Open up shop

Hey, I enjoy making gestures, and I'm always learning how to make them more complex and fun. I want to eventually start up a shop for what I make, but I need ideas for new gestures, and I will probably advertise service for making custom gestures as well... Any ideas on what kind of gestures I should make? I will also need some places I can go for full perms animations to put in them as well... Any tips on ideas for gestures or places I can get full perm animations, would greatly be a help!

Hi there, Darkpoet!

I am so glad to see that you are interested in jumping into the SecondLife business world (so-to-speak)! You have come to the right place for resident assistance, but I bet you will probably get better, and more direct help in a portal like the

-Content Creation (/294/1.html)
-Classifieds (/107/1.html)

I hope you find the best-suited assistance!

We need more laughing, crying, screaming type gestures. People don't use enough gestures.

I would like to see less freaky gestures and more high quality regular ones. Sounds, in general, don't do a lot for me - they have novelty value, but that's about it.

Well, give me an idea on what to make, and I will see what I can do. I'm willing to make just about anything, really. But the one thing that will slow me down will be the animations, I will need to find someone that can sell me good full perm animations. Give me an idea on what kind of gesture you would like to see and I will make them.

Second the reqest for "regular" gestures. Those breakdancing idiots screaming and playing music for two minutes at a stretch are awful. Something subtle and expressive, please.

The best gestures come with a custom animation, not some re-worked one. Better learn to animate!

I don't know anyone who likes the default "voice" gestures. Maybe you could look into reworking those as your first product.

Agreed with the sound recordings. Don't use them. They usually come 5 seconds after the avatar is done making the gesture to begin with, and to be honest, that little kid laugh just about drives me up the wall. Gestures CAN be fun though!

I see a lot of mention of 'regular' gestures, could you please explain exactly what you want to see? 'regular' is pretty general and not specific at all, you will need to give me some examples. \

For example, I made a gesture for myself for saying goodbye.

My charavter enters a bow animation at the same time, 'Until next we meet, in this world or the next, farewel...' is displayed in general chat.

Give me some examples to work with and work on so I know what you want.
I'm just a vamp/neko, I can't read minds too.

I love that laugh because it is so annoying. Guess it's my own little form of griefing. At least it's harmless.

If I can figure out how to record to the correct specifications, I will end up recording my own voice for some gestures for myself, but I still havn't figured out how to record sound that can be uploaded yet.

On the topic of "regular gestures," I know one person who has one to shrug and say something that is mumbled but sounds like "I don't know."

I think that's the sort of thing people mean. Movements and sounds that could be used in a conversation (a text conversation) and not another demented laughing baby or obscene shout.

The more specific items you can tell me, the more gestures I can make. I will look into that, but I still need to find a way to record my voice and sound and upload it onto second life, I tried using the sound recorder that is under the start menu on windows, but unfortunately, appearently, the bandwith or something was off, and I'm not sure how to change that, so a program that would enable me to record and upload it without problem would be a great help. Any suggestions? And more gesture ideas would be great as well.

I think the best advice as far as what to make... is simply to make what you want.

Chances are, if you want it, someone else will too.

Research the field a bit for starters if you haven't. Find out what is out there, what the market is lacking, the kinds of gestures YOU would like to see, and then start creating.

That's my 2 cents anyway.

Absolutely hear hear. Audio is a waste of time in the regular flow of chat in SL; gestures, on the other hand, can be highly efficient and add hugely to the atmosphere.

Here's a few .. and silent at that!
How about a yawn, a rubbing of eyes with a text summat like "/me rubs their eyes"?
A look up and around, hands held behind back and mouth forming but not emitting a whistle?
A look down, hands held behind back, mouth pouting, kick one heel?

There are many natural, normal gestures I think people would go for which should not annoy the heck out of people

A question though. You seem to want to buy animations to put into gestures? I got the impression that animations were the crux of what gestures are.

Ah yes, I think it's probably unique realistic animations that I could use, packaged up in gestures. I don't think there is a lot of value in just repackaging readily-available animations.

I won't use gestures that use someone else's voice - it doesn't feel like it's *me*, then, you know? Vocal sounds, like a sigh, or whatever, I might consider using....

In File Menu > Upload Sound (L$10)... Allows you to bring small audio clips into Second Life, for a charge of L$10 per file. Clips must be 44.1Hz Wave format (.wav) files, and must be 10 seconds or less in length.

Windows Sound Recorder can edit size and change the format to 44.1hz.

I will sometimes provide full perm animations for use in gestures - provided they are comparatively simple ones that won't take me more than a couple of hours to do. I always encourage people to download QAvimator and go through the tutorials (links on the Animators forum) and have a go at creating their own - you may find you have a talent for it. One thing to remember with animating and SL is that you cannot morph fingers or faces. There are some simple options available at the time you upload your animation to SL, but that is all. This is a bit of a limitation - especially so for gestures. I have had people ask for a "thumbs up" and a "devil's horns" gesture, but they cannot be done.

Could you elaborate a little on the faces Deira? I've seen animations with facial expressions, screams, cries, kisses etc.

You CAN add hand animations and face expressions to your uploaded animation. As Deira says these are simple options. The hand animation added this way does not 'stick' and after a few seconds they will stop and turn back into the default hand animations. The face expression only lasts for a few seconds. So when you play your animation in-world you will see a face expression that lasts for a short while but goes away... even for looping animations.

In the gesture properties, you can sort of loop a face expression. You call a face expression just as you would call any other animation and then repeatedly call that face animation for however long you want it to last. Since you can call multiple animations in a gesture you can mix the face expression with whatever animation you want.

Thank you for that, I had trouble figuring out how to change it to 44.1Hz, but figured it out last night, I just havn't recorded anything as of yet.

Deira Llanfair, you make animations? I don't imagine I will be wanting any complex animations unless I get some kind of special request for a gesture. There are a few poses that I have that I would love to get in full perms, or similar animations.

As Bree has said below.

You can use the facial expressions that are available within SL as part of a gesture and it is also possible to write scripts that run them in a timed sequence - for example, to look like an avatar is singing.

You could look at the Properties of the pose/animation file and check to see who created it. Then send them an IM and ask if they could sell it to you with full perms. You never know - they may be able to give you a quote for a full perm copy. Worth a try.

I have tried doing that with a few really good animations I have and so far only one person ever responded, and she vehemently refused to sell a copy of that animation full perm. If you look for me In-world from around 9-12 AM SLT I can show you some of the animations that I would love to have in full perm.

Wow that one sounds cool! I for one like the yawn and rub eyes suggestion. /me heads to her pillow