Part 1: Modelling

I’ve been spending more time lately learning how to use Zbrush to sculpt and texture objects for Second Life. I love the way that ZBrush works - it’s the closest thing to having a big lump of clay on your desk. I’ve learned a few tricks recently that make it easier for me to create sculpted prims, including texturing the object right in Zbrush.

Here’s a video tutorial/demo that shows how I create, model, texture and convert an object for use in Second Life. The whole tutorial is nearly an hour long so I broke it up into two parts. This first section shows my modelling process, the next will show how I texture my objects. For this how-to I’ll be making a realistic Amanita mushroom, from sphere to finished SL object.

For converting the ZBrush object I use a free program called Sculpty Maker that was made by SL resident 2K Suisei. This little program does a fantastic job of convert the shape to a sculptmap. It was the final piece of the puzzle that allows me to use ZBrush for the entire sculpting/texute workflow. You can find it on the SL forums in this thread.

Part 2: Texturing

In Part two of this tutorial I show how I use the ZProject tool to texture the object using a photo as a reference. I also show how you can easily create a shadow/ambient light map using a spiffy plugin called Material Baker by David ikeda.

By the way, you can download a free, 30 day demo version of ZBrush at the Pixologic website.

Video tutorial about using video in SL

Using video in Second Life can be a bit tricky until you get the hang of it so I’ve put together this short lesson that covers the basics. I explain how video works in SL and also show you how to create a very simple video screen object that you can use to play videos on your own parcel of land. I also show you how you can grab free videos from the Internet Archive to use in SL without violation anyone’s copyright.

Check out part two of this tutorial where I show how to convert your own videos for use in SL.

A couple of quick notes:

If you are trying to watch a video and don’t see the little video controls at the bottom of your screen (next to the audio stop and play buttons) you can enable the video feature in your Preferences settings.

It’s also a good idea to upgrade to the latest version of the Quicktime software to avoid a nasty little bug that could allow hackers to access your SL account using a specially formatted video. This bug has been patched but you need to make sure you’re using the latest version of Quicktime. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to install.

Please leave suggestions or questions in the comments. My next tutorial will show you how you can encode your own videos for use in Second Life.

Sylvia Trilling has posted a great little tutorial on how to bake the texture/lighting of a ZBrush object for use with your sculpties. I’ve been trying to figure this out for months. ZBrush is awesome but it can be quite confusing at times. Here is the forum post where she posted the link. Thanks Sylvia!