Some may have noticed that I’ve not posted for a while here. I partly blame the summer and being busy, but I also blame the Builders Brewery. I’ve been in SL for nearly four years now and have really wanted to learn to build and create for some time. I’ve recently been playing with photo shop…hard! It is very engrossing and time-consuming, but I really like it. Additionally, I’ve recently joined the SL group, Builders Brewery. At first I joined it because they have amazing items in their sim store. I purchased some cool textures there and some other fun gadgets. They also have a ton of useful freebie items that I suggest you snatch up at your earliest convenience.
However, I found out that they also offer building classes. Not just building classes, but classes for learning sculplties, mesh, LSL and scripting, clothing creation, jewelry creation, and creation of specific objects such as water fountains, spiral stairs, sliced windows and doors, and programs such as Gimp, Blender, Qavimator, Rokuro and more.
Well, I have tried to catch as many of these classes as I can. At first, I sniffed at the 101 classes…I mean, I’ve been around for many years now and have picked up more than a few building tricks. But I decided to hit the entry-level classes anyway just to make sure I didn’t miss some important tips. A good thing too! I found out that there were several useful tips and tricks that I wasn’t aware of and that I was doing things the hard way. The classes, while long, were very helpful.
- Instructor Deyanira Yalin teaching Jewelry 101 class
I really admire the organization and structure of the classes. Classes for the week are sent to group members as well as posted at the sim entrance. This way it is easy to anticipate which classes I wish to take. Some scheduling is also important because some classes are in a series and must be attended in order. Classes can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours so do check ahead of time. Class notes are distributed at the end of class so you can use them on your own time. Also, spontaneous classes are offered through the group periodically, another good reason to join group. Warning: Don’t just hit up the instructors for the class notes if you’ve not attended the class. You must attend the classes to get them…plus its just rude!
A word about Builders Brewery group. This group is very very active. Members are free to post building related questions and more than likely they get their questions answered in a very polite and generous manner. There is also fun banter from time to time, however, off topic chat is discouraged. (A separate group called Speakeasy has been recently created for those who like more fun and chatty discussion.) If you don’t mind many group IMs popping up, then this is a group for you. I find that I learn quite a bit by not shutting down this group chat window and reading chat. However, if you hate group chat boxes opening, you may want to skip joining this group.
- Great freebies found here!
I’d just like to say thank you to Sensuous Maximus and Supremius Maximus, sim owners, for offering such wonderful classes. Also, thank you to the instructors! If you take a class, please be as generous as you can with tips to thank the instructors and sim owners. They contribute to making our SL experiences so much better.
Visit Builders Brewery today to find amazing textures, gadgets, classes, and to view showcases of some of SL’s most talented creators. The current showcase features Robin (Sojourner) Wood. If you’ve ever used an avatar template to create in SL, you most likely know of Robin.