Texturing Templates

Ive gotten a few shirt templates and Ive been trying to put some textures on them but it either fills up the whole template and background or just a small part. Ive done made tops with the fill bucket and it just covers the template which is cool. so my question is how do i do this with a texture i have and want to use on the shirt template? thanks for any info

Well, the short answer is that it isn't trivial to do this. for example, if you have a too small swatch of cloth, you might tile it into a larger piece, or maybe use it as a brush and stamp it here and there.

In other words, you draw or paint each part of the shirt using the tools you have.

This is also where layers come into play. You might put a layer over your template, and fill it with plain cloth. The add another layer over that and draw buttons. Then add another layer, and add shadows to the buttons to make them more realisitc.

The good news is that it will take the rest of your life to get really good at this. Have fun.

The link below takes you to a page that has visual tutorials for peeps like me (I need pictures !!) It starts out simple and goes on to more elaborate clothes texture and techniques.

http://www.mermaiddiaries.com/2006/11/build.html

Also. I downloaded a free "Photo Shop like" program called GIMP. Takes a bit to figure out how to use at first (unless you know Photoshop already) but its the kind of program that lets you create the layers on textures and make them look "more 3D". The link is below.

http://www.gimp.org/

Hope this helps!

Before you get wrapped up in tutorials, I strongly suggest that you take the time to read the sticky threads at the top of this forum carefully. We get a HUGE number of questions from people who have tried to dive into creating textures without building the proper foundation first and have fallen into some very predictable holes. There's no "perfect" order for reading them, but here's what I would suggest ....

Read the sticky on "Texture Size, Pixel Counts, Video Memory, and File Formats" first. It can be extremely frustrating to create a beautiful texture and then find that it's in a format or size that SL won't accept. This thread is an absolute "must read."

Next, read the one called "Transparency and Alpha Channels: The Definitive Guide." You'll find a lot of discussion in this forum about the surprises of transparency. It has to be the most confusing aspect of the business. Spend time with this thread and save yourself a LOAD of grief. I'd also recommend going to Robin Woods' excellent tutorial at . Even if you don't end up using an alpha channel to create your transparency, it's very helpful to understand how they work.

Next, start wandering through the "Photoshop Tips and Tricks" thread and the one called "Great Clothing Tutorial Links & More!" These are ones to come back to many times. If you don't use Photoshop, you'll still find that many of the tricks and tips translate easily into ideas you can apply in Paint Shop Pro, GIMP, or whatever system you use.

The other threads offer extremely valuable tools. You won't be able to make clothing without decent master templates, and Chip Midnight's are great. Johan Durant's previewer will save you loads of L$ on SL uploads.

Finally, once you're familiar with the sticky threads, learn how to search this forum's archives. There's a drop-down box where you see the words "Search This Forum." (NOT the other one that just says "Search." That one will search ALL the forums and get you very confused.) When you have a challenging problem, type a descriptive keyword in the box and see what comes up. Chances are very good that you aren't the first person with the problem. See how others have solved it already. THEN, if you don't understand the answer or if you have a new problem, ask. We all learn when somebody posts a neat question.

Thanks everyone for the advice!!!

and get a good graphics program. And read my sig!