SimImage and SLTk Pro

I don't normally discuss Second Life tools, but occasionally I do stumble upon a sim that is set up solely for the purpose of promoting such beasts. simimage is just such a place. Completely coincidentally, it also matches one of my recurring motifs in SL, in that it is a Japanese sim, belonging to SimImage Co. Ltd of Tokyo.

The purpose of the sim is to promote and sell the SLTk Pro ("Second Life Toolkit for Professional") tool. SLTk Pro is a plug-in for Autodesk Maya that allows users to create and export prim-based objects for Second Life. The big claim is for improved accuracy and speed in building, but it has another handy benefit. Since the prims are built and assembled first in the Maya* environment, and then imported into Second Life, the builder is not at the mercy of Linden Lab when it comes to backups. S/he retains an offworld copy that can be refreshed into Second Life as required. Furthermore, as this can carry around 15000 prims, you are, in effect, able to keep an offworld copy of an entire Second Life sim. Despite some dodgy English grammar and spelling, this is a serious piece of software, for use with another serious piece of software, and thus carries a serious price tag. However, you can get a 15-day free trial.



OK, so much for the product, but what about the sim? The sim itself is mostly sea, in the midst of which stands a floating platform. Two rows of identical giant statues line the West and East sides of the platform. A script triggers every so often to build another of these statues from component parts - presumably to show you the power of the tool. Certainly the statues are quite impressive, with great detailing and depth of texture. The product information is in the central area of the platform, and is available in both English and Japanese. You can also buy the product here if you wish. SimImage are happy to take your money in Yen or Linden $.



South of the platform you will find a recreation of the German battleship Bismarck - again I assume this 2700+ prim beast is the result of using the SLTk Pro tool.



There's a couple of freebies, but nothing to get too excited about. And that, basically, is it. If you are already a Maya user (with deep pockets) you might find this tool really useful, if you do not have something for SL prim imports already.

* A 3DStudioMAX version is due soon.