-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-6-Another-1-hours-of-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191097-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-7-UV-Layout-for-BananaMan!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191204

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2011-12-30T07:08:24Z

Hibit Spad: /* Addons */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are many addons for Blender that allow an easier content creation experience. To find addons that are specific to the needs of Second Life, look here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Note: Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

=== 3DBuzz Series (8 Parts) ===

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191001-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-5-Over-an-hour-of-new-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191017-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-6-Another-1-hours-of-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191097-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-7-UV-Layout-for-BananaMan!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191204

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

User:Hibit Spad

2011-12-30T07:04:32Z

Hibit Spad: Created page with "I'm just an avatar trying to be good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood."

I'm just an avatar trying to be good.
Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

Blender

2011-12-30T06:35:01Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender 2.5x specific */

{{TOCright}}

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==

== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

=== 3DBuzz Series (8 Parts) ===

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191001-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-5-Over-an-hour-of-new-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191017-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-6-Another-1-hours-of-modeling-content!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191097-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-7-UV-Layout-for-BananaMan!

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?191204

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

[[Category:Mesh]]

Blender

2011-11-21T00:57:43Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-11-20T08:03:33Z

Hibit Spad:

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

http://tentacolor.com/sl-animation-for-blender-newbs/ (Even though the author uses 2.49 for this tutorial users of 2.6 may find this helpful for making animations)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-10-14T21:17:32Z

Hibit Spad:

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAB4DF1F21A33CB3B&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2BA5BDF79FF50122&feature=plcp

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Mesh

2011-10-04T01:13:16Z

Hibit Spad: /* Miscellaneous Articles */

{{Multi-lang}}
{{KBnote|These pages are currently undergoing renovation; expect to see a lot of information moved and/or updated. Check back soon for updates!}}
{| align="left" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="border: 2px solid black; margin: 0px 10px 5px 0px; display: inline-table; -moz-border-radius: 1px 1px 2px 2px; -webkit-border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; padding-bottom: 2px; background-color: #000000; border-style: outset; width:100%;"
|- style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; background: black; color: white; text-align: center; height:8px;"
|align="left"| Status
|align="right" valign="top"| Mesh Project Viewer
|- valign="top" style="font-size: 10pt;"
|align="left" style="background: #FFFFAA; color=black" colspan=2 |
* Mesh import is now in the official Second Life Viewer! Download it now from the [http://secondlife.com/support/downloads/ Downloads page].'''
* [http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Featured-News/Mesh-Coming-to-Second-Life-This-Summer/ba-p/902061 Mesh Coming to Second Life This Summer!] - 5/31/11 blog post.
* See [[Content Creation/Mesh Import User Group]] for more information and recent news.
|}

{{Navbox/Mesh-all}}

__NOTOC__

Mesh is a capability to bring models, known as meshes, created in other applications into Second Life. Mesh is available now on the entire Second Life main grid.
{{:Mesh/Getting_started}}

== Latest news and your feedback ==
=== Mesh Import User Group ===
The Mesh team holds a weekly user group focused on all things related to the mesh import project. For full information on the user group and an archive of past transcripts, check out the [[Content Creation, Mesh Import, Scripting User Group|Content Creation, Mesh Import, Scripting User Group]] page.

=== Fixes and feature requests ===
To see features and fixes other Residents are asking for, check out '''[https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/CTS#selectedTab=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.project%3Apopularissues-panel the most popular open issues]'''. To bring more attention to an issue, please add your vote!

Found a new bug or want to request an improvement? '''[[Mesh/Report_a_bug_or_request_a_feature|Here's how to report it.]]'''

=== Discussion forums ===
The Mesh team scans the forums frequently to answer questions and ask for feedback. To discuss the latest news, or anything related to Mesh, go to the '''[http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Mesh/bd-p/Mesh Mesh discussion forums]'''.

'''Latests posts from the forum''':

<div style="background-color: #DBDDE0; border: 1px solid gray; width: 500px;">
{{#widget:Feed
|feedurl=http://community.secondlife.com/secondlife/rss/board?board.id=Mesh
|chan=n
|num=5
|desc=100
|date=y
|targ=n
}}
</div>

== Miscellaneous Articles ==
{{KBvideo|wel81CfKgRw|480|380|type=youtube}}
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlife3dmesh/ Resident-run Mesh images group on Flickr], also [http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=slmesh&m=tags search Flickr for the "slmesh" tag]
* [[Depth of Field]]
* [http://blog.machinimatrix.org/optimizing-meshes/ Mesh Optimizations] ("From Sculpty to Mesh")
* [http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/answers/mesh SL Answers Page] Answers to common Mesh questions.

* [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh_Upload_Enablement Mesh Enablement] How to enable mesh upload abilities.

[[Category:Mesh]]

Talk:Mesh Upload Enablement

2011-09-16T22:28:12Z

Hibit Spad: Created page with "Why was this page left blank for so long?"

Why was this page left blank for so long?

Blender

2011-08-30T21:56:39Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5DwdgVbiXc&feature=BFa&list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2&lf=plpp Making of rigged clothing

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Mesh/Exporting a mesh from Blender

2011-08-15T03:28:29Z

Hibit Spad:

{{Multi-lang}}
{{Navbox/Mesh|tools}}
== Video tutorial ==

Check out this '''[http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/ 3-part Blender tutorial for static meshes.]'''

There's also a detailed Blender rigging tutorial here: '''BlanderMan rigging tutorial [http://vimeo.com/5067809 part 1-1], [http://vimeo.com/5068722 part 1-2], [http://vimeo.com/5070359 part 2]'''.

=== Simple tube avatar ===
{{KBvideo|3JHWDdrIeD0|640|505|type=youtube}}

=== Mancandy avatar ===
{{KBvideo|8w88B7F7v_k|640|505|type=youtube}}

== Basic workflow ==
=== Create a box (or monkey or teapot or hippo) ===
=== Reduce polygons ===

The easiest way to reduce the polygon count of your mesh is via the "Poly Reducer" script, accessible via the Mesh -> Scripts -> Poly Reducer. This script reduces the number of polygons in the model without affecting its shape, much like the "Decimate" tool, but also maintains the mesh's UV mapping.

To quickly and easily produce a set of LOD meshes:
# Make sure your blender file is saved
# Export your full-detail mesh to COLLADA
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.5 (to reduce your polygon count by half).
#* If you make any manual changes to tweak the resulting mesh, remember to update the UV map to match.
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be the "medium" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh. It's good to start from the full-detail mesh each time to prevent errors from accumulating, though this may not be a significant concern for simple meshes such as attachments.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.25 (to reduce your polygon count by three quarters).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "low" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.125 (to reduce your polygon count by seven eighths).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "lowest" level of detail. You may also want to use this mesh when defining your model's physics.

Unfortunately the Poly Reducer script is currently only available for version 2.4x of Blender. The "Decimate" modifier is a serviceable substitute but the downside is that you'll need to redo the UV map for each LOD level.

=== Apply textures ===
=== Scale to meters ===
Scaling is somewhat arbitrary in Blender 2.49. In principle you just have to know how the mapping is between your 3D program (Blender) and the target environment (Second Life). Then all you need to do is to work in the correct scale. You even can later rescale your model in your target system.

So, what is the issue with Blender 2.49 ? It is all so simple that the Collada Exporter for Blender assumes that one Measurement Unit is mapped to one real life centimeter. But the common expectation in Second Life is that one Measurement Unit is mapped to 1 Second Life Meter. Unfortunately this missmatch very often leads to the import of "tiny objects". The common fix is to scale up the models in Blender 2.49 by a factor of 100.

But there is a nicer fix, which adjust the Collada Exporter to behave according to our expectations.
See this video to find out, how you can fix the Measurement missmatch between Blender-2.49b and Second Life once and for ever:

{{KBvideo|18354783|640|370|type=vimeo}}

If you don't want to watch the entire video:

find the file <blender script dir>\bpymodules\colladaImEx\translator.py and change these two lines:

daeAsset.unit.name = 'centimeter'
daeAsset.unit.meter = '0.01'

to

daeAsset.unit.name = 'meter'
daeAsset.unit.meter = '1.00'

To find the scripts directory, do Help > System Information in blender, and look in the text file for "Default dir for scripts:". The path for me is:
C:\Documents and Settings\tapple\Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\.blender\scripts
and thus the file is:
C:\Documents and Settings\tapple\Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\.blender\scripts\bpymodules\colladaImEx\translator.py

Note that this fix is not needed in Blender 2.5x.

=== Export to COLLADA ===
=== Import to SL ===

== Best Practices ==
[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/460796#41935 Forum thread on optimizing your mesh in Blender for Second Life]

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/552002#552002 Forum thread on installing Blender]
=== Bones and rigging ===
It's possible to import one of the default BVH animations that can be found linked in the header of the [[Internal_Animations#User-playable_animations]]. This will get you a slightly inaccurate skeleton to work from.

Please note that the bones are all the wrong names for mesh import, as mentioned in [[Mesh/Troubleshooting#Rigging]].

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/534554#52305 Forum tip for exporting joint positions with Blender]

=== Gotchas and workarounds ===

=== Optimization techniques ===

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL11D6E99BB51A2BB2 - Second Life Rigged Clothing Series

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

Blender

2011-08-07T22:53:05Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://www.cdschools.org/54223045235521/blank/browse.asp?a=383&bmdrn=2000&bcob=0&c=55205

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-07-18T01:13:51Z

Hibit Spad:

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Addons ==
There are several addons for blender that allow an easier content creation experience. Most addons can be found here:

http://blog.machinimatrix.org

Addons for Blender 2.49 will not work on Blender 2.5x so be sure of which version you are using.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-07-18T01:00:12Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL on YouTube

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/ Machinimatrix:

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-07-18T00:59:12Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
BlenderSL on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL

Machinimatrix: http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/

http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html

http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses

http://www.masterprim.com/blender

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/

http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1

http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims

http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-07-18T00:44:37Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

'''Blender''' is a free open source 3D computer graphics program, available under the GNU General Public License for the Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Blender's features include 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, Skeletal animation, water and smoke simulations, Computer animation, Rendering, Computer simulation, video editing, the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using in Second Life. This unfortunately does occaisionally lead to confusion about tool usage and placement.

Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Most people who are solely interested in sculpts use this version because of the addons available to make sculpt making easier.

Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich. This version has recently reached stable status but still lacks a few features that make it a home run. Never the less new users are adopting it because of the easier to learn interface and the new addon tools designed for Second Life that are coming online for this version.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type. Blender can also export animations to the .BVH file format that Second Life uses.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching Blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.49 specific ==
BlenderSL on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL
Machinimatrix: http://blog.machinimatrix.org/video-tutorials/
http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html
http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims
http://lightstarstudios.blogspot.com/2009/09/shadowaomaps.html
http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/tutorials/31727-tutorial-baking-specular-blender.html
http://www.squidoo.com/myblenderlenses
http://www.masterprim.com/blender
http://www.flickr.com/groups/sl_sculpties/discuss/72157612494819966/
http://www.youtube.com/user/3rdmoon1
http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims
http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/
http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (Has tutorials for old and new blender. SO if you see an interface that doesn't look right , look at one if his other tutorials.)

== Blender 2.5x specific ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]

Blender

2011-07-13T04:49:00Z

Hibit Spad: /* External links */

Blender

2011-07-13T04:48:08Z

Hibit Spad:

Blender

2011-07-12T18:08:10Z

Hibit Spad: /* External links */

'''Blender''' is a free [[Open-source software|open source]] [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] program, available under the [[GNU General Public License]] for the [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[FreeBSD]], [[OpenBSD]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] operating systems.

Blender's features include [[3D modeling]], [[UV mapping|UV]] unwrapping, texturing, [[Skeletal animation|rigging]], water and smoke simulations, [[Skeletal animation|skinning]], [[Computer animation|animating]], [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]], [[Particle system|particle]] other [[Computer simulation|simulations]], [[video editing software]], [[compositing]], the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using. Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==

*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]
*{{dmoz|Computers/Software/Graphics/3D/Rendering_and_Modelling/Blender/|Blender}}

Blender

2011-07-12T18:03:02Z

Hibit Spad:

'''Blender''' is a free [[Open-source software|open source]] [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] program, available under the [[GNU General Public License]] for the [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[FreeBSD]], [[OpenBSD]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] operating systems.

Blender's features include [[3D modeling]], [[UV mapping|UV]] unwrapping, texturing, [[Skeletal animation|rigging]], water and smoke simulations, [[Skeletal animation|skinning]], [[Computer animation|animating]], [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]], [[Particle system|particle]] other [[Computer simulation|simulations]], [[video editing software]], [[compositing]], the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

There are currently two version of Blender that people are using. Blender v2.49 has been criticised as being hard to learn and not up to date with the needs of the graphics artist community in general. Blender 2.5x is the result of an effort by the Blender community to update the interface of Blender as well as to make it more feature rich.

For the purposes of Second Life Blender can allow a user to design and create the files necessary to import sculpties as well as the "mesh" object type.

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Blender 3D}}
{{Commons category|Blender 3D}}
*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]
*{{dmoz|Computers/Software/Graphics/3D/Rendering_and_Modelling/Blender/|Blender}}

Blender

2011-07-12T17:55:48Z

Hibit Spad:

'''Blender''' is a free [[Open-source software|open source]] [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] program, available under the [[GNU General Public License]] for the [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[FreeBSD]], [[OpenBSD]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] operating systems.

Blender's features include [[3D modeling]], [[UV mapping|UV]] unwrapping, texturing, [[Skeletal animation|rigging]], water and smoke simulations, [[Skeletal animation|skinning]], [[Computer animation|animating]], [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]], [[Particle system|particle]] other [[Computer simulation|simulations]], [[video editing software]], [[compositing]], the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

==Support==

The user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/].

