Post by pixelghost on Dec 4, 2013 12:35:50 GMT -5
This thread is specifically for second life development. Most of the posts i put here will contain:
- coding implementation within second life
- creating mesh and sculpts
- importing and exporting
- animation and posing organic models
- retopolizing and lowering poly count for second life optimization
- marketplace creation and boosting sales
- how tos
- tutorials
- resources
- etc
if you have anything to add to this, please provide links below. i will update it as they come in.
- Tutorials -
SL Tutorials . Net - A plathora of tutorials are in this area from meshes, to animations, you name it, its there.
www.sltutorials.net/
Small details and information creating and importing mesh to second life:
wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Creating_a_mesh
maya mesh tutorial wikia page from SL:
wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Maya_Basic_Intro_Tutorial
importing meshes from maya into SL:
changingworldsbuildingdreams.com/mesh-imports-in-second-life-for-maya-users
rigging mesh in maya for SL:
saeluan.com/tutorials/maya/rigging-mesh-in-maya/
- Resources -
Mesh in Second Life Information - explains a lot about what mesh is and how it works in the second life world.
modemworld.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/a-very-simple-guide-to-mesh-objects-in-sl/
Good Skeleton file for maya - this is a skeleton with already proper weights to it. i will post the download link below.
- information on skeleton file for maya:
Well I figured out the problem with my Maya files. I received a bad skeleton. So Maya users, if you do not get a export skin weights button, it's probably because the skeleton file is bad. The legends of the SL skeleton being finicky are indeed true. Once I used a clean skeleton from a source no longer available, the weighting was exportable, and thus began a day long task of painting skin weights. Then I discovered, and fixed a second problem.
The initial skin bind looked bad around the knees, I was informed that one could "move" the joints, but never rotate them. So I "corrected: the position of the knee joints by moving to where they were indicated on the mesh. It was true that you could move them and still obtain a valid export of a weighted mesh, but the knees no matter how they were weighted, they would not be fixed.
For this to work, you cannot move, rotate, or modify the skeleton in any way to obtain a good skin bind. I ended up using scales, and mesh deformers to push the geometry and push the Mesh so the mesh lined up with the joints. Then I deleted the history and bound the skin, and proceeded as normal.
here is that "good" skeleton file, On generated for Maya users from the days of the Mesh Beta.
dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma
WARNING: This files units are in centimeters, unfortunately, and I hesitate to rescale the skeleton, so in binding you need to export yoru weighted mesh at a scale factor of 100 (100 centimeters = 1 Meter), and because the scale factor only applies to the mesh, It doesn't support bone offsets, so leave that unchecked or your mesh when worn ill looked like a crumpled up tissues, pulsing with a hideous parody of live and movement.
Maya Procedure:
1.) Open the above file, and immediately rename it as something else and save it.
2.) Import your mesh into the scene.
3.) Scale the mesh, and deform it to match the bones. Delete History on the mesh.
4.) Select the Mesh and then select the root nose (Pelvis) and choose "Bind Smooth Skin". Leave "removed unused influences" check box unchecked.
5.) You now have a bound skinned mesh, now.
6.) Save your file as a copy, renames it as something else.
7.) This new file is specifically to animate the skeleton to test skin weighting and edit it. Animate the skeleton , including into the porn poses so as to give you an idea of how the mesh will behave once its in the grid.
8.) Using the "Paint skin weights" tool, and the animation slider, scrub the animation to a certain point and then use the brush to modify the shape of the mesh into the proper form in that particular pose.Use low opacity settings on the brush (or a tablet where the stylus us set to control opacity with pressure).
9.) A day Later, once you have made good skin weights, go to "Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin -> Export Skin weights.-> [ ] "(Click on the box). When the dialogue box comes up choose a place to save the weight maps (note this only works on a mesh where the UV Maps are completed) name them. Maya will ask if it's okay to write 26 files to disk? Accept that and sit back.
10.) Go back to your first copy file, the one you made the initial skin weight on, and select the mesh, and go ""Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin ->Import Skin Weights. A dialogue box will pop up and ask you ti find the weight maps. Go to where you saved the export from the above step and there will be a file named "[File name]_weightmap". Click on that and select open. Maya will perform it's magic (rezzing points from 0,0,0, making the mesh look like it's transporting in from Star Trek.). If you do not get the transporter effect, and Maya appears to do nothing, that is because there is a change in the mesh itself (not the binding) between the first copy and the second copy, and you will have to start over from Step 5.
11.) Once Maya completes is magic, click the skin, then click the Skeleton (on the root node), and select Export, and export the file as a Collada DAE File. Import with the above caveats taken into account and you should have a nicely skinned mesh in SL to wear.
Hope this Helps.
dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma
Clothing Standard Sizes 5 for second life. (basically this is the complete files for sizing and creating clothing and stuff for second life avatars. comes with 3d models, rigs, etc. follow the description and links, if you have a second life account, you can download this right to your character.
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Standard-Sizing-Package/2894727?id=2894727&slug=Standard-Sizing-Package
- Testing Area -
ADITI Grid Tool - from my understanding, these are sandbox areas where you can go and test your rigs, meshes, etc.
aditi.coreqa.net/gridtool.php
- Useful Software -
DAZ 3D Studio - this software is free, you can create animations from rigs etc and use them to apply to second life. this software also has other uses in other areas of 3d development and design.
www.daz3d.com/
POSER - this program also boasts doing rigging, animation, and posing within minutes.
poser.smithmicro.com/
- coding implementation within second life
- creating mesh and sculpts
- importing and exporting
- animation and posing organic models
- retopolizing and lowering poly count for second life optimization
- marketplace creation and boosting sales
- how tos
- tutorials
- resources
- etc
if you have anything to add to this, please provide links below. i will update it as they come in.
