Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools

From Second Life Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

This page showcases special purpose tools for creating, manipulating, and viewing sculpted prims. Most of them are created by SL residents, but the reason they are on this page is that they are not general purpose 3D tools. For that list, see Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide.

Preview Tools

Offline Preview Tools

Basic tools that can be used to preview what a sculpt texture will look like when uploaded into Second Life and rendered as a prim. All of these are made by other Residents and should generally be considered beta or works in progress.


XNA Sculptpreview

  • Creator: Eddy Stryker
  • Link to get it: XNA Sculptpreview
  • Requires: Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, along with the Microsoft XNA framework (see above link for details)
  • Derivatives: XNA SculptPreview - Modified version to include LOD and a more sensible camera configuration (and a bunch of other changes under the hood).


A Hacky Sculpt Previewer

  • Creator: Yumi Murakami
  • Link to get it: Web Start Launcher, Executable JAR file, Source Code (Java SDK required to run from the source).
  • Requires: Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher, Java 3d API and any OS that will run them (Win, Mac and Linux are well covered). If installing or upgrading the JRE, be sure to do it before installing Java3d. The Web Start link above should be able to automatically install any needed components. Note that it will attempt to automatically redirect your browser to a download page, so if nothing happens when you click on it, please check your security settings will allow this.


Cel_Sculptpreview

  • Creator: Cel Edman
  • Link to get it: Download from website
  • Requires: Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher installed on your system. This is a simple Sculpt previewer created in Processing. Downloads available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Currenly not further developed, since Cel continues on developing Sculptypaint (Resident-made Sculpt Creation Tools) at the moment, that got this realtime previewer as well.



In-world Preview Tools

Tools that can be used to view in Second Life what a sculpt will look like before the texture is uploaded.


Texture Wizard (Commercial)

  • Website: Infomyth.com
  • In-World: Horowitz
  • Cost: L$399 (about $1.80 U.S.)
  • Operating Systems: Windows XP

Works using the media texture on your land (you must own or rent land to use it) using QuickTime, the way an in-game TV does. Saving a .bmp, .jpg or .psd file will automatically update the image in-game. You can see your changes live on a prim. Avoids uploads until you are done (you must still upload for a permanent version). Also works just as a regular texture previewer.

Sculpt Preview using Parcel Media

Tutorial on using the Parcel Media as a Sculpt Texture Preview. Example available at location above (Lasiocampa 133,209,57).

Special purpose Sculpt Creation Tools

The tool slisted here aren't fully-fledged 3d modeling programs — they are stand-alone tools for creating sculpt maps, usually in some limited way. As with the previewers above, consider them works in progress.

On the other hand, if they do what you want, a lathe tool, for example, then they are much easier than buying, setting up, learning, and using a full 3D modeler.


ROKURO Sculpted Prim Maker

Rokuro translates from Japanese as "lathe" and that's basically what this is: a standalone version of the lathe tool found in many 3d modeling programs that saves directly to sculpt maps. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program effectively spins that line around an axis to create the 3d object. Cylinders and polygonal prisms are both possible. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

Resources

TOKOROTEN(extruder)Sculpted Prim Maker

This Program makes Sculpted Prim texture .tga file of the pushed-out object. TOKOROTEN is Japanese jelly extruded to thin strips. An object will be pushed out if the form of the hole which you push out is made. You can twist or round an object. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by resident Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

Resources


sculpty.php

A web-based series of tools, still rather primitive but constantly updating. Currently implemented are revolve and z,r revolve which both take a series of values (radii and z-pos,radii values respectively) and rotate them around the z-axis. Recently implemented a constant cross-section which extrudes a series of x,y values through the z-axis.


SculptyPaint v.09

Last update: 5 aug. 2007. Realtime sculpt previewer. Drawing tool: manipulate the width, height and shape of the Sculpt. Edit RGB Layers, Flower, Stone, Stair and Point Tool/Generators. Downloads available for Windows, Mac-OSX and Linux.

