Day 97: Flexi Skirts Part 1 (Ged Larsen's LoopRez Script)

This tutorial shows you how to make flexi prim skirts using Ged Larsen's LoopRez Script. You know, those skirts with flapping panels that I wear all the time? :)

Ive been using Ariane Brodie's Necklace Generator for some time to create prim skirts.



The script was designed to make necklaces. The script duplicates an object around a circle or an ellipse, while rotating each copy of the object to face the center. You can put a pearl or gem into the Necklace Generator, tweak some settings, and out comes a pearl or gem necklace.

The Necklace Generator was not specifically designed to make prim skirts. It gives you no control over the amount of flare (or poof) of the skirt panels. It also has a mind of its own regarding how far apart objects are created. Unfortunately, I had no clue regarding how the script worked. It lost me right after the word "make()" :P So fixing it was out of the question for me. And it is better than aligning 12-18 flexi skirt panels by hand.

Along came Ged Larsen. I met Ged through this blog. He is a genius when it comes to mathematics. When he saw the pains I had to endure while making skirts, he jumped right in and went to work on the Necklace Generator script.

Ged mentioned that there were some errors in the original script. Not only did he fix these errors, Ged created a vastly improved version of the script. I know its vastly improved because the numbers and symbols in Ged's script are different than the numbers and symbols in the original script! :P



The result is Ged Larsen's LoopRez Script, currently at version 0.6. Ged has generously agreed to share his LoopRez Script with the rest of us! So you can pick up a free copy of the script in the Tutorial Supplies area at the Sirena Hair sim (SLURL: Sirena Hair (116,217,22)).

Because Ged worked so hard on this script, I didnt just want to throw the script out there and walk away. To help you get started with making prim skirts, I included 2 sample skirt panels and settings for these panels. I am also writing this tutorial to give you step-by-step instructions on making one of these skirts. Hopefully, you will be creating beautiful gowns in no time! :)

Here's a quick overview of the steps to use LoopRez: First, rez the LoopRez object on the ground. Put the skirt panel you want to replicate into the Contents tab of the LoopRez object. Edit the LoopRez script with settings you want to use. Touch the LoopRez object to generate the skirt. Link the skirt panels. Wear and fit the skirt panels on your avatar.

1. Rezzing the LoopRez Object

The LoopRez Generator package has a "LoopRez v0.6 object, full perms", and a raw copy of the "LoopRez v0.6" script. If you are making skirts for yourself, or just testing, just use the LoopRez object. Drag and drop the "LoopRez v0.6 object, full perms" to the ground, and you are ready for the next step.

When you link the skirt panels towards the end of this tutorial, I recommend that you use a copy of the LoopRez object as the Root Prim of the flexi skirt. Thats because the LoopRez object happens to be in the exact center of the bunch of flexi skirt panels. It is much easier to handle and fit the skirt on your avatar using the LoopRez object as the Root Prim (instead of one of the panels).

Unfortunately, the Root Prim is special. Amongst other things, it determines the Creator of the linked set of objects. And Ged Larsen is the creator of the LoopRez object (and rightly deserves credit for it!). However, if you plan to sell your skirts, you may want your name there instead.

In that case, you need to create your own LoopRez Generator object. Its easy enough to do. Just rez a prim on the ground (I use a simple box). Edit the prim. In the General tab, change the name to "LoopRez v0.6 object". In the Texture tab, change the color/texture if you like (I use a different color for jewelry versus skirt generator).



Drag and drop the "LoopRez v0.6" script from your Inventory into the Contents tab of your LoopRez object. Also, drag and drop "sample-long" and "sample-short" into the Contents tab of your LoopRez object so you can complete the rest of this tutorial.

Now, Right-click on the LoopRez object you just created, select "More >", and click on "Take Copy". This saves a copy of the object in your Inventory.




2. Put Skirt Panel into the LoopRez Object



Now, drag and drop a copy of the object you want to replicate into the Contents tab of the LoopRez object. If you are making a skirt, this would be one of the skirt panels. I have included 2 sample skirt panels in the package, named "sample-long" and "sample-short".

The object can be a single prim, or could be a linked group of multi-prim objects. You can theoretically put a house in the LoopRez object, and it will create a necklace of houses (not highly recommended :P).

I do recommend that you apply Texture, Color, and Flexible Path (flexi) settings before putting it into the Looprez object. This will save you from having to apply settings to 18 separate objects later.

For this tutorial, just make sure that "sample-short" is in the Contents tab of the LoopRez object.

