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One of the most unique things about developing for IMVU is the previewer. You should have already downloaded it if you followed the previous tutorial. If not, download it now. We will be using the E.Z. Tee for this tutorial. Once you are comfortable we will move onto more complex items. | |
| 1) Load the catalog page for the E.Z. Tee. You will see several E.Z. Tee styles to choose from. Choose whichever style you would like to create and go to its catalog page. (Leave this page open throughout this tutorial, you will need to come back to it. a few times.) Note: the E.Z. Tee has a tutorial right on the page, but go ahead and follow along with this one. It is a little more detailed. |
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| 2) Save the template. On the product page, you will see a square red image with the E.Z. Tee logo inside it. This image is marked "developer's template." Right-click on this image and save it somewhere on your computer where it will be easy for you to find. You may want to create a new folder on your desktop called "IMVU" to store all of your developer work. |
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| 3) Create your image. Open any paint program (Adobe Photoshop and Paintshop Pro are most popular, but plain old Paint will work too. For a free program with many of the features of Photoshop, check out the Gimp.) From inside your paint program, open the developer's template you saved to your computer. Now fill this space with any color. This will become the color of the shirt and the background of your image. Then place anything you like on top, shapes, pictures, text, etc. Have fun and create something unique! Once you have something you like, save it somewhere you can find it. |
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| 4) Find the derive link on the product page. Now that your image is ready, go back to the product page which you left open. Down at the bottom there is a link which says "derive from product." Click this link. It will automatically open the previewer for you. A dialog will probably pop up telling you it needs to download some files. Say OK. |
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| 5) Apply your image. Now that the previewer is all ready to go, go to the tab which says "edit textures." You will see the E.Z. Tee logo. Click on it, and find the texture you created. Now look at the window called "IMVU Previewer (up-to-date)". The avatar should be wearing the t-shirt you created! If you are happy with the way the shirt looks, move onto the next step. If it needs work, go back to your paint program and make any changes you want. Re-save and then in the previewer, click the button that says "apply changes". Repeat this until you are happy with your shirt. |
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| 6) Create your catalog icon. The catalog icon is what people will first see to attract them to your product. The easiest way to create a catalog icon is to select "generate thumbnail" from the file menu. However, if you want to create a nicer catalog image, I recommend starting a 100x80 size image in your paint program, then taking a screenshot of the window (use the print screen button on your keyboard), and then pasting that image onto your 100x80 image. Resize it as needed. Save this file somewhere easy to find! |
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| 7) Save and submit your product! Go to File > Save As. This will save a cfl file. Name it anything. Now click "submit product to IMVU catalog." This will open up a webpage with a form to submit info about your item. Fill in all the fields, making sure in the CFL section that you copy and paste as instructed. Also, the price for the product is set at the breakeven price. Set the price higher to earn profit! Once you have filled in all the info, click "create a new product," and you're done! Note: Your catalog icon will not appear at first, as the IMVU catalog takes a few minutes to update. |
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| 8) Wear your item with pride. You will get a free copy of your item in your inventory. (Note: it will take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours for your item to work. Usually it is only a few minutes.) Put it on and show it off! One of your best sources of free advertising will be chatting while wearing your creations. If you're feeling generous, gift a few copies to friends as well! |
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| Congratulations! You are now officially an IMVU developer, and you are ready for my other tutorials! |
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