Xeniversity: The Latest and Greatest Place to Learn
As some of you might know, I am a huge Maya enthusiast and have been toiling away for ages learning the software to the best of my abilities as time will allow. I’d often wished there were a teacher within SL that would be willing to sit me down and explain certain things to me about sculpting for Second Life, specifically. Learning the Maya software in itself is fantastic, but without the proper knowledge of how to model specifically for Second Life, well… things were a little complicated. Thankfully, my prayers were definitely answered.
Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of taking Xenius Revere’s in-world Maya classes.
I had heard that the creator of this truly gorgeous skybox would be offering modeling AND texturing classes (in two separate class sequences) and I just had to jump on the opportunity. I was not disappointed. In three, two hour long classes, I had successfully learned how to properly texture a sculpt, how to make basic NURBs shapes, how to use deformers to shape a NURBs sculpt, and how to create oblong sculpts. Xenius wasted no time in setting forth the basic, was AMAZING in answering questions and explaining his workflow, and was just an overall fantastic instructor to be in a class with. I came away from the classes feeling inspired, with renewed hope and a new skillset I could not WAIT to try out.
Xen takes on small groups of people (eight at a time) and walks them through live-video feed action of the modeling and texturing processes of Maya. Students are encouraged first to watch and then to follow along in Maya, so you are not only observing but also participating, hands on, in the class. But the best part is… these classes are specifically geared to teach you Maya for in-world use. So EVERYTHING that you learn, down to how to export the sculpt map properly, is useful for Second Life content creation. Xen even went as far as to provide the sculpt-map exporter script, explain how to set it up, provided relevant Maya scene files when the class called for them, and took the time to answer any and all questions that came up in the class. He never left a question to hang without an answer. The classes are conducted over SL voice as well, so there are no typing hold-ups either!
Basically… when Xenius told me that he’d just opened registration for his Maya 151 and 152 classes, I said, “I’ll be right there.” I simply cannot wait to dive into the intermediate set of classes, and when those are done, I’m sure I won’t be able to wait for the advanced classes as well. The combination of relevant information, excellent instruction and an overall fun classroom experience, I give Xeniversity’s classes two thumbs up and encourage ANYONE who wants to learn Maya for Second Life to sign up and take these classes.
Due to demand, Xen has opened up a second section of his beginner modeling class, Maya 101, which will begin September 2nd and run every Wednesday for 3 weeks (the last class is on the 16th) beginning at 1PM SLT until 3PM SLT. There is a second class on this day, at 4PM SLT, but it’s all full! So if you’re looking to learn basic Maya modeling… the 1PM class is definitely for you. Also, don’t be shy! Sign up for the Maya 102 class as well (basic texturing). Both classes will take place on different days, and you can combine your homework assignments as well (YES, there is HOMEWORK!) so you really are getting the most out of the experience by taking both at the same time. This is what I did, and I didn’t find it hard to follow along, plus the ability to combine modeling and texture learning somehow just made the learning experience much smoother and more satisfying. If you are an intermediate learner, Maya 151 and 152 (intermediate modeling and texturing classes beginning this September 4th!) are definitely something you want to give a look!
I really, really really want to praise the hell out of Xen and what he’s doing for the SL content creation community. And I have every faith that once you’ve taken a class, you will too.
Check out Xeniversity’s website and class schedule, and don’t forget to join the in-world group for the latest announcements, class sections and class scheduling. And if you’re ready to sign up, don’t hesitate! Hit Xeniversity to register at the Kiosk!
FilterCam Tutorial: Using Photoshop to Make Your Own Filters
If you don’t already know, FilterCam is a revolutionary in-world photography HUD created by my dear, dear friend CodeBastard Redgrave. With this HUD, you are able to apply various effects to your snapshots with just a few clicks of a menu button. And not only that… you can also create your OWN effects by making your own filters for the FilterCam! That’s what this blog is about today. How do you make your own filters? I’m glad you asked. ;)
The first thing you need to ask yourself is are you making a standard screen or a widescreen filter? The difference is not huge, but it can be significant to those of you with a touch of OCD (like me). For example… this picture was taken using a widescreen monitor resolution, while this one was taken in a standard resolution. Notice the difference? One is slightly wider horizontally while the other appears unstretched.