There are many inworld Second Life user groups (in numerous languages) that are dedicated to helping and teaching blender users. Simply search for Blender in groups.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Blender 3D}}
{{Commons category|Blender 3D}}
*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]
*{{dmoz|Computers/Software/Graphics/3D/Rendering_and_Modelling/Blender/|Blender}}

Blender

2011-07-12T17:49:52Z

Hibit Spad:

{{Infobox software
| name = Blender
| logo = [[File:Blender.svg|64px]]
| screenshot = [[File:Blender démarage.png|250px]]
| caption = Blender 2.57 at the default screen
| developer = [[Blender Foundation|The Blender Foundation]]
| latest release version = 2.58a
| latest release date = {{Release date and age|2011|07|04}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Dev:Ref/Release_Notes/changelog_258a
|title=Blender 2.58a update log |accessdate=2011-07-04}}</ref>
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]], and [[Python (programming language)|Python]]
| operating_system = [[Linux]], [[FreeBSD]], [[Mac OS X]], [[Microsoft Windows]] <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/features/|title=Features|accessdate=2010-01-03}}</ref>
| genre = [[3D computer graphics]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License]] v2 or later
| website = [http://www.blender.org/ www.blender.org]
}}

'''Blender''' is a free [[Open-source software|open source]] [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]] program, available under the [[GNU General Public License]] for the [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[FreeBSD]], [[OpenBSD]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] operating systems.

Blender's features include [[3D modeling]], [[UV mapping|UV]] unwrapping, texturing, [[Skeletal animation|rigging]], water and smoke simulations, [[Skeletal animation|skinning]], [[Computer animation|animating]], [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]], [[Particle system|particle]] other [[Computer simulation|simulations]], [[video editing software]], [[compositing]], the ability to create interactive 3D applications, video games, animated film, or visual effects. More advanced tools include rigid, realistic body, fluid, cloth and softbody dynamics simulation, modifier-based modeling, character animation, a node-based material and compositing system, and embedded scripting in [[Python (programming language)|Python]].

==Support==

The worldwide user base forms the core of the support mechanisms for Blender. Most users learn Blender through community tutorials and discussion forums on the internet such as Blender Artists [http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/] (previously known as elYsiun); however, another learning method is to download and inspect ready-made Blender models.

Numerous other sites, for example BlenderArt Magazine[http://blenderart.org/]—a free, downloadable magazine with each issue handling a particular area in 3D development—and [http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation], provide information on everything surrounding Blender, showcase new techniques and features, and provide tutorials and other guides.

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|Blender 3D}}
{{Commons category|Blender 3D}}
*[http://www.blender.org/ Official website]
*[http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/ Blender Artists Community]
*[http://www.blendernation.com/ BlenderNation: Blender news site]
*{{dmoz|Computers/Software/Graphics/3D/Rendering_and_Modelling/Blender/|Blender}}

Blender

2011-07-12T17:48:17Z

Hibit Spad:

Blender

2011-07-12T17:45:39Z

Hibit Spad:

Blender

2011-07-12T17:42:18Z

Hibit Spad:

Mesh/Exporting a mesh from Blender

2011-06-09T03:02:10Z

Hibit Spad: /* Tutorial links */

{{Multi-lang}}
{{Navbox/Mesh}}
== Video tutorial ==

Check out this '''[http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/ 3-part Blender tutorial for static meshes.]'''

There's also a detailed Blender rigging tutorial here: '''BlanderMan rigging tutorial [http://vimeo.com/5067809 part 1-1], [http://vimeo.com/5068722 part 1-2], [http://vimeo.com/5070359 part 2]'''.

=== Simple tube avatar ===
{{KBvideo|3JHWDdrIeD0|640|505|type=youtube}}

=== Mancandy avatar ===
{{KBvideo|8w88B7F7v_k|640|505|type=youtube}}

== Basic workflow ==
=== Create a box (or monkey or teapot or hippo) ===
=== Reduce polygons ===

The easiest way to reduce the polygon count of your mesh is via the "Poly Reducer" script, accessible via the Mesh -> Scripts -> Poly Reducer. This script reduces the number of polygons in the model without affecting its shape, much like the "Decimate" tool, but also maintains the mesh's UV mapping.

To quickly and easily produce a set of LOD meshes:
# Make sure your blender file is saved
# Export your full-detail mesh to COLLADA
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.5 (to reduce your polygon count by half).
#* If you make any manual changes to tweak the resulting mesh, remember to update the UV map to match.
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be the "medium" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh. It's good to start from the full-detail mesh each time to prevent errors from accumulating, though this may not be a significant concern for simple meshes such as attachments.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.25 (to reduce your polygon count by three quarters).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "low" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.125 (to reduce your polygon count by seven eighths).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "lowest" level of detail. You may also want to use this mesh when defining your model's physics.

Unfortunately the Poly Reducer script is currently only available for version 2.4x of Blender. The "Decimate" modifier is a serviceable substitute but the downside is that you'll need to redo the UV map for each LOD level.

=== Apply textures ===
=== Scale to meters ===
Scaling is somewhat arbitrary. In principle you just have to know how the mapping is between your 3D program (Blender) and the target environment (Second Life). Then all you need to do is to work in the correct scale. You even can later rescale your model in your target system.

So, what is the issue with blender ? It is all so simple that the Collada Exporter for blender assumes that one Measurement Unit is mapped to one real life centimeter. But the common expectation in Second Life is that one Measurement Unit is mapped to 1 Second Life Meter. Unfortunately this missmatch very often leads to the import of "tiny objects". The common fix is to scale up the models in Blender by a factor of 100.

But there is a nicer fix, which adjust the Collada Exporter to behave according to our expectations.
See this video to find out, how you can fix the Measurement missmatch between Blender-2.49b and Second Life once and for ever:

{{KBvideo|18354783|640|370|type=vimeo}}

=== Export to COLLADA ===
=== Import to SL ===

== Best Practices ==
[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/460796#41935 Forum thread on optimizing your mesh in Blender for Second Life]

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/552002#552002 Forum thread on installing Blender]
=== Bones and rigging ===

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/534554#52305 Forum tip for exporting joint positions with Blender]

=== Gotchas and workarounds ===

=== Optimization techniques ===

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

Mesh/Exporting a mesh from Blender

2011-06-09T01:37:20Z

Hibit Spad:

{{Multi-lang}}
{{Navbox/Mesh}}
== Video tutorial ==

Check out this '''[http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/blender-meshes-trail/ 3-part Blender tutorial for static meshes.]'''

There's also a detailed Blender rigging tutorial here: '''BlanderMan rigging tutorial [http://vimeo.com/5067809 part 1-1], [http://vimeo.com/5068722 part 1-2], [http://vimeo.com/5070359 part 2]'''.

=== Simple tube avatar ===
{{KBvideo|3JHWDdrIeD0|640|505|type=youtube}}

=== Mancandy avatar ===
{{KBvideo|8w88B7F7v_k|640|505|type=youtube}}

== Basic workflow ==
=== Create a box (or monkey or teapot or hippo) ===
=== Reduce polygons ===

The easiest way to reduce the polygon count of your mesh is via the "Poly Reducer" script, accessible via the Mesh -> Scripts -> Poly Reducer. This script reduces the number of polygons in the model without affecting its shape, much like the "Decimate" tool, but also maintains the mesh's UV mapping.

To quickly and easily produce a set of LOD meshes:
# Make sure your blender file is saved
# Export your full-detail mesh to COLLADA
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.5 (to reduce your polygon count by half).
#* If you make any manual changes to tweak the resulting mesh, remember to update the UV map to match.
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be the "medium" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh. It's good to start from the full-detail mesh each time to prevent errors from accumulating, though this may not be a significant concern for simple meshes such as attachments.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.25 (to reduce your polygon count by three quarters).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "low" level of detail.
# Reload your original full-detail mesh.
# Run Poly Reducer with a poly reduce setting of 0.125 (to reduce your polygon count by seven eighths).
# Export your mesh to COLLADA; this will be your "lowest" level of detail. You may also want to use this mesh when defining your model's physics.

Unfortunately the Poly Reducer script is currently only available for version 2.4x of Blender. The "Decimate" modifier is a serviceable substitute but the downside is that you'll need to redo the UV map for each LOD level.

=== Apply textures ===
=== Scale to meters ===
Scaling is somewhat arbitrary. In principle you just have to know how the mapping is between your 3D program (Blender) and the target environment (Second Life). Then all you need to do is to work in the correct scale. You even can later rescale your model in your target system.

So, what is the issue with blender ? It is all so simple that the Collada Exporter for blender assumes that one Measurement Unit is mapped to one real life centimeter. But the common expectation in Second Life is that one Measurement Unit is mapped to 1 Second Life Meter. Unfortunately this missmatch very often leads to the import of "tiny objects". The common fix is to scale up the models in Blender by a factor of 100.

But there is a nicer fix, which adjust the Collada Exporter to behave according to our expectations.
See this video to find out, how you can fix the Measurement missmatch between Blender-2.49b and Second Life once and for ever:

{{KBvideo|18354783|640|370|type=vimeo}}

=== Export to COLLADA ===
=== Import to SL ===

== Best Practices ==
[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/460796#41935 Forum thread on optimizing your mesh in Blender for Second Life]

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/552002#552002 Forum thread on installing Blender]
=== Bones and rigging ===

[http://blogs.secondlife.com/message/534554#52305 Forum tip for exporting joint positions with Blender]

=== Gotchas and workarounds ===

=== Optimization techniques ===

== Tutorial links ==
== Blender 2.5x specefic ==

http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5

http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/

http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/

http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705

http://blendernerd.com/?cat=5

https://sites.google.com/site/satishgoda/blender

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy (has been updating his tutorials for 2.5)

http://www.katsbits.com/tutorials/index.php

http://cogfilms.com/index.html

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

2010-09-25T00:47:06Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender */

{{Help|Object=*}}
{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}

{{Todo|Want to help out with this page? Check out the [[Talk:Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide#ToDo | To-do list]].}}

= About 3D Modeling Software =

This page offers a list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Maps for [[Sculpted Prims]], along with a short explanation of popular 3D file formats. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operating system support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the licence.

Note: Resident-made sculpt map tools and offline previewers [[Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools|now have their own page]].

;What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating sculpt maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create sculpt maps, it can make the process a whole lot easier.

*'''User Scripting:''' A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can do the same thing but may not be available.
*'''Built-in texture baking/generation:''' This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to image files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export of sculpt maps with [[#Blender|Blender]] and [[#Lightwave_.28Newtek.29|Lightwave]]. It can also make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can apply colours, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Over the years a variety of different 3d modeling techniques have emerged, each having various strengths and weaknesses. They include:
** Polygon Modelling: The most mature method and the choice output for most games and realtime rendering in which you directly manipulate the faces, edges and vertices of an object.
** NURBS: NURBS modelling uses series of curved splines to define the shape of an object and are excellent for smooth, organic shapes. The methodology behind sculpted prims is very largely based on them.
** Subdivision Surface: Subdivision modelling shares some of the advantages of both NURBS and polygon modelling: the shape is manipulated using sets of control points that allow for both smooth surfaces and precise details.
** Brush Sculpting: With this method, you use your mouse or pen tablet and a series of adjustable brushes to literally sculpt on the 3d surface like clay. Many programs such as Blender and 3ds Max offer this function in a limited sense to help with precision detailing but not to the extent of programs built with this method as their focus, such as zBrush.

Which you use will ultimately come down to personal preference and what your exporter will handle best.

;Do I need a really powerful computer to run this stuff?

For most Second Life users, this shouldn't be a major issue. If your computer is capable of running the Second Life client, you should have no trouble running most of these programs. Some programs will run fine on something as old as a Pentium III. A few professional programs (like Maya) say they'll only support high-end workstation graphics cards but it will still run ok on a regular setup. Check the system requirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

;What programs are the best for making sculpties?

There's no easy answer to that question. It depends on a number of factors which will vary from user to user:
* '''How much money can you (or are you willing to) spend?''' The cost of 3d software ranges from "free" to thousands of dollars. Programs like Maya and 3ds Max are powerful, but if you're not already seriously into 3d modelling, they're probably overkill. Lightwave, zBrush and programs in their price range are powerful professional tools while still being within reach of a reasonably well-to-do person who's dedicated to their SL design work, but these are probably still overkill for pure sculptie creation as most of the features you pay for go beyond the general tools to create sculpt maps for Second Life. Programs such as Amorphium, trueSpace and Milkshape are aimed at professionals and casual hobbyists, but not all of them are going to have the full 3D studio capabilities of some more expensive programs. Free programs run the gamut between the pro and hobby levels and you'll have to consider other factors when choosing between them. Blender is a nice alternative to professional suites like Maya and max because of its flexibility and price (it's free), but its user interface is arguably less intuitive.

* '''How much time are you willing to invest?''' If you want to just make a few sculpted objects, a simple standalone utility like Rokuro might suit you best. If you're a serious content creator though, you'll want to put the time and effort into learning a more complex program.

* '''How much prior experience do you have?''' If you've been working with 3d software for a while already, you probably already know what you like, or will have an easier time picking up a different and/or more complicated program. If you're brand new to modeling, it's probably a mistake to jump right into a program like Blender or Maya because of their steep learning curves. The availability of general modelling tutorials, product support, user forums and other resources (not just SL-related ones) will probably affect your choice as well.
 

;I'm new to all this. What should I start with?
Probably not with anything expensive...''unless'' you're a university student at a school with a good computer art program where you can take advantage of their resources. If you're very serious about learning the tools the pros use, you might also want to seek out such a program, either online or in a classroom.

If you just want to dive straight into making sculpties then there are a couple of front-runners for your attention. (Please note that these are opinions and may not reflect everyone's.) If you have to go the free route, Wings 3d is probably your best bet: the exporter has some hard limitations and the interface isn't necessarily friendly but it's much easier to use than the other main free option, Blender. Once you get the hang of it you can make sculpties fairly quickly.

If you want free and simple, try out the Rokuro and Tokoroten sculpt-making tools. You'll be limited in the shapes you can produce, but they require no 3d experience and you can turn out some good sculpties in a little as ten minutes. The Wings plugin can also import these sculpt maps where you can tweak them further.

If you're willing to spend some money (under USD$100), AC3D is a good place to start. The interface is nicer than that of Wings, and Zora Spoonhamer's exporter allows you to take good advantage of program features which the Wings exporter doesn't; full subdivision capabilities, cutting and extrusion of faces, etc.

That said, the best way to decide which program you should use is to start downloading their demos and trying them for size and feel.

= Adding Programs to This List =
The hobby market for 3d software is currently growing rapidly: as a result there are dozens of software packages in the wild, many undiscovered or not well known. If a new program is discovered and proven by means of it being listed here, great, but it's not within the scope of this list to name them all, else the most useful ones would get buried and the page would become a confusing mess.