Note that if you plan to sell your skirt, you should eventually create your own panels. The LoopRez object simply replicates the skirt panels you put in there. Since I created the "sample-long" and "sample-short" panels, my name will show up as the Creator on those panels. This would be replicated to all the panels on the skirt. You can still sell the skirt, but my name would show up as Creator if some looked at the individual panels.

I would recommend going through this tutorial first with the sample panels, then coming back and creating your own. Its easy to make your own panels. I provided full Mod/Copy/Trans rights to the "sample-long" and "sample-short" panels. Just rez a Cylinder on the ground, and copy the settings from the Object and Texture tabs into your own Cylinder.

3. Edit the LoopRez Script

Heres the fun part :) You get to tell the script how you want your skirt made!

Edit the LoopRez object and go to the Contents tab. Double-click on the "LoopRez v0.6" script to edit it.

Here are the more important settings (pertaining to making skirts) and how I typically use them.

objectName: This is the name of the skirt panel you want to replicate. For this tutorial, change this to "sample-short".

numObjects: This is the number of panels you want in the skirt. I typically use 12-16, depending on the effect.

For this tutorial, use "numObjects = 12".

xRadius, yRadius: These 2 numbers control the width and length of the ellipse. It is the distance between the centers of the skirt panels and the LoopRez object at the widest points of the ellipse. And remember, this is the distance between the center of the Root Prim in each object. So if you have a large prim or a multi-prim object, these numbers determine the distance from the center, not the edges. If you make these 2 numbers the same, you will have a circle. The waist on most AV's is slightly elliptical.

For this tutorial, use "xRadius = .16", "yRadius = .22".

flareAngle: This is my favorite! This controls how much each skirt panel will be turned outward. In other words, this controls the "poof" of the skirt. You need to have a little poof in each skirt, because you want to bury the tops of the flexi-prim panels inside your AV (I know this doesnt sound good, but there is probably a bunch of stuff buried inside your AV at the moment :P)

For this tutorial, use "flareAngle = 45".

bendCoefficient: This generates objects in a wavy pattern ("saddle shape" as Ged puts it). You probably dont want this for a skirt.

For this tutorial, use "bendCoefficient = 0.0".

rotOffset: Regardless of how you positioned your skirt panel before putting it into the LoopRez object, your skirt panel will be generated as if the rotation were set to X=0, Y=0, Z=0. You can modify the rotation using this setting.

Most flexi prim panels are hollowed cylinders. You need to turn them upside down to work properly. As Ged points out in his comments, you can turn them upside down by changing these settings. However, because of the way I set the Path Cuts on the skirt panels, you need to set Y to 180.0.

For this tutorial, use "rotOffset = <0.0,>"

posOffset: This determines where the skirt panels will be rezzed relative to the LoopRez object. I typically set Z = 1.0 so the skirt appears above the LoopRez object (instead of below). But be carefult with these settings, or you may end up creating skirts in your neighbor's yard like I did :P

For this tutorial, use "posOffset = <0.0,>"

Unless you are really brave and can do calculus in your head, dont touch the rest of the script! And dont ask me how it works either :P

To save your changes, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the window. Wait for the message "Save complete." to show up in the message area before closing the window.

4. Generate the Skirt

Alright, here comes the magic :)

Close the Edit window. Stand back, and Touch the LoopRez object (just click on it).



If all goes well, you should have a white short skirt above the LoopRez object! :)

If nothing happens, it may be one of 2 things:

First, you may be in an area that does not allow foreign scripts to run. There is typically an indicator icon at the top of your screen that shows this. Try moving to a public Sandbox just to see if your LoopRez object is working.

Second, the script may be disabled in the object. You can check by Editing the LoopRez object, going to the Content tab, and Double-clicking on the "LoopRez v0.6" script. This will open up the script editing window. At the lower left side of the window, there is a checkbox next to the word "Running". This checkbox needs to be checked. If it is not, then check it, exit Edit mode, and try again.






5. Linking the Skirt Panels

The newly created skirt panels are separate objects. We need to link them together to make a skirt. In addition, we want to add an object in the middle of these panels so it would be easier to position and fit the skirt. We will use a copy of the LoopRez object in the middle of the panels.

First, we are going to make a copy of the LoopRez object. Right-click on the LoopRez object, and select Edit. Now press and hold the Shift key. Click and hold on the Blue arrow and pull it up towards the skirts.



This will create a copy of the LoopRez object. Put this copy near the top of the skirt.

Go to the Content tab of the copy of the LoopRez object, and delete the "LoopRez v0.6" script (Right-click on it and select "Delete"). This will prevent accidentally setting off the script again. :)

Next, go to the Object tab and make the Size smaller. I typically use X=0.050, Y=0.050, Z=0.050.

Go to the General tab, and change the Name to "Sample Short Skirt".



