skin tutorial

Can someone give me a tip or tutorila or something on how to make an avie skin?

PLEASEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have a ready made tutorial for you, but can point you in the right direction.

Check out Chip Midnights posts with his free templates attached. He has provided some good template modifications that will help you work on the seems between each of the body parts. Seem blending is a key component to making a good skin. Not too many like the Frankenstein look. Another key component is efficiency. If you use Photoshop, build actions for all those repetative tasks like flattening layers, resizing, saving to alternate files, etc. It's easy to get bogged down in testing your skin if you do not have quick methods.

Bumping this thread after searching for info on how to make skins. I have downloaded Chip's templates, and I'm reasonably proficient with Photoshop CS. I'd like to make myself my own skin just for fun, and so I can look a bit less like a newb. Also, I'm too cheap to buy anyone else's. But I have some newb skin-making questions:

1. I'm basically just making a texture for the, well, skin, right? I mean, body size and shape is controlled by the Appearance menu within SL, right? So I can add rippling abs or pulsing pecs, but I can't change my avi's tummy size or chest width? What sort of features do skins offer over the default skin?

2. Um, I haven't even checked whether my newb avatar comes with a (cough) package. Never undressed to look, hehe. Do I need to make that too? Or are those sold separately, teehee?

You can change the geometry of your Avatar's vertices somewhat using the sliders under shape. The skin texture will stretch to fit that geometry. Some shape settings are better for skins. You'll have to experiment to find what works for you.



You'll need to make some sort of Prim attachment for that Most of what is sold in SL is highly scripted and plastic looking. I made my own private part as a modeling prop (minimal scripting) to fit my male skins. Female skins are better dealt with entirely on the texture surface of the avatar, although you can find plastic looking attachments for those parts too

Ok, let's NOT give Ricky ideas here. Please?!

Better that Ricky has $$ burning a hole in his pocket rather than the attachment

Ricky, my skins are clean of any VSTD's (Virtualy Scripted Transmittable Diseases) if you need one

Lol, shush you!

I have found the following tutorials helpful in making a skin. Neither are perfect by any means, but they will give you an idea of where shadows and highlights go and a general idea of how to add some overall texture to the skin.

This is a tutorial for Poser...so you're obviously not going to follow it step by step in your Graphics program: http://www.students.yorku.ca/~harnock/tutorials/skin.htm

This tutorial, if followed step by step, will result in a slight over-texturing (in my opinion). Play with the levels and you should be able to find a level that looks good to you: http://www.tutorialoutpost.com/count/961

Hope they help!

China, that tutorial is very helpful! Just what I needed. A couple questions:

1. I notice the author used a photograph as a model for the eyebrow. Could you just paste a photo across the entire face (and entire body, for that matter)? I assume it won't work because you need shading etc.

2. I do have Poser, but I'm not sure how the author used it here. It seems the author only used Poser to render the image. Is that step necessary?

Ricky, Not sure if you've seen these:

Tattoo Skin Mesh tool

Texturing Skin in Photoshop

I had a link to someone's blog that briefly outlined how they pasted a photograph of their own face over a template, but I'll be darned if I can find it now

If I stumble across it, I'll get it to you.

1. I have not tried this. I did use an eyebrow as a guide...lips as well. Just paste them into a layer, create a new layer and use them as a guide of where to put your own brushstrokes. Delete the layers with the eyebrow or lips photo.

2. I didn't use poser at all. I mainly used it to see aproximately where the shadows and highlights go.


Cindy, I like the texture your tutorial ends up with much better! Will have to give it a try.

the CGChat forum ( http://www.cgchat.com/forum/ ) is a good resource. and within the Realtime 3D section is a competition WIP (work in progress) section where you can pick up a lot of information and ask questions. the comps have been in progress for years now, so lots of history to check out. go to http://www.cgchat.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=73

there's also CGTalk's Game Art Design section ( http://www.cgtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=39 ). not quite up to CGChat's level in the area of RT imo, but getting there.

Oh My..lmao.