Let's Mesh around

Making mesh only for geeks? Mesh needs an extreme level of skill? Not if you know how to build with prims!

Many can build with prims but have no idea how to make something out of mesh. What you didn't know, you can build something out of prims and convert it into mesh!

Let's find out how!

(This works with Firestorm, I am unsure if other viewers have the same options)

• Rez a box
• Copy the box and align it almost against the other
• Select the two faces that face each other
• Make the two faces transparent
• Move one box so that it just hits the other box
• Select one outside surface and make it red
• Select the other outside surface and make it green
• Select both boxes and link them

Now comes the magic.

• Right-click your amazing build and select Save as=>Collada (make sure the Skip transparent option is checked)
• Click Save-as and find a place on your hard drive where you can find it back, give it a name. It will have the extension .dae

• Log out
• Log back, on the Beta grid (Aditi)
• Find a sandbox (Morris)

• Build=>Upload=>Mesh Model
• Find and select your amazing build
• Ignore the 1000 options
• Click Calculate weights and fee
• Click Upload
• Your inventory now has the object

Useless box

• Rez it

Your two prim object has become a one prim white thing with two coloured sides.

Apply different textures and colours to see what happens.

You have made a completely useless but 100% mesh object! Congratulations!

This method is better as the convex hull trick but you need to own the textures to re-apply them.

More info about this function can be found here.

About the import options:

The visible object

There are three levels of visibility, close, near and far away. By changing the numbers you can make the object disappear when your are not close. This can be useful for objects you use inside a house. They don't have to be visible when you are zoomed out. Reducing the numbers reduces the LI value but can make an object look horrible.

The physical object

These numbers are useful for buildings (floors and walls) and objects you can bump into.

There is a small example on how the object will look once imported, two models, the visible object and the physical object. You can experiment a bit before you upload.

1/ Transparent surfaces do not count for the LI calculation. Not visible surfaces should be transparent before exporting.

2/ Same textures reduce the LI count but limit modification options.

3/ You can upload and test things on the Beta grid without spending a single L$. When you are sure your creation is ok and uploading won't cost you an arm and a leg upload it to the normal world.

4/ Avoid curved surfaces, they will increase the LI count drastically.

5/ Always use a sandbox to experiment. If you made a mistake the LI count can go through the roof and your house could be returned to your inventory.

6/ For uploading mesh you need to agree on an additional TOS and you need to have payment info on-file.

Happy meshing!

The same, but better, can be done with Mesh Generator by Naonao Watanabe.

This machine does the same with a few important differences.

You can use curved surfaces. You can select how accurate the curves have to be made.

Same texture+same colour surfaces are treated as one surface reducing the LI count even more.

Make the same object as our experiment and see the differences.

Find the Naonao shop (Shop NN) in-world here. Also, pick up a tonne of freebees and learn to speak Japanese (most freebee manuals are in Japanese only).

 Reporter Vick Forcella

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