Now while you are still in Edit mode, draw a box around all the skirt panels and the copy of the LoopRez object. Dont include the original LoopRez object. You may find it helpful to go to the Tools menu at the top of your screen and select "Select Only My Objects".

Then press and hold the Shift key. Click on the copy of the LoopRez object to deselect it. Click on it again to select it. This will make the copy of the LoopRez object the Root Prim.

Click on the Tools menu at the top of your screen and select "Link".

Now close the Edit window to get out of Edit mode. Right-click on the skirt and select "Take".

6. Fitting the Skirt

At last, we have something to Wear! :)

First, we need to create an SL skirt as the base.

Right-click on your avatar, and select "Appearance...". Select the Skirt tab. If you do not see the "Create New Skirt" button, then press the "Take Off" button.

Now, click on "Create New Skirt". Enter the following settings for the skirt:

Skirt Length: 30
Skirt Fit: 0
Bustle Skirt: 0

Press the "Save All" button. Press the "Close" button.

We are ready to put the flexi skirt on!

Go ahead and find the "Sample Short Skirt" object in your Inventory (probably under the "Object" folder). Right-click on it, select "Attach To >", and click in "Pelvis". You can also use "Stomach" if there is something attached to Pelvis, since Pelvis and Stomach are almost the same for a skirt.

When you first attach the skirt, it will be on its side. Right-click on the skirt panels, and select Edit. In the Object tab, change "Rotation (degrees) Y = 90".

Now slide the skirt into place using the 3 Red/Green/Blue arrows. As a reference, look at the numbers at the top of your screen. It fits me well at these settings: "X:0.000 Y:0.000 Z:0.394". Note that if you used the Stomach attachment point, these numbers would be different.

Depending on your body settings, you may need to Stretch the skirt pleats to fit. To Stretch the skirt pleats, go to the Edit window, click on "Stretch (Ctrl-Shift)" at the top of the Edit window. Now, click and hold one of the little white boxes around the skirt pleats and move it slowly away from your avatar.

It is not uncommon to have to make some individual adjustments to the skirt panels, particularly the ones in the back. To make these adjustments, go to the Edit window, click on "Edit linked parts" at the top of the Edit window. Now click on the skirt panel you want to adjust.



And here I am, wearing my new white skirt!

OK, now that you can make a short skirt, how about making a long skirt?

The procedure is exactly the same. You just need to use slightly different settings. The "sample-long" panel should already be in your LoopRez object. So here are the settings for making a long skirt:

objectName = "sample-long"
numObjects = 12
xRadius = .42
yRadius = .5
flareAngle = 45.0
bendCoefficient = 0.0
rotOffset = <0.0,>
posOffset = <0.0,>



Just repeat the above steps with these settings and you will have skirt panels fit for a gown or wedding dress :)

Hope you found this useful. And dont forget to thank Ged Larsen for his wonderful LoopRez script! :)

Update: Ged now has a website for discussions on the LoopRez script: Ged's Anti-Blog. So make sure you tell him how youve managed to use his wonderful creation, and any suggestions for improvement! :)

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Day 96: Padme's Picnic at Acropolis

***Update: Sadly, Acropolis is gone :( Have to look for a volcano somewhere else :P

Today, I thought I would go for a stroll in the park and a picnic. And where better than Acropolis Gardens, 4 sims of nature, trails, waterfalls, lakes, and even a volcano!

There is no right or wrong way through the Gardens. There are many trails that wind through the Gardens, running up mountainsides, across bridges, hopping across lakes, and into other trails. Just follow one and see where it leads :)



The trails are marked either with paving stones or with lamps. Dont worry, you wont get TOO lost :P

This trail runs up a beautiful ridge along some mountaintops, with the ocean on one side, and the lakes on the other.

You can either hike through the sim (now dont cheat and go flying :P),



or take a tour in one of these giant flying flowers! Unfortunately the tour at the arrival area wasnt working today. But there is another tour inside the Gardens. Take the Acropolis sign from the arrival point, take the first right, cross the green lake, and go to the rest stop just up the hill. There is a tour starting point there.

Even if you take the tour, go back around by foot. It really is like going hiking in the forest!



The most striking thing about the Gardens is the constant change in landscape. There are tall peaks next to the lakes and ocean, ringed by many pretty waterfalls. BTW, Im the little brown speck in the middle :)



Stop along the way to admire the view :) Did I mention there are a lot of waterfalls?



Tadaah! I made it all the way up to Mount Marzipan. Didnt cheat by flying either :)



*Cough* *cough* And on top of a different mountain, theres a volcano pouring out waterfalls of lava. *cough* *cough*

Would you believe there are poseballs up here for kissing? *cough* *cough* I can barely breath with all this smoke! :P



And be sure to find the secret Callahan's Cave. Its hidden behind a waterfall :) (OK, its not so secret, cause its part of the tour...)