A couple things to consider:
* Popularity: This may seem contrary to the "discovering new programs" bit above, but it's impossible to ignore the impact popularity has on a program: it means there's a community of users that can offer support to newbies and it increases the likelihood that someone will develop sculpt map support for it.
* Features: If it doesn't already have sculpt map support, does it have the features that will make it likely able to support sculpt maps? Certain well known programs like Sketchup and Milkshape have been put in the "Other" category because people will ask about them but the chance of sculpt map support being developed for them seems slim because of their feature sets. If that turns out to be an incorrect assumption then they'll certainly be moved up. A file converter like 3dm2sculpt or one of various object to sculpty programs is better than nothing but as such programs are in varying stages of being beta and/or experimental (and often may not work), being able to save to a convertible file format shouldn't be the only thing to consider. Other things to keep in mind: is the interface usable? Does the program run without frequently crashing?

With those in mind, if you're adding a program, follow the format used in the rest of the entries (they differ slightly between the free and commercial packages) and be sure to fill in as much information as you can; this will usually take a little research. If you've used the program, you're encouraged to include your insights and experiences in the short description blurb (you don't need more than a short paragraph). Tutorials, documentation and the like should be linked separately under the Resources section.

= Special Purpose Sculpted Prim Tools =

The resident-made sculpt tools such as Rokuro, SnurbO'Matic and the preview tools now have their own page: [[Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools]].

= Free 3D Modeling Software =

=== Art of Illusion ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.artofillusion.org artofillusion.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Java via [http://www.beanshell.org/ Beanshell]
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' ???
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, although it is possible to save as a .obj file and then convert it to a sculpt image.

A number of Residents have recommended this program. If you're familiar with it, please give the rest of us a summary!

'''Resources'''

*[http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation AoI Documentation]
 

=== Blender ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.blender.org blender.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems''': Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision, Basic Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, see blender add on's and tutorials below

Formerly a company's in-house tool, Blender is the current king of the open source modeling programs. With all the features of the expensive programs, an active development community and even some existing SL-based tools made by Residents, this is going to be the default choice for many people. Downsides: Blender's interface is not newbie-friendly. That combined with spotty documentation can make for a slow learning curve.

'''Resources'''

* '''blender add on's'''
** [http://dominodesigns.info/second_life/blender_scripts.html Sculptie Import & Export scripts] - (outdated, still interesting for Mac users)
** [http://dominodesigns.info/node/232 Primstar 1.0.0 (replacement for above scripts)] - mostly recommended blender add on for sculptie makers
** [http://blog.machinimatrix.org/jass-2-1/ JASS-2 distribution for windows and Mac] - The kit contains '''blender'''-2.49b, '''python'''-2.6.4, '''primstar'''-1.0.0

* '''blender related documentation'''
** [http://www.blender.org/forum/ Blender.org forums] - Invaluable Source of information
** [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro Blender 3D: Noob to Pro] - step-by-step introduction to blender
** [http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html Oven Baked Pretzels] - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties using the above manual method.
** http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5
** http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/
** http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/
** http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705
** http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy

* '''sculptie related video-tutorials'''
** [http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/video-tutorials/ The machinimatrix sculpted prims tutorial series] - covering primstar and JASS-2, transcriptions available
** [http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL's video channel]

* '''sculptie related text-tutorials'''
** [http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/ Robyn Huffaker's tutorials] well organized text only tutorials
** [http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender] - Amanda Levitzky's historical article
** [http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Blender (Almost) ] - Another great tutorial on using blender for sculpts
**[http://www.treekyomoon.com/blenderInstrux.jpg Specifically making a flat/embossed type sculptie] Cheat sheet like "image based" tutorial, Amanda's approach. [http://www.treekyomoon.com/flattysculptie.blend Sample .blend file here]
**[http://www.masterprim.com/class/blender-modeling/sculpted-prim-blender Blender 2.5 Quick Setup] with downloadable .blend file (no script need) or check out [http://www.masterprim.com/class/blender-modeling/how-to-blender-second-life-sculpted-prim Blender2.49 Sculpty Tutorial] a complete step by step for beginner.

Note: Blender is currently (as of this writing) undergoing a major code rewrite that includes a new simpler easier to learn interface. If you are looking to use blender to make sculpties, then DO NOT use the newer blender 2.5 or later. The add on tools that make Blender an excellent tool for sculpts do not work in the newer versions of blender.
 

===Plopp===
[[Image:Plopp example.jpg|thumb|250 px| A SLork sculpted in Plopp]]

*'''Website:''' [http://www.secondplopp.com/ Plopp Second Life]
*'''License:''' Donationware/Commercial

*'''Operating Systems:'''Windows, Mac
*'''User Scripting?''' No (N/A)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' 2d painting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

''Plopp'' is a cute 3D modeling tool designed for little kids. The makers of Plopp have now put out a free version for SL users (the full program can be bought for US$19.50).

Imagine one of those new mylar balloons. You paint the one side with an image, and then paint the other side with an image represetning the other side. Plopp then blows up the balloon and shades it. You can also import graphics from other tools (Photoshop, a scanned drawing, etc.), make a "cutout" with the eraser and inflate that. You can play a little with the lighting and with rotations. The Plopp drawing tools are very basic but keep in mind, this is for little children. Then it bakes the texture and exports the texture and the sculpt map (128x128).

Even if you don't use this for Second Life, you might like to get it for your kids...or inner child. It just looks like a lot of fun.

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.planet-plopp.com/biggerkids/tips.html Plopp Tips] - Video tutorials and neat tricks from the Plopp website
*[http://www.shiny-life.com/2007/10/06/tutorial-create-sculpted-prims-with-ploppsl/ Plopp SL Video Tutorial] at Shiny Life

=== trueSpace (Caligari) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.caligari.com Caligari]
*'''Cost:''' As of late July, 2008, Caligari, recently acquired by Microsoft, is giving away the latest version of trueSpace (7.6) for free, with all documentation as well as all formerly extra-cost video training.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' No longer necessary
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

TrueSpace and its companion products appear to be aimed more at the independent developer and hobby market. Today now that it is owned by Microsoft they are giving it away with the training videos, a fully featured program now absolutely free! Your on your own for support ever since the acquisition but there is still an active forum see the resources below for the link. However it lacks support to export Sculpt Maps directly, you'll need to use another program to import the .obj files you create. A unique feature TrueSpace 7 and on offers a virtual collaborative work environment without working in the Second Life sandbox.

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.caligari.com/downloads.html TrueSpace 7.6 Full Version Free]
* [http://www.united3dartists.com/ TrueSpace Community Forums]
 

=== Wings 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.wings3d.com Wings 3D]
*'''License:'''[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Get Started:'''[[Wings 3D|Second Life Wings 3D guide]]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
*'''User Scripting?''' Plugin interface using a language called Erlang
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Not sure
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes.

Wings3D is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface subdivision modeler] that is easy to learn and is well suited to making sculpted prims. The sculpt import and export for Wings is easy to use. There are also numerous [[Wings_3D#Tutorials|tutorials]] that are specific to making sculpties.

'''Resources'''
* See the [[Wings 3D|Second Life Wings 3D guide]].
* Get the [[Omei Turnbull]] [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764 import/export plugin here.] *)
* Get the [[user:Strife Onizuka|Strife Onizuka]] [http://forums.secondlife.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25721 import/export plugin here].
*Get the [http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap Wings 3D User Manual] here. (Sourceforge, pdf)

*) The SL servers seem to be having trouble sending the zip files from the forums. Use the alternative site,
http://pkpounceworks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=28&func=fileinfo&id=119 for now.

 

=== POV-Ray ===

*'''Website:''' http://povray.org
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows/Linux/Mac
*'''Trial version available?'''
*'''User Scripting?'''
*'''Modeling Methods:''' N/A
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes. Instructions are here: http://johannahyacinth.blogspot.com/2007/05/sculpted-prims-with-pov-ray.html

POV-Ray is a renderer - you have to do all your modeling in another application, or by describing in plain text the mathematical shapes which make up the model. It may seem an odd inclusion in this part of the list but merits mentioning up here instead of burried at the bottom with the "Other" section because it actualy can produce sculpt maps. Some other programs like AC3D (below) can also call on POV-Ray for texture baking.
 

=== XSI Mod Tool ===

*'''Website:''' http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available: yes supported by Valve with limited features (watermarks images). '''
*'''User Scripting: ''' VBscript, Jcsript, python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision, NURBS
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.html

The Autodesk® Softimage® Mod Tool software is a free version of Softimage for non- commercial game creation. It was designed for use by anyone needing a powerful 3D application to make and mod games. Most of the features and functionality of the commercial version of SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 are enabled in Mod Tool, without the hassle of licensing.
 

= Commercial 3D Suites =

It has to be said: most professional 3D software is (understandably) expensive, anywhere from hundreds to many thousands of dollars for a single copy. They're marketed at big professional studios with thousands or millions of dollars to budget for this stuff. There are ways to [[3D software cost savings|reduce this expense]] so that it's within the reach of an average person: some legal, some not.

== Under $200 ==

=== Archipelis Designer (Archipelis)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.archipelis.com Archipelis]
*'''Cost:''' €38 or about $50
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows and Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?'''
*'''Modeling Methods:''' by drawing on photo
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

With Archipelis Designer you just draw an outline from a background image(s) to make it a 3D textured model. Or you can use a blank view and just draw the shapes you want from scratch.
it's an intuitive approach to sketch the shapes out that can then be enhanced with textures and photographs and then exported to a set of sculted prims.

[[Image:Archipelis.jpg]] [[Image:Peng.gif]]

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.archipelis.com/second_life.php Archipelis]
 

=== Amorphium (Electric Image)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium Electric Image Amorphium]
*'''Cost:''' US$79 ("Standard")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB) - trial is Mac OS X 10.0 - 10.3 only
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, NURBS, Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes (paint on, further controllable with sensitive pen-tablet)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No (export to a format Blender knows, or to OBJ, and use a converter, can start with the 64x63 sphere made by Wings3D)

Sculpting is what Amorphium is all about. If you have a pen tablet (even a tablet PC), the pressure sensitivity will control the pressure applied to the current brush to morph the sculpture. It gives a very natural feel to being able to sculpt 3d models easily and intuitively. Amorphium has won 14 awards including "Best Graphics Software" from magazines like Computer Graphics World, PC World, and Macworld for its breakthrough real-time approach to creating 3D graphics.

'''Resources'''

* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=186218 Sculpted Prim Modeler: Amorphium] on sl forums (restricted access)
 

=== AC3D (invis) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.inivis.com/ www.invis.com - AC3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$75
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OSX 10.4 or later, Linux (x86 only)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes - 14 day trial
*'''User Scripting?''' Plugin Interface available, plus TCL-based scripting
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No (But can be accomplished via 3rd party plug-ins or POV-Ray)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes: As of 6.4 (released July 2008) the Second Life plugins now ship with AC3D. For older versions, visit these links: [http://www.inivis.com/secondlife.html Export plug-in for Windows, Mac and Linux], [http://www.ccccybernetics.com/ developed by Zora Spoonhammer]

AC3D is an inexpensive polygon modeler with SubD support designed to be easy for novice users. The sculpt map plug-in will export any model that has a perfect uv space. Several pre-mapped starter shapes are included with the plug-in, including a cube that can be used as basis for complex objects by artists familiar with the popular box modeling method using sub-division surfaces. Invis recently gave their official blessing (as well as hosting) to the plugin, making them the first vendor of this kind of software to put their backing into sculpy development.

''' Resources '''

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8RC5aJuWks 5-minute video tutorial on creating a pear]
*[http://www.independentdeveloper.com/archive/2007/09/27/sculpted_prims_from_existing_3 Sculpted Prims from Existing 3D Models] in AC3D. A step-by-step guide using an existing 3-D model of a fish.
*[http://www.supercoldmilk.com/ac3dplug/index.html AC3D Plugins @ Super Cold Milk] - several invaluable free plugins can be found here, including the knife tool used in the pear tutorial
 

=== Hexagon 2.5 (DAZ Productions) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/? Hexagon product page]
*'''Cost:''' Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49, Discounts for DAZ 'Platinum Club' members available.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
*'''Trial version available?''' Yes: go [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/?product=hexagon&_m=d here] and select '''Hexagon 2.5 Demo''' from the list.
*'''User Scripting?''' No
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes

Hexagon 2.5.0.5 rolls out official support for sculpted prims which shoots it from the "other" section into the main list. By itself it appears to be a very capable program - the full range of expected modeling tools plus 3D painting, ambient occlusion baking - in short, all most sculpt makers will need for not too much money. The program was originally developed by eovia and was purchased by DAZ.

'''Resources'''

* [http://artzone.daz3d.com/wiki/doku.php/pub/software/hexagon/start Official DAZ Wiki - Hexagon]
* [http://slandeara.blogspot.com/2008/05/modeling-vase-in-daz-hexagon-25.html Modeling a vase in DAZ Hexagon 2.5] by Andeara Yalin - A quick tutorial demonstrates how to create a vase.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESPjJr_WFJ8 DAZ 3D Hexagon: Sculpted Prims in Second Life] - Video on Youtube. Overview of the Sculpted Primitive tab new in Hexagon 2.5 and see how to export and import a sculptie into Second Life. Features Darlisa Riggs from DAZ 3D.

 

=== Moment of Inspiration ===

*'''Website:''' [http://moi3d.com/ Moment of Inspiration]
*'''Cost:''' US$195
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista
*'''User Scripting?''' ?
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, try [[3dm2sculpt]]

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former [[#Rhino_3D | Rhino]] developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet.
Original text: MoI’s sleek intuitive UI blends a fluid easy workflow with powerful tools, making it the perfect choice for someone who has been frustrated with the complexity of existing CAD tools.