To put it simply… creating FilterCam filters is easy! But start with your basic building block first. For best results, if you are designing filters for a standard monitor screen (1024×768 for example) start with a canvas that is 1024×768 px. For a widescreen filter, begin with 1024×640. Because Second Life has a texture size limit of 1024×1024, the filters will automatically resize once you upload them, however have no fear! The filtercam will display them properly regardless.
Click here to download blank, pre-sized PSD templates (Photoshop files) for the FilterCam: Standard / Widescreen
Now that you have your canvas all sized up and ready to go, let’s get down to the fun stuff! Allow me to walk you through making your very first FilterCam filter. I will be using Photoshop CS3 Extended to show you the ropes, but if you are using an earlier version, I wouldn’t worry… I am fairly certain that many of these steps will remain the same.
1. Either create your own or open one of the pre-sized PSD FilterCam templates (linked above). For the purposes of this tutorial, I will be using the Widescreen template.
2. You should have a blank canvas with no background at all. If there is a background layer (usually plain white), delete it. This is very important. Because the FilterCam displays on a HUD and is meant to add effects to your in-world photography, it is very important to understand that the ONLY thing that should be showing on the filter when you upload it is your intended effect. For example, if you want to create a filter to add blood droplets to your screen, when you upload your filter, the only thing that should be showing is the blood droplets and a transparent (see-through) background – no white or black backgrounds, nothing else but the blood droplets. This will allow you to still see your avatar and in-world surroundings while still applying the FilterCam effects to your screen. Example here: Notice the three effects displaying on this image. The blood, the scanlines (horizontal lines across the screen) and the cinema screen (the large black bars on the top and bottom of the image). All three of these effects are individual FilterCam filters which you can apply to your HUD to create snapshots such as these.
3. Let’s make a bubble screen! Download and load these brushes into your Photoshop brush palette. Once you have them loaded, choose any brush and begin painting on your canvas. It can look however you want it too… it is your filter, after all!
4. Once you are done painting, make sure you have the layer you’ve painted on selected in the layers list. In your Photoshop client menu, press Select > Load Selection. This will select all of the bubbles you’ve painted onto this layer at once.
5. Select the Channels tab next to the Layers tab. There is a button at the bottom of this that looks a bit like a post-it note which says “Save Selection As Channel”. Making sure that your bubbles are still selected, click this button. This will add an alpha mask called Alpha 1 to your list (an alpha mask will let the file you save when we’re done know what you DO want to show in the image you save and what you don’t — in this case, the alpha mask is saying “Show the bubbles, but nothing else”).
6. Once you have done this, pat yourself on the back! You have created your first FilterCam filter. Now to save it properly.
7. To save your filter in a format that Second Life will be able to render properly, select File > Save As. From the Format dropdown menu at the bottom, select the TGA file extension option and hit Save. A window (”Targa Options”) will pop up, asking what resolution you would like to save your file in. Select 32 bits/pixel (you MUST select 32 bits/pixel in order for the Alpha mask to properly save).
8. Once you have saved the file, upload it to Second Life and add it to your FilterCam!
Once you have the basics down, you are free to create all sorts of FilterCam filters for yourself and to share with others via the FilterCam group on Flickr. Check it out for all sorts of neat things you can do with the FilterCam, post your own FilterCam filters, and check out the FilterCam contest!
Firefox + Greasemonkey = Lurve
I wanted to share yet another little gem of information which, if you haven’t discovered it yet, will change your Flickr-addict lives (if you are, in fact, a Flickr addict that is).
Two things before we begin:
1. You must use the FireFox browser in order for what I’m about to tell you to work. You can download it here: www.mozilla.com. You can feel free to download either the current stable version 2, or the beta FireFox3 version. I use FireFox 3. If you don’t, or have never used, the FireFox browser before — I’d recommend, at the very least, giving it a try. It’s wonderful and in my opinion, much more intuitive than the current IE7. Bonus! — FireFox DOES work with Mac OSX, as does everything I am about to tell you. So users with Macs, feel free to indulge yourselves as well!