- Tutorials -
SL Tutorials . Net - A plathora of tutorials are in this area from meshes, to animations, you name it, its there.
www.sltutorials.net/
Small details and information creating and importing mesh to second life:
wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Creating_a_mesh
maya mesh tutorial wikia page from SL:
wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Maya_Basic_Intro_Tutorial
importing meshes from maya into SL:
changingworldsbuildingdreams.com/mesh-imports-in-second-life-for-maya-users
rigging mesh in maya for SL:
saeluan.com/tutorials/maya/rigging-mesh-in-maya/
- Resources -
Mesh in Second Life Information - explains a lot about what mesh is and how it works in the second life world.
modemworld.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/a-very-simple-guide-to-mesh-objects-in-sl/
Good Skeleton file for maya - this is a skeleton with already proper weights to it. i will post the download link below.
- information on skeleton file for maya:
Well I figured out the problem with my Maya files. I received a bad skeleton. So Maya users, if you do not get a export skin weights button, it's probably because the skeleton file is bad. The legends of the SL skeleton being finicky are indeed true. Once I used a clean skeleton from a source no longer available, the weighting was exportable, and thus began a day long task of painting skin weights. Then I discovered, and fixed a second problem.
The initial skin bind looked bad around the knees, I was informed that one could "move" the joints, but never rotate them. So I "corrected: the position of the knee joints by moving to where they were indicated on the mesh. It was true that you could move them and still obtain a valid export of a weighted mesh, but the knees no matter how they were weighted, they would not be fixed.
For this to work, you cannot move, rotate, or modify the skeleton in any way to obtain a good skin bind. I ended up using scales, and mesh deformers to push the geometry and push the Mesh so the mesh lined up with the joints. Then I deleted the history and bound the skin, and proceeded as normal.
here is that "good" skeleton file, On generated for Maya users from the days of the Mesh Beta.
dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma
WARNING: This files units are in centimeters, unfortunately, and I hesitate to rescale the skeleton, so in binding you need to export yoru weighted mesh at a scale factor of 100 (100 centimeters = 1 Meter), and because the scale factor only applies to the mesh, It doesn't support bone offsets, so leave that unchecked or your mesh when worn ill looked like a crumpled up tissues, pulsing with a hideous parody of live and movement.
Maya Procedure:
1.) Open the above file, and immediately rename it as something else and save it.
2.) Import your mesh into the scene.
3.) Scale the mesh, and deform it to match the bones. Delete History on the mesh.
4.) Select the Mesh and then select the root nose (Pelvis) and choose "Bind Smooth Skin". Leave "removed unused influences" check box unchecked.
5.) You now have a bound skinned mesh, now.
6.) Save your file as a copy, renames it as something else.
7.) This new file is specifically to animate the skeleton to test skin weighting and edit it. Animate the skeleton , including into the porn poses so as to give you an idea of how the mesh will behave once its in the grid.
8.) Using the "Paint skin weights" tool, and the animation slider, scrub the animation to a certain point and then use the brush to modify the shape of the mesh into the proper form in that particular pose.Use low opacity settings on the brush (or a tablet where the stylus us set to control opacity with pressure).
9.) A day Later, once you have made good skin weights, go to "Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin -> Export Skin weights.-> [ ] "(Click on the box). When the dialogue box comes up choose a place to save the weight maps (note this only works on a mesh where the UV Maps are completed) name them. Maya will ask if it's okay to write 26 files to disk? Accept that and sit back.
10.) Go back to your first copy file, the one you made the initial skin weight on, and select the mesh, and go ""Skin -> Edit Smooth Skin ->Import Skin Weights. A dialogue box will pop up and ask you ti find the weight maps. Go to where you saved the export from the above step and there will be a file named "[File name]_weightmap". Click on that and select open. Maya will perform it's magic (rezzing points from 0,0,0, making the mesh look like it's transporting in from Star Trek.). If you do not get the transporter effect, and Maya appears to do nothing, that is because there is a change in the mesh itself (not the binding) between the first copy and the second copy, and you will have to start over from Step 5.
11.) Once Maya completes is magic, click the skin, then click the Skeleton (on the root node), and select Export, and export the file as a Collada DAE File. Import with the above caveats taken into account and you should have a nicely skinned mesh in SL to wear.
Hope this Helps.
dl.dropbox.com/u/15354633/skeleton.ma
Clothing Standard Sizes 5 for second life. (basically this is the complete files for sizing and creating clothing and stuff for second life avatars. comes with 3d models, rigs, etc. follow the description and links, if you have a second life account, you can download this right to your character.
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Standard-Sizing-Package/2894727?id=2894727&slug=Standard-Sizing-Package
- Testing Area -
ADITI Grid Tool - from my understanding, these are sandbox areas where you can go and test your rigs, meshes, etc.
aditi.coreqa.net/gridtool.php
- Useful Software -
DAZ 3D Studio - this software is free, you can create animations from rigs etc and use them to apply to second life. this software also has other uses in other areas of 3d development and design.
www.daz3d.com/
POSER - this program also boasts doing rigging, animation, and posing within minutes.
poser.smithmicro.com/