'''Resources'''

* [http://moi3d.com/forum/ Moment of Inspiration Forums]
* [http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/ Video Tutorials]
 

=== Silo (Nevercenter) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.nevercenter.com/ Nevercenter - Silo]
*'''Cost:''' US$159, US$59 (upgrade), edu licensing on request
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000 or later, Mac OSX 10.3 or later
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes - 30 day trial
*'''User Scripting?''' -?-
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' -?-
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' -?-

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.nevercenter.com/about/features/ Silo Features] and [http://www.nevercenter.com/about/videos/ how-to videos]

 

=== Shade10 (e frontier) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.mirye.net/ 3DCG : Mirye Software]
*'''Cost:''' US$49 / $249 / $899
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows　XP/ XP Professional x64 Edition/Vista /Vista 64bit, Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later
*'''Trial version available?:''' [http://www.shadetrial.com/download-shade Yes - 30 day trial]
*'''User Scripting?''' Python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon Mesh, Boolean, Meta Mesh, Curved Surface
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' -?-
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

'''Comments''' Now available in English through Mirye Software. All versions of Shade include support for exporting Second Life sculpted prims. Shade is available for Windows and Mac OS X, and includes modeling, rendering and animation. Features integration with most other 3D software products. Supports Poser file hosting through PoserFusion.

'''Resources'''
* [http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/10/features/plugin.html Shade10 Plugin&Script] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT-dvuVEcTY Second Life Exporter video] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO2bgwww4WQ How to make Sculpted Prims with Shade10 video]

 

== $200 - $999 ==

=== Zbrush (Pixologic) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php Pixologic :: Zbrush]
*'''Cost:''' US$595 (V3.1)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OS X
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/trial/ (30 day trial)]
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Zscripting
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, "ZSphere" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, future support is planned by Linden Lab (but note to Resident developers: this one is in high demand). There is a Resident created tool called Sculpty Maker that allows you to convert objects created in zBrush. [http://www.shiny-life.com/sculpty-maker/ Download/Info]

Zbrush is a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally ''paint'' and chisel and mold...the best way to grasp it is to download the demo and play with it. It's pretty sweet: a ton of studios such as [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

V3.1 adds many new features, such as Displacement Maps (and and Exporter) and the ZMapper.

(I may be incorrect, but I believe that the Displacement Maps and Exporter may be Pixologic's rendition of sculpture maps. Some with more experience needs to check, please: [http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Displacement_Exporter Displacement Exporter]. -- just checked this, and is different from how sculpt maps work. Just a converter for displacement maps to normal maps. (pretty powerful in its own right, but not the same thing as sculpties) Sculpt maps are not using the normals in any way at all - they look similar in that they are RGB maps, but the similarity pretty much ends there. Rather sculpties use RGB gradients from the center of the prim to the edge of the prim's bounding box to define where the vertices are in xyz space. --[[User:Hypatia Callisto|Hypatia Callisto]] 14:47, 1 November 2007 (PDT))

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Main_Page Zbrush Documentation]
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community]
 

=== 3D Coat ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.3Dcoat.com 3D Coat]
*'''Cost:''' US$285 (V3.1pro) OR $235 (V3.1pro) if activated within 30 day trial period (also, no VAT Charge for EU residents)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X, Linux
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes [http://www.3d-coat.com/download.html (30 day trial)]
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, SDK for some elements available
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, "Voxel" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes, exstensive global illumination w/ layers and full UV toolset/retopology
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' YES. - Native support of sculpted primitive import and export; full compatibility with import/export for many formats.

3D Coat is, like ZBrush, a 3d painting and sculpting tool that is most often used as part of a production workflow with maya or studio max, but is extremely well suited to sculpted primitive development and texturing, even in conjunction with simpler polygon modeling packages such as Wings3D.

However, 3D Coat has some additional elements that Zbrush does not have, such as the cloth simulation engine and layers. The layering of displacement/environment shaders and painted aspects on your object can be opened directly as layers in an image editing program and live updates performed within 3D coat "on the fly," allowing for precise use of the Photoshop/Gimp/etc. toolsets and seeing the results instantly on the model in 3D Coat. [http://www.3dcoat.com/screenshots/15-EditTextureWithLayers.jpg Example texture in image editor]

'''Resources'''

3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/video_tutorial.html Video Tutorial Library]
3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/files/manual_pdf/3dcoat-manual.pdf PDF Manual]
3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/forum/index.php Official Forums and Online Community]
 

=== Lightwave (Newtek)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/ Lightwave]
*'''Cost:''' US$895, US$495 as a companion upgrade for Photoshop
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day time limit, currently only available with a couple books
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, LScript
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, manual method instructions here: [[User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering]] (works with any version of Lightwave of at least version 6) or use the DStorm plugin provided [[http://www.dstorm.co.jp/english/plugin/secondlife.htm]] at DStorm (LW9+ only)

Some high-profile Second Life designers have been using Lightwave for quite a while to burn realistic highlights and shadows onto their skins and clothing textures. Therefore it's not a big surprise that after Blender, this was the second program that community members figured out a sculpt export method for.

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/LightwaveTuts/LWTutSet.html Lightwave Tutorials] by Robin Wood, a.k.a. SL's [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Robin_Sojourner Robin Sojourner].

 

=== Rhinoceros (McNeel) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.rhino3d.com Rhino 3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$995 ($300 student)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues) OS X (beta, free)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, save count limited
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, VBScript
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (limited)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' please try [[3dm2sculpt]] (not tested with Rhino yet)

Rhino is built from the ground up for NURBS modeling; thus if you intend to use NURBS, this isn't such a bad option. From this author's brief trial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make it easier to learn than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select it and the command line at the top effectively lets you search for a function by typing in its name, without having to know where the button or menu option is.

'''Resources'''
*[http://starling.us/rhino Using Rhino in SL] by Ĝan Ŭesli Starling, a.k.a. SL's [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Aplonis_Ember Aplonis Ember].

 

=== Modo 302 (Luxology)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.luxology.com/ Luxology Home]
*'''Cost:''' US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivsion, Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, via texture baking

Luxology Modo is a premier modeling and UV system built to maximize the workflow of professional modelers. It has both a rich modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

'''Resources'''

* Lovecraft Forest Testbed [http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest11.lxo SLtest11.lxo] (Updated 06 Oct 2007)
* Hypatia Callisto's Torus Testbed [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip]testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip
* Lovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/ Blog Post] [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/31/beaking-it-down/ More Detailed Blog Post]
 

=== Mudbox (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10707763 Mudbox]
*'''Cost:''' US$745 (Autodesk Mudbox 2009) US$450 (upgrade from older "Basic" version) - US$375 (upgrade from old "Professional" version)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day trial fully functional.
*'''User Scripting?''' No
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

With ZBrush one of the most powerful organic modelers out there, really easy to use and artist friendly. Its modeling is based on brushes like ZBrush but aims more to 3D like Maya or 3D Studio Max. It contains a high quality texture renderer for baking normal maps and is used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

Mudbox's creator, Skymatter, was bought by Autodesk in October 2007

'''Resources'''
 

=== Carrara (Daz) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/ Daz]
*'''Cost:''' US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No (Yes with third party plug from [http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/ Inagoni]
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes - via texture baking with third party plugins - tutorial [[User:Hypatia_Callisto/Carrara_Sculpt_Baking]]

Like Hexagon, Carrara was an Eovia product that is now owned by Daz. Carrara is full-featured 3D application, supporting polygon modeling, spline modeling, "metaballs", and terrain modeling (it is sometimes compared to Vue). This app seems fly under the radar consistently, but Daz does seem to be serious about maintaining it as they have recently released a Mac Universal Binary version, free to registered users. Carrara also provides animation and particles.

'''Resources'''
 

=== Cinema 4D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.maxon.net Maxon]
*'''Cost:''' CINEMA 4D R10 Win PC £586.33, additional modules available.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, Demo
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, COFFEE
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, via Shader.

One of the more affordable 3D applications, excellent learning curve. Uses COFFEE script for plugins.

'''Resources'''
 
*Nice [http://www.ks-3d.de/KS-3D_SCULPTIES_(SCULPTED_PRIMS).htm tutorial] to create a Shader and modeling (by KS-3D Klaus Strifler - german only)
*[http://derek-lerner.com/blog/?p=923 How to create Sculpted Prims (sculpties) & surface textures with MAXON’s CINEMA 4D R10 & BodyPaint 3D] [[User:Derek Lerner|Derek Lerner]] 13:51, 27 July 2008 (PDT)
 
[http://kraphik3d.com/wordpress/?page_id=46 Sculpt map tutorial part 1 for Cinema 4D]
Loosely translated from Klaus Strifler´s original german KS-3D sculpt map tutorial into english by a finnish 3d artist Kraphik 3D.

== $1000 and Up ==

=== Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/maya Autodesk Maya]
*'''Cost:''' US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational license: US$300
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Mac OS X 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 30 day trial. "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark) - Discontuned by Autodesk in November 2008. Older versions of the PLE can probably be found by searching.
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, MEL Script
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki [[LlSculpt mel|here]], instructions [[Sculpted_Prims:_FAQ#MayaExporter|here]].
** Qarl has released a new export script that can handle assemblies of prims and can also bake the surface textures for you. [[Advanced_Sculptie_Exporter_From_Maya | Available Here]]

Why was Maya the first to receive sculpted prim support from Linden Lab? Because it was what [http://www.qarl.com/ Qarl Linden], the main developer on the project, learned to use while creating kick-ass movie SFX like [http://www.qarl.com/menu/resume/matrix-demo.mov these] and the tech for sculpted prims was adapted from tricks he learned in the process. Maya has been a growing force in the movie industry for some years and a strong presence in the video game industry as well.

'''Resources'''

* [http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/ Maya Sculpt Tutorial] by Talila Liu
* [http://www.sim-image.co.jp/sltk/en/index.php SIM Tools - Second Life ToolKit plugin] - Commercial Maya to prims plugin/building tool. Costs ~US800 (depending on exchange rates).
 

=== 3d Studio Max (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax Autodesk 3ds Max]
*'''Cost:''' US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day demo, full features
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, MAX Script/plugins
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygons, NURBS, Subdivsion, Basic Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes (some functions only in version 8 and higher)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes
** [http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/ Prim Composer for 3ds Max] Prim Composer is a complete offline builder for Second Life and OpenSim. Create regular prims and sculpts within 3ds Max and import them into either Second Life or OpenSim as linked sets. Hierarchical grouping and gizmo scaling are supported within 3ds Max. (from the maker of SculptGenMax) Open Source.
** [http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html Method 1] by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premade template file.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461 Method 2] by Abu Nasu, uses a shader. [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46 Download the Materials file here], or [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1695133&postcount=112 the updated Materials file here]. [http://tech-slop.serveit.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sculptie_Egg Read the tutorial here].
*** A varient of Abu's methood by Chip Midnight uses a projection modifier and can handle arbitrary shapes but requires Max version 8 or higher. [http://home.comcast.net/~pixelforgeltd/Tutorial.htm The tutorial is here.]

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integration between the two. A choice between Maya and Max generally comes down to user preference and (particularly in our case) plugin support. Some users have said that Max is easier for a newbie to learn than Maya and certain basic controls share similarities with SL's build tools (such as shift-drag to copy).

'''Resources'''

[http://www.windyweather.net/smf/index.php?topic=141 SL Prims to 3ds Max] - A prim building plugin and export system for Max. Open source.

[http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/ Prim Composer for 3ds Max] - Prim Composer is based on SL Prims and SculptGenMax. 3ds Max offline building plugin for both prims and sculpties. Open Source.

 

=== Softimage (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ Softimage XSI]
*'''Cost:''' US$2995 ($3790 with subscription for updates.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2/64 bit
*'''Trial version available:''' Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by [http://www.valvesoftware.com/ Valve] with limited features (watermarks images).
*'''User Scripting:''' Yes, vbscript, jscript, Python, COLLADA and C#
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.htm

Billing itself as "the most advanced 3D animation and character creation software for next generation games & film", it does that, modeling, baking, film compositing, ''and'' it makes toast! All kidding aside, they seem to be going after the largest slice of the market they can and their client list includes everything from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2 Half-Life] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film) Howl's Moving Castle]. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

Softimage XSI was bought out from Avid by Autodesk in November 2008, did away with the $495 "foundation" version and reset the price at $2995. ''C'est la monopoly''.

'''Resources'''
 

= Other 3d Programs =

These programs are free or cheap, but are not well supported or necicarily suited for sculpt making. They are listed here because they are popular for other applications and their absence from this list would be confusing to those who know about them otherwise.

=== MilkShape 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ www.milkshape3d.com]
*'''Cost:''' US$25 / €25
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available?''' 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registered
*'''User Scripting?''' Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygons
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Import/Export plugin under development

'''Resources''' 

* See the '''Tutorials''' and '''Links''' sections on the [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ MilkShape website]
 

=== Google SketchUp ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sketchup.google.com/ Google SketchUp]
*'''Cost:''' Free (Google SketchUp 6); $495 (Google SketchUp 6 Pro)/$45 (full-feature academic license for Google SketchUp 6 Pro)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OS X (10.3.9 or higher)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 8 hour trial available for Sketchup Pro
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Ruby
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Indirectly (through OBJ export; Pro version only)

SketchUp is a 3D drafting program popular among architects for its conceptual similarity to manual drafting and physical model-building. It has a very low learning curve, but is rather foreign to most established suites other than AutoCAD.

Hypothetically, SketchUp could be used to reduce the number of prims used in structures already possible with Second Life's built-in tools, as its use of edges and faces allows the creation of efficient compound geometric forms.

On the other hand, SketchUp's "bring your own geometry" approach makes it not particularly suited to the creation of mesh-based organic shapes.

Sketchup's surface modeling paradigm currently makes it difficult to translate SketchUp models into Sculpted Prims. The paid "Pro" version of SketchUp does, however, allow export to OBJ which, via [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide#obj2sculpt|obj2sculpt]] (or, of course, Maya), may allow sculpt-map export. It also exports to 3DS, Collada, XSI and VRML, ''et cetera'', but these formats may well require software more expensive than SketchUp.

SketchUp uses image textures about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools. Its texture capabilities would therefore likely not be useful to Second Life designers other than for previewing existing textures.

 

'''Resources'''

[http://eightbar.co.uk/2006/09/29/google-sketchup-second-life-export/] - A rudimentary Sketchup to SL prim exporter plugin.

=== Ayam ===

*'''Website:''' [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/ Ayam]
*'''License:''' [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OS X (with X11)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, tcl
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

'''Resources'''

* [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html Ayam Documentation page]
 

= 3D File Formats =

If you're using software that cannot export to sculpt directly, you might still be able to succeed. You can always give the file to someone with access to the appropriate software, or you could export your model into another 3D modeler. To do that, you'll need to export the model into a format the other program can handle. Here's a brief rundown of the file formats that SL developers will generally find the most useful.

