Here's a couple simple, easy, but often overlooked tips for Second Life content creators!
Always design sculpted/prim attachments around the smallest shape possible!
This is pretty important actually. The way Second Life is set up it is exceptionally easy to stretch attachments larger, but if you're working with fine details you'll often be including prims that are either as small as possible, or very near. This means that most attachments can not be shrunk. The size you have designed it around is the smallest size avatar that attachment will fit without considerable patience on the part of the wearer.
On the other hand, if you design around the smallest possible avatar shapes, then that attachment can be enlarged to fit any size avatar, greatly increasing the amount of potential satisfied customers you'll have.
This is increasingly important lately as more and more avatars are shrinking down to more reasonable, human sizes.Avatars under 6' tall aren't rare anymore. Avatars about 5' tall are increasingly common, especially among women.
When putting together an outfit, avatar, or attachment, try to design around the lowest possible Object Detail settings.
If you've ever played with the graphics preferences, the first thing you'll notice when you turn down object detail is that a lot of your attachments may no longer fit as well as they did at higher detail settings. Sometimes with extremely embarrassing results such as body parts poking out of prim shirts, or bald spots where your head peeks through your hair.
Here's the trick.
An attachment that looks fine at low object detail settings will look fine at high object detail settings, but the reverse is not true.
So when putting together your look, designing a new outfit or complete avatar, turn down your object detail settings while setting everything up!
Again, for content creators, this broadens your market considerably, making your content look excellent to people no matter how powerful their computer is, or what settings they run SL at! For everyone else, it's a simple tip to help avoid embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions you might otherwise not be aware of!
