Build Interface

At first, the interface in Second Life was a bit confusing; there is definitely a learning curve.  I couldn’t even use the camera controls properly, but I’m starting to adjust.  Aside from learning and adapting to the basic interface of Second Life, I think what I will spend the most time on is building.  While I’m glad to have an avatar, I’m not that interested in changing it around that much.  I would really like to focus on building objects and working with Photoshop to make textures.  The interface for building is organized in one main menu with a a few tabs.  I really like that everything is in one location for building.  While building needed to be explained and I still had to learn all of the symbols and key features, there wasn’t too much memorizing involved.  It easy to navigate because the player doesn’t need to search through a maze of drop down menus to find something.  

I also like the instant gratification that the building interface gives you.  Objects never feel completely unfinished.  If I stop building midway it’s not unusable or far off from complete.  The second the user starts building there is something tangible (virtually tangible) to put back into the inventory or even use right it away.  I was not expecting to be able to immediately test or wear objects.  That feature makes the process easier and a little more rewarding.  I’m also looking forward to using the option of importing 3D models from other programs.  The building tools in Second Life are a good option for people, like me, who have never even dabbled in 3D modeling.  I think that as I get more comfortable with Second LIfe I will get tired of its limitations and I’ll want to move on to something more complex.  For a beginner this interface presents a learning curve that is surmountable and rewards the player immediately for creating something.