toolbelt

I am trying to make a tool belt with a few tools attached. I have never made clothing before. i figured if i started with a basic apron, or a short skirt with a belt and add detail this might work. however, i don't know how to make or add a belt to a skirt. how do i add detail like pockets, rivets etc. also, am i able to build items and attach them to clothing? i would be greatly indebted to anyone who can guide or assist me in any way.

I am still new to all this myself but I will try to explain what I believe are the possibilites. There would appear to be 3 options you could use:

1. A dress texture that has the look of a tool belt with an alpha channel around all of the tool shapes so that everything but the belt and the tools is invisible. This would have the disadvantage of looking very flat as it's only a texture, with the possibility of the "dress" moving around in weird ways that don't correspond to a belt.

2. Creating a completely prim-based belt with prim-tools on the belt. Basically a flattened torus (donut) shape for the belt, which is then textured with a riveted leather texture and another prim attached to the front for the belt buckle. (or just have the belt texture include the buckle if the buckle is the same width as the belt). All the tools would need to be created and then attached (linked) to the belt in the positions you want them to be.

3. A combination of 1 and 2: a dress texture for the belt itself, with prim-based tools attached to the avatar.

Looking at how the short skirts appear on the avatars, which are not flat around the waist, it seems the best option would be to not use a dress-based option... You could alternatively use the "pants" and have long "underpants" that look like the regular pants but this would be a problem if you like to wear good looking clothes made by others that can only be used as "pants". But the idea is the same.

As for the details.. it's like any other texture work.. you just have to draw them on to the template(s) and hope for the best. If I was any good at building, I'd go with the prim-based option everytime as it is the most versatile for the end user.

I actually have a prim toolbelt with crowbar and wrench and pockets and all that goings on. I tried to do this with textures first and although you can make a decent looking belt... applying it to a skirt just makes all that hard photoshop work look like hell :/ wrenches bending and sliding over your leg, pockets and buckles warping etc. it ends up just looking like, you guessed it, a picture of a toolbelt on skirt. If you'd like a copy of the belt to base something on send me an IM in game.