Lately I have been making summer themed clothing models for Secondlife. This image is the resulting wall art of a bikini that I named the Juliet bikini. I tend to give my clothing models names because who knows I might end up with several different bikinis in my inventory there at some point. I've been making 3D mesh clothing for a while now and as time has progressed I've gotten better at it. When I started working on this project I thought making a bikini was going to be easier than some of my other models but I quickly learned that was not true.
While making the mesh model took less time because there was less skin to cover Rigging it took longer than I anticipated. just trying to get the weights transferred and/or painted into the knots on these strings reminded me that rigging is an artform all if it's own. you have to be one of those people who doesn't give up easily because such a thing can really test your patience. So the hard work in this project really is the weight painting.
For me the fun part and most satisfyingly part. The part that drove me to learn to make 3D mesh objects in the first place, is the wall art. The images and final look that can be created with all of the many objects made by the user base in Secondlife and other virtual worlds. While linden labs provides us a place online through their programming to do all of this and make it possible, it would be nothing without all of the talented users who create objects, scrips, animations and clothing. Now days we can even add immersion experience into that list.
Just think we used to have a world that was for the most part pretty empty back when secondlife began and you could only build with primitive objects and the users with the help of the programmers who make it possible for the users to bring their creativity with them and create some experiences that are impossible to have anywhere else in life.
In the end it is the visual aesthetics, the art work. These are like the blood that flows within my veins and after working so long and so hard to learn to do all of this on my own and to finally be able to do it. This is what makes me feel I am home at last.
This is the second swimsuit I have made this month. I have really been in the summer and beach theme lately and I think that was because of the warm weather. But today as I post this it was unseasonably chilly. We have had rain, wind overcast skies any cool nippy temperatures. Not very summer like here right now. That's ok we can still enjoy the season in the virtual world. It's like picking up a good book that you didn't want to put down isn't it?
Anyway I hope that you enjoy the image.
