Free Templates Part 4 - Final CMFF Master Templates.

The shading layer is a bit of a misnomer really. It was never intended to suggest how you should shade. It's there only to give you a sense of how the template relates to the shape of the avatar (which you need to know when shading) and to show locations for things like fingernails. How you actually shade is up to you, but in the WindLight era subtle works best in my opinion.

Due to updating of my website, i am gonna move them in different folders, I will let you know by private message the new link when this happens, Chip

Thanks for the heads up, Mephisto

It's still relevant as a guide for shape and feature placement, but you won't want to emulate its shading. It was never intended for that purpose. It's intended just to give you a sense of shape which is important when you're painting your own shading.

Hi all,

I tryed to get them shadingtemplates but they where not there to download. Please either give me a functional Link or send them to me. Also I like to add that I am bloody Beginner and in Search for a Designer who can help me.

All the best
Morgain

Thanks for the Templates Chip! Well, I'm new at all of this. Where and how do I begin? Anyone care to help?

Thanks so much. I did look up Windlight but it appears tha I can confirm that it wont work on my Linux machine. Sadly the Lindens have not done much for Linux users of thier game and I doubt they will (Linux is stil in alpha release!)

So far, its looking good. I like to do alot of odd things with designs down the side of the legs/side of the torso, or on the inside legs of pants so its been a challenge to see how my proportions deal with the edges.

You're welcome, Krystal.

Morgaine, I think the shading templates you're talking about were made by someone else. If they're no longer available at the posted link I'm not sure what to tell ya. You might try making a thread and asking if anyone has them and would be willing to email them to you.

Chrissia, there are lots of tutorials out there but I'm a bit out of the loop as of late so I don't have any particular recommendations other than searching this section of the forum and googling for SL clothing tutorials. I'm sure others might have some much better suggestions on where the best learning resources are these days.

Hi Chip, I hope you can help me. I am trying now for months to get my skin perfect and I am quite satisfied except for 2 things.
I really wanted to use photonatural skin, and although I am a texturizer I decided to buy this time a skin texture because I didnt know how to make a 100% natural skin look.
When I used the texture I noticed the skin line between upper and lower was shown more, probably because its not seamless. I know its possible to get skins where that edge doesn't show, but I am not able to get it that way (grrr, could scream right now!). So finally I decided to buy a psd from someone on Xstreet (at least I could work with layers I thought) but it was alas a scam. The skin layer had already the shades , the nipples etc. The skin looked horrible, so i am not going to use it but... the skinline is perfect, no edges. I tried over and over again in different ways, but I am not able to get it right, neither with the tip you gave about making a mesh texture and fit that on my avatar. I am so desperate right now. I don't know where I can buy really natural skin texture as basics unless I have to spend probably 20.000 L which I have not and don't want to spend, because I only want to make my own skins and make ups. Can you help me and tell me how to get rid of that edge or tell me where I can get the photonatural skin texture (I want to buy it, no problem, only not for 20.000L).
Maybe someone else reads it and wants help me. I am looking for a skin texture that looks like the one SOUL has or Redgrave. Only the skin texture, without shades etc. Where or who or how?

This is the most fantastic set of skin tools all y'all posted here.

Chip, Chip, Chooray!.

I'm delighted to report that the templates here and in all the links will open in GIMP.
Here is how you do it:

0. Download and install freebie GIMP form http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

1. Download these beautiful files here from any of the generous hosting sites.
2. If ziped or packed in any way, un-zip and un-pack them.
3. Open teh containing folder, and right click each file to "Open Using..." GIMP
4. Quick, before you change anything, Use Edit Menue>FILE>SAVE AS.
5. Alter the .psd extension to .xcf to save the file as a multi-layer GIMP file.
6. Play! Have lots of freebie fun!
7. Save Often! Export as .png or .bmp when you are ready to upload.

I hope this finds you well.

I have both Chip and Robin's templates. I thought it was a nice extra that Robyn's had a blank t-shirt.

I was wondering if someone had some other similar ones with the garment and texture (like Robin's) that worked that they would be kind enough to pass long. They don't have to be super crazy - but ideally maybe a fashionable polo, button-up, tank top, jeans or whatever. You help and being down for the cause is greatly appreciated. I am looking for things that go along well with the whole urban/ streetwear/ skate/ club fashion apparel. Men preferred immediately but women stuff would be lovely too.

