Information on Wings3D Modeling for SL Objects
READ THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING BEFORE STARTING.
RELEVANT LINKS / WINGS3D
Key Links:
http://www.wings3d.com/ - main page, download program
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wings_3D/User_Manual
http://www.wings3d.com/wiki.php?title=Documentation - some are animated explanations
http://sodilinux.itd.cnr.it/sdl6x2/documentazione/wings%203d/wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf - PDF version of the manual but somewhat older; sections on user interface most useful.
http://www.youtube.com/wings3dchannel#p/c/B8589B261DA499A8/0/9dzrVFtjlDY - intro tutorials
Also - go to YouTube and search on "wings 3d tutorial" or "wings 3d tutorial sculpt"
Very Good (2 part)Tutorial - Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToU-2A5mjXk
RELEVANT LINKS / SECOND LIFE (you should print these out so you can read and make notes on them and, by interacting with them, learn more easily. General Subject
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims (general)
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Creation_Portal > Building
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Wings_3D_Exporter
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims_with_Wings_3D#Getting_Started
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Wings_3D (also forum here)
A. SETUP
1. Install Wings3D Polygonal Modeler
a. Surf to http://www.wings3d.com/. Note tabs for documentation, features, etc.
b. Click on Downloads and download the STABLE RELEASE (or the latest one if you have prior 3D experience) for your operating system.
c. Double click that file to install the program.
2. Get and Install the SL Sculpty Plugin into Wings3D
KEY: Tutorial and links to other tutorials and the plugin: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Wings_3D. There is also a SL forum on using Wings3D.
a. Scan the page.
b. Get export plugin: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Wings_3D_Exporter. Download the plugin + spherical from the pkpounceworks link. Also download the non-spherical templates.
c. Unzip the file in your modeling folder
d. Copy the wpc_sculpty.beam file to the Wings3D Program folder > Plugins folder > Importer/Exporter folder on your hard disk.
e. Start Wings3D program
f. File > Install Plugins > browse to the wpc_sculpty.beam plugin (see 4.) and click Install. You also get a collection of sphere-based templates and non-sphere-based templates with this plugin. Unzip that folder and keep those in your modeling folder, not in the app location.
g. To check, File > Export and check to see if "Second Life Sculpty (.bmp)" is on the menu of export formats.
B. GETTING STARTED
1. Learning Wings3D User Interface and Basics
a. Look at the first four Welcome to Wings3D videos on http://www.youtube.com/wings3dchannel#p/c/B8589B261DA499A8/0/9dzrVFtjlDY
b. Read through Part 2, below, ONLY THEN noodle around with the program. You can also look at the QuickStart Guide in either the Wikibooks or pdf form of the manual, see links above.
2. Wings3D Settings
a. Open Wings3D
b. Edit > Preferences > Camera > Maya (more fluid than the default Mirei mode but you do need a 3 button mouse for the Maya mode).
c. Edit > Preferences > Misc Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Advanced Menus (check)
d. Misc/Save Automatically > UNcheck option (distracting and potentially destructive).
3. Learning to Modify Sculpty Templates in Wings3D
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims_with_Wings_3D#Getting_Started
Read info. Print out this site and make notes as you learn. Try out modifying some of the sculpty object templates.
NOTE: THE KEY IS NOT ADDING OR REMOVING ANY VERTICES FROM THE TEMPLATE-BEGUN OBJECT. See the list of permissible features on the above website!!! So don't use extrude or collapse or similar features. Keep in mind that you can only use tools that preserve vertices e.g. Edge Loops, Move, Scale, Rotate, Flatten, Slide. If you do something that changes the number of vertices, you MUST UNDO the change. You can't simply add or remove vertices to make things look right, because the vertices will get renumbered and the exported sculpty will be whacked. If you are experienced with 3D modelers, try the new, beta version and the "TWEAK" feature.
4. Open a Sculpty Template into Wings3D and Modify
File > Open any of the template objects - the sphere-based ones that came with the plugin or the non-sphere ones - and use them as your starting point for modeling SL prims. Be sure to save them as a new name before you start to modify them. See NOTE, above and START WITH LOWER RESOLUTION TEMPLATES. To start, follow the sequence of actions on the site:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims_with_Wings_3D#Getting_Started
5. Exporting to SL Sculpty Format
a. REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR WINGS FILE FOR FURTHER MODS.
B. File > Export (or Export Selected) > Second Life Sculpty (.bmp).
You can look at the file in an image viewer...doesn't look like much...guess it's using color coding somehow. NOTE: This uses some form of what's called "conformal texture mapping" where this will be mapped onto a SL prim that will then appear to look like your object, kind of severe bump texture map.
6. Import .bmp file into Second Life
Build > Upload Image (you can add a note, name it, and keep it); goes into your Inventory
Info at SL Knowledge Base site, search on "upload assets".
7. Apply Your .bmp to a Prim Blank in Second Life
a. Enter SL.
b. Tools > Create > Select a Sphere > Click on the ground somewhere you don't get a message saying you cannot build there. Sandboxes and Info stations typically allow building.
c. An object appears. Select it and Object Tab > Building Block Type > Sculpted
d. A bump texture window appears, click on it, and select your imported .bmp from the list.
e. The Prim blank should now change shape. You might want to scale or re-orient your object. Then, R-Click on it > Take (puts object into your inventory)
f. You can set the color and/or add a color texture, offset and rotate that on your object to get things lined up.
Don’t worry if you cannot understand everything right away. Just read it and then noodle a few times through the process of import template, rename, modify object, export, import into SL, apply to a prim blank. When you get stuck, then look again at the manual or a video, etc. Eventually, you will get it.
8. (ADDED 9/21) SAVING "BAKED TEXTURE UV" .BMP FILE (for later painting on for an Image Texture - not to be confused with the sculpt texture .bmp which causes surface displacement of the SL Prim)
Creating UVs/Texture Maps in Wings3D
Open Wings3D
Select Object > R-Click > UV Mapping > Direct
(UV Mapping Window Opens)
Object R-Click > Segment > Feature Detection
Object R-Click > Continue > Unfolding
(See the UV Map)
Object R-Click > Create Texture
(Select options, resolution, etc.)
To save the UV map as an image to paint/collage on:
Windows > Outliner
R-Click on object name_auv > Make External
(name and save the resulting .bmp file)
Open that .file into Photoshop. Create a new layer over the UV map layer. Paint and/or collage onto that new layer using the UV lines as guides.
To save: Save the whole file, with layers, as a Photoshop .psd file for potential future revision. Then, make the UV map layer invisible and Save As a .png file to be used as the texture in SL.