Heehee finally found a nice spot for my picnic! :)

If you like Bliss Basin, you will love Acropolis Gardens. Its scenic, its fun, and its romantic.

To come to Acropolis Gardens, click on Search, select the Places tab, and enter "acropolis" as the keyword. The SLURL is: Delia (56,22,22).



You are probably wondering who Padme is. Or maybe you already know.

Im not a big Star Wars fan, but Padme refers to Padme Amidala, Anakin Skywalker's wife (you know, Darth Vader, the guy in the big black suit :P). As we all know, the Star Wars series is the story of 2 women, Padme and her daughter Leia. They struggled courageously to right the ills of the universe and to give the clueless guys a sense of purpose :P

Anyway, I was searching for a picnic dress, and guess what turns up when you look up "picnic dress" on Google?



Yep, the picnic scene in one of the Star Wars movies (dont remember which one :P). Apparently, the dress is quite famous. There are entire websites dedicated to this DRESS. So, I had to try making it :)






I found some reference photos from a great website. These fans are dedicated!

I needed to compose the textures for the top. That took a bit of playing around mixing several textures together with some effects. Then came the sleeves. She wore loose sleeves. That meant using prims. Luckily, the Clubbing outfit provided the basics for a prim sleeve. With a bit of tweaking, I made 2 prim sleeves for the picnic dress.

OK, you probably noticed that the sleeves in the photo are semi-sheer. But I could not use transparency, since the prims run into each other. I tried it, and it caused all kinds of annoying effects. So I had to use solid colors.

The photo also showed the skirt as having lots of little folds. I wanted to simulate that effect with prims. Lots of prims. :) So its back to Ged's new LoopRez Generator to create a new skirt, this time with 30 sim-crashing panels! Normally, I use 12-18 panels in prim skirts.

The skirt came out well, except for all the tweaking...um...on the back end. Well, more panels, more tweaking. But that's almost unavoidable, since...um...our hip areas are not exactly an ellipse. :P

And lastly, the wrist ribbons: 4 flexi prim path-cut hollow cylinders (to make them thinner). They each have different settings under Flexible Path to ensure that they go all over the place :)

This was a LOT of work! But really came out nicely :)

I wonder if they will let me into the Star Wars sims now :P



Oh my darling Blue Poseball, do you think we can get a house by the waterfall? :P

Day 95: Bowling in a Poodle Skirt

Heehee take a guess at what Im doing today! :) Im at ImagineNation, a sim that reminds me of the traveling carnivals, full of games and rides. And one of the things in ImagineNation is a bowling alley!

OK, bowling in Second Life is not as easy as it sounds. First of all, you need a bowling outfit, but Ill get to that later! Then the sign says you have to wear bowling shoes. They give you these free orange ones. Yuck! I am so not wearing bowling alley shoes!! Thankfully, no one was there, so Im totally bowling with my heeled boots! :P

Like RL, Bowling in SL is not free. At ImagineNation, its $15L per game (thats like 5 cents US). So I thought I could risk it :)

I didnt read the fully instructions, but just went by the quick cheatsheet. I think you can get fancy and do spins and stuff. But hey, I dont do that in RL, and Im not going to start in SL!



To start a new game, click on the bowling ball machine, Pay it $15L. Then click on a ball on the bowling ball machine. This will rez a ball on the lane.

Then you point your avatar in the direction you want the ball to go in, and click on the bowling ball to release it. Its helpful to Left-click and hold on your avatar, then turn yourself left and right. This gives you better control than the arrows. OK, this didnt help me at all, but its still better than the arrows! :)



Yay, look! I hit something! And in my own lane too! :)

Cant tell you how many times I sent the ball into another lane :P I do that in RL too, so this is good practice :)



Taadah! I knocked down 19 pins! Thats not bad for my first SL game ever!

Of couse, ImagineNation is not just about bowling. There are a lot of other fun things to do.



How about taking a hair-raising train ride around the sim? It really does raise your flexi hair :) The train makes really cool noises, and it gives you a quick view of the island.



Or a hot-air balloon ride for an overview of the sim. Get it? Over...view (heehee you can tell Im in one of those moods today :P)



Jump on one of these spinning chair rides! They will make you just as dizzy in SL as they would in RL! Guaranteed! :)



Awww...and theres this duckie cannon thingie! Theres a robot arm that loads and shoots these little yellow duckies from the cannon. Its so cruel and mean! But funny :P



Across the river, theres a grand wedding chapel along with a reception hall! Wow, wait til I tell my blue poseball about this! :) And is that a piano I see? :P



And if you ever get tired or just want to relax for a bit, there are areas all over the sim for you to sit down and lounge around with your friends.

