Talk:ModelingSkills

• What about a section on how the various client settings (video card support) affect the appearance of various modeling options? E.g., what can everyone see and what depends on video card settings/support, and how likely a given prim feature can be seen by others? --Donnagh McDonnagh 18:08, 21 June 2007 (PDT)

My suggestions/comments: (forgive me where I overstate the obvious)

Prim Basics ... Resize using the edit window, resize by grabbing the points -> "handles" or "manipulators" -> our naming convention should be consistent throughout the documentation, regardless of the terminology we use

Choosing colors and textures, aligning textures, transparent/opaque, fullbright. Understanding shiny, bumpmapped, and how alpha affects them. -> These issues may work better as a "Materials and Textures" sub-category, unless the goal here is only to prove a knowledge of where the controls exist.

Linking and unlinking ... Understanding root vs child prims -> again, naming convention

(needs topic) Alpha flicker and techniques to prevent it. Positioning, "blacksiding", etc. -> Is this Z fighting, or alpha fighting? Something else?

Blacksiding? There's often an annoying subtle line effect when you've got two flat surfaces lined up together without overlapping. One of the ways people try to prevent it is by making the touching surfaces fullbright and black. I've also seen people make the touching surfaces transparent, but that'll backfire sometimes if there's other alpha textures.

Texturing techniques ... Size, tiling, alpha channel issues, formats for upload. Common uses of alpha textures. -> these are topics/issues/subjects that should be broken out under the aforementioned "Materials and Textures" sub-category

Minimizing Prim Count Techniques to minimize your prim count -> ...and... Balancing and minimizing lag Textures, shapes, levels of detail, etc... -> ...could become a single category, "Analyzing Models and Textures" - perhaps, where focus is put on creatively balancing 3D elements combined with 2D elements for maximum performance, as well as an understanding of how the platform works (server, client, throughput, video cards, and basic computer graphics technology). All of these things can be illustrated concisely, and will help to inform people of the "hows" and "whys" of our streamed 3D world. --Eric Linden (6/5/07)

-I think this last is a good example of the difference between certification and portfolio. Balance is a judgement call and is part of design and artist. Being able to minimize prims or setting level of detail to minimize lag is a technique. Judgement comes in deciding when and how to apply these techniques. Your other comments have been included in the current skills list. (Glenn Linden 6/7/07)

That said, an article illustrating those things concisely would be well worth reading. *hopeful nudge* The streaming aspect offers more than a few surprises to the usual building 3D environments advice. --Storm Thunders 10:28, 22 June 2007 (PDT)

I have a lot of comments on many details of this, but I will just put the most important one in here for now: It disturbs me that building is getting mixed up here with Sculptie making and Texture making. I'm an accomplished builder, but I never wanted to get into the texture mapping or texture making portion. Are you saying we will have to be expert in those areas, as well, to get a certificate in SL building? I don't think we should. I know you've called it "modeling," and that may imply sculpties and textures, but I think of sculpties/textures as an entirely different field of endeavor. - Cocoanut Koala, Coco's Cottages