Directed learning in my own time

Sunday 2008-01-20

Things I've done and learnt

As everyone has built something on the HW Island, I had decided to build a house on island too. I've builded a pier-like platform on the coastline of the island, and start using some basic techniques to build some panels for floors and a wide-view glass windows. My building contains 6 levels, I have not looked for how to write scripts for an elevator yet, but I did think about building one.

I have also read chapter 3 of the book and I've made the stairs with the grid functionality provided by the building tools. Also I had used the hollow shape function to create a whole on the floorboard in order to fit a spiral staircase into the house.

Unfortunately the island was cleared out by Judy without any prior notice, I didn't even keep a copy of what I've done... therefore there is no real evidence of what I've done.

My Building @ HW Island

Luckily I have saved a snapshot earlier this morning, so I can remember what I've learnt while I was building this building. First I've builted some circular steps as a path towards the pier-like platform for the foudation of the house. Then I've builded the main stones for the bottom bit of the house, and an extra thin layer for the wooden floor boards. I've then built the staircase using the tutorial from chapter 3 of the textbook, although I followed through the tutorial, but I've used some blocks instead of thin steps for the solid effect. Then I've built some glass panes for walls (energy saving :)) After everything is done, I've linked the small parts together, and shift drag a whole level to create another floor on top of the first one I've created. I've then chose the 'edit linked part' option in the object menu, and chose the floor pane in the corner and created a cylinder shape hole for the spiral staircase I've created following the tutorial in chapter 3 of the textbook.

I've then created a flat roof on top of 6 levels I've shift-dragged on top of one after another. For the sake of not having a bare roof, I've created a helicoptor rest on the roof.

I was hoping to put some furnitures into that house that I've built, but when I logged on to second life after dinner, I found that I've already been given limited access to the part of the island that I've assigned for, and everything is gone, but building that house I've practiced more about how to assemble simple shapes to big objects.


What I'd like to work on next time

Next I may build the same sort of structure building for the group project depends on what my group members would like to produce for this project.

Problems

There is one thing I've noticed while experiencing the building functions on SL, there is no way we can set an object to have a bigger length than 10.00, not on x, y and not on z, so I cannot create one big floorboard in one go, although shift-drag function to duplicate objects are quite easy, but it would be nice if we can make objects bigger.


Interesting finding

I have tried so hard to find free Linden money around SL but I didn't achieved. I had found a place where there are dance pads and you can camp there to earn about $L5 for 10 mins or something like that, but since the administrator of that particular location didn't let me to create a landmark on that area, I did not note down the coordinates of that place, and never have earned any money....

I've now found a place where there is a lucky prize draw, as long as you stay there before the system logs you out as being away for so long, you can stay there and have a chance of winning $L1 at a time. It's a very very slow way to optain Linden Dollars, I've won once so far, I think the best way to earn money again is to find those dance pad again :)

The place where they do $L1 Prize Draw