ImagineNation is a commercial sim. There are several large stores with a number of items on sale. However, the owner did a very nice job on the "fun" areas!

So if you ever want to step out and have some fun, check out ImagineNation. To come to ImagineNation, click on Search, select the Places tab, and enter "imaginenation" as the keyword. The SLURL is: ImagineNation (209,199,23)



I had planned to come bowling today, so I was looking around the Internet for a bowling outfit. Have you seen bowling outfits for women? For that matter, have you seen the bowling outfits for men? Its arguably worse than golf! :P

OK, so doing an official bowling outfit was out of the question. So what shall I do? For some reason, Ive always associated poodle skirts with bowling. Ive never seen anyone wear a poodle skirt to go bowling. Maybe bowling was popular in the 50's or something? I dont know. So I decided to make a cute poodle skirt for my bowling adventure.

I knew there would be one challenge: The poodles on the skirts were typically pretty large. Its called a poodle skirt for a good reason! So the image would be larger than a single skirt panel. I was hoping that it would not be too difficult to line up the poodle image across multiple skirt panels.

As it turned out, I was able to fit the poodle onto just 2 panels. I used the Offset Horizontal (U) setting under the Texture tab to put the 2 images together. It worked out wonderfully!



And there are all these beautiful flower chairs all over the sim (its one of the products they sell). Perfect to curl up for a nap.

Goodnight! :)

Day 94: Creating Prim Shoes Part 1 (Sandals)

Im going to be teaching a class on making a pair of prim heels at the New Citizens Plaza. The class will be on Sundays at 3PM SL/Linden/PST. The classes will start on Jan 7, 2007, after New Year.

There have been several requests for me to write about making shoes. So I thought I should write it down and make it (somewhat) consistent with the live class. This will be a 2 part series. Part 1 will be a pair of flat prim sandals (the sandals from the Roman outfit). Part 2 will be a pair of prim heels (actually heeled pumps).



The flat prim sandals will demonstrate all the ingredients needed to create a pair of shoes except for the heel portion. You can then add to or change the shoe design as you like, by adding covers, straps, decorations, textures, or styling. Or you can build new shoes, sneakers, or boots using this as a guide.

First a quick overview. Shoes are avatar attachments, same as prim hair, prim skirts, or prim jewelry. They attach to your Right and Left Foot Attachment points. If you rezzed a block and attached it to your Right Foot, you would effectively have a shoe. Not a pretty one, but its a shoe. Making it look decent is the goal of this tutorial.

There are 2 major components to a pair of prim shoes: the SL Shoe and the Prim Shoe.

The SL Shoe (which is created and modified in the "Appearance..." screen) sets the size of your feet, the heel height, and the platform height for a platform shoe. The SL Shoe basically adjusts your avatar's feet to warp it into a shoe-like thing. You can apply a texture to your warped feet to make it look like a pair of sneakers or cowboy boots. But the resulting shoe will have a painted-on look (like clothing).



Here is a sample pair of SL shoes.

Because we are making prim shoes, we will only use the SL Shoe to adjust the size of your feet, set the heel height, and the platform height. We will apply a Fully Transparent texture to the SL Shoe, because we want to see a bare foot in the Prim Shoe.

The Prim Shoe is a linked set of prims that looks like a shoe. It could be a sneaker, or a boot, or a sandal, or a heel. It could be fancy, with jeweled decorations, real archs, and lining. Or it could be a simple flat base with a strap on top. You are only limited by your imagination and what you can do with prims.



Here is a sample pair of prim heels. I think you'll agree that it looks MUCH better than the SL Shoe! :)

So lets start building the prim sandals.

You will need a Full Transparent texture (with a black Alpha Channel) to make this shoe. You can pick up this texture for free at the Sirena Hair store (in the Freebie section). You can go through the steps without the texture, but it would look like you are wearing a white sock until you apply the texture.

Go somewhere that you can create things in, like a Sandbox, for instance.

1. Creating the SL Shoe

We need to prepare your avatar's feet to receive the prim shoes. This is done via the Appearance... screen.

First, detach and take off any SL or prim shoes you are wearing.



Right-click on yourself, and select "Appearance..." from the menu. Select the "Shoes" tab. Press the "Create New Shoes" button (if you dont see this button, press the "Take Off" button first). Enter the following settings:

     Shoe Height: 0
     Heel Height: 0
     Heel Shape: 100
     Toe Shape: 50
     Toe Thickness: 0
     Platform Height: 0
     Platform Width: 42

Next, click in the square box above "Fabric". This will bring up the "Pick:Texture" window. Select the Full Transparent texture (either one from your own Inventory or from the Sirena Hair store).

