Flexi Prims
Flapping flags and swirling skirts. What do these have in common? Flexi prims!
Instruction
Flexi prims are regular prims that have flexible characteristics. They can seem to droop with gravity or sway with the wind. The flexi controls are easy to use and experiment with. Let’s get started!
Practice
Step 1: What is a flexi prim?
Flexi prims:
- Can be made from any prim based on a cube or cylinder shape.
- Are always phantom.
- Cannot be physical.
Rez at least six cube or cylinder based shapes. Stretch each one so that it is taller than your avatar. You will change each one as you explore the different ways an object can become flexible!
The Flexi controls are located in the Edit window in the Features tab. Edit Window > Features Tab > Flexible Path Checking the Flexible Path box will make a prim flexible.
[image – intro2build.11.a]
Edit a prim to make it flexible. You will see each flexible feature is preset with specific numbers.
Step 2: Softness
The Softness feature controls how soft, or floppy, a prim will appear.
Edit one of your prims and make it flexible. Practice changing the level of Softness. The higher the number, the softer the prim. Move your prim around to really see how soft it looks.
[image – intro2build.11.b]
Step 3: Gravity
This control determines how much a prim will respond to gravity. A high number will make your prim slump over. You can even choose negative numbers if you want an object to have mysterious anti-gravity qualities!
Edit another prim and practice changing only the Gravity setting.
[image – intro2build.11.c]
Step 4: Drag
Drag is the amount of air friction on an object. An object with low drag will wiggle like crazy! A high amount of drag will allow an object to sway gently.
Edit a prim and change the amount of Drag.
[image – intro2build.11.d]
Step 5: Wind
The Wind settings determine how much a prim will react to the wind. Picture a wind sock or flag that changes direction with the wind. Edit a prim and change the Wind settings. Try rotating and changing the position of the prim to see how it reacts to the wind.
[image – intro2build.11.e]
Step 6: Tension
The Tension control adjusts the amount of springiness in a flexi prim. The lower the number, the springier it will be. Change the amount of Tension in a prim. You may need to move it around to notice the change.
[image – intro2build.11.f]
Step 7: Force X, Y and Z
Remember the axis directions? Red: X axis – Green: Y axis – Blue: Z axis Increasing the Force of an axis makes the prim flop along that axis.
Edit a prim and change the amount of Force along each axis. Notice how the prim aligns itself along an axis as you increase the number.
[image – intro2build.11.g]
There are many ways to bring your scenes to life with the addition of simple flexi prims. Experiment with the settings to make a terrific flag!