Generalized Texture Layers

One thing I like about this feature is that, while it adds combinatorial complexity and customization, it won't have an impact on other people's frame rates. Since, when you log on, your client does all the layering, "baking" the layers like ingredients into a single texture and uploading it back to the server. Then anyone that looks at you is sent this single texture instead of all the layers.

Just wish we could do this with prim surfaces as well, but while our avatars are only visible when we are online (and available to do the baking) the prims are visible all the time and everyone (or the system itself) would have to bake them together.

Hmmm... Well, that's true only if we let the layers be dynamic. If they are static, I could put several layered textures on a prim and MY client could do the baking and upload the result to the server as part of my editing. Of course, this has the effect of adding a new texture to the database just as if you had combined two textures in a paint program and uploaded it. So there might be a cost involved. Though if the new "combined" key could be tagged so that it can't be used anywhere else unless the same two textures are layered again, it would prevent some of the DB bloat. The combo texture would only last as long as the prim exists and wears it.

But I've wandered off-topic.

As someone with a full-body texture, it would be nice to have additional layers.


Oh, and can we get multi-layered clothes too? THEY get baked, same as body textures...

Think about GTL's in terms of a huge push for the economy (which, coincidentally, is tanking). While none of the previous product use would be affected by such change, the demand for products that take advantage of this new feature would be widespread and immediate. Designers will have to turn out revised versions of old product to keep it from going obsolete, but shoppers will be lining up at the doors to update their avatars and wardrobes. Smart shoppers will look at who takes best advantage of these new features. Smart designers will meet their expectations, or surpass them.

I like Namssor's mock-up - Cut & dry, self-explanatory addition that does the job and doesn't get overly complicated. I'm guessing that these layers would be exclusive to the skin-layers, so the clothing/fitting attributes would still remain the same, on their seperate tab.

Actually, I don't see why this won't work for clothing too, unless I am missing something glaringly obvious

Yay!

Now I have all 10 votes back!

Thats as old of an proposal as me asking to edit each eye of an avatar individually! yes this is something we need to customize our skins further and allow more options to work with in game. Now if only something could be done about my in grown toe nail XP

One problem i see with this, is people who would sell makeup would need to sell it as a texture, and we all know of the permission bug with adding textures to skin/clothing (After applying the texture with permissions no copy/no mod/transfer or copy/mod/no transfer to the skin, you would still have the texture in you inventory, and the skin would have its original permissions, copy/mod/transfer).

While reading this post, and wanting GTL also, here is my idea.

It would consist of having new layers, which i just called Body Layer, since they would be on top of a skin, but underneath of clothes. For the example i only put 3, but more can be added. But adding it this way would consist of adding a new body/clothing part. So i dont know how willing LL would be of doing it this way.
To change which layer is on top, there is the drop down menu for "Order" for the order of each layer (1 top, 2 middle, 3 bottom). When the Body Layer would be No Mod, the Order drop down menu would still be editable, do change the order depending on what else the person might have.

This method looks promising, but the visual interface could get a little complex unless limitations are imposed on the amount of texture sets. Maybe a hybrid approach could be used to preserve the outfit permissions security by adding a single "Mask" clothing item for the head to the clothing sets. Then, allow the creator of the outfit to bake as many texture layers as they want into the outfit server side. That would give customers of skin and makeup artists at least one layer option to play with. Skin and makeup artists would have a much easier time mixing and matching within SL rather than baking them together in PS, then uploading.

LL really needs to squash the texture bugs if they are to find an elegant solution to this challenge. SL is swiss cheese when it comes to texture permissions security. Being that as it may, 90% of the SL community is either too smart, talented, or honest to bother with stealing textures, or too ignorant to exploit the loopholes. If it is the later, then that percentage just dropped by however many people bothered to read this thread.

You know I have been drooling over this feature for some time, but wouldn’t it be easier to introduce a new clothing layer (full bodysuit) underneath the underwear layer.? I mean this way we wouldn't have to worry about changing permissions one existing skins.

Just a thought

*points to his post, #32*

Oh, that looks great.

When it becomes live I hope it works like that!