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Sphin Lawson
Registered User
Join date: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 2
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06-20-2009 16:51
hi!
im a new builder and have started using hexagon2.5 which im loving and have a great time with...
except when i try to import the sculpties into SL they sometimes do not show up correctly... as in what I have made in HEX looks way more detailed than what shows up once I import the sculptie into SL?
does anyone have an idea of what this might be?
any help for a new builder appreciated! thanks!
-S
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Chosen Few
Alpha Channel Slave
Join date: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 7,496
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06-20-2009 21:42
I've never used Hexagon, but it sounds to me like one or both of two things is going on:
1. You may be making your source models too complex. Keep in mind in-world sculpties can only have 1024 quads in them, no more. If your source model has more than that, SL won't be able to reproduce all the details.
2. SL's LOD culling is very aggressive. First, make sure your object detail slider in your SL preferences is all the way up. If it's lower, your sculpties won't look right. Second, be aware of how LOD is culled over distance. Close up, a (non-oblong) sculpty will be made of 32x32 quads. Zoom out a bit, and that number drops to 16x16. Go out a little further, and it cuts to 6x6. If a sculpty is not wisely made with respect to which vertices get culled when, the mesh can start to look terrible very quickly. It doesn't take much distance for the culling to begin.
Bottom line, don't try to pack too much detail into any single sculpty. Individually, they're only really good for basic shapes. A full model will generally be made from several sculpties, not just one (depending on what you're making, of course).
Also, beaware that most really good looking sculpty models take advantage of texture baking, in order to provide the illusion of geometric detail that is not really there. Good texturing goes a long way. SL is all about doing more with less, geometry-wise. If you want to be a great builder, focus first and foremost on becoming a great texture artist. The geometry itself is the smallest part of what makes a model look good.
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Jack42 Meredith
Registered User
Join date: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 418
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06-20-2009 22:45
i thought texture is where it is .. i guess now that i can form a prim i better get learning textures  good advice thank you Chosen |
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Sphin Lawson
Registered User
Join date: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 2
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06-21-2009 08:49
Ok that makes sense!
Thats kind of what I was thinking but I wasn't sure.
Are there any good tuturials for learning how to create textures? I have Photoshop, but I need to improve my skills in that area.
Do I need a USB pen? I've been told that helps immensely.
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