Resources

Creating objects and shapes – basic to fancy / context (many videos & tutorials)

For items that you make within a virtual environment, essentially you take small building blocks (known as prims), you adjust their shapes, colors, textures (images that you put within the shapes), and characteristics of these items. For instance you can make shapes and objects so that they are phantoms (that is, avatars can walk through the shapes); you can even make them so that they will act as if they were flags and banners (that is, giving them flexible pathways); and, you can make them so they actually shine in the dark in the direction, shape and even color that you specify (thus, creating lights).

Many useful tutorials are address the basic VR building – so adjust to the different viewers. This 3 minute video demonstrates how to adapt to different viewers. Through the context included in a video you can learn more quickly and get ideas for your own applications. This quick-start guide to basic building at this link, however, be sure to review the advance features in the videos below to be able to create more custom effects.

• Overview building, change avatar features, understand land features, review basics scripts – an illustrated PowerPoint presentation - PPT
• Create & link basic shapes (printout PDF); more advanced features are in this handout PDF
• Create shapes with textures & colors - select faces; 3-d building considerations 5 min
• Complex building- naming, rotating, resizing, attaching through the making of a clown hat 7.5 min
• Create an environment by repurposing material; shows how to view changes too 2 min
• Uploading an image onto a prim; changing image name; showing inventory 2 min
• The basics of virtual reality: objects, clothing & scripts; terraforming, permissions 5 min
• Upload images from your computer into your virtual space 2.25 min
• Upload images and art 3.2 min
• Adjust sound, images, and graphics for meeting; viewing website (printout) PDF
• Use advanced features flexible path, physics, phantom, hollowing, lighting, & axis adjustments – making flags & interesting objects 4 min
• Understand textures, transparency, and permissions when making and using art & images 4 min
• Advanced building - from inventory, duplicate, change color, link, name, put price, put into inventory 5 min

The items above reference working with objects made within virtual reality; you can make 3-d objects outside these environments (Blender, Sketchup) and import them – this is a complex process, beyond basic courses; click here to see how a student was beginning to work this type of object creation. (You may want to consider taking the Virtual Practicum II course if you want to advance this level independently.)