Interior Textures W/Alpha Windows

Been away for awhile, computer fried finally got it replaced with an iMac. So have been messing around with some builds and purchased 3-d (?) interior alpha textures. I do not particularly like to build with alphas but when trying to conserve prims they work. I do not want to spark a debate about whether to use alpha interiors here or not. I think that has been done in the past and doesn't need to be rehashed again.


What want to know is how do I create my own interior texture sets? How do Texture Artists and other created them? Do people harvest these and alter them, if so where do I start looking to purchase nice flat ones. Or, are people hand creating/drawing these? Is there a tutorial out there to hand create these?

I fear my drawing skills by hand are horrid and really have little clue about how to draw in photo shop. I can edit and adjust things and create alphas to a degree. Guess I am ready to delve a little deeper in to photo shop (just upgraded to CS-4 extended) when i get a little time. Just need a little assistance.

Thanks!

The ones that I make I either create from scratch in Photoshop, or I use a 3D rendering app like Daz Studio to get the right shadows and other dimensional effects, and then make further alterations in Photoshop. Sometimes I even build the wall or window frame with prims in SL, and then screen-shot that and take it to Photoshop to add window glass and other effects.

One suggestion for anyone who does make either interior or exterior walls that use alpha textures for windows - Always include a matching 24-bit, non-alpha version of the plain wall. These serve well for the walls that don't need windows, and can also be used to make 2-prim walls where the lower half is non-alpha below the height of the window sills. Still saves prims, but eliminates many of the problems with alpha texture glitches and shoes, skirts, tails, nearby plants, and other avatar attachments or close landscaping.

Another suggestion: Make matched interior and exterior sets, so the walls outside can easily look right with the walls inside.

While I have made alpha textured walls early on, and still do use them on occasion as a prim saving feature, I find I prefer to use more prims and use the alpha textures only for what is inside the window opening.

I do pretty much what Ceera said, just with a different 3D prgram. I'll either create my textures entirely in Photoshop, or I'll use a combination of Maya and Photoshop, and occasionally a few other tools a well. Sometimes, before I start with the actual texturing, I'll sketch out a few ideas, to help bring what's in my head into more of a concrete vision. But often I don't need to do that, as the untextured model itself, along with a few quick and dirty "dummy textures", serves as a sketch.

Either way, 99% of my textures are made entirely from scratch. It doesn't make any difference if they're interior, exterior, or other. Artwork is artwork.


If you need ideas, read a few books on interior design. From there, magazines and blogs like Better Homes and Gardens, Architecture Week, even furniture catalogs, have countless examples you can borrow concepts from. A little inspiration can go a long way.


The very first thing to address is what you mentioned toward the end of your post. Improve your drawing skills. That's where it all starts. And it IS a skill, by the way, not a talent. Anyone can learn to draw, absolutely anyone. Some people happen to pick it up instinctively, while others need to be taught how to begin. But everyone can do it. Drawing is just one of the things that human beings do.

A great book to read to help you get started is Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Literally millions of people who thought they "couldn't draw" have learned to do it, using the Edwards' techniques. (My own mother is one of them.) You can check out Betty Edwards' website at http://www.drawright.com/

Also, if you're serious, head over to your local community college or adult education center. There's no substitute for a good art class.

Good luck, and above all have fun.