Updated Dance Animations

It’s been awhile since I posted anything here.  I still get quite a few views, so hopefully that means I’ve provided some worthwhile information that people find valuable.  Yay!  I won’t bore you with why I’ve been MIA (RL, blah, blah, blah), but lately I’ve had the time and the inclination to get back into SL.

So, of course, one of the first things I did was to visit my favorite dance stores and see what’s new.  Sadly, the answer is – not much.  Many of the stores I used to frequent (even though they didn’t have much new content) are now defunct.  I was happy to see that several of them (Abranimations, A&M, Henmations, and MyAnimations, to name a few) were still open for business and some even had new items!

SineWave, which was a perennial favorite when I first joined SL, seems to have finally gone.  The store was open for years with no new content, but the animations were good and I had a list of dances I still wanted to get.  Ah, well.  You snooze, you lose, right?

I have updated my Dance Animations Spreadsheet in case you’re interested.  Also, if you have any new stores that have opened since I was last active, please leave a comment and let me know the name and/or location.  I have L$ burning a hole in my virtual pocket!

Are you really sponsored?

Another interesting question for those of us who blog about SL!

Time and Lace

So my study brain has been activated. It’s a few days until I start classes and it seems that I’ve started analyzing and questioning everything. Either that or I created a monster the first time I posted my opinion. Either way, I’ve been thinking. A lot.

Sponsored. It’s an interesting word when it comes to blogging in second life. In marketing terms the definition of sponsoring is “One that finances a project, event, or organization directed by another person or group, such as a business enterprise that pays for radio or television programming in return for advertising time..” It’s used a lot in sports. It’s why you see brand names around the football oval. It represents a company that has paid money to that sporting event in exchange for advertising of their brand. In terms of Second Life, sponsors are the stores that pay for advertising at events, or the stores…

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New Contest from Razmataz!

Check out this contest from Razmataz! You have until July 30th to complete it. Try out your photography and costuming skills. If you participate, be sure to add your photo to the Flickr pool so I can see your awesome photos!

Moni's World

Hey guys! I wanted to tell you about this pose contest from Razmataz. Who would be interested in such a contest, you ask?

1. People who like taking pictures, either professionally or recreational
2. Those who always wanted a picture taken by a professional (one of the prizes!)
3. People who always wanted to make a certain pose for that certain outfit or prop (also one of the prizes)
 

The contest ends on July 30th, so you still have time to enter!

How to enter this contest?

1. Get a pose from the Razmataz store (poses are only 15L each).

2. Take a photo that clearly shows the pose – the more creative, the better.

3. write your name on the photo, as well as a new pose name that you came up with for the pose.

4. Send the photo full perms to Melonie Romano or place…

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Learning Curve

Blender UI – you can master this in a couple hours, right?
Image Source: http://www.rivalcastmedia.com

As I was scrolling through my various feeds today, I came across a post by Nalates Urriah.

In it, she is discussing SL and ‘SL2.0’ and what will be different.

What does SL need to retain people and attract new ones?

How can the SL experience be made better/faster/easier?

This is a conversation I’ve had with various people many times.

I’m not a techy person – most of what I know I’ve learned because I had to.

How to reduce lag, how to set up my computer for best performance during shows, etc.

I’ve had to learn how to build in order to make sets.

But with the advent of mesh, I think the whole landscape of SL has changed.

Literally and figuratively.

What isn’t made of mesh in SL these days?

Clothing?

Mesh.  When was the last time you went to a shopping event in SL and saw anything for sale that wasn’t mesh?

Furniture?

Mesh.  Because you can get amazingly detailed and realistic items with mesh, AND they are low LI.  Everyone is subject to the LI limit so – mesh.

Landscape items – trees, flowers, gardens, gazebos, fences, walls?

Mesh.  Again, the LI limit is a factor, so – mesh.

Houses?

Mesh.

Avatars?

Mesh.  Mesh bodies are everywhere – TMP, Belleza, Maitreya, Eve, Lena, WowMeh, etc.

Mesh heads, mesh hands, mesh feet.

Mesh, mesh, mesh, mesh, mesh.

When I first joined SL, the biggest attraction was that you could join and start experimenting.

It didn’t take that long to learn how to build and texture using prims.  (Building ‘well’ is a whole other topic.)

Then making clothes – learn a bit of Photoshop and/or GIMP and you could make yourself some ok/decent clothes.

These days, nothing seems as simple.

Sure, you can buy a mesh clothing template, make a texture, and make some mesh clothing.

But then you need to make appliers, because who doesn’t have a mesh bod, mesh boobs, a mesh butt?

Ok, so furniture.

That should be simpler, right?

Except you have to know a 3D modeling program to build one (there are mesh templates for furniture, as well).

But then you need to know about polygons, vertices, LOD – how can you get the best performance for the least impact?

(I have no idea – since I don’t know how to use any 3D modeling programs.)

A statement that Nalates made in her post really made me pause.

She said, ” I and others do not want to go to college to learn how to play on the playground.”

I totally get that it is possible to learn a program like Blender.

I’ve invested many hours in learning Photoshop.

But Blender and other programs like it are never going to be something you can learn/pick up quickly.

Does that by extension mean that SL (and probably ‘SL2.0’) are never going to be something you can pick up quickly as well?

I think so.

Given that one of the biggest complaints about SL is the learning curve, what impact will that have on attracting new users?

If you had to spend 2 hours learning the UI for Halo or Modern Warfare or Battlefield or Call of Duty or even MarioKart, would you play?

I realize that is an over-simplification, but I think the point is valid.

One of the biggest draws of SL, for me (and many others), was that the possibilities seemed endless and open.

These days, there is a definite limit.