I'm sure someone wiser than I will move the thread if it doesn't belong.I have been experimenting with Twisting and Torturing Prims. Exploring what is possible with a single Prim. Soon after logging in to SL for the first time, I kept hearing about how you could 'Torture' prims to produce new shapes. But there was very little actual info about how to do it, ot even what IT was.
So I gathered up what info I could from the Forums and the Wiki and set about creating a script that would help me find these elusive shapes - or at the very least discover what the heck everyone was talking about.
I've made some progress, mostly thanks to this piece of code in the Wiki which makes it easy to set the proper Paramaters in the llSetPrimitiveParams call:
http://secondlife.com/badgeo/wakka.php?wakka=LibraryPrimTorture
Here's a quick rundown of what I've come up with in my quest:
There are actually two versions of our basic building block, the Prim. The current version has been in effect since SL v1.5 was released. Prior to that (v1.3 to 1.5) the Prims were made in a slightly different manner - at least as far as the SL software is concerned.
Even though we now build with these new, "Normal" Prims - the Old versions are still supported by the software. And we can 'trick' the software into using these "Old" style prims.
Why? Well, mostly because we can.
But - you can make some very interesting shapes by combining the settings and info from the New prims with the rendering of the Old prims.The basic 'trick' is to start with a new, normal Prim - like a Ring prim. The Ring is a good place to start because with it you have access to all 9 of the editing options that make up every Prim. Ya know - Advanced Cut, Hole Size, Shear, all that jazz.
After you change the settings, use a script to switch the prim to an Old Sphere. Most of the time you will get a funky, inside out, or otherwise improbable shape.
This interaction between the New Ring and the Old Sphere has yielded my favorites, but there are plenty of odd reactions between other New and Old prims. Tiny prims smaller that the normal limit are also possible.
I think that these new 'Illegal' shapes are created when the SL software tries to render the extra info or incompatible data from one shape to the next. by using a script to change these settings we skip the error-checking and adjustments that the software would otherwise perform.
Actually I have no clue as to the deep inner workings - I just know it is fun to explore these shapes!
I've also built a machine that makes it easier to get at these shape: the Prim Twister Console. It's a free tool , so grab a copy and get Twisting!
Bembecia 102,198,110
I'll be updating the Prim Twister in the future, so please send me your comments, ideas, and suggestions for future version.
I'm also compiling a list of tecqniques and settings that can be used to produce specific shapes so feel free to share your discoveries!
Happy Twisting.
A snapshot of the Console and a few shapes that I've found.
http://www.wallofgray.com/primtwister1.jpg
