For many people the ability to create their vision in second life has a massive appeal. To bang some prims into place to create their first home, a mall or club, perhaps even something that would merit an appearance on Grand Designs.

There are a few ways people create buildings in second life. Some people start with the building then texture; others look at texture ideas to kick-start their creative juices. Either way a good texture has the ability to make a mediocre building look great. Likewise, a texture can have the ability to make a good building look awful.

When it comes to choosing the correct texture for your building, you have several options depending on your time, budget, and experience. Of course, there are many free textures out there. These cover a multitude of categories and can often give many people a good start into creating.
Once the building bug latches on you will want to increase your texture collection and perhaps start spending money on it. When it comes to shopping for textures in SL, there are a lot of little mini hubs and outlets. I will have a look at some of the larger texture outlets and give you an idea on what they have on offer.

Esprit was one of the first texture places I ever visited in SL. Esprit has been here for a while now, however while the textures are good no new ones get added to the collection. One good thing Esprit has over some of the others is the ability to buy texture packs OR single textures. All packs are the same price ($L300) or individuals are $L25 each. The choice at Esprit is limited but may provide you a good starting point to building your collection.



A large clean fresh looking building awaits you upon arrival at RB. The collection here is bigger than Esprit and again the quality looks good. Here you can earn some money while shopping by the camping chairs on offer. You can only buy packs at RB Textures and one slightly annoying factor, I have discovered, is that they are delivered to you in a box meaning you have to unpack before excitedly putting them on your creations.



Textures Unlimited is a far bigger place to shop than the previous two; however, it can be slightly misleading as to how many textures are actually here. Unlike other places you don’t need to click to scroll though the pack contents, they are all on display for you to see. However there are also a LOT of ‘coming soon’ as well. The quality is also high and packs cost on average $L350. From the middle of the store you can use the massive tp board to navigate your way round. I do tend to find the board slightly confusing, it is split up by texture and colour so if, for example, you are trying to find red brick, it might not necessarily be where you expect.



THE original texture shop in SL, TRU is simply huge and awe inspiring. Established in 2004, now with over 35 professional texture artists the TRU collection will not disappoint. The quality here cannot be faulted; all packs vary in size and cost. TRU covers a monumental category base from 3D Gothic buildings to the best in seasonal favourites. Complete with a logical and sensible teleport board in the main entrance; navigating TRU is easy. TRU are currently working on a HUD based system for people to use, now entering its final testing stages, perhaps check the group for updates. Once you have spent some time at TRU you can spot their textures used in many places and are often favoured by some of Second Life’s biggest builders.


Of course, users of SLX will already know that you can get a massive amount of things on the out of world website textures are also here. If you want to shop at your own pace without lag, SLX very well might be an option for you. Please remember however, quality might not always be what it seems.

I have given you a small collection from some of the larger outlets to obtain textures. The final choice really does depend on your experience and own desire to learn new skills. Textures can be made using programs such as Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop. To make some truly fabulous textures on a level with the likes of TRU is not an easy task however, if you have experience of these programs you may well want to begin creating your own textures. Like building, your skills will increase with more practise and you will find yourself with complete control over the whole design process.

It is important to remember that your chosen texture will complete your building, time and care should be taken when choosing what you need. Happy building & texturing!

When the real world media reports on Second Life, they would have you believe that it is populated exclusively by either Get-Rich-Quick conmen, out to rip each other off, as if they are in a complex game of guerrilla monopoly, or sex starved maniacs, leching over each other, before indulging in a frenzy of perverted rutting the likes of which would make the Marquis De Sade blush. This is of course not true, as although these stereotypes do exist, SL is also a hot bed of creative talent, from the programmers, designers and builders who make this mad world we exist in, to the creatives, artists, writers and musicians, who try to make the virtual world a more beautiful places to live in.

I was fortunate enough to catch one of the best of these musicians today, Djai Skjellerup, performing one of the many gigs he puts on all over the grid, much to the enjoyment of passers by, and his dedicated following alike. Djai is a singer songwriter, singing his words as he accompanies himself on the piano, in a style which tends to make you think of Elton John at his best (I really didn't want to draw the line between Djai and Mr John, as it feels lazy to compare just because they both sing and play piano, but Djai's bouncy musical style does evoke a similar spirit). I was lucky enough to convince Djai to take time out from working on his debut album "Ice Age Diaries" (which should available in April) to have a chat about his career, his experience as an SL musician, and his current projects:

Voodoo Buwan: So..... How long have you been performing your music in SL?