Math Sculptor 1.0

Math Sculptor is free application for creating and viewing sculpted primitives. It provides dynamic viewing and modification of sculpties. What differentiates this application is that it is build upon an extendable "addin" architecture. This allows others to easily create new algorithms that generate completely new types of sculpties. See http://mark.burhop.net for more information and sample sculpted primitives.

SnurbO'Matic

  • Creator: Anjin Meili
  • Link to get it: Slexchange
  • Requires: Secondlife client and a sandbox with at least 1100 primitives.

SnurbO'Matic is an in world tool that allows editing and creation of sculpties. The system uses a molding method, allowing a mesh to be molded around other inworld objects. Objects must not be phantom. The mold may be modified using normal in world build tools. Each mesh node is visualized as a sphere, and can be moved as desired. Once finished, the mold is saved and a casting produced thru an automated web process. The user gets a URL when completed for a TGA file containing the texture. This can be further refined using off grid tools, or simply uploaded to Second Life as is. For new modelers, its easier to start with a close approximation of an object, rather then manipulating a sphere to the object they wish. For landscapers, the tool can produce organic, smooth, and unique rocks, logs, etc. Search for the group SculptO'Matic, or visit our sandbox and lab in Talakin.

Sculpted Sim Terrain Mapper

  • Creator: Anjin Meili
  • Link to get it: Slexchange
  • Requires: Secondlife client and a object create and script permissions on a parcel.

The Sculpted Sim Terrain Mapper creates a sculpted primitive map in 3D of any given Simulator. The tool simply is rezzed onto a parcel in the sim, and allowed to run. It will report back to the operator a URL to pickup a completed sculpted texture in TGA format. The data collected may also be used to create higher detail maps of the simulator, by using more prims, up to an 8x8 grid of sculpted prims to represent a simulator. Or just the default of one prim for the entire simulator. While the packaged tool is fee based, due to the costs of operating the backend... There is an open source version written entirely in LSL that requires minimal server side support. Contact Anjin Meili for a copy of the open source code. This tool is an example of using data to create sculpted primitives, with very little interaction. The source details using PPM as a description format within LSL for the sculpted texture map.

InWorld Sculptor Tool Kit (Free)

An in-world sculpting toolkit with off-world file-conversion as last step. It is free and open source but very basic. You start with modifying a "bone" to get the general shape you want. In the second step you created slices and use the bone to position and rotate them correctly. It is a bit of a hassle to use due to a lot of copy & pasting.


TheBlack Box - Sculpt Studio (Commercial)

  • Creator: TheBlack Box
  • Link to get it: SL-Exchange
  • Requires: SL (70 Prims for Quick Creation, 1000+ Prims for Full Mesh) and Browser

A fully in-world sculpting tool that results in an URL where the sculpt-texture is located. The Sculpt Studio allows to sculpt either by utilizing a simplified "Quick Creation" or by having "Full Mesh" control. It allows to start off extremely easy but yet has the option to even do algorithmic sculpting with LSL.

File Converters

These utilities are made to translate 3d files directly into sculpt maps, with varying degrees of sucess.

3dm2sculpt

A command-line utility that reads an OpenNURBS .3dm file and generates a .tga sculpt map from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentially very useful for any program that supports this format.


obj2sculpt

A command-line utility that reads a Wavefront Style .obj file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentially very useful for any program that supports this format.

Importers

These utilities assist in bringing sculpted creations in to the Second Life world

SL Image Upload

A simple graphical user interface to upload textures to the grid. It will show you the compressed texture size before uploading and allow you to upload lossless images, perfect for 64x64 or smaller sculpt maps.


importprimscript

A command-line utility to batch upload an entire folder output from Qarl's Advanced Maya Sculpt Exporter in to Second Life and rez the scene as a full permission linkset. The sculpt maps are uploaded as lossless images and the textures are uploaded with the normal compression settings.