importing models from maya

hi there

im a computer arts student, i have had an account with second life for a little while now. i'd like to create my own custom models and objects in maya and upload them to second life, i would also like to create my own textures and be able to upload them also

however,

im having difficulty finding out exactly how to upload them.
looking for textures, i assumed there would be a texture folder possibly on my computer where i could transfer files, though i can't seem to find any such library.

can anyone explain to me, how i would go about actually uploading a completed maya model or object from my pc for using in second life, and also how i can upload textures also

any help would be greatfully recieved, thank you, fairee

Short Answer: You cant upload models from maya, or any other program for that matter. you can make sculpt maps but thats a different story.

To upload a texture, you need to go to file and select upload texture. It will cost you 10 spacebux.

Arbitrary models cannot be imported. If you want to use Maya as a modeling tool for SL, you can, but it has to be done in a very specific way. There's about a 99% chance that you wont be able to use your pre-existing models, as it's unlikely that you would have constructed them in the way that SL requires. However, if you're good with Maya, then you should be able to learn to use it for SL fairly quickly. It'll just take a little getting used to. For information on what I'm talking about, see wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims .

That having been said, 90% of what you see in SL was created directly in-world. Sculpted prims have only been around for about 4 months now. Before that, absolutely everything was made in-world, as is most of what still gets made now. I'd highly recommend you learn to use SL's primary in-world modeling system before you make the jump to sculpties. That's really the only way to learn how SL works. Sculpties are really cool, and you can do some amazing looking things with them, but they can't replace regular prims entirely. To start with sculpties instead of regular prims would really be to confuse the issue. Take it one step at a time.

If you're used to Maya, then SL's building tools are going to seem a little frustrating, even childish, at first. Trust me though when I say that they are anything but. It's just that SL's modeling system is fairly unique. It takes a bit of getting used to. You won't have access to a lot of the tools you're used to using all the time in Maya, and that can have you tearing your hair out in the beginning. But as you work, you'll find that the opposite is also true. There are a few tools SL has that I wish Maya would incorporate (planar movement constraint handles, for example).

Because modeling in SL is so minimalistic, it forces you to think about the process of making a model in a way you ordinarily wouldn't. As a result, you start developing specific problem solving skills that more full featured modeling applications like Maya allow you to bypass. In the end, learning to use SL well will make you a better modeler both inside SL and out.

As I often say when this subject comes up, once I started getting good in SL I found that my poly counts per model in Maya were going way down while the visual quality was actually going up, and my texturing skills increased a hundred fold. Give it a little time, and I'm sure you'll say the same thing. Just about every other modeler I know has.

After you've got a good handle on SL's original modeling system, move on to start including sculpted prims (sculpties) in your work. You're probably gonna be a little frustrated with sculpties at first too, but give it a little time and it will click. It's an unusual workflow, but once you get the hang of it, you can make some awesome things.

Try actually uploading it - the sculpty preview window has been busted for... almost as long as we've had it, to be honest. Theres a good chance that crack wont be there in the uploaded version.

Thank you so much for this thoughtful answer. Really helped me. I would like to quote part of this when I talk about SL tools with people unfamiliar with them..is that okay with you?

Sure Dnali. Thanks for asking.

Use any or all of it. I'm glad you found it helpful.

As usual, Chosen, I find myself agreeing with you more and more as of late.

Actually, SL's interface, I'm beginning to think more and more, is brilliant. It's different, yes, from most interfaces - although if you've used Truespace, which I "cut my teeth" on as a modeler, it's not as different as it is for some - but it's far from awful. It's mostly just limited by what it's designed to work with, which is parametric shapes. Honestly, I wish I could do a lot of things in Maya even half as simply as I could in SL - within the confines of the type of work SL's interface is designed for, I don't think theres really any comparable program. It has it's rough points, but so does any program - and remember, SL's interface hasn't changed much since it's conception, so for a 1.x interface, it's not bad.