Djai Skjellerup: About 7 months now. When I first heard about the possibility to play live in an online environment called SL it really caught my attention. It reinvigorated my ambition to be a songwriter. I have always written songs but having an outlet for them is key. The other methods of online marketing are far less interactive, such has having a myspace page...still very useful but in SL it is an interactive experience with those listening to you. I had not performed in RL for a few years when I heard about SL, although I'd had a variety of roles in a few different bands but knew what I really wanted to do was just to write songs and have them heard.

Voodoo Buwan: You're one of the more established and hard working acts in SL, gigging 4 or 5 times most weeks... Did you have any problems breaking into the SL music scene?

Djai Skjellerup: Yes I did at first...there were fewer musicians around then but I went about it a different way than most I guess...you see I had been in SL for around 6 months before I ever performed.. the way I see it I wanted to become an integrated member of SL before I jumped into performing. I feel dedicated to SL and I did not want to come here to try and grab some limelight for what is essentially a RL act. I intend to be in SL for the long term, but at first I did some open mics...I would advise all musicians to do those as they give a good grounding, and then I started getting a name...but I approached venues myself at first. Now I am happy to say that they come and find me :)

Voodoo Buwan: Yes, your act is very much using the media rather than just playing the songs... I'm thinking about your interacting with the crowd. Is that a conscious choice, or is it more just how you are?

Djai Skjellerup: Well I think SL has a habit of bringing people out of themselves and that respect I am no different...I certainly think SL makes me a more ebullient than I might be normally, but then engaging the audience is key to performing in SL I find and that engagement has become a necessity as well as an enjoyment...I love doing it..playing and chatting to folks :)

Voodoo Buwan: When you say about being part of the community, it makes me think of something you mentioned on stage earlier, with the song "Get it Together". Can you explain this project for our readers, and what it's all about?

Djai Skjellerup: Well it has become apparent recently that the SL music scene is being heavily support by a few philanthropic venue owners, who are footing the bill in many different way to bring music to the audience..in land fees, musician and staff fees and all sorts, and that is a model that cannot be sustained.And so some members of the music community in SL have been brainstorming ways of raising the profile of music in SL and educating the audience as to how it is funded...so that they understand that if they do shoulder the burden and make a contribution when at a show, then there will be alot less live music around. Now no one really thinks a venues charging admittance will work very well, as that would exclude many noobs who we need ...new audience members are always welcome, but a much better situation would be that the costs of having the music is met by those that benefit from it...the audience...and if educated to the situation they will be more likely to tip. And so "Get It Together" is my contribution. It is a song I wrote and have distributed to a number of other SL musicians. They are currently recording it themselves and when they have returned their recordings back to us...me and my collaborator Toby Lancaster. Then we will build a "Band Aid" style track that will be gifted to all non profit venue or those with very little revenue stream, so that it can be given away free in a notecard with other information whenever anyone tips and will also act as a showcase for all the musicians who perform on it :) Here is a URL with more details :) http://slmc.myfastforum.org/Get_It_Together__about810.html

Voodoo Buwan: Sounds like a great project. Have the venues reacted well to the idea?

Djai Skjellerup: Yes very well...I am looking forward to hearing the other musicians contributions...we have some of the great and good of the SL music scene.... SLim Warrior, Kim Seifert and Rich Desoto among many others :)

Voodoo Buwan: Getting back to you for a bit... You have a very crisp quality to your sound when performing, unlike many sl musicians, almost like you are in a recording studio rather than your bedroom, for instance. Is that something that you made the effort to achieve, or is it just a by product of having to be in a room that fits a piano?

Djai Skjellerup: Well, the room I perform in at my home is my study but I am lucky that is has a high ceiling and is semi-separated from the rest of the house...so I can go for it without disturbing anyone but I building a dedicated studio...and I am hoping to use that for myself and other musicians when it is ready...my current sound is down to tweaking the setting and taking time and trouble to get it right...a few pals have helped me in that respect by being my ears at a show...getting a quick heads up if there is an audio issue is always more useful that people staying quiet because they are polite :)

Voodoo Buwan: Do you have dreams of getting discovered through performing inworld, or is being an SL musician an ends in itself?

Djai Skjellerup: That's a great question...my dream was always really to get a publishing deal as a songwriter and to be able to place songs with RL artists and I saw SL as a way of getting exposure for the songs rather than me...but the reaction I have had to my playing and singing itslef has been overwhelming and I have to admit it has made me think a little about performing in RL...but I am a family man..35 years old with 4 kids under the age of 5 lol...and so SL suits me down to the ground really...I can get my music across and engage with people in an even better way than I think I might in RL....as long as the kids are in bed lol

Voodoo Buwan: Finally, a few quick fire questions: Who would say are your biggest musical influences?