:*'''.OBJ''': Probably the most common cross-platform export format for polygon models; it's fairly open and any 3D program worth its bits supports it. It's also well-documented and easily hackable.

:*'''.3DS''': The default polygon export format supported by [[#3d_Studio_Max_.28Autodesk.29|3D Studio Max]]. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, it doesn't have as many export options as OBJ.

:*'''.FBX''': Another Autodesk format that is good if you need to export whole scenes: objects, animation, lights, cameras, etc. More importantly for our purposes, it preserves [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS NURBS] objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and [[#Maya_.28Autodesk.2FWavefront.29|Maya]]; it's also supported in some other programs but [[#Blender|Blender]] isn't among them ...yet.

:*'''.3DM''': a.k.a [http://www.opennurbs.com OpenNURBS]. This is the native format of [[#Rhinoceros_Rhino_3D|Rhino3D]] and [[#Moment_of_Inspiration|MoI]] and, as the name suggests, is a [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Modeling_Glossary#NURBS_Modeling | NURBS]] export format. It's gaining some popularity; unfortunately, it's not currently supported by the big three (Maya, Max and Blender). However the format documentation and code libraries are open-source, tempting those brave enough to try and write tools for it, such as [[#3dm2sculpt | 3dm2sculpt]].
 

= Other Resources =

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

* [http://www.3dbuzz.com 3d Buzz] — Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.
* [http://ibiblio.org/e-notes/Splines/Intro.htm An Interactive Introduction to Splines] — a technical introduction to NURBs.
 

== See also ==

* [[Sculpted Prims|Sculpted Prims]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: FAQ|Sculpted Prims: FAQ]]
* [[Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: Technical Explanation|Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood]]
* [[Sharing_sculpt_maps_and_textures|Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures]]
* [[Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion|Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion]]

 

[[Category:Sculpted Prims]]

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

2010-09-25T00:40:54Z

Hibit Spad: /* Blender */

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{{Todo|Want to help out with this page? Check out the [[Talk:Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide#ToDo | To-do list]].}}

= About 3D Modeling Software =

This page offers a list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Maps for [[Sculpted Prims]], along with a short explanation of popular 3D file formats. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operating system support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the licence.

Note: Resident-made sculpt map tools and offline previewers [[Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools|now have their own page]].

;What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating sculpt maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create sculpt maps, it can make the process a whole lot easier.

*'''User Scripting:''' A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can do the same thing but may not be available.
*'''Built-in texture baking/generation:''' This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to image files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export of sculpt maps with [[#Blender|Blender]] and [[#Lightwave_.28Newtek.29|Lightwave]]. It can also make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can apply colours, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Over the years a variety of different 3d modeling techniques have emerged, each having various strengths and weaknesses. They include:
** Polygon Modelling: The most mature method and the choice output for most games and realtime rendering in which you directly manipulate the faces, edges and vertices of an object.
** NURBS: NURBS modelling uses series of curved splines to define the shape of an object and are excellent for smooth, organic shapes. The methodology behind sculpted prims is very largely based on them.
** Subdivision Surface: Subdivision modelling shares some of the advantages of both NURBS and polygon modelling: the shape is manipulated using sets of control points that allow for both smooth surfaces and precise details.
** Brush Sculpting: With this method, you use your mouse or pen tablet and a series of adjustable brushes to literally sculpt on the 3d surface like clay. Many programs such as Blender and 3ds Max offer this function in a limited sense to help with precision detailing but not to the extent of programs built with this method as their focus, such as zBrush.

Which you use will ultimately come down to personal preference and what your exporter will handle best.

;Do I need a really powerful computer to run this stuff?

For most Second Life users, this shouldn't be a major issue. If your computer is capable of running the Second Life client, you should have no trouble running most of these programs. Some programs will run fine on something as old as a Pentium III. A few professional programs (like Maya) say they'll only support high-end workstation graphics cards but it will still run ok on a regular setup. Check the system requirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

;What programs are the best for making sculpties?

There's no easy answer to that question. It depends on a number of factors which will vary from user to user:
* '''How much money can you (or are you willing to) spend?''' The cost of 3d software ranges from "free" to thousands of dollars. Programs like Maya and 3ds Max are powerful, but if you're not already seriously into 3d modelling, they're probably overkill. Lightwave, zBrush and programs in their price range are powerful professional tools while still being within reach of a reasonably well-to-do person who's dedicated to their SL design work, but these are probably still overkill for pure sculptie creation as most of the features you pay for go beyond the general tools to create sculpt maps for Second Life. Programs such as Amorphium, trueSpace and Milkshape are aimed at professionals and casual hobbyists, but not all of them are going to have the full 3D studio capabilities of some more expensive programs. Free programs run the gamut between the pro and hobby levels and you'll have to consider other factors when choosing between them. Blender is a nice alternative to professional suites like Maya and max because of its flexibility and price (it's free), but its user interface is arguably less intuitive.

* '''How much time are you willing to invest?''' If you want to just make a few sculpted objects, a simple standalone utility like Rokuro might suit you best. If you're a serious content creator though, you'll want to put the time and effort into learning a more complex program.

* '''How much prior experience do you have?''' If you've been working with 3d software for a while already, you probably already know what you like, or will have an easier time picking up a different and/or more complicated program. If you're brand new to modeling, it's probably a mistake to jump right into a program like Blender or Maya because of their steep learning curves. The availability of general modelling tutorials, product support, user forums and other resources (not just SL-related ones) will probably affect your choice as well.
 

;I'm new to all this. What should I start with?
Probably not with anything expensive...''unless'' you're a university student at a school with a good computer art program where you can take advantage of their resources. If you're very serious about learning the tools the pros use, you might also want to seek out such a program, either online or in a classroom.

If you just want to dive straight into making sculpties then there are a couple of front-runners for your attention. (Please note that these are opinions and may not reflect everyone's.) If you have to go the free route, Wings 3d is probably your best bet: the exporter has some hard limitations and the interface isn't necessarily friendly but it's much easier to use than the other main free option, Blender. Once you get the hang of it you can make sculpties fairly quickly.

If you want free and simple, try out the Rokuro and Tokoroten sculpt-making tools. You'll be limited in the shapes you can produce, but they require no 3d experience and you can turn out some good sculpties in a little as ten minutes. The Wings plugin can also import these sculpt maps where you can tweak them further.

If you're willing to spend some money (under USD$100), AC3D is a good place to start. The interface is nicer than that of Wings, and Zora Spoonhamer's exporter allows you to take good advantage of program features which the Wings exporter doesn't; full subdivision capabilities, cutting and extrusion of faces, etc.

That said, the best way to decide which program you should use is to start downloading their demos and trying them for size and feel.

= Adding Programs to This List =
The hobby market for 3d software is currently growing rapidly: as a result there are dozens of software packages in the wild, many undiscovered or not well known. If a new program is discovered and proven by means of it being listed here, great, but it's not within the scope of this list to name them all, else the most useful ones would get buried and the page would become a confusing mess.

A couple things to consider:
* Popularity: This may seem contrary to the "discovering new programs" bit above, but it's impossible to ignore the impact popularity has on a program: it means there's a community of users that can offer support to newbies and it increases the likelihood that someone will develop sculpt map support for it.
* Features: If it doesn't already have sculpt map support, does it have the features that will make it likely able to support sculpt maps? Certain well known programs like Sketchup and Milkshape have been put in the "Other" category because people will ask about them but the chance of sculpt map support being developed for them seems slim because of their feature sets. If that turns out to be an incorrect assumption then they'll certainly be moved up. A file converter like 3dm2sculpt or one of various object to sculpty programs is better than nothing but as such programs are in varying stages of being beta and/or experimental (and often may not work), being able to save to a convertible file format shouldn't be the only thing to consider. Other things to keep in mind: is the interface usable? Does the program run without frequently crashing?

With those in mind, if you're adding a program, follow the format used in the rest of the entries (they differ slightly between the free and commercial packages) and be sure to fill in as much information as you can; this will usually take a little research. If you've used the program, you're encouraged to include your insights and experiences in the short description blurb (you don't need more than a short paragraph). Tutorials, documentation and the like should be linked separately under the Resources section.

= Special Purpose Sculpted Prim Tools =

The resident-made sculpt tools such as Rokuro, SnurbO'Matic and the preview tools now have their own page: [[Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools]].

= Free 3D Modeling Software =

=== Art of Illusion ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.artofillusion.org artofillusion.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Java via [http://www.beanshell.org/ Beanshell]
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' ???
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, although it is possible to save as a .obj file and then convert it to a sculpt image.

A number of Residents have recommended this program. If you're familiar with it, please give the rest of us a summary!

'''Resources'''

*[http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation AoI Documentation]
 

=== Blender ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.blender.org blender.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems''': Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision, Basic Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, see blender add on's and tutorials below

Formerly a company's in-house tool, Blender is the current king of the open source modeling programs. With all the features of the expensive programs, an active development community and even some existing SL-based tools made by Residents, this is going to be the default choice for many people. Downsides: Blender's interface is not newbie-friendly. That combined with spotty documentation can make for a slow learning curve.

'''Resources'''

* '''blender add on's'''
** [http://dominodesigns.info/second_life/blender_scripts.html Sculptie Import & Export scripts] - (outdated, still interesting for Mac users)
** [http://dominodesigns.info/node/232 Primstar 1.0.0 (replacement for above scripts)] - mostly recommended blender add on for sculptie makers
** [http://blog.machinimatrix.org/jass-2-1/ JASS-2 distribution for windows and Mac] - The kit contains '''blender'''-2.49b, '''python'''-2.6.4, '''primstar'''-1.0.0

* '''blender related documentation'''
** [http://www.blender.org/forum/ Blender.org forums] - Invaluable Source of information
** [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro Blender 3D: Noob to Pro] - step-by-step introduction to blender
** [http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html Oven Baked Pretzels] - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties using the above manual method.
http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5
http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/
http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-go/
http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705
http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy

* '''sculptie related video-tutorials'''
** [http://blog.machinimatrix.org/3d-creation/video-tutorials/ The machinimatrix sculpted prims tutorial series] - covering primstar and JASS-2, transcriptions available
** [http://www.youtube.com/user/BlenderSL BlenderSL's video channel]

* '''sculptie related text-tutorials'''
** [http://robynhuffaker.com/sculptblender/ Robyn Huffaker's tutorials] well organized text only tutorials
** [http://sites.google.com/site/amandalevitsky/sculptedprims How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender] - Amanda Levitzky's historical article
**[http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Blender (Almost) ] - Another great tutorial on using blender for sculpts
**[http://www.treekyomoon.com/blenderInstrux.jpg Specifically making a flat/embossed type sculptie] Cheat sheet like "image based" tutorial, Amanda's approach. [http://www.treekyomoon.com/flattysculptie.blend Sample .blend file here]
**[http://www.masterprim.com/class/blender-modeling/sculpted-prim-blender Blender 2.5 Quick Setup] with downloadable .blend file (no script need) or check out [http://www.masterprim.com/class/blender-modeling/how-to-blender-second-life-sculpted-prim Blender2.49 Sculpty Tutorial] a complete step by step for beginner.

Note: Blender is currently (as of this writing) undergoing a major code rewrite that includes a new simpler easier to learn interface. If you are looking to use blender to make sculpties, then DO NOT use the newer blender 2.5 or later. The add on tools that make Blender an excellent tool for sculpts do not work in the newer versions of blender.
 

===Plopp===
[[Image:Plopp example.jpg|thumb|250 px| A SLork sculpted in Plopp]]

*'''Website:''' [http://www.secondplopp.com/ Plopp Second Life]
*'''License:''' Donationware/Commercial

*'''Operating Systems:'''Windows, Mac
*'''User Scripting?''' No (N/A)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' 2d painting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

''Plopp'' is a cute 3D modeling tool designed for little kids. The makers of Plopp have now put out a free version for SL users (the full program can be bought for US$19.50).

Imagine one of those new mylar balloons. You paint the one side with an image, and then paint the other side with an image represetning the other side. Plopp then blows up the balloon and shades it. You can also import graphics from other tools (Photoshop, a scanned drawing, etc.), make a "cutout" with the eraser and inflate that. You can play a little with the lighting and with rotations. The Plopp drawing tools are very basic but keep in mind, this is for little children. Then it bakes the texture and exports the texture and the sculpt map (128x128).

Even if you don't use this for Second Life, you might like to get it for your kids...or inner child. It just looks like a lot of fun.

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.planet-plopp.com/biggerkids/tips.html Plopp Tips] - Video tutorials and neat tricks from the Plopp website
*[http://www.shiny-life.com/2007/10/06/tutorial-create-sculpted-prims-with-ploppsl/ Plopp SL Video Tutorial] at Shiny Life

=== trueSpace (Caligari) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.caligari.com Caligari]
*'''Cost:''' As of late July, 2008, Caligari, recently acquired by Microsoft, is giving away the latest version of trueSpace (7.6) for free, with all documentation as well as all formerly extra-cost video training.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' No longer necessary
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

TrueSpace and its companion products appear to be aimed more at the independent developer and hobby market. Today now that it is owned by Microsoft they are giving it away with the training videos, a fully featured program now absolutely free! Your on your own for support ever since the acquisition but there is still an active forum see the resources below for the link. However it lacks support to export Sculpt Maps directly, you'll need to use another program to import the .obj files you create. A unique feature TrueSpace 7 and on offers a virtual collaborative work environment without working in the Second Life sandbox.

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.caligari.com/downloads.html TrueSpace 7.6 Full Version Free]
* [http://www.united3dartists.com/ TrueSpace Community Forums]
 

=== Wings 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.wings3d.com Wings 3D]
*'''License:'''[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Get Started:'''[[Wings 3D|Second Life Wings 3D guide]]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
*'''User Scripting?''' Plugin interface using a language called Erlang
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Not sure
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes.

Wings3D is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface subdivision modeler] that is easy to learn and is well suited to making sculpted prims. The sculpt import and export for Wings is easy to use. There are also numerous [[Wings_3D#Tutorials|tutorials]] that are specific to making sculpties.