When you are all done, press the "Save All" button and the "Close" button. You should have a new pair of SL Shoes named "New Shoes" in the Clothing folder of your Inventory. Go ahead and rename these shoes to something like "Roman Sandal Base".

2. Creating the Prim Shoe (Sandal)

OK here comes the fun part. We are going to build the prim shoe/sandal. And we are going to build it BIG first (at 10x the final size), then shrink it later. This makes it much easier to work on.

The prim sandal is made up of 7 prims. In addition, we are going to make a sizing board to make it easier to fit the shoe together and resize.

Ready?

Rez a prim on the ground. Press Shift-X. This moves the prim to the nearest 0.25M point. This helps us line stuff up later.

Go to the General tab, and change the Name to "1". Go to the Object tab. Change the Building Block Type to "Cylinder". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.090
     Size (meters) Y: 1.440
     Size (meters) Z: 0.210

Go to the Texture tab. Click on the square above "Color". This will open the Color Picker. Select a color for the sandal. The Roman sandal uses this color formula (but you can use any color you like):

     Red: 76
     Green: 57
     Blue: 38

Note that the Color Picker has a bug when entering numbers by hand. When you enter the last number for Blue, just click on the Green box before clicking the "Select" button. Dont ask me why, but this works.

Prim "1" will be the front tip of the sandal. We are going to clone it to make all the other prims.

So make sure Prim "1" is selected in Edit more, and you can see the Red/Green/Blue movement arrows. Press and hold the Shift key, then click on the Green arrow and pull it to the right. This will make a copy of Prim "1" perfectly lined up to the right.



Do this 6 more times until you have a total of 8 prims.

Starting from the left, Edit each prim and change the Name to a number from 1 to 8. The one on the extreme left should be "1". The one on the extreme right should be "8". This will helps us reference the prims below.

OK, now Edit Prim "2".

Change the Building Block Type to "Box". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.090
     Size (meters) Y: 0.210
     Size (meters) Z: 1.500

     Rotation (degrees) X: 270.00

     Taper X: 0.15

Edit Prim "3".

Leave the Building Block Type as "Cylinder". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 0.930
     Size (meters) Y: 0.540
     Size (meters) Z: 0.210

Edit Prim "4".

Change the Building Block Type to "Torus". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.250
     Size (meters) Y: 0.980
     Size (meters) Z: 1.020

     Rotation (degrees) Z: 90.00

     Path Cut End: 0.500
     Skew: -0.75 (Note: this is a negative value!!)
     Hole Size X: 0.60
     Hole Size Y: 0.05

Edit Prim "5".

Change the Building Block Type to "Torus". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.250
     Size (meters) Y: 0.980
     Size (meters) Z: 1.020

     Rotation (degrees) Z: 90.00

     Path Cut End: 0.500
     Skew: 0.75
     Hole Size X: 0.60
     Hole Size Y: 0.05

Edit Prim "6".

Change the Building Block Type to "Torus". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.250
     Size (meters) Y: 1.030
     Size (meters) Z: 1.120

     Rotation (degrees) Z: 90.00

     Path Cut End: 0.500
     Skew: -0.75 (Note: this is a negative value!!)
     Hole Size X: 0.60
     Hole Size Y: 0.05

Edit Prim "7".

Change the Building Block Type to "Torus". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.250
     Size (meters) Y: 1.030
     Size (meters) Z: 1.120

     Rotation (degrees) Z: 90.00

     Path Cut End: 0.500
     Skew: 0.75
     Hole Size X: 0.60
     Hole Size Y: 0.05

Edit Prim "8". (OK last one :D!)

Change the Building Block Type to "Box". Enter the following settings:

     Size (meters) X: 1.090
     Size (meters) Y: 2.500
     Size (meters) Z: 0.100

Go to the Texture tab of Prim "8". Click on the square above "Color" to open the Color Picker. Click on the bright Red square on the bottom row and press the Select button.



When you are all done, you should now have a line of prims that look something like this (and everyone should be looking at you funny in the Sandbox :P).

3. Assembling the Prim Sandal

We are now going to put all these prims together!

The red Prim "8" is our sizing board. The finished sandal should be the same width and length as this board.



So Edit the red Prim "8". Use the green and blue arrows and move Prim "8" under Prim "1" until the left edges are lined up.

Next, move Prim "2" left into Prim "1". There is a point when the left side of Prim "2" will disappear into Prim "1". Dont go too far, or Prim "2" will stick out again.

