Other Sculpt Types

In this past update to 1.17.1 looks to have released the other 3 sculpt types. But it looks like you can only set the sculpt type with script functions. Find that a bit odd. So any one that wants more to play with they are there.

So now you have planer, cylinder, and torus.

Ah, so they did. I thought this was only on the beta grid (which I can't test, because it's presently *impossible* to upload scripts to the beta grid).

Seems it's still a little flakey, though. I set a sculpty to the torus topology with a simple script, using a toroidal test sculpt map I just uploaded, but changing the sculpt map using the GUI or even opening and closing the sculpt map selection window (using the "Close" button, not the "X" button in the corner) switches the topology back to sphere, which closes the hole in the "donut."

Oh sweet - I've got a killer app for planar sculpties, didn't know how long we would have to wait for them.

I first heard about this yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet. For my money, I wouldn't recommend investing too heavily in it just yet. It's tempting to think that if the script functions are there then the full implementation must be close behind, but really, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen a new feature sneak in under the radar like this, only to be yanked away in subsequent updates. Until there's any official word on this, I'd steer clear of it unless your only intention is just to play around. In other words, don't build anything with it yet that you want to be lasting.

Just my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.


Anyway, I for one, am foaming at the mouth for planar sculpties. Hello patch modeling! I've got a ton of old NURBS patch models lying around that would work really well as planar sculpties.

A trick I've been using to aid the lack of UI currently is to put the sculpty texture on as the usual texture then throw in a script along these lines:

default
{
state_entry()
{
llSetPrimitiveParams([PRIM_TYPE, PRIM_TYPE_SCULPT, llGetTexture(0), PRIM_SCULPT_TYPE_PLANE]);
llRemoveInventory(llGetScriptName());
}
}

(whatever happened to the code tags?)

This sets the sculpty texture to be the same as the usual texture, then deletes the script.

And based on past experience (e.g. warppos), once something is out there and getting used, it tends to not go away... (so get using it!)

The various wiki pages dealing with sculpties have messages from Qarl Linden, in which he states that the additional scultie types would be part of a later revision, so I wouldn't worry too much about them disappearing again.

My guess is that this in another example of Qarl getting things out to the community to run with, where other Lindens would say no, we can't do that because it isn't done. (From what Qarl has said, we wouldn't even have sculpties yet if the "traditionalists" had prevailed.) I say, let's run with it.

Of course, Chosen, you're right in warning that there is more risk than usual that things will change more before they stabilize. But anybody who expects their builds to last for years without maintenance is letting optimism trump experience.

Wisely put.

My advice is to do as most of us did in the beta - get out there and get using it. Yes it's rough, yes we don't have a UI yet, but the quicker we get used to using them and make them part of our world, the better... you can already get going on your models and have a bit of extra time before it really percolates to the world at large.

I already contributed my topologies for Carrara users -

forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=192390

in that link is a torus sculptie texture and a sample script, that anyone can use.

Hm. Scripts are working on Aditi for me, but I just made the script in the prim rather than inventory... haven't tested that problem, hasnt occured for me. I just change the timer from 30 to 0 to turn it off (or uncheck it from running - both work).

I saw your bug... oddly I'm not seeing it yet. I changed texture via the UI as well. But I was in Aditi... haven't checked yet on main grid. I uploaded a toroidal map to the forums for testing with that one, over in my Carrara Sculpt Baking thread..

The script-saving problem was fixed in 1.18.0 (2).

I'm still having that problem in the just-released 1.18.0 (3). In fact, now, *sometimes*, Canceling the sculpt texture chooser window negates the existing sculpt texture selection (set through script) so that not only does the topology revert to spherical, the *shape* reverts to a sphere(oid).

For everyone else, the jira page on this issue is:

jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-1372

(I won't bother putting it in URL tags, since they *still* don't work , and this makes it easier to select for copy/paste)

Note that the texture UUID in the script on that page is for the *main* grid, not beta.

For people who want to start playing, I've put a Wings exporter version that has rudimentary support for the new topologies at /8/20/183764/16.html#post1566786.

Thanks Hypatia Callisto for explaining the 'Copy Asset UUID' to get them working proper in a script. You also can drag your sculptimage into the content of the sculpt, wich I did before; to make them work.

default
{
state_entry()
{
llSetPrimitiveParams([PRIM_TYPE, PRIM_TYPE_SCULPT, "my_sculpted_texture", PRIM_SCULPT_TYPE_PLANE]);

}
}

But ofcourse rightclicking the sculpt texture from my inventory, and use 'Copy Asset UUID', and use that for the "uuid" works much better.

Shame sculpties are rendered 1-sided at the moment. Would love to see a flag to make them render doubled sided, this will prevent a lot of inside-out showing sculpty(parts).

So how are these topologies implemented. with spherical we have the left and right edge of the sculpt texture joined and the top and bottom rows are squashed to one point each.

< speculation >
For Cylindrical we should therefore have left and right edge joined with top and bottom rows open like a pipe.

Planar we have NO join left and right edge and top and bottom edge are NOT squashed to one point.

Toroidal... um. top and bottom row join together (not squashed to one point) and also left and right row join together.
< /speculation >

How close do you think I am? The above is how it would work in my mind but I could be way off the mark.

Absolutely correct, nand.

Also note that the upload previewer now displays the "plane" mode. No edge stitching, and the last row/column of pixels (meaning top and right) are read, so sculpt maps intended to stitch will probably show a gap in the preview window.

Woo-hoo!

Wonder what tools I could make with these new sculpt types. Any requests?

Will I need to include the half rows at top and bottom (i.e. 33 rows, 32 columns) for the non-spherical types?

Both stitched and un-stitched axes have 33 rows/columns of verts. The only difference is that for the stitched axes, the 33rd row/column exactly matches the 1st, so it's not necessary to explicitly define it in the top row or right column of the texture. So actually, (JPEG compression artifact avoidance notwithstanding), only the plane topology would need a 64x64. Sphere and Cylinder could use 32x64, and Torus could use 32x32.

I don't think this is a bug - because I was unable to repro unless I changed the sculpt texture via the texture picker. What happens then is that the UI then assumes a spherical sculpty, because it knows nothing else. Once the new UI is out, this problem will disappear.

I always change my texture for the new topologies via script, and the problem is avoided. Another associated problem is that if someone has a mod sculptie with a new topology, and puts a new sculptie texture in the UI, they will revert their sculpty to a sphere. So if anyone is distributing the new topologies yet - I strongly urge no-mod.

Changing the regular texture does not harm the sculptie.

But that's just it... I'd understand if it only happened when selecting a new sculpt map, but just Canceling the texture picker window does it. Is anyone else able to duplicate this?

yes, that happens, don't use the texture picker.

If you're opening the texture picker, it's natural that it can reset it, as the UI doesn't know what the new topologies are, yet. It's because we don't have a UI for the sculpties. They NEVER revert on me if I don't use the UI at all.

Still boils down to the same thing - once we get a UI, we can see what it does from there.

Don't use the UI for the new topologies yet. If you have to change a texture, it's easy to drag and drop it from the inventory onto the object, or into the texture tab box, or alternatively setting it by script. (provided you have the UUID)

edit - I've done a few more tests -

what you can do - you can change a regular texture via the UI. What I said about changing textures above applies here as well - but you can also use the UI - doesn't change the topology as far as I can see.

what you can NOT do - you can't change a sculptie texture via the UI - at all, you can't even open the texture picker from the object tab - if you do, you revert the sculpt to a sphere. Hope that's clear now

if unsure if your topology is borked - hit control shift R to toggle wireframe viewing - you can see your sculptie wireframe then.