2. Brace yourself. This is seriously ~life changing~. *ungh! giggidy!*
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Now, let me begin by explaining one quick thing.
How many of you out there, really hate submitting a picture to one Flickr group at a time?
*raises hand* I do!!!
I often find myself wanting to submit a photo to 30 groups at a time, and find that I generally had to sit there and click that stupid “Send to Group” button over…and over…and over. It’s mind numbing and unBELIEVABLY counter-productive. Which brings me to what I want to tell you about today.
The Greasemonkey plugin for FireFox, and the Flickr Multi-Group Sender script. You will need to download both in order for them to work.
“What do they do?” Well, I’m glad you asked!
Someone I used to be dear friends with introduced this to me last year some time, and I haven’t been able to live without it since. I imagine, if you take the time to set it up, you will have the same reaction. THIS IS HOW FLICKR WAS MEANT TO BE USED!!! DO YOU HEAR ME YAHOO?!?! Now, down to the nitty gritty:
1. Download FireFox!
For those of you who want the stable FireFox2:
Click here
For those of you who want the beta FireFox3:
Click here
Note: I’ve been using FireFox3 since its beta release, and have encountered no problems.
There are Windows, Mac OSX and Linux options on both downloads, so rememeber to download whichever you need!
Now!
2. Download the Greasemonkey Plugin for Firefox!
If you downloaded FireFox 2:
Install the plugin here.
Note: This plugin will claim that it works for Firefox2-3. It’s lying! If you download the latest version of FireFox 3, then follow the instructions below:
If you downloaded FireFox 3:
Right-click and save this file to your hard drive! Once you have it downloaded, open FireFox and double-click the XPI file. It will install the plugin to your Firefox browser. Note: If this *DOES NOT WORK*, please let me know! I have a working xpi script at home, I can host it on my website if I need to.
Once the plugin is successfully installed, a little monkey will appear in the bottom right hand corner of your status bar at the bottom of the Firefox browser. This is how you know the plugin is installed correctly.
NOW!!! (again!)
3. Download the Flickr Multi Group Sender script for Greasemonkey.
This is the easiest step of them all. Simply go to this page, click the black box in the upper right corner that says “Install This Script”, and it will install the script to Greasemonkey (you should get a little message next to the monkeyhead that says “Script Installed Successfully”).
Once that is done, close and restart FireFox.
4. This is the part where your life changes.
Go to your Flickr profile and click on any one of your pictures in your stream. NOW… hit the dreaded “Send to Group” button. A scripted window should appear with a list of all of your groups. You can hold the control button to select multiple groups (up to 30 of them, I believe). Once you have selected all of the groups you’d like to submit your photo to, click the “Add Photo” button, and watch as this nifty little script begins sending this one photo to all of the groups that you selected, ALL AT ONCE! There are other things you can do with this script (such as save lists of groups you’ve selected), but I’ll let you guys read up on the script to learn how to use those.
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So, there you have it! No more submitting photos to one group at a time. I hope this is useful to some of you out there!!! I sure know it’s been life changing for me. LOL
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comment stream. I’ll try to answer them as best I can!
Let Imagination Be Your Guide
Just thought I’d throw that disclaimer out there before I started explaining.
I’ve zipped up every last one of my Photoshop brushes and uploaded them to my web host. Don’t ask me why, I actually have no idea (it took 2 hours to upload them all). Considering every brush in this zip file can be found on Deviant Art, some people may just consider this “eliminating the need to browse”. However, I often get asked where certain brushes can be found, etc. So… to better answer that question, I will simply give you a direct link: you can find them all right here (you *MUST* right click and SAVE to download the zip from my blog).
