KB2/Creating clothing and tattoos

• http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Creating_clothing
• http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Creating_Tattoos

Creating clothing

Clothing in Second Life® can refer to two things:

• Mesh clothing items - These include textures that are baked directly onto your avatar mesh in a specific location and order, as well as customizable settings like length and height. There are 9 types of mesh clothing, including shirts, pants, and socks. Each mesh clothing type has its own icon in your inventory. This article covers how to create this kind of clothing.
• Objects made of prims - These attach to specific attachment points on your avatar. Many clothing designers make prim skirts, cuffs, collars, and shoes in tandem with mesh clothing to create a richer effect. You can learn more about attachments in our articles on building and attaching items.

If an item of mesh clothing is modifiable, you can alter it using the Appearance Editor. You can figure out if you can modify a piece of clothing by finding it in your Inventory: if it says "(no modify)", it can't be changed.

You can create custom textures for clothing using an image editor like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP. There are many ways to do this; visit the Clothing Tutorials wiki page for resources such as templates and guides.

Creating new clothing in Appearance mode

1. If you have a custom clothing texture, open File > Upload Image to bring your texture into Second Life.
2. Right-click your avatar and choose Appearance.
3. Click the clothing tab for the item of clothing you wish to create (e.g., Shirt). If you're currently wearing that type of clothing, click Take Off.
4. Click the Create New (clothing) button.
5. If asked to confirm if you'd like to automatically wear the clothing item you create, click Yes.
6. Adjust the sliders until the clothing is the shape you want.
7. Click the Fabric box to select the uploaded clothing texture, or drag the texture from your Inventory onto Fabric. It'll be applied and visible within moments.
8. If desired, click Tint and add an additional color to the entire article of clothing.
9. Add a description, then click Save As to save your work.

Creating new clothing outside Appearance mode

1. Open your Inventory and choose a folder in which to create your new clothing item.
2. Right-click the folder and choose New Clothes > [clothing item name] or use Create > New Clothes > [clothing item name] at the top of the Inventory window.
3. Rename the clothing item as desired.
4. To add a texture or otherwise edit the new clothing item, double-click it to wear it, then right-click your avatar and enter the Appearance Editor.

Note: All mesh clothing you make using Create New will show your name as original creator. Modifying clothing made by someone else, even if you change the texture, will not change the creator name.

Video tutorial

This video visually guides you through the above steps.

<videoflash type="vimeo">4357805|640|480</videoflash>

Creating tattoos

You can apply images and textures of your own design to your avatar's skin. However, most avatars use this skin texture layer for wearing custom skins, and use the various clothing layers to wear tattoos. In this article we'll explain how to wear tattoos you have created using both the skin layer and the clothing layers. Tattoos, like other forms of texture transparency in the Second Life® virtual world, require a special part of an image known as an "alpha channel". The alpha channel serves as a "hidden color" that shows where to draw the texture and where to remain transparent. One such use for alpha channels would be to "paint" a window into a wall without physically building the window. While detailed image editing and alpha channels are beyond the scope of this article, you can find Second Life's Fashion Templates and other useful guides at Second Life's Downloads section.If you have a tattoo texture you'd like to apply to your avatar, just use the following steps for whichever situation is applicable: To apply the tattoo directly to your skin layer (do not use if you are wearing a custom skin):

1. Bring your texture into Second Life: open the File menu and choose Upload Image.
2. Right-click your avatar and choose Appearance.
3. Click on the Skin tab.
4. Drag your texture from your Inventory to the appropriate box in the Skin window. If the tattoo is designed for your face, drag it to the Head Tattoo box. If the tattoo is designed for your chest, drag it to the Upper Tattoo box. If the tattoo is designed for your legs, drag it to the Lower Tattoo box.
5. Click Save.

To apply the tattoo as a clothing layer (use this if you wear a custom skin):

1. Bring your texture into Second Life: open the File menu and choose Upload Image.
2. Right-click your avatar and choose Appearance.
3. Click on the tab for the clothing you wish to create (i.e. Undershirt). If you're currently wearing that type of clothing, click Take Off. Note that tattoos usually work best when created on the Undershirt or Underpants layer, so they appear underneath clothing layers like Shirts and Pants.
4. Click on the Create New (clothing) button.
5. Adjust the sliders until the clothing is the shape you like. For tattoos, this should be skintight.
6. Drag your new clothing texture onto the Fabric box for your clothing.
7. Click on Tint and add an additional color to the entire tattoo, if desired.
8. Add a description, and click on Save As to save your work.