First skirt: texture distorted between legs

I am making my first skirt and am using a flower texture. When I look at it in the preview pane, it is very narrow, like a very narrow pencil skirt. When I apply the texture to the skirt in SL, the flower pattern is distorted (stretched) in the inverted V area between the legs, but normal elsewhere.

Can anyone help me understand what is going on and how to correct it?

I am using The Gimp to edit my textures.

Thank you.

Nvis

It's the 2 dementional texture applied to the 3 dementional mesh of the skirt template. Some of these real texture artists can probably explain it better than I since I'm just a causal (and very amateur) maker of clothes in SL. The stretching you see is the stretch you would expect on a skirt in real life (close anyway) but in RL that stretch would not distort the pattern (texture). But in a virtual (simulated) sense the stretch would show. There are 'grid" lines on the templates to show where that distortion would happen and approximately how it would look. You need to learn by experience (at least for me that's how I'm learning) just exactly how those grid lines relate to the end product and the distortion it will have.

A suggestion mentioned several times in this forum is to upload the templates for each type and create skirts, pants, tops, underwear and skins and apply those templates to those items. That allows you see pretty clearly how those grid lines match up on the 3 dimentional avatar. It helped me..............try it.

Now I'll let Chip Midnight, Chosen Few, Ceera and the other real experts explain the finer details.

Patterns on skirts are problematic because of the way the skirt mesh is set up to move with the legs. Unfortunately, SL's engine can't blend the vertices of the skirt mesh between both legs, so they're stuck to either one leg or the other. Everything to the right of the center row of polys moves with the right leg, and everything to the left with the left. Because of that, all the stretch happens in that single row of polygons. It will look normal when the av is standing with both legs close together, but as soon as they move apart you'll notice the stretch. This is a bummer for patters because the part of it in the rows to either side of center will maintain proper horizonal scale while the middle row stretchs far and wide. There's really only two options. Just accept that it's an unfortunate limitation of the way skirts work, or try to avoid putting much detail in that center row, at least below the knees. Hope that helps

Thank you both so much for the detailed and thoughtful responses!

Peggy, I just uploaded the skirt template to SL and looked at it on my shape, and yes, I can now clearly see the polygons that are being stretched.

I think I understand my options now. I added a couple to your list Chip.

1. Accept the limitation - The stretched pattern is pretty ugly now. I think I will have to try something else.

2. Somehow figure out how to compress the texture in the area between the legs before uploading so that it looks right when stretched. Sounds very tricky. Beyond my skill right now and probably forever.

3. Avoid patterns between the legs. I've been wanting to try some kind of asymmetric design. This might be a good opportunity.

4. Learn to walk with my legs together and with short choppy steps. The things we must do for fashion!

Right now option 3 looks the best. Time to experiment!

Thanks again!

LMAO!

Oh Nvis!
I so can relate to you. I still can't get over my dissapointment after uploading my first elaborate skirt and seeing the strecht!

I liked nr 4, sell it as an animation! You could make a fortune! )

Bye!
Chance

Yes, skirts are evil. You may also want to learn how to do flexi skirts, but they can be even worse for patterns, as they are made from multiple loose panels. Looks OK for a pleated shirt though, if you don't move too fast.

Nope. Any effect you do like that will only look 'right' with the feet at a specific distance apart. Not worth the effort.

If you avoid the center two rows of polys from the crotch to the hem, it looks relatively good. I've done a Cheongsam dress which had print blocks alternating on either side of the "triangle of death", and the distortion just a little off-center is much less. Just leave that center strip solid, or horizontally striped.

LoL! Thank you, I needed a good laugh!

The other option is to design a lot of very short skirts. The worst area on the mesh is from mid-thigh and lower. This is the real reason so many SL skirts show so much leg!

thankyou all -this discussion was helpful to me too.

short skirts it is

Once again, thank you all for the supportive and helpful comments.

I think I will start looking at the flexi skirts. I hate to give up on the longer skirts. I love their elegance.

I also love the term "triangle of death"; it should be added to the SL clothing texturing glossary, if there is such a thing, although non-clothing makers might get the wrong idea.