Elena Rossi
There are several ways to paint Second Life vehicles using Photoshop. One way is to use a free plugin that allows you to preview and paint texture maps on an offline copy of the default SL avatar. Another method involves using Adobe Substance Designer/Painter to generate texturing methods and apply them to a 3D mesh, which can then be exported to SL. Additionally, there are various tutorials and video courses available that teach specific techniques, such as creating transparent textures and adjusting the Levels histogram in Photoshop to achieve proper balance in brightness, contrast, and gamma.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Image size | Minimum 2048x2048 |
| File formats | .jpg, zip, Photoshop |
| Tools | GIMP, Photoshop, Substance Designer/Painter, AvPainter |
| Techniques | UV mapping, emissive maps, alpha + color tinting, transparent textures, terrain textures, histogram adjustments |
| Terrain textures | Grayscale height field information, 256x256 pixel height map, 256 values of gray |
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What You'll Learn
Using Photoshop to create terrain textures
To create terrain textures in Photoshop, you can follow these steps and guidelines:
First, it is important to have a good understanding of working with images in Photoshop. While there is a free plugin for Photoshop that can be used for terrain texturing, it is not easy to use, and online help and support for this plugin are limited.
Next, you will need to prepare your workspace. Ensure that you have one map with all the UVs for easy painting, and another three maps to burn the textures back to the Linden map for uploading. Create a new layer in the Shader Tree and choose a size of at least 2048x2048 pixels.
When it comes to the creative process, the more detail, texture, and colour you add, the better. Consider using the airbrush tool to add hills and mountains, and remember that the ground can be tinted to look like hills. You can also add shadows to create depth and make your terrain more 3D. If you want to add water, create a flat 3D plane and use a grey shade to indicate the water level, then fill the selected area with blue. You can also manually paint rivers onto the water layer.
Finally, don't forget about lighting and labels. Adjust the colours of your terrain to indicate the direction of light, and add any necessary labels or textures to complete your scene.
While these steps provide a general guide, there are also more specific tutorials available for creating terrain textures in Photoshop, as well as tutorials focused on texturing for Second Life specifically.
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Adjusting the Levels histogram
To adjust the Levels histogram in Photoshop, you need to understand the unique histogram of your image and adjust the intensity levels of its shadows, midtones, and highlights.
The Levels histogram is a visual guide to adjusting the key tones of an image. It is used to correct the tonal range and colour balance of an image by adjusting the intensity levels of image shadows, midtones, and highlights. The Levels tool can be used to move and stretch the brightness levels of an image histogram. The three main components of the Levels tool are the black point slider, the white point slider, and the midtone slider. The black and white point sliders are used to redefine the histogram's "Input Levels", mapping them to the "Output Levels". The default Output Levels are black (0) and white (255). The midtone slider, on the other hand, redefines the location of middle grey (128).
When adjusting the black and white point levels of the histogram, consider whether there are any regions in the image that should be completely black or white and if the histogram reflects this. Most images look best when they utilize the full range from dark to light. However, be cautious when moving the black and white point sliders to the edge of the histogram as this can easily clip the shadows and highlights. Images taken in fog, haze, or very soft light rarely have fully black or white regions, so adjusting the levels for such images can make the lighting appear harsher than it actually was.
To adjust the shadows and highlights manually, drag the black and white Input Levels sliders to the edge of the first group of pixels at either end of the histogram. For example, moving the black point slider to the right at level 5 will result in Photoshop mapping all the pixels at level 5 and lower to level 0. Similarly, moving the white point slider to the left at level 243 will result in Photoshop mapping all pixels at level 243 and higher to level 255. The corresponding pixels in the other channels are adjusted proportionately to avoid altering the colour balance.
You can also adjust the image layer so that it extends to the ends of the graph, indicating that the image is using the full tonal range.
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Painting on the SL Avatar
Prepare the Maps
Firstly, you need to address the issue of overlapping maps. You will require one map with all the UVs for easy painting. To create this, simply copy and paste the UVs to a new map and use Pack UVs to spread them out.
Create Additional Maps
Next, you need three additional maps to burn the textures back to the Linden map for uploading to SL. To do this, select the polygons within each material, copy the associated UVs, and paste them into new maps.
Set Up the Shader Tree
Now, you can begin the painting process. In the Shader Tree, create a new layer as an Image Map, with a size of at least 2048x2048.
Start Painting
Go to the Paint tab and select your desired brush, tip, colour, and nozzle (if using a graphics tablet). You can now begin painting on your SL Avatar!