I did a bunch of t-shirts without a problem - tank tops without much success. I am getting stuck with the alpha mask and matching the front and back halves.



Thank you,

Eric Lee

sl at remixculture.com

Oceane, the best way to handle seam issues is to use a 3d paint program if possible. They allow you to paint directly onto the avatar model and across texture seams which makes cleaning up seam mismatches much, much easier. AvPainter is pretty popular for a low cost, no frills 3d painter. There's also 3d-Coat which is quite inexpensive (and powerful). Photoshop CS4 Extended is also great. If you're stuck doing it the hard way (as I was for a long time) you can still get very clean seams if you take your time. You want to make sure that you have the same color at each segment along the seam edge on each side of the seam. It's a good idea to try and keep skin grain and other speckly bits to a minimum at your seams as patterns can be really tricky to match across a seam. A trick that worked for me quite often was to select the section of skin in a polygon, mirror it for the other side of the seam, and distort it to fit the polygon on the other side of the seam. For good reference images there's no need to buy anything. There are some good open source skins out there you can take apart and modify. Your best bet though is to keep practicing so you can do it yourself.

As many have already noticed the first download link in the fist post is no longer valid since OnRez no longer exists, but for some reason I'm no longer able to edit that post. When I try I get "You don't have permission to access /editpost.php on this server." Anyone know what's up with that?

Call Strife?

Already done, but just figured I'd ask in case anyone else is experiencing the same issue when trying to edit their posts.

Hi...

I’m trying to learn how to create skin, makeup, etc. the correct way by using Chip Midnight and/or Robin Sojourner’s template in PSD. The templates are excellent. However, the grids and mesh are VERY confusing. I understand that we must match the color placement to keep the seams together, but my mind gets boggled up. Does anyone have the same problem?

Is there a video (only) about how to create our avatar’s skin step by step? I found a lot of tutorials, but I have a hard time reading them. I need to watch somebody creating the skin and make-up.

Thank you,
Leigh-Anne (Wizzytoe)

I'll give my standard bit of advice. Take the templates for the upper and lower body and upload them to SL as textures. Use them to create a New Shirt and New Pants (or New Skirt). Wear them in world and take a zillion photos of yourself from all angles, close-up and back aways. Save all those photos on your hard drive and use them as a reference whenever you are trying to figure out how the puzzle pieces match.

Things can get very confusing around the armholes and in the crotch area, so those are the places to take a lot of photos.

If you want to create an expanded album of useful photos, do exactly the same exercise again. While you're still in Photoshop, though, create a new layer below the templates and draw horizontal bands of color across it. When you upload that new set of images and create a body suit with it, you'll see that the horizontal lines are all wonky. Again, take a boatload of photos as a guide to predicting how lines that you draw on clothing will be distorted.

Thank you Chip, but unfortunatlly I am unable to open the file in the gimp program is there anything that I can do to open the file. Thank you

If you want some free well made skin templates you should go and get the Eloh Eliot templates. She has made the PSDs free for download.

http://sites.google.com/site/another/resources

They are indeed great to learn and seamless. I don't make skins but I use them as a base when previewing clothing and for fun personal use

As i really do appreciate the templates, it seems I am not getting an actual usuable file. It is a very color pixelated block. Am I doing something wrong?

Tonya Fegte

heyas!
those files RAWK! I use em all the time, thank you soo very much for posting them for us to use
I wuz wunderin' if you have any idea where to get some files to be able to create some avi eyes? I'm sure they're around somewhere, but I can't seem to locate them with ease
HELP!!!!
thanx a ton
Kris

You should be able to find the eye templates in the downloads section of the main SL site.

Thanks for your guidings. I want to ask you: how can to design a traditional dresses? I'm from Viet Nam and i want to design my traditional dresses (it's called: ao dai), it's look like traditional chinese dresses. But i dont know how to do that and i don't have template, too. Please show me. Thanks so much.

Ivy, you should post your question as a new thread in this forum section. Not many people will see it buried here in the template thread. The short answer though is that you'll need to design both a top and a skirt and use the dress matching guide markings to match the details between the two.

thanks for your reply, Chip.