Texture deadlock!

Ok, I thought I'd venture to poke my head into this forum to ask about the number one problem I get when trying to build - namely, being stuck in a catch-22 about textures.

It's basically.. I have an idea of what I want something to look like, but I don't know how the available textures will fit. I don't think I can build the prims first, because the range of available textures will determine critical bits of how they're arranged (eg, do I need prim windows or are they on the texture, etc). But I can't establish that because there are millions of textures available and I can't possibly keep track of them all.

So how do folks deal with this? I know that some just make all their own textures but that's a bit beyond me at the moment.

I hear ya, Yumi.

When I get in the building mood I generally have an idea of what it is that I want to make....a building of some type, flexi skirt, sign, etc. I have a pretty good idea of what textures I have available for what I have in mind. If I don't have the texture I think I need I might shop for it (or make it....sorry, I know you said you don't make textures. The end result is the same). Then I will open the textures I think will work and use them. Sometimes I wind up changing the textures later, but I get a pretty good idea if it will do what I want it to do. Another way I do that is to find a texture I like and then work on something I can use it for. Guess I just "go with whatever feels right at the moment".

Hope my way helps you out a little.

I usually make my own.

But I would recommend a lot of experimentation. Repeats and twists etc. can make neat effects with textures that originally had nothing to do with what you are making.

I honestly throw wooden boxes into a rough shape if it's a confusing build, sometimes I use colour codes for some prims if I know I am want something in that area. I usually pick my textures later. And the level of manipulation is really quite infinate. Don't be scared of the texture mapping function. If it doesn't fit you can remap it with a huge range of flexability. And the craziest thing is that I have a crazed amount of textures now, thousands, and somehow I can mentally keep track of most of them. And there is always making the ones I can't find. Which really can be fun too, unless they are seamless. Getting better, but still try and avoid making them if I can.

Same here I just make a sort of prim sketch of the object and then refine it down by adding or removing prims and texturing. Maybe make the structure with the idea that you will find all the required textures that you need. Be prepared to completely redo huge parts of the design.