Move Prim "3" left into Prim "2". Make sure that the right edge of Prim "3" lines up with the right edge of the red Prim "8".



Now adjust Prim "2" as needed until the bottom of the shoe looks OK. Dont worry about being too exact! You can always adjust later as well.

Next, we are going to move the straps in place.

Move Prim "4" as far to the left as you can without having the buried parts of the strap stick out of the bottom. You might want to use the Red arrow to move Prim "4" forward a little bit; this would enable you to slide Prim "4" a little bit more to the left.



Do the same for Prim "5". They should make an "X" along the middle of the sandal.

Now bring Prim "6" and Prim "7" along and do the same thing you just did. Again, dont worry, this is not an exact science!



Your sandal should be looking like the finished product!

4. Linking and Shrinking

Now we need to link all these prims together and shrink it.

First, lets talk about linked prims. As you noticed above, each of the 8 prims you created can be moved separately. We need a way to group them all together so they behave as one. In SL, this is called linking.

When you link a group of prims, one of them becomes the main prim of the group, called the Root Prim. The Root Prim is special, because position and rotation is done relative to the Root Prim. When you select prims to be linked, the last prim to be selected becomes the Root Prim.

In the case of the sandal, we want the Root Prim to be 1 of the 3 bottom pieces of the sandal (preferably Prim "2", the middle one). We dont want the Root Prim to be one of the straps, because it would be difficult to fit the shoe using one of the straps as reference.

Note that we are going to link in the red Prim "8" sizing board as well. We will unlink Prim "8" after resizing.

So let's link the sandal.

Make sure you can see the whole sandal and the sizing board. Right-click on any prim and select Edit.



Click and hold outside the sandal, and drag the yellow window around the entire sandal and sizing board. The entire sandal and the sizing board should be outlined in yellow.

Now press and hold the Shift key. Left-click on Prim "2" to de-select it. Left-click on Prim "2" again to select it. This makes Prim "2" the last prim to be selected, thus will make it the Root Prim when we link.

To link the prims, click on Tools at the top of your screen, and select Link. You will notice that all the prims are now outlined in blue, except Prim "2" is outlined in yellow.

Next, we are going to shrink the sandal to its final size.

First, bring the shoe at least 1M off the ground. There have been reports of shoes disappearing into the ground when they are being shrunk, so better be on the safe side :)

Then Edit the sandal. Click on the "Stretch (Ctrl-Shift)" button at the top of the Edit window. There should be some white handles around the sandal. Grab one, and push it in towards the sandal until you cant shrink it any more. For your reference, the display at the top of your screen should read: "X:0.109 Y:0.112 Z:0.275".

Lastly, we are going to unlink the sizing board.

Edit the sandal. Click on the "Edit linked parts" checkbox. Now click on the sizing board, so only the sizing board is selected. Click on Tools at the top of your screen, and select Unlink. That's it! The sizing board has now been removed from the sandal.

One last thing: we want to name the sandal.

Edit the sandal. Click on the General tab. And change the Name to "Roman Sandal (L)".

Congratulations! You have just made your first prim shoe! :)

Close your Edit window to get out of edit mode. Right-click on the sandal and select "Take" to take the sandal into your Inventory.

5. Fitting the Sandal

Now that the sandal is ready, we need to attach it to our avatar. Lets start with the left foot, then clone the shoe for the right foot.

You should be familiar with prim fitting techniques. If you need a refresher, check out the entry on creating and fitting Single Prim Attachments. Fitting a Multi Prim Attachment (like the sandal) uses the same techniques.

To fit the sandal, Right-click on the "Roman Sandal (L)" in your Inventory, select "Attach To >", and click on "Left Foot".



The sandal will initially attach with the wrong orientation. You need to rotation the sandal until the straps are in front.

Go ahead and Edit the sandals while they are on your foot. You can do this by hand, by pressing and holding the Ctrl key and turning the color wheels (this is how I did it initially).

Or you can cheat and enter these values :P

     Rotation (degrees) Y: 270.00
     Rotation (degrees) Z: 90.00

Next, drag the Red/Green/Blue arrows until the sandal fits well on your feet. If you use the numbers at the top as a reference, this is a good position: "X:-0.050 Y:0.000 Z:-0.012". Dont worry if you cant get an exact match (for example, Z may get stuck at -0.011 and -0.013). Just pick one and move on.

When you are done positioning, Right-click on the sandal and select "Detach".

In your Inventory screen, Right-click on the "Roman Sandal (L)" and select Copy. Then Right-click again on the "Roman Sandal (L)" and select Paste. There should now be 2 copies of the sandal.