Save for SL
When you're ready to save, add a new Image Map layer at the default size. Ensure you are baking to the correct map by checking the Properties and selecting the desired UVs from the Texture Locator tab under Projection.
Bake the Texture
Right-click on the Image Map in the Shader Tree and choose "Bake from Object to Texture" from the drop-down menu. Accept the defaults, and your texture will be baked and ready for SL!
Finalise the Image
Save the image from the Render window, and you can now repeat the process for any additional images or textures you wish to create for your SL Avatar.
Additionally, there are various tutorials and video guides available online, such as the SL Texture Tutorials by Lady Hathaway and Torley Linden, which offer step-by-step instructions for creating textures for SL using Photoshop. These can provide further insights and tips for painting on the SL Avatar.
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Making transparent textures
Method 1: Using the Magic Wand Tool
Firstly, open your desired texture in Photoshop. Next, use the Magic Wand Tool (W) to select a black area of the image. Then, press 'Select' and then 'Similar'. You may need to do this a few times to get the desired selection. Now, press 'Select' and then 'Refine Edge'. From this panel, you can make adjustments to your selection. Be sure to set "Output To:" to "New Layer". Now, you have a transparent texture layer that you can apply to your artwork.
Method 2: Using Layer Styles
Firstly, create a new layer and fill it with black. Drag this new layer below your desired texture layer. Double click on the texture layer to open the Layer Styles panel. Under "Blending Options", move the white arrow on the top slider towards the left. You will see the white areas of the texture begin to disappear. Keep moving the slider until the image is as close to solid black as possible. Click 'OK'. Now, go back to the black layer underneath and invert the colours (Cmd+I) to make it solid white. Delete the white layer underneath and create a new layer above the texture to flatten the layer style.
Method 3: Creating a Custom Brush
Open your texture and convert it to black and white, adjusting the levels. Create a new document at 2500x2500 pixels. Click and drag the texture layer over to this new document. Resize and adjust the texture so that it fits within the square canvas. Now, select 'Edit' and then 'Define Brush Preset'. Name your new brush and click 'OK'. Your new brush will now appear in the brush panel. Select it and apply it to a new layer in your artwork.
Using Photoshop for Second Life Textures
Second Life only supports exported images from specific programs, such as Adobe Substance Designer/Painter, GIMP, and Photoshop with certain plugins. There are also tutorials available that specifically teach how to make transparent textures for Second Life using Photoshop.
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Using modo to paint directly on a model
Modo offers a variety of tools and functions to sculpt and paint your models. It has two different painting technologies: a standard 3D-painting method and a projection-painting method. The standard method paints directly onto the 3D model, but it can result in oddly-shaped brush strokes when used on complex objects. The projection method, on the other hand, allows you to paint in the viewport, and Modo projects each stroke onto the 3D model, eliminating distortions.
To paint directly on a model in Modo, you need a 3D model and a bitmap texture. You can apply the texture map to the model's polygons using the Shader Tree. The Shader Tree also allows you to create a new layer for painting by selecting an Image Map with a size of at least 2048x2048.
The paint and sculpting tools in Modo are modular and composed through the Tool Pipe, which offers flexibility and customisation. Basic painting and sculpting only require a tool and a brush tip, but you can also add or remove inks, nozzles, and falloffs to create custom tools for specific effects. Modo's default interface provides a Paint layout tab for easy access to painting, sculpting, and Vertex Map-editing tools, as well as a toolbox with related tools.
When painting, you can select a brush and begin painting in any viewport, including UV views. Modo's brushes can be found in the Paint tab, where you can also access useful commands dedicated to painting and sculpting. To change the size of the brush tip, simply left-click and drag your mouse. Additionally, you can use the Mesh Paint tool to directly apply one mesh layer onto the surface of another. This allows you to paint geometry, instances, and replicas, accurately placing single or multiple copies with a single stroke.
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Frequently asked questions
There is a free plugin to use Photoshop within Second Life. You will need a good understanding of image editing to use it effectively.
You can use the Levels histogram (Image > Adjustments > Levels) to achieve a proper balance in brightness, contrast, and gamma. You can also use the Substance Designer/Painter to generate texturing methods and apply them to a 3D mesh.
Make a new layer in the Shader Tree that's an Image Map, and choose a size that's at least 2048x2048.
There are several step-by-step video tutorials available, as well as books and other image editing techniques.
