Tips for building efficiently with prims

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The following is excerpted from the May 2006 issue of Second Opinion, our official newsletter.

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Better Building with Primfficiency!

As you may already know, "prims" are the basic building blocks used to create all objects in the Second Life^® virtual world. Combining prims and shaping them allows you to come up with some complex contraptions and interesting visual wonders. "Primfficiency" is the art and science of mastering prim shaping to achieve great results. Think of "prim efficiency + proficiency". There are a number of benefits to learning the ways of the prim:

• You can achieve some pretty tricked-out shapes using a single prim
• Your building skills will increase naturally while exploring the possibilities; and
• By conserving objects, you'll have more to use on a given parcel of land.This is very important if you find yourself running out of prims.

Here are some examples of primfficiency, complete with screenshots:

File:Kbext tipstricks1.jpg

1. Save Some Stairs Two stair steps can be made with a single prim. Just rez (create) a box, rotate and stretch it out a little, and set Path Cut Begin = 0.125and Path Cut End = 0.875. While this may look unexceptional at first glance, stairs can be long, so the savings quickly add up.File:Kbext tipstricks2.jpg
2. Sit Pretty (But Not Primmy) The "one-prim bar stool" is a longtime commodity in the Second Life virtual world, and if you've never figured out how to do it before, here's the recipe. And it's FREE! Start out by rezzing a tube. Stretch it so it's taller. Set Hole Size Y = "0.50". Profile Cut Begin and End = "0.25" and "0.95", respectively.Then carve out your new seat by making Hollow = "85". You can also set a click-action on your stool. How? Select the General tab in the edit tools (or right-click on the stool and select Edit from the pie menu). Near the bottom, select the drop down menu under the When Left-Clicked option then select Sit On Object. Close the edit window and left-click your bar stool! Voila!File:Kbext tipstricks3.jpg
3. Reinvent the Wheel The most common way to make a vehicle wheel is to flatten a cylinder.The end result tends to look rather flat, especially if you're adding texture. A more dynamic way to do this is to rez a ring and set both Twist Begin and End = "90" and Hole Size X = "0.75". Still look too flat? Lower Profile Cut End to taste, say, "70" and make Hollow = "25" and you're cooking! Note: The picture shows each face (area) of the prim as a different color. And it need not just be tires: you can make dishes, containers--whatever you want your newly wrangled, multi-faceted ring to be!

Tip: If you don't want the center texture to look distorted, click the Texture tab and select Mapping > Planar. If you get lost, just copy the numbers in the screenshots and explore on your own. Enjoy being primfficient!

Minimize the Build Window While you are building, it is possible to keep your object in edit mode, and minimize the Build window from view. Click on the Minimize option at the top of the Build Window.