How long does it take you?

Just curious - How long does it take you to make an item of clothing? From jeans to flexi-prim skirts to sculpted shoes - I want to know if I am a snail or if my hours spent are about right...

Any feedback is better than none.


If anyone is curious to know how slow I am:

On average I take about 5-10 hours to make and create a top from start to finish, jeans are a little more (20 hours). But once I have the initial creation - making the variations is a breeze (like 20 seconds to a minute for the different patterns).

Hi Sioxie!

*waves*

It depends totally on the item of clothing. I can spend as much as 15 hours on a suit jacket from start to finish from scratch, or less than an hour on a simple tank top.

I've been working on a gown now for 3 days (figure at least 8 hours per day in PS alone).

Prim items....a flexi skirt takes me 5 minutes (I totally cheat and use a fancy gizmo by Fashionetics), but a pair of prim boots or sandals will take me hours.

So by my calculations you're not slow....unless I'm very slow and then I'm not much help in your quest for answers.



~Ari

To make a texture from scratch can take me from 2 to 6 hours.......depending on how much I restart and change my mind. Making a top with that texture can take up to about 3 hours.....again depending on how many times I delete a layer and start over. Making the bottoms (pants or skirt) takes maybe an hour (I do the top first so the bottom is pretty much locked in). A jacket..............crap, I've spent days on those!!

You ain't slow.

i am totally amateur at making clothes . . . but i have figured out little short-cuts. for one piece it takes very little time - but i like to make outfits that match up or line up from top to bottom. i would say it takes me about 4-6 hours to make a non-prim outfit - from scratch - if everything goes well. most of the time being taken up by detailing - dodge, burn, blah blah blah.

BUT things rarely go well. i am highly obsessive compulsive and if one little thing (think 6 pixel area) doesn't look right i can spend a couple more hours on just that one thing. so it could (and normally does) take me up to 24 hours for one outfit.

on the subject of prims . . . i suck . . . im curious as to what the "cheat" is - as i have not heard of it yet - but im about to go hunt it down - lol. at the moment it would either take me about 4 hours to make a prim skirt - or 2 seconds if i just pull one of the ones i have already made out and re-texture it.

so yeah . . . i think im a little slower when my OCD gets in the way - lol.

Search for Jerry Martin (I *think* that's the gentleman's name), or for Fashionetics or Precision Wear (could be PrecisionWear...one word).

It's a bit pricey, but you just make your panel, texture it, drop it in the Dress Maker gizmo and then use the touch/drop down menu to decide on the size and such of the skirt.

I know there are others out there, but I do not like complicated devices and this one is the best one for me (your mileage may vary).

And good to know I'm not a slow poke Sometimes I think I work in slow motion compared to most designers.

~Ari

On flexi prim skirts, check out:
http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/12/day-97-making-flexi-prim-skirts-with.html

Instructions for a non-expensive script automation option.


I'm just starting out, but I'm curious about shortcuts people use... My plan is to build up pattern templates which include stuff like shadows and highlights in their own layers. That way making variations should be easier, even if creating the original pattern takes more time.

What other speedup techniques do people use?

I bought the Fashionetics one (at great cost) but now I never use it. I have a freebie that works much better for me. I think it's called LoopRez.

LoopRez is the script referred to in the link I posted above. I haven't yet had time to try it myself, and there's an extended version these days with some kind of notecard config for more advanced stuff if that's your thing. Anyhow, check out the link.

I have never made anything in less then 2 weeks. When I make something there is always a new twist or turn plus i want it to look right and so yeah takes a long time. My average time actually for most things is about 3 weeks and the longest I have spent on an item was probably over 2 months and even then I revised and updated and improved it twice already hehe

So time well I dont pay attention to it. When its done and its done. Also at times I am staring at something I am making for so long I grow to hate it lol at which point I switch to something else and get back to it so i make usually or have half made projects about 3 at a time because I find after looking at the same thing for awhile you start to loose perspective.

Sometimes I get stuck and my brain wont go then i have to put it down and move to either a new project or one of those 3 on the drawing board. The result is i tend to release stuff in batches which is kinda nice in a way on the other hand people are wondering if died and fell off the planet beacuse I can go for 1+ months releasing or looking like I am actually making anything then I have my explosion of items that are done all at once

Err I think they call that multitasking I call it Wilhelm has no brain and gets stuck often

I make shoes, i take about a week to make one pair, not working hard on them just take my time and try to make them look like the design im given, try new things too. basicly have fun too
-LW
Afantasy Shoes sold by SexyEyes Valkyrie

Depends on my mood and how complex the items or articles are.

Not too long ago I made an entire Playboy Bunny(TM) outfit in about 3 hours.

More recently I spent close to two weeks texturing a single prim. A hollow cube with cuts isn't exactly easy.

Definitely keep things in an unflattened state somewhere. Recycling bits-n-pieces can be a big time saver.

Like everyone here has said, it really varies!!!

It's really not hard to produce items in mass quantity if you use the same forms, shading, details, etc. over and over.

I tend to want to reinvent the wheel every outfit I make and I'll take 3-4 days for an entire outfit/gown, making an entire new cut, details, prims, etc. And I tend to use the avie as my drawing pad. Once I see a design on the avie, I usually tweak/re-do it 2-4 times until I like it. So, it's a lengthy process. And then you have to shoot and package it, which can take a day or two on it's own depending on the number of colors you offer, etc.

Sioxie, I have a lot of your clothes and get compliments on them all the time! Keep up with whatever it is you're doing. Your time is well spent!

Well at least I know that I move faster than molasses in January. You guys rock! Thanks for all of the responses.

You're not slow...you're precise and thorough

~Ari

depends on what I am working on, but most take me hours to complete.

each item set I tend to do the whole thing individual from others, ie I do not use wrinkles and such from another top set.

of course if I am making the item in a multiple of colors it would then use the same set hehe

nice to know I am not the only one who is um.. precise hehe

I'm the one that's slow as molasses but then I have fun doing it so meh

Well it had better be fun...or what's the point

~Ari

I think it all depends on how comfortable you are with what tools you are using. I whipped up a pair of boots in 1 hr. My shirts and what not take an hour or so in PS. When I first started in SL (on another account thats now dead) it took me forever just to do anything. Paitence.

But when it comes to things like jewelry or other things I pay close attention to detail. I can easily sit for 3 hours or more.

Tho, of you stuck me in Blender and Gimp, I'd be so lost, a simple item would take me a whole day.

Thanks to Robin's templates.. I can bust out custom T's in about 5 minutes.. that includes hunting down the texture on the net and everything... really impresses ppl when I ask them who their fav band is, and present them with a custom T with their fav band or sports team within a few minutes of asking...