3D models in SL

Dear Town Hall Residents.

In my endless efforts to make a sculpture prim, I've discovered that the major problem is converting the 3D models that I've made into a sculpture image. As I am not very rich, and buying an expensive 3D software such as MAYA or 3Dmax, I work with the more commonly and less expensive softwares like Blender, AC3D etc. In most of the cases, the 3D program did not manage to convert the model into an image, and even in the cases it did, most models became obscured and somewhat diverted from the original I've intended them to be. While view the poor converted results, I was not able to stop wondering why SL does not allow one conventional format to develop more complex models (such as the sculptured prim), but using a common based format. While most 3D programs can export the 3D models in more than one format, it is possible to adopt the most common format (say stl or obj) and use that for SL as well. It seems to me that by doing that, SL will be exposed to higher level of creativity for it will eliminate the more problematic technical issues which frighten some of the more creative people I've seen in SL.

Best for all.

Jerry O.

The underlying 3D modeling in SL is very, very different from most other approaches, for a very good reason. What gets rendered on your screen has to be continuously streamed to you over the network, because anything can and will change at any moment.

So, the creators of SL chose a certain kind of primitive-object approach that does not play well with most external modelers.

Therefore, most 3D modeling takes place *in-world* using the *built-in* modeling tool.

On the other hand, textures and scripts, the other key parts of most modeling, are done out-of-world.

Search these forums and the Wiki, and you will see that lots of attempt have been made to bridge this gap, but so far with limited success.

regards
lee

If you'd like help, I have easy-access to a (legal!) copy of Maya, if you can export to any industry standard modeling file (.obj). I can open it up and "render" it out for you.

Lee Ponzu said:


Oh yes this is so Correct.
I would Love to see SL get rid of the Dynamic Cacheing System (Which is the Cause of 90% of the Lag in SL) and go back to a Static Cacheing System, Or at least make a Static Cacheing Version of SL.
I would be sooooo Happy to give up 100Gigs or more of my Hard drive, Or even Buy a seperate Hard drive dedicated to SL on my Computer. Just to have No Lag and Instant Rezing of Items when I TP to a Sim I have already downloaded.
Oh and for the People wanting to argue the Dynamic angle of all Items can be changed at anytime... this is not New.. OuterWorlds... ActiveWorlds.. EuroWorlds.. VirtualWorlds all do this and have been doing it for years. People are building there all the time. The work around is at Times notices are sent out to dump the Cache for a Given sim to redownload. as for TPing into a Sim you have already Downloaded... you do still download those items that have changed since the last time you had visited. but only those things