Introduction to Creating Part 1

The first time you create something is really exciting. You're ready to learn and to make fabulous things. Then you open up the programs and thing "What now?" "What is that" "How?" So for this three part tutorial I'll take you through selecting a mesh, the IMVU creator window and your tools in GIMP.

First things first, make you sure have an idea of what you want to create. When I create an outfit, I plan the shape, fabric, color and size and I use photos for references.

Next you want to find the mesh. I start by looking in the shop for outfits that sort of fits what I am looking for. So let's say I'm looking for a hoodie and I find one that kind of suits what I am looking for. Hover over the icon and click the 'I' button.

This will make the information card pop up. On that click more information and it will open up the product page in your browser. But you can't create from this yet, you need to get to the original mesher. You do by clicking "Derivation Tree"

This will take you to a new screen and from here can see the original mesher. Click on that to take you to that product.

Usually the mesher will provide maps that you can use to create your item, some even include overlays to help you with shading. You do want to save these maps. I believe it is good practice to establish an easy to use and organised filing system as the more you create the more files you will have.

Now to finally derive from the product. Scroll to the bottom of the product page and click on Derive from product.

This will open up in the IMVU creator window, which I'll refer to as "the client" from now on. You should now see your avatar on one side of the screen and a bunch of stuff on the other. I will take you through the Meshes Tab, which is what you need if you are just texturing an item.

So here is the meshes tab

You will see a column labelled "Materials" Each of these small images are referred to as layers, they will be numbered. The layer called 00 is the Body Layer. If you are making a GA item, make sure you are familiar with the Minimum Coverage Guidelines (MCG). The red zones must be completely covered. In the 00 layer is where you will place your opacity map that covers that zone. It's basically an underwear layer. I talk more about this in my Tips Tutorial. I strongly suggest reading that tutorial as I also cover texture sizes and how to texture without a map.

Each of the images in the Materials column refers to a different part of the mesh. The mesh I am using is color coded so the images match up. You can see that purple is the undershirt, pink is the body, blue is the hood etc.

Once you know which layers are it's time to create the opacity and the texture. I have written tutorials for those you can find an opacity tutorial HERE and texture tutorial HERE. If you look through my tutorials you should many different texture tutorials. Make sure you save your progress along the way, however to use the texture in the client you need to export it as a file IMVU can read. This is normally .jpg .png or .gif

Moving on to the Texture Assets part of the tab, this is where you place your opacity and your texture. It is labelled for you.

Under that you will see Material Parameters. Here is where you can make an item transparent. By clicking Use Blending and Blending Mode Composite this will make your item see through. HERE is the tutorial on transparency.

Texture animation is used to create moving textures, for example if you are creating a TV, or twinkling lights. We will go over that in another tutorial.

Before I upload anything I always check that I am complying with the MCG. If you click on the Config tab, you will see the options to Apply Minimum Coverage Guideline Skin and Apply Minimum Coverage Guideline Pose. This will change your skin to the MCG and pose your avatar so you can check all areas are covered. You can also type "Lotus" and the same pose will happen.

When you have finished your textures and are happy with your product it's time to upload. Before you upload however you will need to have an icon ready. This is the small image that appears in the shop. Your icon MUST be 100x80. I start by using the camera in the client to take a picture of my product and remove the background.

Once it appears in your gallery download the image. I already have a saved icon template that I use each time for my products. You can take some time now to create one, or you can use just a white background. You want to open a new file in GIMP and set the canvas size to 100x80. You can change the background to whatever you like. Then click File>Open as Layers and navigate to your saved image. Using the scale tool, scale the image to the size of the canvas, or until the item fits in the image.

I then sharpen the image but clicking Filters>Enhance>Sharpen and set the sharpness to 40. Export the completed icon as a .jpg. You are ready now to upload.

In the upload screen you can open your icon of the product. Name the product, set whether GA or AP and set your profit. In the drop down menu at the top, select where your product fits, whether its a cocktail dress, fitted t shirt, sleepwear etc. Now you can set the tags, these will help people to find your product. So for mine, I've tags such as orange, sweater, wool, pjs, casual etc, I also always include my avatar name and a variation of it.

Finally the controls. If you are making a custom item or if you want something just for yourself you can set the item to Display Only, this will make it appear in your catalog but no one will be able to purchase it. Removing the tick from the Visible in shop option, will make your product not appear in the shop and will be inaccessible to other users. If you are making a derivable product then you should tick Allow derivation. Only tick this option if you are the owner of the mesh. It is unfair to the original creator to tick this when you do not own the mesh. Lastly is the Allow inclusion in 3rd party bundles. Ticking this option allows other users to include your item in a bundle. I do not normally tick this, but it is a personal preference. Leaving this unticked does not effect your ability to bundle your own items. Once you have completed the Product Submission card then click Submit to shop.

This will open the product up in the browser and you will have giant red banner saying This product is UNPUBLISHED. If you add a product page, this is where you add it.

Clicking on Add HTML description is where you add the codes for your product. I will cover these codes in a future tutorial.

Once you are ready click "Click here to publish it" on the giant red banner. This will tell you now that the product has gone to peer review. When your item goes into peer review the item is checked by fellow creators and/or IMVU staff to make sure your product complies with the terms and conditions and also that the product works. As a new creator your item can take anywhere from 6 to 12 hours or even a couple days to pass peer review. The more items you create that pass the quicker the time will be.

The next tutorial will take you through some GIMP tools that you will use.

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