Water in 3DS Max

After playing around with Autodesk 3DS Max i decided it was time to do something productive with my time and had a go at creating some realistic looking water to get used to the material editor. Thanks to numerous tutorials across the internet i managed to take a bit of information from each one and make my very own water.

First 3D design/animation complete

I had a play around with 3DS max studio today to get to grips with creating 3D models and animations. After getting to grips with creating basic shapes and using modifiers to interpret them in different ways, the simple keyframe animation system allowed me to create a basic animation and the product i created could be developed further to create a logo for my future productions.

Wrapping up Second Life

After reguarly logging on to Second Life for almost 2 weeks now, it is time to say a few words to summarise my experience and voice my opinion on the program.

I went into the Second Life experience with an open mind, there are a lot of negative connotations with these virtual reality applications but i didnt want that to taint my experience so i immersed myself in the lifestyle, trying numerous activities and visiting various real-world landmarks that had been re-created in the program. The people i came across in Second Life were always very friendly and eager to show me around. I learnt alot within the first two sessions and after that i felt i could comfortably use the system. I was tempted to purchase some currency within the game and buy my own house, however on second thoughts it seemed a waste of money!

I enjoyed the experience and can see the appeal of it and its uses in industry. Personally, i would prefer to go out and listen to real life music and meet real people rather than virtual representatives. I was always cautious and critical when meeting new people, constantly pondering who could have been behind the avatar. There is an option for a profile box on Second Life to put a picture of yourself in and a few words about what you are like in the real world, but out of everyone i met, no-one had filled that section in! From a programming and technological perspective Second Life is very flexible, allowing user-generated content to pretty much mould the way the virtual world grows. It is for this reason, that Second Life will more than likely continue to grow.

Second Life Banter

After playing around a bit more with second life, i began to familiarise myself with the program and the way things worked in the virtual world of Second Life. After making my avatar dance around like an idiot in a virtual club for a bit i quickly learned off second life regulars that without the currency used - L$ your avatar is pretty much worthless. This upset me, as i wanted to buy some more clothes instead of going through the tedious process of creating them yourself.

A few conversations later, i came across a friendly guy who gave me the address of some "FREEBIE" areas. These are areas where people donate second hand objects or just create objects for "NEWBIES" to use. Newbie is a term that people seem to use for people who have only just joined second life. Some freebie areas only offer free clothes to avatars who are 30 days older or younger, so i made the most of it and stocked up on designer clothes such as Levi's jeans and Nike t-shirts. Hairstyles and tattoos were also up for grabs in these free areas so i gave Swanny Zsun a bit of a make-over.

The tattoos looked awesome, as did the trademark Swanny blonde hair!

Wowwww!

Seems like forever since i put a post on this journal! What a mad past couple of weeks! After being in Wales for the christmas period and partying hard for a Detonate Countdown event at rock city for new years i think it is time to get back on track with things!

With the identities module coming up, i decided to download Second Life and create an avatar to represent myself online. Initially i struggled with the un-needingly complex clothing and texture system, maybe i was doing something wrong? However i soon got over the problem and created Swanny Zsun.

As you can see, he actually looks nothing like the real me. I found this entertaining though as the people i met online would have no idea, and this virtual representation of me would be all they could see. Part of the attraction of Virtual Chat programs such as this are escaping from reality, and so i thought it appropriate to make Swanny Zsun a caricature of my personality. I searched around Second Lifes communities and found a shop dedicated to gym merchandise in the hope that someone may be there to discuss bodybuilding/fitness etc. as these are both keen interests of mine, however there was no such luck. I will post an update when Swanny Zsun has his first conversation!