Right-click on one copy, select Rename, and change the name to "Roman Sandal (R)". Now Right-click on "Roman Sandal (R)", select "Attach To >", and click on "Right Foot".

Go ahead and repeat the steps above for rotating the shoe. You should not have to change the position.

Just one final note: after you do any fitting with a prim attachment, be sure that you detach the prim after you are done to "save" the settings.

So go ahead and right click on "Roman Sandal (R)" and select Detach.

That's it! You have now created a pair of shoes from scratch and fitted it. Feel free to jazz it up with different colors, textures, bling scripts, and add additional prim decorations!

In Part 2 of this series next week, we are going to make a pair of prim heels! :)

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Day 93: When in ROMA

Ave, citizen. Welcome to ROMA. ROMA is a Second Life sim based on ancient Rome, back in the days of the Caesars.

Although ROMA supports role-playing, it is not required to enter the sim. ROMA has a very open policy. You are more than welcome to tour the sim in your furry AV wearing a bikini. You are only assumed to participate in role-playing if you wear a toga or clothing from the period (like me :D). Note that the sim confines adult activities to Caligula's Palace, so keep it nice outside :)

As you arrive in the Customs House, there are a number of notecards on rules, tips, and role-playing. There is also a free toga if you want to jump right into the action :)

Oh, and be sure to turn on your speakers. There are some nice sound effects as you walk about the sim. Dont worry, nothing scary. Just nice background sounds.



ROMA is a single sim, but has so many things packed into it, Im amazed they didnt run out of prims!

There is also a notecard titled "What to see and do in ROMA". Be sure you take one! Believe me, theres a LOT of stuff here!

On most major buildings or structure, you will see a red button with an "i" in the middle. Touch them to get a notecard with some background information. This is a great way to learn about ancient Rome!



ROMA is a no-fly sim. But you can travel in style using these magic Litters :) Just click on the water fountains to summon one.



First stop, the Circus Maximus Hippodrome. Ever watched Ben-Hur and the chariot races? Well you can race your own chariots here with your friends!



Aaahhhhh...even the instructions warn you: the chariots have a mind of their own! Heehee. Dont ever let a mermaid drive your chariot :P



Behind this arch is the Roman Forum, where the Capitoline Museum, Library of Alexandria, Basilica of Maxentius (where weddings can be hosted), and the Curia are located. Say, didnt Julius Caesar get stabbed around here somewhere? :P



Here I am in the Library of Alexandria, catching up on the latest scrolls :)



Fellow Senators, I must bring to your attention a *GRAVE* issue! To support the growth of the Empire, we have an urgent need to raise the hem lines! :P



This is the inside of the Mithraeum of Felicissimus, sorta like the men's secret society of ancient Rome. I totally snuck in here to get the pix. If they catch me, Im *SOOO* thrown to the lions! :P



This is the Flavian Gladiator Arena, where the boys play with their swords and spears :P Say, did anyone see Russell Crowe come by?



And dont miss a view of the sim during "natural" nightfall, when the moon comes out. Simply spectacular! Be sure that your Forced Sun setting is set to "Revert to Region Default".



After a long day of exploring, you can take a plunge in the Baths of Caracalla. Just a tip: When you go into a pool, lower the water level first (by touching the column in the middle of a pool). This would enable you to sit. Otherwise, you would have a hard time sitting in the water.

Told you theres a lot of stuff here! And this isnt even half of it! You really need to come down and see for yourself.

To come to ROMA, click on Search, select the Places tab, and enter "spqr" for keyword. There are too many "romance" places, so dont use "roma". Here is the SLURL: ROMA (215,25,22).



Well, when in ROMA, do what the ROMA AV's do. So I decided to wear a Roman outfit today. At first, I went searching around the Internet for a toga. I found a good website with info on women's fashion in ancient Rome. First, men wear togas, not women. Unmarried girls did not wear color panels (stola). Women generally wore tunics similar to the Greeks, either the peplos or the chiton.



So I went with a peplos, specifically one based on this statue, where there is a set of upper and lower panels (you can just see the wheels turning in my head about flexi prims :P).

I had to change the design a few times to get it to look decent. It uses some of the techniques from the Angel outfit, particularly for the top. The very top of the outfit uses prims, similar to the Angel outfit. But just below the chest, there is a short flexi-prim skirt somewhat similar to the Sash Dress that extends to the waist.

Below the waist is another flexi-prim skirt, although this one has considerably less poof than the Angel outfit.



I also made a pair of leather sandals to go along with the outfit (high-heel boots would probably not go with a peplos :P). Ill show you tomorrow how to make these leather sandals! :)



I see a man in your future. He's...he's blue...and round...and he likes to be sat upon...