'''Resources'''
* See the [[Wings 3D|Second Life Wings 3D guide]].
* Get the [[Omei Turnbull]] [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764 import/export plugin here.] *)
* Get the [[user:Strife Onizuka|Strife Onizuka]] [http://forums.secondlife.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25721 import/export plugin here].
*Get the [http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap Wings 3D User Manual] here. (Sourceforge, pdf)

*) The SL servers seem to be having trouble sending the zip files from the forums. Use the alternative site,
http://pkpounceworks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=28&func=fileinfo&id=119 for now.

 

=== POV-Ray ===

*'''Website:''' http://povray.org
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows/Linux/Mac
*'''Trial version available?'''
*'''User Scripting?'''
*'''Modeling Methods:''' N/A
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes. Instructions are here: http://johannahyacinth.blogspot.com/2007/05/sculpted-prims-with-pov-ray.html

POV-Ray is a renderer - you have to do all your modeling in another application, or by describing in plain text the mathematical shapes which make up the model. It may seem an odd inclusion in this part of the list but merits mentioning up here instead of burried at the bottom with the "Other" section because it actualy can produce sculpt maps. Some other programs like AC3D (below) can also call on POV-Ray for texture baking.
 

=== XSI Mod Tool ===

*'''Website:''' http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available: yes supported by Valve with limited features (watermarks images). '''
*'''User Scripting: ''' VBscript, Jcsript, python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision, NURBS
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.html

The Autodesk® Softimage® Mod Tool software is a free version of Softimage for non- commercial game creation. It was designed for use by anyone needing a powerful 3D application to make and mod games. Most of the features and functionality of the commercial version of SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 are enabled in Mod Tool, without the hassle of licensing.
 

= Commercial 3D Suites =

It has to be said: most professional 3D software is (understandably) expensive, anywhere from hundreds to many thousands of dollars for a single copy. They're marketed at big professional studios with thousands or millions of dollars to budget for this stuff. There are ways to [[3D software cost savings|reduce this expense]] so that it's within the reach of an average person: some legal, some not.

== Under $200 ==

=== Archipelis Designer (Archipelis)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.archipelis.com Archipelis]
*'''Cost:''' €38 or about $50
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows and Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?'''
*'''Modeling Methods:''' by drawing on photo
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

With Archipelis Designer you just draw an outline from a background image(s) to make it a 3D textured model. Or you can use a blank view and just draw the shapes you want from scratch.
it's an intuitive approach to sketch the shapes out that can then be enhanced with textures and photographs and then exported to a set of sculted prims.

[[Image:Archipelis.jpg]] [[Image:Peng.gif]]

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.archipelis.com/second_life.php Archipelis]
 

=== Amorphium (Electric Image)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium Electric Image Amorphium]
*'''Cost:''' US$79 ("Standard")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB) - trial is Mac OS X 10.0 - 10.3 only
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, NURBS, Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes (paint on, further controllable with sensitive pen-tablet)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No (export to a format Blender knows, or to OBJ, and use a converter, can start with the 64x63 sphere made by Wings3D)

Sculpting is what Amorphium is all about. If you have a pen tablet (even a tablet PC), the pressure sensitivity will control the pressure applied to the current brush to morph the sculpture. It gives a very natural feel to being able to sculpt 3d models easily and intuitively. Amorphium has won 14 awards including "Best Graphics Software" from magazines like Computer Graphics World, PC World, and Macworld for its breakthrough real-time approach to creating 3D graphics.

'''Resources'''

* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=186218 Sculpted Prim Modeler: Amorphium] on sl forums (restricted access)
 

=== AC3D (invis) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.inivis.com/ www.invis.com - AC3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$75
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OSX 10.4 or later, Linux (x86 only)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes - 14 day trial
*'''User Scripting?''' Plugin Interface available, plus TCL-based scripting
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No (But can be accomplished via 3rd party plug-ins or POV-Ray)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes: As of 6.4 (released July 2008) the Second Life plugins now ship with AC3D. For older versions, visit these links: [http://www.inivis.com/secondlife.html Export plug-in for Windows, Mac and Linux], [http://www.ccccybernetics.com/ developed by Zora Spoonhammer]

AC3D is an inexpensive polygon modeler with SubD support designed to be easy for novice users. The sculpt map plug-in will export any model that has a perfect uv space. Several pre-mapped starter shapes are included with the plug-in, including a cube that can be used as basis for complex objects by artists familiar with the popular box modeling method using sub-division surfaces. Invis recently gave their official blessing (as well as hosting) to the plugin, making them the first vendor of this kind of software to put their backing into sculpy development.

''' Resources '''

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8RC5aJuWks 5-minute video tutorial on creating a pear]
*[http://www.independentdeveloper.com/archive/2007/09/27/sculpted_prims_from_existing_3 Sculpted Prims from Existing 3D Models] in AC3D. A step-by-step guide using an existing 3-D model of a fish.
*[http://www.supercoldmilk.com/ac3dplug/index.html AC3D Plugins @ Super Cold Milk] - several invaluable free plugins can be found here, including the knife tool used in the pear tutorial
 

=== Hexagon 2.5 (DAZ Productions) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/? Hexagon product page]
*'''Cost:''' Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49, Discounts for DAZ 'Platinum Club' members available.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.3 or higher
*'''Trial version available?''' Yes: go [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/?product=hexagon&_m=d here] and select '''Hexagon 2.5 Demo''' from the list.
*'''User Scripting?''' No
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Yes

Hexagon 2.5.0.5 rolls out official support for sculpted prims which shoots it from the "other" section into the main list. By itself it appears to be a very capable program - the full range of expected modeling tools plus 3D painting, ambient occlusion baking - in short, all most sculpt makers will need for not too much money. The program was originally developed by eovia and was purchased by DAZ.

'''Resources'''

* [http://artzone.daz3d.com/wiki/doku.php/pub/software/hexagon/start Official DAZ Wiki - Hexagon]
* [http://slandeara.blogspot.com/2008/05/modeling-vase-in-daz-hexagon-25.html Modeling a vase in DAZ Hexagon 2.5] by Andeara Yalin - A quick tutorial demonstrates how to create a vase.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESPjJr_WFJ8 DAZ 3D Hexagon: Sculpted Prims in Second Life] - Video on Youtube. Overview of the Sculpted Primitive tab new in Hexagon 2.5 and see how to export and import a sculptie into Second Life. Features Darlisa Riggs from DAZ 3D.

 

=== Moment of Inspiration ===

*'''Website:''' [http://moi3d.com/ Moment of Inspiration]
*'''Cost:''' US$195
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista
*'''User Scripting?''' ?
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, try [[3dm2sculpt]]

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former [[#Rhino_3D | Rhino]] developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet.
Original text: MoI’s sleek intuitive UI blends a fluid easy workflow with powerful tools, making it the perfect choice for someone who has been frustrated with the complexity of existing CAD tools.

'''Resources'''

* [http://moi3d.com/forum/ Moment of Inspiration Forums]
* [http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/ Video Tutorials]
 

=== Silo (Nevercenter) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.nevercenter.com/ Nevercenter - Silo]
*'''Cost:''' US$159, US$59 (upgrade), edu licensing on request
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000 or later, Mac OSX 10.3 or later
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes - 30 day trial
*'''User Scripting?''' -?-
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' -?-
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' -?-

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.nevercenter.com/about/features/ Silo Features] and [http://www.nevercenter.com/about/videos/ how-to videos]

 

=== Shade10 (e frontier) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.mirye.net/ 3DCG : Mirye Software]
*'''Cost:''' US$49 / $249 / $899
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows　XP/ XP Professional x64 Edition/Vista /Vista 64bit, Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later
*'''Trial version available?:''' [http://www.shadetrial.com/download-shade Yes - 30 day trial]
*'''User Scripting?''' Python
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon Mesh, Boolean, Meta Mesh, Curved Surface
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' -?-
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes

'''Comments''' Now available in English through Mirye Software. All versions of Shade include support for exporting Second Life sculpted prims. Shade is available for Windows and Mac OS X, and includes modeling, rendering and animation. Features integration with most other 3D software products. Supports Poser file hosting through PoserFusion.

'''Resources'''
* [http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/10/features/plugin.html Shade10 Plugin&Script] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT-dvuVEcTY Second Life Exporter video] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO2bgwww4WQ How to make Sculpted Prims with Shade10 video]

 

== $200 - $999 ==

=== Zbrush (Pixologic) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php Pixologic :: Zbrush]
*'''Cost:''' US$595 (V3.1)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OS X
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/trial/ (30 day trial)]
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Zscripting
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, "ZSphere" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, future support is planned by Linden Lab (but note to Resident developers: this one is in high demand). There is a Resident created tool called Sculpty Maker that allows you to convert objects created in zBrush. [http://www.shiny-life.com/sculpty-maker/ Download/Info]

Zbrush is a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally ''paint'' and chisel and mold...the best way to grasp it is to download the demo and play with it. It's pretty sweet: a ton of studios such as [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

V3.1 adds many new features, such as Displacement Maps (and and Exporter) and the ZMapper.

(I may be incorrect, but I believe that the Displacement Maps and Exporter may be Pixologic's rendition of sculpture maps. Some with more experience needs to check, please: [http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Displacement_Exporter Displacement Exporter]. -- just checked this, and is different from how sculpt maps work. Just a converter for displacement maps to normal maps. (pretty powerful in its own right, but not the same thing as sculpties) Sculpt maps are not using the normals in any way at all - they look similar in that they are RGB maps, but the similarity pretty much ends there. Rather sculpties use RGB gradients from the center of the prim to the edge of the prim's bounding box to define where the vertices are in xyz space. --[[User:Hypatia Callisto|Hypatia Callisto]] 14:47, 1 November 2007 (PDT))

'''Resources'''

* [http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Main_Page Zbrush Documentation]
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community]
 

=== 3D Coat ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.3Dcoat.com 3D Coat]
*'''Cost:''' US$285 (V3.1pro) OR $235 (V3.1pro) if activated within 30 day trial period (also, no VAT Charge for EU residents)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X, Linux
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes [http://www.3d-coat.com/download.html (30 day trial)]
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, SDK for some elements available
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, "Voxel" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes, exstensive global illumination w/ layers and full UV toolset/retopology
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' YES. - Native support of sculpted primitive import and export; full compatibility with import/export for many formats.

3D Coat is, like ZBrush, a 3d painting and sculpting tool that is most often used as part of a production workflow with maya or studio max, but is extremely well suited to sculpted primitive development and texturing, even in conjunction with simpler polygon modeling packages such as Wings3D.

However, 3D Coat has some additional elements that Zbrush does not have, such as the cloth simulation engine and layers. The layering of displacement/environment shaders and painted aspects on your object can be opened directly as layers in an image editing program and live updates performed within 3D coat "on the fly," allowing for precise use of the Photoshop/Gimp/etc. toolsets and seeing the results instantly on the model in 3D Coat. [http://www.3dcoat.com/screenshots/15-EditTextureWithLayers.jpg Example texture in image editor]

'''Resources'''

3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/video_tutorial.html Video Tutorial Library]
3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/files/manual_pdf/3dcoat-manual.pdf PDF Manual]
3D Coat - [http://www.3d-coat.com/forum/index.php Official Forums and Online Community]
 

=== Lightwave (Newtek)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/ Lightwave]
*'''Cost:''' US$895, US$495 as a companion upgrade for Photoshop
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day time limit, currently only available with a couple books
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, LScript
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, manual method instructions here: [[User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering]] (works with any version of Lightwave of at least version 6) or use the DStorm plugin provided [[http://www.dstorm.co.jp/english/plugin/secondlife.htm]] at DStorm (LW9+ only)

Some high-profile Second Life designers have been using Lightwave for quite a while to burn realistic highlights and shadows onto their skins and clothing textures. Therefore it's not a big surprise that after Blender, this was the second program that community members figured out a sculpt export method for.

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/LightwaveTuts/LWTutSet.html Lightwave Tutorials] by Robin Wood, a.k.a. SL's [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Robin_Sojourner Robin Sojourner].

 

=== Rhinoceros (McNeel) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.rhino3d.com Rhino 3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$995 ($300 student)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues) OS X (beta, free)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, save count limited
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, VBScript
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (limited)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' please try [[3dm2sculpt]] (not tested with Rhino yet)

Rhino is built from the ground up for NURBS modeling; thus if you intend to use NURBS, this isn't such a bad option. From this author's brief trial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make it easier to learn than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select it and the command line at the top effectively lets you search for a function by typing in its name, without having to know where the button or menu option is.

'''Resources'''
*[http://starling.us/rhino Using Rhino in SL] by Ĝan Ŭesli Starling, a.k.a. SL's [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Aplonis_Ember Aplonis Ember].

 

=== Modo 302 (Luxology)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.luxology.com/ Luxology Home]
*'''Cost:''' US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, Subdivsion, Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, via texture baking

Luxology Modo is a premier modeling and UV system built to maximize the workflow of professional modelers. It has both a rich modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

'''Resources'''

* Lovecraft Forest Testbed [http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest11.lxo SLtest11.lxo] (Updated 06 Oct 2007)
* Hypatia Callisto's Torus Testbed [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip]testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip
* Lovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/ Blog Post] [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/31/beaking-it-down/ More Detailed Blog Post]
 

=== Mudbox (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10707763 Mudbox]
*'''Cost:''' US$745 (Autodesk Mudbox 2009) US$450 (upgrade from older "Basic" version) - US$375 (upgrade from old "Professional" version)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day trial fully functional.
*'''User Scripting?''' No
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Brush Sculpting, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

With ZBrush one of the most powerful organic modelers out there, really easy to use and artist friendly. Its modeling is based on brushes like ZBrush but aims more to 3D like Maya or 3D Studio Max. It contains a high quality texture renderer for baking normal maps and is used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

Mudbox's creator, Skymatter, was bought by Autodesk in October 2007

'''Resources'''
 

=== Carrara (Daz) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/ Daz]
*'''Cost:''' US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No (Yes with third party plug from [http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/ Inagoni]
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes - via texture baking with third party plugins - tutorial [[User:Hypatia_Callisto/Carrara_Sculpt_Baking]]

Like Hexagon, Carrara was an Eovia product that is now owned by Daz. Carrara is full-featured 3D application, supporting polygon modeling, spline modeling, "metaballs", and terrain modeling (it is sometimes compared to Vue). This app seems fly under the radar consistently, but Daz does seem to be serious about maintaining it as they have recently released a Mac Universal Binary version, free to registered users. Carrara also provides animation and particles.

