Getting prim count down

I notice a some cages on SL Exchange that only have around 12 to 15 prims. What I want to know is how they get the prims so low? You would think that all those bars will count as a prim. I might be totally off on this, I am a new builder. All I built so far is a carport and its 35 prim.
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=426416
Thanks,
jj

this is my favorite game in SL, as a builder i have used textures (alpha) with bars or intricate parts to use instead of the actual many prims needed to make individual ones, in other words, your looking at a picture of bars instead of the actual prim bar (s)
also in some cases you can half your prims if you a box narrow it, hide the bottom and the top and get 2 bars from one prim.

Good luck and have fun..thats what its allabout

I understand texture and just using a picture of bars. I just asume that you could go in the cage or prison and look through each bar. I was just wondering if there is a trick to making certain spots on a prim transparent so that it looks like bars and you can see through them but only use one prim (wall) with bars textures. So your saying that with these low prims cages they can't be see thru.
For an example:
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=233856
This is only 11 prims.
http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=355921
This one only 9 prims.
Thanks,
jj

What he said was that you can indeed look through the bars, because the texture includes the holes between them – holes you can actually see through. It's called an alpha channel, and it defines the transparency of a texture, so you can use it for stained glass, bars, and countless other things. (Actually the 'alpha channel' has other uses, but transparency is its use in SL.)

Just don't use see-through textures right on top of each other very much or you'll run into the infamous Open GL alpha sorting glitch. That's where the texture that was supposed to be in front shows up behind, and vice versa.

Two ways ^^

First is ith textures.. then you can essentially make a cage out of... lesse... 5 prims minimum I think. But it'll look kinda flimsy.

Second way is with cut and hollow.

Hollow out a box and cut to three sides. Stick another box for the top and another for the bottom. Make the front bars (This is more a jail cell in this case) our of hollowed boxes, making two bars with each box, this looks more solid.

Throw in another 1 or two for the door, another one for door hinge..and..done. If you even want a door ^^

Using Hollow and Cut on cubes, I can see a way of making the carport in your ad with only 14 prims. Without using any special alpha textures at all.

Visit the Ivory Tower of Prims and go through some of the tutorials there (if you haven't already) and then find a quiet place to play with the settings available on the prims. Or, send me an IM in world and I'll be happy to show you some of the techniques I've learned.

A

JJ, I was feeling generous so decided to quickly make you an example, erm all of about 7 mins.

When you are online next, I have dropped you an item that is called Car Port Box, rez the box and right click, from the pie menu select open and then in the new menu, click copy items to inventory, this will show up in your inventory as a folder called "Car Port Box".

Rez the item called Car Port Sides from the Car Port Box folder, you will now see more or less a replica of the side of your car port which is only 1 prim, 10metre long and 5 metres high. I have enlcosed the texture for you to see and test.

Let me know how you get on, if you have any more questions as to how I made that then please feel free to IM me inworld.

JJ, also when you first rez the box, you will see it looks like a cage, this is using the Same texture for the sides but the repeats per face have been increased to about 5 horizontally and vertically to give that effect.

if it looks flimsy your not texturing all sideds of your prim properly building good building is the balance between the perfect texture and the perfect shape

I meant it looks flimsy cause you can't get the depth. If you look from an angle, no matter what the bars will look really thin, and flimsy

That's absolutely true, but with really good texturing, you can mimic the depth fairly well. It won't hold up to close scrutiny of course, so those who insist on zooming in and inspecting every last detail will never like it, but from any respectable distance, it can look really good. Simulating round bars will work better than square since you don't have to worry about the absence of corners, but either one can work well enough if you're a good painter.

Another option to consider is sculpted bars. Check some of DanileFox's sculpty tutorials for ideas. You could get 8 or so square bars from a single prim without too much trouble. I still recommend going the texture route in order to keep the poly counts down, but if you absolutely can't live without depth, the sculpty option is there.

Cages, at least in my exerience.... are always going to be scrutinized up close, because people will be in them, or will be standing outside of them looking in. From a distance, itll look fine if done well. But up close, as cages generally seem to be seen, its not so great... I have almost nothing against doing it with textures if its not going to be seen up close (Other than alpha sorting problems of course)

Ad sculpties are yes =P

and i say agian then your not using all 7 or 8 sides to texture if you just texture the front and back yes they look thin but hollow it out set the horizontal to 4 times the repeats of the face and line everything up you get a very deep looking effect and is not wimpy looking

I have picked up some sculpted fences & railings that are only one prim per section/side. the same process can be applied to bars, im assuming