04-13-2006 17:59
The Way of the Flexible Path
An easy guide to the new flexible objects, currently in Preview 1.10

Modern living can be stressful. At a hectic pace with so much to get done, people get tense and rigid. Did you know prims, the "primitive" building blocks which comprise objects in Second Life, also lead stressful existences? If you think that's a joke, have you ever seen a prim flop over in a lazy heap? How about watching one flap in the air like a dog's ears?

You will. Second Life 1.10 has essentially taken prims to the spa for refreshment and rejuvenation, and those flexible objects are now here for your enjoyment!


Flexible Basics
You can flex objects very easily by clicking a checkbox and adjusting some numbers. The most fun comes from watching what each change you make does. Let's get started:
1. Rez (make) a cube by right-clicking the ground near your avatar and selecting Create, then clicking. (You must be on buildable ground. You can tell by making sure there's no little picture of a yellow cube in a red circle on the menu bar at the top of the screen.)
2. On the tools window that popped up when you went to Create, select the Features tab. (If you don't see it, press the More >> button.)
3. Click the Flexible Path checkbox.
4. Now, observing closely, click once on the little up arrow next to Wind.

Your newly-flexible cube prim should have slumped over as if it was resting on a recliner. Awww, cute. But it doesn't end there! For further fun, do this:
1. Make the cube much taller either by clicking on Stretch near the top left of the Tools window and dragging on the blue handle, or in the Object tab, change Size Z to 10 meters. (You can also hold Ctrl-Shift to make the stretch handles show up.)
2. Now that you've got a stretched-out box "yawning" on the ground, under the Object tab, click the Building Block Type drop-down menu and change it to Cylinder.
3. Go back to the Flexible Path section in the Features tab, and lower Softness to 0, then raise it to 3. See what happens?
4. Play with the other settings to see them in action. Remember: all this time, while you're laughing your head off, you're actually learning!


Flexible Details
Here's more of an explanation behind what each Flexible Path setting does:
• Softness - Take a hard guess... or a soft one. Softness goes from 0 to 3 in whole numbers. Multiply what's entered here by a power of 2 to find out how many segments get simulated. So, on a long pole, a softness of 0 looks like a car antenna, and a softness of 3 would have 8 segments and resembles a wet noodle.
• Tension - Think of this as a flexible object's "backbone posture". Setting it to 0.0 will make it droop like a limp rope, while 10.0 is more akin to a walking stick's firmness.
• Drag - The air friction affecting a flexible object. An easy way to understand it is: if it's set low, an object will wiggle wildly, but increasing it towards the maximum of 10.0 makes an object almost look like it's in slow motion, swaying gently.
• Gravity - Since what goes up must come down, this affects the amount of downward force. Boost it up to 10.0, one click at a time, and watch your poor prim's parts sink. For extra enjoyment, you can lower this into negative numbers for alien effects--defy gravity!
• Wind - The wind is everywhere in Second Life. Increasing this number emphasizes how much your flexible object is affected by the wind's strength and direction. For example, how a single page of paper taped to a railing blows compared to an entire book.

Speaking of, imagine: relaxing in-world with a good read in the breeze, palm trees rustling over your head, while a nearby umbrella subtlely ruffles and the straw in your drink swirls around. Ah, it's good to be flexible!


Flexible Tips:
• Of the current prim (building block) types, Boxes, Cylinders, and Prisms can have a flexible path.
• Flexible objects are a client-side effect, which means like particles, many of them in view will noticeably slow down performance on your end, but they won't slow down the server. You can temporarily disable flexible objects by unchecking Flex Objects from the bottom of the Debug menu. (If you don't already have it up, the Debug menu will appear at the top of your screen after you've pressed Ctrl-Alt-D on a PC or Ctrl-Option-D on a Mac.)
• Although flexible objects can't be physical and are phantom (meaning you'll walk right through them), they can certainly be included as part of a larger object by linking them from the Tools menu. Keep in mind this'll make the total linked set phantom too.
• When stretching a single flexible object, its bounding box (limits when not flexible) will be shown. This can be used as an easy way to gage original dimensions.
• Moving a prim of yours with a Flexible Path lets you preview how it responds. When you're editing, this can be done by clicking Position, then dragging the arrows. Rotating and stretching will also give instant results. If you're not editing (the tools window isn't on screen), simply hold Ctrl and drag the prim. Good for practical jokes, like bringing up a tentacle behind a friend's head and surprising them.
• Flexibility is great for avatar attachments because while you're on the move, you'll draw attention to yourself whether you walk, run, dance, or fly. Ideas: a silky tail, flowing prim hair, a windsock in the shape of a dragon, and scarves tied to your wrists that accentuate your movements as you type.
• In the Features tab, combine Flexible Path with Light, also new in Second Life 1.10, for double the dynamicism! See the related guide for more info.
Now that you've become further enlightened about the Way of the Flexible Path, it's time for you to take a deep breath, smile, and continue your journey.

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach." -Tom Robbins