'''Resources'''
 

=== Cinema 4D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.maxon.net Maxon]
*'''Cost:''' CINEMA 4D R10 Win PC £586.33, additional modules available.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, Demo
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, COFFEE
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, via Shader.

One of the more affordable 3D applications, excellent learning curve. Uses COFFEE script for plugins.

'''Resources'''
 
*Nice [http://www.ks-3d.de/KS-3D_SCULPTIES_(SCULPTED_PRIMS).htm tutorial] to create a Shader and modeling (by KS-3D Klaus Strifler - german only)
*[http://derek-lerner.com/blog/?p=923 How to create Sculpted Prims (sculpties) & surface textures with MAXON’s CINEMA 4D R10 & BodyPaint 3D] [[User:Derek Lerner|Derek Lerner]] 13:51, 27 July 2008 (PDT)
 
[http://kraphik3d.com/wordpress/?page_id=46 Sculpt map tutorial part 1 for Cinema 4D]
Loosely translated from Klaus Strifler´s original german KS-3D sculpt map tutorial into english by a finnish 3d artist Kraphik 3D.

== $1000 and Up ==

=== Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/maya Autodesk Maya]
*'''Cost:''' US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational license: US$300
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Mac OS X 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 30 day trial. "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark) - Discontuned by Autodesk in November 2008. Older versions of the PLE can probably be found by searching.
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, MEL Script
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki [[LlSculpt mel|here]], instructions [[Sculpted_Prims:_FAQ#MayaExporter|here]].
** Qarl has released a new export script that can handle assemblies of prims and can also bake the surface textures for you. [[Advanced_Sculptie_Exporter_From_Maya | Available Here]]

Why was Maya the first to receive sculpted prim support from Linden Lab? Because it was what [http://www.qarl.com/ Qarl Linden], the main developer on the project, learned to use while creating kick-ass movie SFX like [http://www.qarl.com/menu/resume/matrix-demo.mov these] and the tech for sculpted prims was adapted from tricks he learned in the process. Maya has been a growing force in the movie industry for some years and a strong presence in the video game industry as well.

'''Resources'''

* [http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/ Maya Sculpt Tutorial] by Talila Liu
* [http://www.sim-image.co.jp/sltk/en/index.php SIM Tools - Second Life ToolKit plugin] - Commercial Maya to prims plugin/building tool. Costs ~US800 (depending on exchange rates).
 

=== 3d Studio Max (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax Autodesk 3ds Max]
*'''Cost:''' US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day demo, full features
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, MAX Script/plugins
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygons, NURBS, Subdivsion, Basic Brush Sculpting
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' Yes (some functions only in version 8 and higher)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes
** [http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/ Prim Composer for 3ds Max] Prim Composer is a complete offline builder for Second Life and OpenSim. Create regular prims and sculpts within 3ds Max and import them into either Second Life or OpenSim as linked sets. Hierarchical grouping and gizmo scaling are supported within 3ds Max. (from the maker of SculptGenMax) Open Source.
** [http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html Method 1] by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premade template file.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461 Method 2] by Abu Nasu, uses a shader. [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46 Download the Materials file here], or [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1695133&postcount=112 the updated Materials file here]. [http://tech-slop.serveit.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sculptie_Egg Read the tutorial here].
*** A varient of Abu's methood by Chip Midnight uses a projection modifier and can handle arbitrary shapes but requires Max version 8 or higher. [http://home.comcast.net/~pixelforgeltd/Tutorial.htm The tutorial is here.]

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integration between the two. A choice between Maya and Max generally comes down to user preference and (particularly in our case) plugin support. Some users have said that Max is easier for a newbie to learn than Maya and certain basic controls share similarities with SL's build tools (such as shift-drag to copy).

'''Resources'''

[http://www.windyweather.net/smf/index.php?topic=141 SL Prims to 3ds Max] - A prim building plugin and export system for Max. Open source.

[http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/ Prim Composer for 3ds Max] - Prim Composer is based on SL Prims and SculptGenMax. 3ds Max offline building plugin for both prims and sculpties. Open Source.

 

=== Softimage (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ Softimage XSI]
*'''Cost:''' US$2995 ($3790 with subscription for updates.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2/64 bit
*'''Trial version available:''' Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by [http://www.valvesoftware.com/ Valve] with limited features (watermarks images).
*'''User Scripting:''' Yes, vbscript, jscript, Python, COLLADA and C#
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
*'''Built-in Texture Baking:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.htm

Billing itself as "the most advanced 3D animation and character creation software for next generation games & film", it does that, modeling, baking, film compositing, ''and'' it makes toast! All kidding aside, they seem to be going after the largest slice of the market they can and their client list includes everything from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2 Half-Life] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film) Howl's Moving Castle]. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

Softimage XSI was bought out from Avid by Autodesk in November 2008, did away with the $495 "foundation" version and reset the price at $2995. ''C'est la monopoly''.

'''Resources'''
 

= Other 3d Programs =

These programs are free or cheap, but are not well supported or necicarily suited for sculpt making. They are listed here because they are popular for other applications and their absence from this list would be confusing to those who know about them otherwise.

=== MilkShape 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ www.milkshape3d.com]
*'''Cost:''' US$25 / €25
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available?''' 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registered
*'''User Scripting?''' Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygons
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Import/Export plugin under development

'''Resources''' 

* See the '''Tutorials''' and '''Links''' sections on the [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ MilkShape website]
 

=== Google SketchUp ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sketchup.google.com/ Google SketchUp]
*'''Cost:''' Free (Google SketchUp 6); $495 (Google SketchUp 6 Pro)/$45 (full-feature academic license for Google SketchUp 6 Pro)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OS X (10.3.9 or higher)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 8 hour trial available for Sketchup Pro
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, Ruby
*'''Modeling Methods:''' Polygon
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Indirectly (through OBJ export; Pro version only)

SketchUp is a 3D drafting program popular among architects for its conceptual similarity to manual drafting and physical model-building. It has a very low learning curve, but is rather foreign to most established suites other than AutoCAD.

Hypothetically, SketchUp could be used to reduce the number of prims used in structures already possible with Second Life's built-in tools, as its use of edges and faces allows the creation of efficient compound geometric forms.

On the other hand, SketchUp's "bring your own geometry" approach makes it not particularly suited to the creation of mesh-based organic shapes.

Sketchup's surface modeling paradigm currently makes it difficult to translate SketchUp models into Sculpted Prims. The paid "Pro" version of SketchUp does, however, allow export to OBJ which, via [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide#obj2sculpt|obj2sculpt]] (or, of course, Maya), may allow sculpt-map export. It also exports to 3DS, Collada, XSI and VRML, ''et cetera'', but these formats may well require software more expensive than SketchUp.

SketchUp uses image textures about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools. Its texture capabilities would therefore likely not be useful to Second Life designers other than for previewing existing textures.

 

'''Resources'''

[http://eightbar.co.uk/2006/09/29/google-sketchup-second-life-export/] - A rudimentary Sketchup to SL prim exporter plugin.

=== Ayam ===

*'''Website:''' [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/ Ayam]
*'''License:''' [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OS X (with X11)
*'''User Scripting?''' Yes, tcl
*'''Modeling Methods:''' NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

'''Resources'''

* [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html Ayam Documentation page]
 

= 3D File Formats =

If you're using software that cannot export to sculpt directly, you might still be able to succeed. You can always give the file to someone with access to the appropriate software, or you could export your model into another 3D modeler. To do that, you'll need to export the model into a format the other program can handle. Here's a brief rundown of the file formats that SL developers will generally find the most useful.

:*'''.OBJ''': Probably the most common cross-platform export format for polygon models; it's fairly open and any 3D program worth its bits supports it. It's also well-documented and easily hackable.

:*'''.3DS''': The default polygon export format supported by [[#3d_Studio_Max_.28Autodesk.29|3D Studio Max]]. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, it doesn't have as many export options as OBJ.

:*'''.FBX''': Another Autodesk format that is good if you need to export whole scenes: objects, animation, lights, cameras, etc. More importantly for our purposes, it preserves [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS NURBS] objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and [[#Maya_.28Autodesk.2FWavefront.29|Maya]]; it's also supported in some other programs but [[#Blender|Blender]] isn't among them ...yet.

:*'''.3DM''': a.k.a [http://www.opennurbs.com OpenNURBS]. This is the native format of [[#Rhinoceros_Rhino_3D|Rhino3D]] and [[#Moment_of_Inspiration|MoI]] and, as the name suggests, is a [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Modeling_Glossary#NURBS_Modeling | NURBS]] export format. It's gaining some popularity; unfortunately, it's not currently supported by the big three (Maya, Max and Blender). However the format documentation and code libraries are open-source, tempting those brave enough to try and write tools for it, such as [[#3dm2sculpt | 3dm2sculpt]].
 

= Other Resources =

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

* [http://www.3dbuzz.com 3d Buzz] — Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.
* [http://ibiblio.org/e-notes/Splines/Intro.htm An Interactive Introduction to Splines] — a technical introduction to NURBs.
 

== See also ==

* [[Sculpted Prims|Sculpted Prims]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: FAQ|Sculpted Prims: FAQ]]
* [[Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: Technical Explanation|Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood]]
* [[Sharing_sculpt_maps_and_textures|Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures]]
* [[Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion|Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion]]

 

[[Category:Sculpted Prims]]

Voice Mentors: Getting Started with Voice

2010-03-10T00:37:04Z

Hibit Spad: Made a notation that testmyvoip.com appears to have been turned into an ad page.

{{Help|Multimedia=*}}
[[Image:voice_mentors_logo.png|frame|right|Voice Mentors Logo]]

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* '''Note: Please help us translate this note into your native language! If you would like to contribute, please contact DaQbet Kish or Web Page in-world.'''

== Getting Started with Voice ==

:; Setting things up

:* Connect a microphone or headset to your computer and make sure it works as expected. See [http://secondlife.com/knowledgebase/article.php?id=423 this Knowledge Base article] for detailed instructions on how to set up your headset or microphone.

:* Launch the Viewer and wait for the login screen to come up. Don't log in just yet.

:* Click on the '''Preferences''' button and navigate to the '''Voice''' tab. Check '''Enable voice chat''' and '''Use Push-to-Talk mode'''.

:* '''Push-to-Talk trigger''' designates a customizable key that triggers (or toggles) your microphone. Press and hold this key whenever you want to talk. To use this key as a toggle, check '''Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode''' (leave it unchecked for now). To change the key, click '''Set Key''' and then press the desired key or mouse button.

:* Quit and re-launch the Viewer. If all goes well, you're ready to login. Just walk up to people near you (in a voice-enabled region) and start talking!

== I've logged in — now what? ==

=== Controlling your Headset/Mic ===

: Once you've successfully configured your system and logged in, there are several ways to use voice chat: [[Image:Voice_talk_button_lock.jpg|right|frame|Locked Talk Button and Master Volume]] [[Image:Voice_push_to_talk_trigger.png|right|frame|Push-to-Talk Trigger/Toggle]]

:# Note the '''Voice''' tab at the bottom of your screen. Click and hold the blue '''Talk''' button when you speak into the microphone. The button 'glows' yellow when pressed. The small green indicator next to it lights up when you speak into your microphone.
:# If you have enabled '''Push-to-Talk''' in the Voice Chat preferences, use the appropriate key or mouse button to trigger your microphone. When you press the key/button, the '''Talk''' button will 'glow' yellow when the mic is open and the little green indicator will light up when you speak.
:# If you have checked '''Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode''' in the Voice Chat preferences, you can use the key or button as a mic toggle. The '''Talk''' button will glow yellow until you press the key/button again.
:# The left portion of the '''Talk''' button has a small lock icon; click on it to use your mic hands-free (i.e. to toggle the mic's open state). The button will 'glow' yellow when your mic is switched on. Click the lock again to turn your mic off.

: '''Note:''' When you first log in or when you select '''Use Push-to-Talk in toggle mode''', your microphone may be switched on permanently. This can have two undesirable effects: if you use a loudspeaker-microphone combination instead of a headset, your open mic will create feedback ("echo") in the voice channel; what's more, any ambient sounds near you (radio, tv, other people, street noise) will be broadcast to everyone near you in Second Life. Check the '''Talk''' button at the bottom of your screen; if it "glows" yellow, your mic is switched on. Press the button to turn it off.

=== Voice-Enabled Parcels and Residents ===

You'll find that you're only able to use voice on land that's marked as voice-enabled, and then only with Residents who have voice enabled.

* When you're on a voice-enabled parcel, you'll see a blue and white icon at the top of the Second Life window. If you're not sure which one it is, put the cursor over the icon and it will show "Voice Enabled." If this icon has a line through it, voice has not been enabled for that parcel.

* When you're looking at a voice-enabled Resident, you'll see a white dot floating above their head. This is called the voice intensity indicator, and it will let you know when someone is talking and how loud they are.

=== The Spatial Channel ===

The "spatial voice channel" enables you to talk to persons near you (within a radius of about 20m).

If you're on voice-enabled land, walk up to another voice-enabled Resident and talk to them.

If your headset is correctly configured, the voice intensity indicator above your head will change color, and will grow and shrink along with the natural volume patterns and fluctuations of your voice.

If the indicator turns red, you're either speaking too loudly, the microphone is too close to your mouth, or the volume control on your microphone is turned up a little too far. Please make adjustments until the voice indicator stays in the bright green range and only seldom flickers to red.

When others speak, you'll see their intensity indicators and hear their voices as they hear yours. Walk around someone who's speaking to you to hear the voice move around in 3D based on where you are relative to their avatar. If you turn toward someone and move closer, for example, their voice will be louder. If you speak while walking around someone else, they'll hear your voice tracking your position.

=== Group Voice Chat ===

In general, when you're talking to a group, the Communicate window works exactly like it does for speakers near you:

* It displays a list of everyone in the group who's talking or typing
* It tracks the volume of individual speakers
* It displays the group text chat history
* It offers individual volume and mute controls

To start a voice chat session with a group:

# Click the '''Communicate''' button at the bottom of the Second Life window. The Communicate window opens.
# Click the '''Groups''' tab.
# Click the name of a group and click '''IM/Call'''. A separate tab opens in the Communicate window.
# At the top of the new tab, click '''Call'''.

=== One-to-One Voice Chat ===

In general, if you're using IM to talk to someone and they have voice enabled, you can click '''Call''' to initiate a direct voice chat session.

