Good Building Practices

This guide is a collection of officially verified building practices for moderate to advanced creators that result in efficient, high performance creations in Second Life. If you are new to building in Second Life, please check out the Knowledge Base.

Featured Article Build Tools Get started with building in Second Life by learning the basic Build Tools described in this article. Even if you don't plan to become a master builder, these tools are essential for placing, moving, and rotating objects in the Second Life world. Learn more...		News & Updates This portal is undergoing renovation Don't worry if you see some changes to this page over the next few weeks; we're adding new links, rearranging categories and making this the go-to portal for learning how to create content for Second Life.
First steps Topics for new builders who want to learn how to create content in Second Life. Many of these articles can be found in the Second Life Knowledge Base, a collection of articles aimed at new Residents: Using the Build Tools - How to create simple objects using the 3D modeling tools provided in the Second Life Viewer. Building tips - General tips that may help new content creators. Uploading assets - How to upload textures, sounds, animations and more. Textures overview - An overview of how textures and alpha channels work in Second Life. Creating clothing and tattoos - How to create classic avatar clothing and tattoos using textures. Object permissions - An overview of the object permissions system and how to set next-owner permissions on your creations. Scripting object behavior - A brief overview of Linden Scripting Language, which can be used to bring your creations to life. How to move a build - Tips on how to move a large, multi-object build from one place to another. Animation Tips on how to animate your avatar and other objects. How to create animations - An introduction to avatar animation in Second Life. Animation Streamlined - Make your creations move without dragging Second Life to a crawl! Mesh Complex objects can be modeled using third-party 3D modeling software and then uploaded to Second Life. These objects require special logistical considerations to manage the amount of land impact they consume. Uploading a mesh model - How to upload a mesh model to Second Life Calculating land impact - How to determine the impact your creations have on your land usage limits. Mesh and LOD- Mesh objects that don't crash your friends' old computer. Making Mesh Physics - Why and How. Making Mesh for Pathfinding - Pathfinding friendly mesh.	Pathfinding Pathfinding allows scripted objects to intelligently move from one place to another while avoiding obstacles. Pathfinding Overview - Pathfinding explained. Pathfinding Tools in the Second Life Viewer - The Pathfinding tools. Pathfinding Quick Start Guide - The best way to get up and running with Pathfinding. A Visual Guide - Watch how easy it is! Walkability Coefficients - Control the speed of your Walkable areas. Material Volumes - Control the speed of your characters. Universal Attribute Changes for Pathfinding Configure objects for pathfinding in bulk Physics Use these tips to find a balance between physics accuracy and performance in order to minimize the amount of land impact generated by your objects. Physics Optimization - Not everything needs physics, learn how to add the least load necessary to the physics engine. PRIM_PHYSICS_SHAPE_NONE - Additional information on this important attribute. Best practices for creating efficient collision volumes - Tips from the creators of the Havok physics engine that can help optimize the physics of your creations. Sound Tips on how to best use sounds in your creations. Environment Sounds - Ways to generate sounds without input from an avatar Event Driven Sounds - Ways to generate sounds in response to a specific event	Scripting Linden Scripting Language allows you to program your objects with interactive, scripted behaviors. The LSL Portal - An API reference, tutorials and examples for the Linden Scripting Language Debugging Tips - how to work out what your code is doing without a conventional development toolkit Resetting Scripts in a Large Build - strategies for resetting scripts in a large coordinated build Pathfinding Pathfinding LSL Functions - standard reference for all of the pathfinding functions. Modular Pathfinding Kit - code snippets designed to be plugged together to quickly build unique behaviors. Pathfinding Cookbook - ready made solutions for some critters. Vehicles Linden Vehicle Tutorial - Vehicle scripting best practices. Textures Tips on using textures in Second Life, including the use of specular and normal mapping to give a tactile 3D look to your objects. Texture Usage - What size to use, and what to avoid. Case Study - Katana using normal and specular maps - See how June Dion created a detailed sword by using LightWave and Second Life's normal and specular mapping features. Alpha Modes Do's and Don'ts - Learn all about alpha modes for textures in Second Life. Second Life's light model for materials - Learn how Second Life displays reflective surfaces, with some tips and tricks for common material types. Case_Study_-_Example_wood_crate_using_materials - Learn how to create and apply simple specular and normal maps using free tools. Case_Study_-_Sequined_bear_using_materials - See how Brooke Linden added shiny, bumpy sequins to her Linden Bear.

Resident contributions awaiting official approval

If you'd like to contribute some of your own best practices for efficient content creation, please link to them in this section so that Linden Lab subject matter experts can verify them before they are added to the official guide.