I am sure by now, most of you know the drill. You should unzip this zip file into your Adobe/Presets/Brushes folder. The zip file contains sixty-two (62) categorized folders of “types of brushes” (what can I say? I’m a hyper organized freak — it’s a flaw). The categories include such gems as:
Abstract
Coffee (rings/stains)
Clouds
Eyelashes
Fractals
Grass
Glowies
Hair (pieces and drawing)
Lightning
Mist
Moons
Smoke
Space
Sparklies
Stars
Tears
Water
Wings…
…among many others. It is nearly 1 gig of brushes uncompressed, so be sure that you have ample space on your hard drive.
First thing you will need to do is unzip this folder into your Brushes presets folder in your Adobe Photoshop directory. This folder is generally located here: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop X\Presets\Brushes. When you unzip this archive, you will see 62 folders, each titled appropriately, unzipped into your Brushes presets folder.
Once you’ve done that, open Photoshop and follow along!
1. Click on your Brush tool in the menu bar on the left side of your screen.
2. Above this menu bar, you will see a small icon of the brush you currently have selected, with a small arrow to the right. Click on that arrow.
3. By clicking on this arrow you have brought up a list of your available brushes, and a slider bar called Master Diameter, among other things. To the right of this “Master Diameter” slider is another small, circled arrow. Click this arrow.
4. A list will expand. Now, you’ll notice that this list is quite huge, and undoubtedly consumes your entire screen. In the very first column of this list, there is an option called “Replace Brushes”. Click this.
5. A window will open allowing you to browse to your newly installed brushes. Browse to your Presets/Brushes folder, where you will see all 62 folders that you just unzipped. Open one of these folders and select any brush set you like. Once you have selected one, click the “Load” button. This will replace all of your current brushes in the list with the newly selected set of brushes.
“But wait! How do I get my default list of Photoshop brushes back, Ryker? You know, the one with the hard brushes, the soft brushes, and those annoying leaves that never go where you want them to?”
6. To reset your brushes to the Photoshop defaults, Repeat steps 1 through 4 above **HOWEVER** — instead of choose “Replace Brushes” from the list, choose “Reset Brushes”. This will reset your brush list to the Photoshop defaults.
I hope this isn’t too confusing! Happy downloading!
PS: I’m sure a filing system which is intuitive to ME, may not necessarily be intuitive for YOU. Hopefully, all of the folders in this file will be easily labeled enough that you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for. Enjoy!
Tutorial: Combining Depth Shots w/Color Snapshots
Whew! I finished this video about 30 seconds before I started sneezing uncontrollably, so… forgive me if I sound a little congested! Why do I keep doing these when I’m sick I wonder? Huh. Anyway!
I came to the realization this morning that I’ve been promising this tutorial for a while, and I suck, my apologies for not getting it out here sooner.
This video actually sucks in comparison to my other tutorial videos (quality wise, not intellect wise :P), because for some reason my computer was going all hokey this morning and not letting me produce the video as a flash file… so here it is as a Quicktime video with shitty quality. But… que sera sera. At least it will explain how to combine the shots! :P
Hope you guys find this a little useful. :) Any questions, feel free to IM me!
Check out the tutorial video here!
PS: It’s going to be about 45 minutes before the video is actually live… it’s a 200mb file (damn MOV files) and still uploading while I run to work! <3
New Tutorial: Quick & Dirty Drop Shadows
Here is my latest installment: a quick and dirty drop shadow technique to use and master for your enjoyment.
This will show you a very, very simple and basic technique on how to create a drop shadow from a green screen snapshot. Hopefully someone finds this useful!!!
New Tutorial: Using Avimator to Make Custom Poses
The next tutorial in my ever-growing list of tutorials… This one will teach you how to use Avimator to make custom poses for your avatar. Keep in mind I said poses… not animations. :P
It’s about 15 minutes long and around 45mbs, so it might take a little while to download depending on your connection speed… but it goes over the basics of using Avimator to make poses for Second Life. Forgive me for being a little flustered in it… lots of stuff going on tonight. :P If you’re confused or have questions, feel free to Flickr mail me or IM me or email me at rykerbeck@gmail.com. I’ll do my best to help you out, if I can.
Hope you guys enjoy! :) <3