To start a voice chat session with a friend:

# Click the '''Communicate''' button at the bottom of the Second Life window. The Communicate window opens.
# Click the '''Friends''' tab.
# Click the name of a friend and click '''IM/Call'''. A separate tab opens in the Communicate window.
# At the top of the new tab, click '''Call'''.

== Fine-tuning SL Voice ==
 
: Ask people around you if your speaking volume is alright with them. If you're too loud or too quiet, adjust your microphone volume. Observe the brackets that surround the voice dot over your head. If you talk at a normal volume, they should stay green most of the time. It's okay if they turn red once in a while but if they do so frequently, consider lowering your mic's volume:

:# Ensure that SL is using the right microphone and headset or speakers for input and output. You can check and set your device settings in the Voice Chat Preferences.
:# Navgiate to your operating System's Sound Settings and adjust the microphone's volume slider until you rarely see red brackets in-world.

: '''Setting the mic volume in Windows XP:'''
:# Navigate to Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Audio Tab
:# Click the "Volume..." button under "Voice Recording"
:# Adjust the mic's volume slider

:* [http://www.lastedit.com/voicebeta/micvolume-xp/micvolume-xp.html screencast] (with slightly different instructions)

: '''Setting the mic volume in Windows Vista:'''
:# Navigate to Control Panel > Sound > Recording Tab
:# Select your microphone, then click the "Properties" button and the "Levels" Tab
:# Adjust the mic level

:* [http://www.lastedit.com/voicebeta/micvolume-vista2/micvolume-vista2.html screencast]

: '''Setting the mic volume in Mac OS X:'''
:# Navigate to System Preferences > Sound
:# Select your headset or loudspeakers for "Output" and adjust the volume
:# Select your headset or microphone for "Input" and adjust the volume (you should see the volume meter move when you talk.)

:*[http://www.lastedit.com/voicebeta/volumeadjust-osx.mov screencast]

:; Adjusting the Voice and Master Volume
:(to be added)

:; The Speakers button
:(to be added)

: '''Whee, now you're talkin! Have fun!'''
: '''Your Voice Mentors Group'''

 

== Troubleshooting ==
 
:; I can't hear other people and they can't hear me!

[[Image:voice_pref_devices.jpg|right|frame|Input & Output device settings]]
:* Check the Input and Output Device settings in the Voice Chat Preference Panel. If the "Default" setting does not work, try selecting the correct input (microphone) and output (speakers) devices from the drop-down list provided.

:* If you can't use voice at all, visit [http://www.testmyvoip.com testmyvoip.com] and test your connection. If you fail these tests, you won't be able to use voice in Second Life: this could be due to firewall restrictions or problems with your router's configuration. Note: This page appears to have become bought out and turned into an ad page.

 
:; Opening port 5060 for SL Voice Chat on a SpeedTouch modem
: Many SL Residents connecting from the Netherlands are using KPN ADSL Speedtouch modems. These modems may require a manual opening of port 5060 to enable SL voice functionality.

: '''Instructions for Windows XP'''

:* Click on "Start > Run"
:* Type <big><tt>cmd</tt></big> into the box and click OK. (For Windows 95/98, type "command" instead of "cmd".)
:* In the DOS window, type:
<pre style="font-size: 1.2em">
telnet 10.0.0.138
Username: your username for the modem (default: Administrator)
Password: your password for the modem (default: no password)
</pre>

: Now you are connected to the modem.

:* For the SpeedTouch 716 modem, type:
<pre style="font-size: 1.2em">
connection unbind application = SIP port = 5060
saveall
system reboot
</pre>

:* For the SpeedTouch 510(i), 530(i), type:
<pre style="font-size: 1.2em">
nat unbind application=SIP port=5060
config save
system reboot
</pre>

: The connection will now be briefly interrupted while the system reboots.

 

== See also ==

* [[Voice|Voice Portal]]
* [[Voice Mentors|Voice Mentors Group]]
* [http://secondlife.com/knowledgebase/article.php?id=423 Voice Beta Testing: Technical FAQ] (SL Knowledge Base)
* [http://secondlife.com/community/bhear.php Second Life Community: Voice Beta]
* [http://www.erzsabet.com/mySLSound.html Changing your Voice with GarageBand on a Mac]
 
[[Category:Voice]] [[Category:Tutorials]]

Inworld Locations for Volunteers

2008-09-16T07:58:42Z

Hibit Spad: /* Managed Sandboxes */

{{Multi-lang}}

== Recommended Locations ==
An in-world Landmark giver is located in the {{SLurl/simple|SLVEC|172|64|22|Buddy Bungalow}} at [[SLVEC]]. You can drop notecards/landmarks, or touch it to receive copies.

== InfoHubs ==
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Ahern|28|28|40|Ahern (Ahern Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Ambat|97|212|59}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Anzere|80|50|59}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Bear|26|181|110|Bear Infohub (Bear Dream Lodge)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Bonifacio|228|228|40|Bonifacio (Ahern Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Braunworth|92|155|179}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Calleta|128|206|26|Calleta Infohub (Calleta Hobo Railroad)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Clementina|184|123|61|Clementina Infohub (Governor Lindens Mansion)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Dore|228|28|40|Dore (Ahern Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Gukyeol|228|28|108|Gukyeol (Hanja Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Hangeul|28|28|108|Hangeul (Hanja Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Hanja|228|228|108|Hanja (Hanja Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Hyles|38|30|22|Hyles Infohub (Hyles Swamp)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Idu|28|228|108|Idu (Hanja Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Iris|202|125|29|Iris Infohub (Temple of Iris)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Isabel|44|107|57}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Mahulu|58|193|85}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Mauve|222|184|42}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Miramare|3|24|25}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Morris|28|228|40|Morris (Ahern Welcome Area)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Periwinkle|44|115|36|Periwinkle Infohub (Railroad Station)}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Ross|34|224|57}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Violet|162|100|26}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Warmouth|42|143|95}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Wengen|22|208|85}}

== Welcome Areas ==

{{:Welcome Area}}

== Linden Meeting Spaces ==
* {{SLurl/simple|Pooley|247|5|39|Pooley Stage}}

== Volunteer Resources ==
* {{SLurl/simple|SL Volunteer Island|1|1|35|SL Volunteer Island}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Tenera|208|83|70|Volunteer HQ}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Portage|24|178|85|Second Life Helper's Lyceum}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Pro Racer|144|127|36|The Mental House}}: ''Access restricted to SL Volunteers. Just a peacefull full sim for (spam) stressed volunteers :D. Feel free to build anything cool, if you can find some free space (Sim hosted and paid by "kerunix Flan")''

==Orientation Islands ==
''(see [[Orientation Island]])''

* {{SLurl/simple|Orientation Island Public|128|128|32|Orientation Island Public}}

== Help Islands ==
''(See [[Help Island for Volunteers]])''

Please note that only Volunteers can access [[Help Island]]s. However, "Help Island Public" and "Help Island Public2" are accessible by anyone. Please also note that "Help Island Public2" is an overflow for the busy "Help Island Public," not a load-balanced location. As such, it is sparsely populated. While "Help Island Public" is restarting after a crash, there will be no traffic diverted to "Help Island Public2."
* {{SLurl/HI|Public}}
* {{SLurl/HI|Public2}}
* {{SLurl/HI}}
* {{SLurl/HI|2}}
* {{SLurl/HI|3}}
* {{SLurl/HI|4}}
* {{SLurl/HI|5}}
* {{SLurl/HI|6}}
* {{SLurl/HI|7}}
* {{SLurl/HI|8}}
* {{SLurl/HI|9}}

== International Areas ==

=== French ===

'''Resident owned'''

* {{SLurl/simple|Gaia|147|124|28|Gaia France - French school}}: a full sim with dedicated French mentor, classes, and translated notecards. '' ([[User:kerunix Flan|kerunix Flan]])''
* {{SLurl/simple|area 51|138|125|27|Area 51}}: The oldest French sim. Usually full and laggy, but with useful resources, classes and sandbox. (it's just next to the French School)
* {{SLurl/simple|Terminus|128|128|27|Terminus - bac a sable / sandbox}}: The french sandbox (next to gaia)

* {{SLurl/simple|Liberta|206|158|22|©Liberta - French Home}}: Realistic virtual state with more 30 sims [http://www.LibertaSL.com www.LibertaSL.com]. (cities, forest, village, sea, airports, train, boat, sandbox... '' ([[User:Saddam Triskaidekaphobia|Saddam Triskaidekaphobia]])''

'''French speaking groups'''

* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/88350540-e019-bc1e-c5c2-bb4d7f7e24bf Cooperation francaise]
* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/b2a28ee9-34e3-d738-a434-43d7d053ae59 France Liberta]

'''See Also'''

These sims are not dedicated to SL Education, but you'll usually find French mentor.

* {{SLurl/simple|Europe|217|155|75|Europe}}
* {{SLurl/simple|ile de france|128|104|75|Ile de France}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Solaria|123|115|75|Loisir Area}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Trantor|184|24|75|La Playa Del Noob}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Wild Vertigo|50|42|75|Wild Vertigo}}

=== German ===

'''Resident owned'''

* {{SLurl/simple|Pixelpark|179|227|28|Deutsches Tutorium}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Samoa|109|158|557|German Tutorial}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Berlin newBerlin 3|172|111|31|German Newbie Center}}

=== Korean ===

'''Linden Lab owned'''

* {{SLurl/Infohub|Korea1|226|23|25}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Korea2|1|24|25}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Korea3|239|228|25}}
* {{SLurl/Infohub|Korea4|13|228|25}}

=== Spanish ===

'''Resident owned'''

* {{SLurl/simple|Quantum Fields|84|167|56|Centro de Ayuda en Castellano (Quantum Fields)}}: Center of welcome and orientation for all who speak Spanish. A place where newbies can find help, notecards, gifts, friends, and clear doubts.
* {{SLurl/simple|Quest II|158|80|22|SecondLifeSpain.com (Quest II)}}: Headquarters of the community of Spanish-speaking residents [http://secondlifespain.com secondlifespain.com]. Newbies can find help, classes, and translated notecards.
* {{SLurl/simple|Spanish Orientation|125|125|125|Spanish Orientation}}: The first Spanish Orientation Island with regapi and listed in secondlife.com [http://spanishorientation.com spanishorientation.com]. SL News, forum, community...

'''Spanish speaking groups'''

There are many groups where Spanish speaking residents can find help and make friends. Some of the more significant groups are (in no special order):

* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/af64c5cf-4195-9bf9-74d6-5dbb64232a58 Segunda Vida] (founded by long term Resident, Greeter and Mentor [[User:Blueman Steele|Blueman Steele]]).
* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/72698a03-bed6-447c-60b3-215e717c9674 Spanish From Spain=SpaniardS in SL]
* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/b0cbccc1-f8dd-8428-5f08-d6c158da71f6 Secondlifespain.com]
* [http://world.secondlife.com/group/fd6677e1-a3b4-54a9-02c0-f829657997d1 Aventura y Viajes] (founded by Mentor [[User:Irene Muni|Irene Muni]])

'''See Also'''

* {{SLurl/simple|La Isla|122|129|28|La Isla}}: Great place to take Spanish speakers. Active community and Spanish speaking DJ's.
* {{SLurl/simple|Cycnia|168|175|30|Mirando al Mar (Cycnia)}}: A place to make new friends, speak in Spanish and have fun. Free help, Spanish notecards, etc.
* {{SLurl/simple|Ibiza The Island|195|46|21|Ibiza The Island (Spain)}}

=== Portuguese ===

There are no "permanent" help structures for either Brazilian or Portuguese users, but you can join their respective major groups for more help: [http://world.secondlife.com/group/576d3db9-a386-cc8e-2e6a-6acf32bb36e1 Brasileiros no SL] (for Brazil) and [http://world.secondlife.com/group/e7ef6c27-708f-5464-312b-7837f36b70fe Tugas no SL] (for Portugal). People there will usually point new users to the most recently built areas with Portuguese content.

There is an island for Brazilian users run by residents called, very appropriately, {{SLurl/simple|Brasil|128|128|0|Brasil}}. Another place is listed as having information for Brazilian users: {{SLurl/simple|Delphi|37|84|26|PSDB - Diretorio SL}}.

== Sandboxes ==

These locations are for the technically advanced - those who are familiar with building and scripting. There are very experienced people in the sandboxes as well, but are often too preoccupied to help the Newbies who arrive interested in finding out what they can do.

'''Unmanaged sandboxes''' have no one in particular overseeing the operations of the area. They often rely on auto-returns and may have scripts disabled to prevent griefer attacks.

'''Managed Sandboxes''' have administrators or sandbox guardians who oversee the activities on the sandboxes. They are often reachable by a paging system or group chat, if they are not physically present.

=== Unmanaged Sandboxes ===
* {{SLurl/HI|Public}}
* {{SLurl/HI|Public2}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Pi|117|88|38|Pi Park & Sandbox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Plum|73|250|47|Plum}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox Cordova|62|198|20|Sandbox Cordova}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox Goguen|208|178|20|Sandbox Goguen}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox Island|69|153|24|Sandbox Island}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox Newcomb|190|202|20|Sandbox Newcomb}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox Wanderton|128|128|20|Sandbox Wanderton}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox - Weapons testing (no damag|129|129|21|Linden Weapons Testing Sandbox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Theta|163|140|24|Theta Sandbox & Park}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Myungsimbogam|11|212|63|Newbie Convenience Center and Rest Station}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Mauve|88|87|33|Mauve Public Sandbox (PG) near Infohub Mauve}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Columbia|143|147|33|Columbia Public Sandbox (Mature) with Weapon Testing Sandbox, Dressing Room, Mature Content Skybox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Hyboria|96|212|25|Hyboria Public Sandbox (Mature)}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Bethel|26|72|30|Special Vehicle Sandbox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|FurNation Vista|88|80|23|Public Furry Sandbox (Mature)}}

=== Managed Sandboxes ===
* {{SLurl/simple|Sandbox France|128|128|22|Sandbox France}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Fermi|152|128|23|Fermi Sandbox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|SkyBeam|77|76|37|SkyBeam Sandbox}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Littleblue|138|213|22| Little Blue}}
* {{SLurl/simple|Dracolo|184|180|81|Cat's Lair}}

[[Category:Second Life Volunteers| ]]