Beginners guides?

I'm very new to SL, and I'm really interested in learning how to build, script, etc., and I was wondering if there are any beginners guides or tutorials that I could take a look through. I've noticed that there are a lectures in SL on the subject now and again, but I tend to miss them as they're usually really late where I am.

This web site - along the top menu - has a DOWNLOADS drop down menu that has several tutorials.

Also if you send me an IM inWorld i have lots and lots of note cards that are very helpful.

Welcome to Second Life!

Alaric, I have a self-guided, self paced, visual building tutorial located in Noyo (180,180 ish) that might help. It is far from complete but it covers most of the material covered by building 101 classes (except hollowing, cutting, shearing and a few other prim distorting tools...this gap is now being addressed, just not ready for prime time yet).

Give me an IM if I can be of assistance.

Lumi

I whacked this together a while back. It was pretty much finished, just needed a little spitshine, but it might help. It's just sort of rotting in my web space now.

http://www.getingame.com/games/sl/classes/build101shock/build101shock.dcr

You need a shockwave enabled browser to view it. Netscape and IE are fine, I have yet to get shockwave working in Firebird.

If you don't have shockwave...(and I don't think netscape tells you if you do or don't, so you may want to re-install just to make sure...)

http://sdc.shockwave.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?

Gluck.

Tcoz, nicely done tutorial. Must have taken some time to cut up all those graphics.

I have a general question for experienced builders:

Would it be fair to say that aside from basic downloadable tutorials that official documentation regarding "advanced" building does not exist?

I think it's great to be able to get help in the forums and inworld, but it doesn't seem like there's one central location for expert building infomation and docs. I am discovering most things the hard way

This is correct. Primarily because there are very few actually "advanced" building concepts in SL. Prims are simple, and prim deformation is simple...you especially see this in the creation of animals and human forms in SL. The current levels of deformation would require that you use a high number of prims to get complex shapes like musculature or landscapes (since there is no vertex editing) and so on. There is also no technology like shaders, or even gif89 anims, available (though you can do cel style animation if you can script).

You'll see. Stick with the building tools for a couple of months, if you have any background at all in 3d modeling you'll master them quickly. After that it's really more about creative ways to put prims together.

Fan-based scripting tutorials, however, can get into fairly advanced topics, especially regarding physics.

To halt the naysayer, I will say that I am nevertheless in ongoing awe of the fact that I can create a cube in front of you, and you can see it. Then trip over it. Then later, when you own some land, have mastered the building tools, and don't care what anybody thinks of you anymore, complain on the forums that it is littering your view.

Ha EDIT, for you noobz, notice the "cost" slot on the object info in the tutorial.

That cube cost me 10 bucks + 1 buck tax ye spoiled brats.

I shoulda been clearer in my post--it's not so much that the concept of 3D modelling itself, or SL building overall, it's the number of nuances, subtleties and peculiarities about the editing/building process that seem to be undocumented. Little tricks and such things that I am learning the hard way. It's a good learning process, but I could save myself time if there were better docs There's a lot of knowledge held by individual SLers, but no central location for this knowledge on the Web (that I can find).

"I whacked this together a while back. It was pretty much finished, just needed a little spitshine, but it might help. It's just sort of rotting in my web space now."

http://www.getingame.com/games/sl/c...ild101shock.dcr

Wow Tcoz, your tutorial is just what I've been looking for =) Great presentation and most informative! Highly recommended reading for all fellow architectural noobs lol. Thanks muchly for the info!!

Rayne

Tcoz that's bloomin brilliant. I wish I'd seen that when I was new.

Don't forget the Ivory Tower of Prims - everything you ever wanted to know about torturing prims! Take the self-guided tour and you'll be a Prim Dominatrix in no time!

I Guess after 4 years they've already learned to build ...