Sculpties are a new building tool in SL. They resemble NURBS type shapes - it would be interesting to know how expensive they are in terms of rendering. Either way they will bring richer detail to SL.

http://www.kanae.net/secondlife/

These two tools allow you to rotate a path with a specific number of veritices - really cool. To texture a sculptie, first create the texture with a tool like this, save it as a .tga, create a prim (square for instance), then select under “Object” the “Building Block Type” drop down for “Sculpted”. Click on the (larger-than-usual) texture square to select the Sculptie .tga

Matt Shapoff created this print of combinedstory Island using the cyanotype technique:

Here are his comments on the proces:

This greeting card is a one-of-a-kind print called a cyanotype.
The cyanotype is a nineteenth century photographic process,
Combining photo sensitized paper with objects and a natural
Light source to create white silhouettes on a Prussian blue ground.
Matthew Shapoff uses local botanical specimens, acid free paper
And modern non-toxic photographic chemistry,
to create his cyanotypes.

A new group recently appeared on YouTube in order to promote and showcase artwork in SL.

The group description states: “Art and culture are thriving in Second Life. Much of the time a simple photo isn’t enough to capture the kinetic and performance elements of this virtual art.”

This group is an excellent opportunity to present much of the incredible work in Second Life, which is mostly not seen or simply not captured by the still imagery that makes up much of the collective view of Second Life. This group will hopefully give people a new window into SL.

Check out the group by clicking here.

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is said become the first to perform a professional music concert in Second Life. The concert is to take place in an exact replica of the hall, which in RL is based in north-west England. During the live performance, avatars will be able to listen and watch the orchestra play in the 3D replica of the space.

The concert will feature works from Rachmaninov, Ravel and contemporary Liverpool composers John McCabe and Kenneth Hesketh, and will be conducted by its principal conductor Vasily Petrenko, as reported by The Sunday Morning Herald.

[Chronos Performing]

The organizers of the event said the audience will be able to interact with each other, purchase refreshments, and at the end of the concert will have the opportunity to chat to the orchestra’s conductor Vasily Petrenko [well, his avatar] and performers in the virtual bar.

This is a fairly big initiative for music in Second Life, as the organizers have said, where they hope to attract a global audience while giving greater access to classical music.

The Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden, Germany has established a virtual presence in Second Life, as Wired Magazine reported earlier today. The real gallery in Dresden was founded nearly 300 years ago, boasting a 37,700 square feet space in a 150-year-old building.

Dresden’s virtual presence marks the first official move of a RL museum to the virtual world. As Wired reported, “virtual versions of other collections (most famously “Second Louvre,” which has no official ties to the Paris museum) have [also] popped up.”

Dresden’s virtual reproduction has been recreated with immense accuracy and detail. As Wired reported, “the grounds outside, have been recreated, down to the trash cans and fountains in the courtyard and ceiling moldings, staircases and furniture within.”

Dresden’s Second Life build is a must see! The Gallery houses 750 paintings of The Old Masters, spanning 500 years of European art.