Djai Skjellerup: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, REM...many melodic acts with an emphasis on lyricism

Voodoo Buwan: Do you check out many live acts in SL when you aren't performing? And if so, who is your favourite?

Djai Skjellerup: I do and my personal preference is for the acts that perform original material live...a couple of the ones I like most are Melvin Took and Eyewall Paine

Voodoo Buwan: And Lastly, what tips would you give to anyone else thinking about becoming an SL performer?

Djai Skjellerup: Two things really...the first is to strive to be the best you can possibly be...SL is not a poor cousin to RL in respect of the quality of act you put out...make sure you are prepared with everything you need at hand...there is nothing worse than dead air during a show or someone forgetting lyrics ...some minor mistakes are fine and in fact a little glitch often helps to remind the audience it is being performed live...but really just be the best you can through preparation and practice.. and the other thing is to integrate in SL a little first. I took 6 months, but a few weeks would be enough :)

More information on when to catch Djai performing live, along with his blog can be found at http://www.djaiskjellerup.com/ or you can hear some of his tracks at www.myspace.com/djaiskjellerup1

Voodoo : Ms Trinity and myself are both experienced and intrepid explorers of Second Life. We leave no virtual stone unturned, no alley unexplored.... and therefore when we heard of a way in SL to explore the Afterlife, we said our prayers, and looked into what was needed for such an out of body experience.
Trinity : We asked the questions and purchased the so called "afterlife" temp rezzing experience... disregarded the instructions (as you do) and rezzed..... away we go
Voodoo : For any less tech minded among us..... this temp rez malarky gizmoness means that this device basically builds it's own world and experience, through..... magic as far as I'm concerned
Trinity : Yes dear...... Aaaanyway.... you rez a guillotine and sign your life away to the extremely sharp and shiny blade.... I stood by and watched voodoo's head come clean off and then signed myself up for the same experience

Voodoo : Since we were on Trin's land, she did me first, to keep control over the proceedings or at least, that was her excuse
Trinity : You know how much of a control freak I am......Aaaanyway off with your head and away into a star filled sky with much floatyness


Voodoo : With very manly feather wings fluttering all the way
Trinity : Manly???? You didn't look very manly to me...
Voodoo : Once we both made it up to inky blackness, we landed, and found that an eerie white area was appearing around us
Trinity : Yes we know you are allergic to nice clean white surroundings....

Voodoo : *Shudder*
Trinity : While holding Voodoo and telling him all would be ok we walked through the nice pearly gates
Voodoo : MY EYES!
Trinity : There there. We arrived into a tunnel where the options were clear..... Heaven or Hell.... Thinking of the Microsoft slogan "where would you like to go today" our obvious choice was to hellVoodoo : Well.... people keep telling us to go there, so only polite to oblige

Trinity : People may tell you...... but never me.
Voodoo : Yes, dear.... anyway... we ended up in a waiting area.. Very pretty... full of restful water to float in, and lots of the kind of pictures I normally see on friend's hash tins. Glowing magic dolphins, and the like
Trinity : I thought these images brought out your rash?
Voodoo : After the white room, this was the lesser evil. And besides, it didn't last that long
Trinity : It certainly did.... the calmness faded the room became dark.... it was now my time to worry.... images started to appear that worried me... the lovely clear blue water turned to blood... evil eyes and horns appeared on the walls.....


Voodoo : Ah, home
Trinity : I had to leave....... I couldn't cope.... where was the door.... the images of 80's vampire films came flooding back...... get me out
Voodoo : Yes, since the evil was upon us, we bravely and courageously ran into the light


Trinity : Yes, and into a room filled with falling coffins..... Now to me it seemed obvious when coffins came crashing down about your head you steered clear.... shame Voo's satellite navigation system was broke.....


Voodoo : You haven't lived until you've been knocked about a room by flying coffins as you're trying to make a run for the stairs out of a crypt
Trinity : Well I managed to make it through without being thrashed off a wall with a coffin.. I made it up the stairs relatively intact and into a graveyard.... bloody marvelous


Voodoo : Once I finally made it to the graveyard, I decided to take a closer look, being the curious cat I am. This led to me falling through a grave, to be smacked by coffins once more! Which was nice....
Trinity : Well it was funny for me who watched again as you ping ponged off the walls... Heading into the light once more we found ourselves at a replica Stonehenge
Voodoo : I noticed some poseballs, and forgetting the first rule of SL ("don't jump on unfamiliar poseballs") I climbed on. Unfortunately, these we some form of kinky s&m poses, with me being bound over a plinth... so Trin naturally jumped on another in the hope of a chance to beat me about a bit
Trinity : Well seeing your body thrown over a stone was apparently too much for me and I had to know... unfortunately during this mini adventure some druids decided to pop along and do a little chanting....

