Posted 8 years ago
·
Author
The following is a small list of tips and techniques I've used to improve my developing skills. I do not guarantee that any of the items on this list will make you a pro dev or rich with credits but they could help you make things you didn't 
you could before or help improve your texture skills.
Practice!
I know it's cliché but if you give up after 1 day or even a week, you will never improve. Remember, practicing doesn't cost you anything except time. You don't have submit everything you make. You can practice all you want without spending a single credit or dollar.
I often create small meshes and textures just to see how they would look on IMVU in Create Mode. Sometimes I don't even get that far. I'll just sit in Sketchup and draw shapes for a while. Sometimes I'll make a shape that ends up looking good enough to use in a larger mesh. Or sometimes I'll make a shape that closely resembles something else and I'll end up modifying it to becomes that thing. I have a semi large collection of things I've never submitted and probably never will. But I've learned a lot of things while making them that have helped me in projects I have submitted.
Don't be afraid to experiment outside the box.
Experimenting is something that can be really beneficial. It's something that has led me to discovering new techniques for making things that used to be difficult or that I simply had no idea how to make. Whether it's trying some new settings in your favorite graphics editor, trying out some new tools in your favorite mesh editor or simply installing a new program you haven't used before. If you don't try, you'll never know what the possibilities are.
Use references!
References are one of the most important things for anyone trying to learn to develop. They can help you figure out what to make or how to go about making something. I often use references when I need new ideas or want to create a certain texture.
The IMVU catalog is a great source of references. Use it to analyze products down to the mesh and textures. Often times, if I mesh something but don't know what texture I should create for it, I'll look at what other people have made that is similar to what I'm doing. I'll look at how their textures look when loaded in IMVU's rendering engine. This helps me decide what style I should go with to reflect what I am trying to make. It's also great for getting ideas on displaying your product to the customer though the icon or even product page. Sure, you could take a static picture of your product and use that but if you want to grab people's attention and give off a higher quality vibe, than you'll want to go the extra step. I often look at what techniques people use in their icons to give a good portrayal of what they're selling. From the way the animation moves to what sort of camera angles were used.
The internet is also a great place to get references. Places like Google/Bing images and Pinterest can help fill your mind with tons of ideas. I use Google Images heavily when creating meshes and textures. Not by using the images in my product but by using them as a guide for shaping my mesh or the style of my texture.
Research!
Out of everything I've said so far, this is probably the most important. I cannot express enough just how important it is to do research. Whether you want to know how to make a mesh or hot to create a texture chances are there is already a tutorial out there.
Also, never assume you know everything there is to know about something. Just because you've learned to do something well, does not mean that is the only way. Often times you will find better ways of doing something that will help reduce the time it takes to accomplish the same goal. In fact, just last night I figured out a better way of texturing a sphere in Sketchup that I had never thought of doing before. Not only was it easy, but the resulting texture looked way better. If I had not decided to research something I thought I had already had all the knowledge of, I never would have found that tutorial and some of the products I'm making now wouldn't exist.
TL:DR
1) Practice and don't give up. You may suck for a while but eventually you will get good if you try.
2) Think outside the box and try new things. It will lead you to new and better things.
3) Use the internet and the catalog to look at what others are doing for inspiration.
4) Use the internet for more than just cats and porn to learn how to be the dev you want to be.
you could before or help improve your texture skills.Practice!
I know it's cliché but if you give up after 1 day or even a week, you will never improve. Remember, practicing doesn't cost you anything except time. You don't have submit everything you make. You can practice all you want without spending a single credit or dollar.
I often create small meshes and textures just to see how they would look on IMVU in Create Mode. Sometimes I don't even get that far. I'll just sit in Sketchup and draw shapes for a while. Sometimes I'll make a shape that ends up looking good enough to use in a larger mesh. Or sometimes I'll make a shape that closely resembles something else and I'll end up modifying it to becomes that thing. I have a semi large collection of things I've never submitted and probably never will. But I've learned a lot of things while making them that have helped me in projects I have submitted.
Don't be afraid to experiment outside the box.
Experimenting is something that can be really beneficial. It's something that has led me to discovering new techniques for making things that used to be difficult or that I simply had no idea how to make. Whether it's trying some new settings in your favorite graphics editor, trying out some new tools in your favorite mesh editor or simply installing a new program you haven't used before. If you don't try, you'll never know what the possibilities are.
Use references!
References are one of the most important things for anyone trying to learn to develop. They can help you figure out what to make or how to go about making something. I often use references when I need new ideas or want to create a certain texture.
The IMVU catalog is a great source of references. Use it to analyze products down to the mesh and textures. Often times, if I mesh something but don't know what texture I should create for it, I'll look at what other people have made that is similar to what I'm doing. I'll look at how their textures look when loaded in IMVU's rendering engine. This helps me decide what style I should go with to reflect what I am trying to make. It's also great for getting ideas on displaying your product to the customer though the icon or even product page. Sure, you could take a static picture of your product and use that but if you want to grab people's attention and give off a higher quality vibe, than you'll want to go the extra step. I often look at what techniques people use in their icons to give a good portrayal of what they're selling. From the way the animation moves to what sort of camera angles were used.
The internet is also a great place to get references. Places like Google/Bing images and Pinterest can help fill your mind with tons of ideas. I use Google Images heavily when creating meshes and textures. Not by using the images in my product but by using them as a guide for shaping my mesh or the style of my texture.
Research!
Out of everything I've said so far, this is probably the most important. I cannot express enough just how important it is to do research. Whether you want to know how to make a mesh or hot to create a texture chances are there is already a tutorial out there.
Also, never assume you know everything there is to know about something. Just because you've learned to do something well, does not mean that is the only way. Often times you will find better ways of doing something that will help reduce the time it takes to accomplish the same goal. In fact, just last night I figured out a better way of texturing a sphere in Sketchup that I had never thought of doing before. Not only was it easy, but the resulting texture looked way better. If I had not decided to research something I thought I had already had all the knowledge of, I never would have found that tutorial and some of the products I'm making now wouldn't exist.
TL:DR
1) Practice and don't give up. You may suck for a while but eventually you will get good if you try.
2) Think outside the box and try new things. It will lead you to new and better things.
3) Use the internet and the catalog to look at what others are doing for inspiration.
4) Use the internet for more than just cats and porn to learn how to be the dev you want to be.
Try to never copy other devs, take only inspiration from them. 
