What's programming?, you say,
while you stare at my code lines in your inquiring eyes
What's programming? And you ask me that?
Programming... That is you.
while you stare at my code lines in your inquiring eyes
What's programming? And you ask me that?
Programming... That is you.
(Well, he sort of said that.)
This means that it's only normal for me to wonder something after filling the same parameters when I upload poses a couple of times, before I've uploaded my first set ever: Would it be possible to have the choice of defining those same parameters as default options, so they fill automatically and you only change them when you need different values?
After having uploaded nearly 120 sets of 5 poses (plus mirrors), I decide it's time to use my brain for something else than the basic vital support of my body, and do as the saying goes:
The important in life isn't knowing how to do things,
but having handy the phone number of those who know how to do things. [1]
but having handy the phone number of those who know how to do things. [1]
and so I call my business partner, the only unfortunate person from SL that sees me regularly in the real world, and whose phone number I actually know.
She looks at my sad begging eyes, and the next happening is this (FIRE-17251: Allow users to set default values for animation uploads - patch by Sei Lisa; this also fixes FIRE-13738 (Default hand position is spread instead of relaxed)) and this ([PATCH] Allow entering animation loop parameters as frames rather than percent), which means that weather forecast is favorable to my begging being incorporated in the next update of the Firestorm viewer.
Pose makers and animators, don't forget saying thank you to my business partner. I've already bought her some of the best cheese and promised I will try not to eat it.
The news make me all kinds of happy, and I proceed to start creating my next set of poses for Lazy Sunday. I wanted to create a pose set of a new series called Boudoir. Knowing me even if a little, the right thing to wonder is why I haven't done this before.
I decided that I will create different bedroom setups on purpose to favor the process of taking the photographs and show some variety if I am to move forward with the Boudoir series as more than one set, and spend the whole Wednesday morning looking for skyboxes and rezzing beds from my inventory. (People of Plurk, thank you for all your suggestions when I asked. I would have lost all day looking in Marketplace and found nothing.)
IMAGE: Boudoir #1, pose #2, in Flickr
The first skybox I'm using is the The Little Penthouse, from 22769 ~ [bauwerk]. Then the furniture is a mix of items from LAQ, Trompe Loeil and Dutchie (The cast iron fireplace and the side table that comes with the summer BDSM bed, tinted).
Why preparing all this before getting to the actual poses?
I realized, when I created my first set of laying down poses, that this particular kind of poses should not be tested outside its natural environment. I mean with this, if you plan on making laying poses, keep in mind where the avatar will be laying, be this the cold ground or a bed, and test them over the right surface. The target surface will let you know how to bend some parts so the avatar adapts to it, rotating to an approximate fit within what is possible in SL.
With all this ready, I was ready to create the poses. But, wait! There was one more thing to prepare before creating the poses.
Currently, despite I like taking pictures in SL, it's also a time of torment and agony. Think of an almost seven year old computer that I cannot yet upgrade. Think of the Advanced Lighting Mode turned on, all the fancy mesh, and shadows. Not even in Ultra mode. Medium settings. At the ultra speed of 4 FPS in a light-mesh loaded setup, 1 FPS in a heavy-mesh loaded setup, I need to take care of the lights and the fine tuning of positioning my avatar. Lights cannot be set up with the Advanced Lighting Mode turned off, because they behave completely differently (not to mention that you cannot see the shadows from the projector lights.)
Have you ever tried to edit an object, simply to move it, or change the light properties, at an average speed of 2 FPS? Try it if you have the chance.
So I decided that I had to choose one from between the following possibilities:
- Read the manual of the tools you have, in detail, to see if they do what you need and how, in that case.
- Script your own tools.
Which was my choice? The logical one: I scripted my own pose stand and projector light so I could move and rotate them from a HUD, and change the light properties of the projector, instead of having to fight with the Edit window at 2 FPS.
"The logical one"... I can hear you mumble.
This will sound fun, but it takes me more time to read all the documentation and trying all things out, than scripting my own tools exactly as I want them to work. I started with the pose stand on Thursday after lunch, in the early evening, and I completed the task, with the projector light as well, on Thursday night.
Finally, Friday was devoted to actually creating the poses and taking the photos for the product vendor. And this is how you create a poses set, the scripter way.
Have a great day! :-)
Notes
- [1] This phrase is erroneusly accredited to Les Luthiers. I mention them anyway because if you like wordplay, then you will love their work. If you know Spanish, that is.
- The complete set of photos for this pose set can be found in Flickr.
Outfit Credits
Mesh body: Lara, from Maitreya
Mesh hands: Lara's hands, from Maitreya
Mesh feet: Lara’s feet, from Maitreya
Skin: Lulu 02 C, Jamaica, from Glam Affair
Freckles: Cassiopea Cosmetics, A (tn), from Glam Affair
Lipstick: Leah Lipstick 21, from Glam Affair
Hair base: (Hairbase 3), True Red, from Argrace
Hair: Dakota hair, FIT A, reds, from Lelutka
Shoes: Zest Pumps, Black, from Maitreya
Panties: Giselle lingerie - panty (Maitreya fit), Black, from erratic
Bra: Delice lingerie - bra (Maitreya fit), Black, from erratic
Suspender: Delice lingerie - suspender (Maitreya fit), Black, from erratic
Stockings: Delice lingerie - stockings HUD (Maitreya applier), Black, from erratic
Windlight Sky: Tron Legacy clean
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