Voodoo : This freaked me out more than anything else (chanting.... never good), so this time I was the one sprinting for the door
Trinity : was that Kate Bush I heard.........
Voodoo : Kate I can cope with.... cloaked circling monks less so
Trinity : Meanwhile..... Our next destination was a meeting area with fountains of blood, flames and some nice cozy cuddles poses.... however following our previous experience Voo wasn't really up for testing the poses
Voodoo : Even though it seemed like such a relaxing and innocent venue for a chat.

Trinity : Yes I know you began shaking again.... off to the exit then which took us to the end of our hellish journey and to a little village street

Voodoo : However, this journey's end, gave us another option... we'd been to Hell.... what about Heaven?
Trinity : Well it couldn't get much more scary .... can it? Our first destination in Heaven was a lovely cloud and sky filled area, you could imagine the doves fluttering by while little clouds carried us up..... ok so I was wrong it could get a whole LOT scarier
Voodoo : As a man of a well documented fear of falling, you can imagine my joy at having to walk around on barely there wisps of clouds, 400 feet above the ground. Very pretty, from what I saw through half closed eyes though

Trinity : He was scared of falling I was scared of the niceness of it all so we fled once more into the light and onto a little paradise island, cozy camp fire, some more poses we didn't test and such like
Voodoo : A lovely little desert island... and me without my favorite records... and we might have stopped to hang out and drink from coconuts, if we weren't on such a mission

Trinity : None of your desert island discs, they belong in Hell thank you very much.... Onwards Christian soldiers and onto the igloo snow filled world that followed
Voodoo : This area came with a rather nice freebie: a pair of ice skates, which I promptly put on, and developed my new favorite game... Trin Jumping

Trinity : Torvel and Dean we are not, but he enjoyed jumping over me while I fired snowballs in his general direction.. It amused me no end...

Voodoo : However, as I started to lose feeling in my toes, we decided we had experienced enough snow based japes, and headed into the light
Trinity : …Where we ended up in my own idea of hell with massive never ending spiral stairs.... which we had to lag up without falling off... arriving at the top I waited on Voo (who fell off)
Voodoo : Again... and again....
Trinity : And again..... Deciding I had waited long enough I threw myself into the water and onto a raft.... trying to see if I could catch sight of Tom Hanks or Wilson....

Voodoo : I eventually got to the top too, and got a raft of my own. We discovered that we had to pilot these crafts over to a tiny island, which housed the exit. Another chance for my to show off my superb skills with sl vehicles
Trinity : By missing the exit over and over and over again...... I think u need a firmware update...
Voodoo : I think I need to never try and pilot another sl vehicle as long as I live
Trinity : Well since u can't work the general direction of your own legs then why even try to drive something??? It makes NO sense
Voodoo : And so to the final stop on the tour of Heaven... a mirror image of the final stage in Hell, only this chat place was more steam and water that blood and flames
Trinity : And yet he still wouldn't try the poses......
Voodoo : Remember kids, never jump on poseballs that you don't know.
Trinity : Especially If I am around :P

So there I was, sitting in my little abode, wondering what to do on another night in SL. Do I go and throw away more money on shopping, hang out at another club that claims to be the greatest thing ever, and yet bores me to sleep with the same old cliches, or maybe go join the next demonstration about an announcement in a Linden blog ("Classifieds restricted to the Classified search? THE HORROR!). So, what do you do when you're bored of the same old same old? You get away from it all. I decided to take a trip! Since the only limitations in SL are often your own imagination, I wondered, is it possible to take a round the world trip, using Second Life as your travel agent? I printed out an atlas, planned my route, and with my trusty backpack on, and the place search acting as my satellite navigation, set off across the virtual globe


Being a Brit, I decided that London, England would be the start and end point of my travels. I set off from Imperial College London - (Click Here To Visit), the SL home of the eponymous college, and a home base for any of it's students working here in the metaverse. It also has some gorgeous recreations of some of the landmarks on the rl campus, such as the Queen's Tower, which can be seen in the picture below.

We here at Rez like to keep you up to date with things affecting your second life experience.

We at Rez also collectively love our Macs so therefore we must make all OSX Leopard users aware of the forthcoming 10.5.2 update for the new operating system.

Running hot on the heels of the latest security breach affecting Quicktime the leopard update due out in "January-ish" is already known to affect all versions of sl; normal, release candidate, windlight & beta.

The problem comes at the last stage of the login process where the virtual world renders and causes all 4 versions to crash. The only advice Linden Lab give at this time is to hold off updating to 10.5.2 until there is a fix for this issue.