new release – Organica & The Wilds

Organica New Releases – June 2020

Having moved to my current home in late 2018, I have since been thinking of ways in which I could better make my back yard work for my needs. As I may have discussed in the past, having a yard was pretty important to me because I needed space to develop my bonsai hobby and be comfortable in my container gardening in general.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about DIY alternatives to buying greenhouses, and making such a design work within my available funds and space. I’m not sure that I would be able to start on such a project right away if I did have the money, but I’ve been finding it helpful to plan things out and figure out the pricing ahead of time.

This greenhouse came out of that line of development. It’s probably not the solution I will end up with if I do move ahead, but I’m happy that I was still able to come up with a solution *someone* might be able to work with. (Plus I can *make* it work for my situation in-world too, right? 😉 )

Anyhow, this package includes a version of the same greenhouse oriented such that the door is on one or the other side, making placement a bit more flexible.

Of note: Because of the semi-transparent plastic texture, I recommend that any plants placed inside or adjacent to this building have their textures switched from Alpha Blending to Alpha Masking, so as to avoid alpha texture laying issues (where one texture sometimes appears to supercede others in front of it).

Both houses are 10LI and mod/copy, with a copy-only door script, which can be removed if need be.

These watering cans are unscripted props that are great, simple additions to your garden. Four colours available, 1 LI each, mod/copy.

Organica has had field-type ferns for a while – I was out in my garden the other day and realized it would be helpful to have some that grew more in clusters or were more suitable for container plantings.

These come with three plant shapes (young, growing, mature), where the fronds can be found in a variety of growth periods to best fit what you want to place them with. I’ve also accessorized with a hanging and standing planter, but they would do fine planted in the ground or in a raised bed as well, for example.

All pieces run from 1-2 LI each at packaged size.

All of these releases are available in-store now!

Specifically, the ferns and watering cans can be found here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Organica/109/60/29

and the greenhouses can be found here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Organica/78/52/29

All three products are also now available up on my Marketplace listing, here.

Looking Forward to Spring – New Cherry Trees are here!

It’s still blowing dry, powdery snow here in Toronto, but the days are slowly growing longer and with them the hope that something resembling spring will appear shortly. While winter in SL is quite pretty, having the option of renewing one’s landscape from bitter winter to tender spring with relative ease has always had great appeal to me.

It’s with that in mind that I’m happy to announce a new Cherry Tree from Organica!

Among a number of other projects on the go, this newest release has weighed heavily on my recent project list, due to amount of animation and troubleshooting that needed to take place. It’s been a few years since I last released a cherry tree, so I wanted to put together something substantial which would also reflect what tools we have at our disposal now, as far as content creation goes.

The tree is Animated Mesh, which means it is designed to sway on its own and will move naturally in its environment. It also means this tree is not resizable, although I am offering two sizes by default for your convenience. Included are Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Dead foliage options, along with the option to turn on flower particles. The tree is also fully compatible with the Winds of Change Seasonal Control Module, so foliage across a whole region or parcel can be changed with just a few clicks, rather than by individually by each tree.

Full details on the Organica Animesh Tree System can be found here: http://www.akimeta.com/organica/?page_id=2993

Much thanks go to NeoBokrug Elytis, who has spearheaded the scripting portion of this project and who also integrated the particle system for this tree.

This tree is available now, on-site at Organica here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Organica/68/197/31

It’s also available on the Marketplace, here: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Organica-Cherry-Tree-5/16742898

Please note: As this is an Animesh product, You’ll need a viewer supporting SL version 6.0 or newer to view this product!

New Bougainvillea Pergolas now available!

It’s been a while since I worked on some bougainvilleas – recently I had the opportunity to buy one of my own and to see the extent to which they can grow (they are not native to Canada, where I live) and this prompted me to see what I could come up with.

These pergolas are 9LI each at packaged size, which is 7.4 by 6.9 by 5.5m. They’re the perfect shape and size for covered walkways, a patio, or that perfect hidden nook at the back of your garden!

Check them out in-world here or on the Marketplace, here!

If you enjoy what I’m doing here or think someone else might also find it of use, please feel free to share this blog with them. If you’d like to keep up to date with posts, the RSS for this blog is here, I can also be found on Twitter and Plurk. The Discord server is here.

If you really like my stuff, perhaps consider donating to my Patreon? Your continued support helps to produce regular content (written, modelled, animated or otherwise) and helps to keep original content creation in Second Life!

Thanks for your support!

New releases from Wilds of Organica at Fantasy Faire 2018!

Fantasy Faire is probably one of the most long-standing events still held yearly within Second Life. It’s moved in lockstep with the Relay for Life movement since at least 2009 and I can count myself fortunate to be a part of it for many many years.

There are relatively few events which are offered at the same scale for the wide spectrum of fantasy and scifi genres and I’m happy to say that, for the most part, I’ve had positive experiences – at least enough which keep me coming back year after year.

This year, I’ve chosen to release Corgi avatars on the virtual world! More details are available here, but I’ll just say that five coats are available to start, including a special RFL Pearl Lavender exclusive.

Additionally, I have decided to release a new line of coats for the kittens – Point furs! These are coats where the majority of the coat is a pale, creamy colour and the snout, ears, paws and tail gradiate towards a darker colour. There is also a brand new Point-themed RFL purple coat, PLUS the old Cheshire RFL coat has finally been updated to bento as well (if you already have one of these previous to update, please contact me directly for a free update)!

These new coated kitties have been released with the updated bento kitten avatar (1.2) so you can expect to see tail and facial movement in response to Bento animations, just like the update that was applied to all of the other kitties earlier this year.

Both of these new items can now be found at my booth at Fantasy Faire for the duration of the event (thru April 29) along with many other WoO items. If you missed the chance at picking up the two free Fisheye avatars last year, this is your chance! Additionally, this is a great opportunity to pick up various editions of wings, ears & tails, and masks – in the process helping to end the fight against cancer. All items in official RFL vendors will donate 100% of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

It’s been a bit of a week for me – April is typically busy for me because it’s the convergence of multiple events. At the very least, Fantasy Faire and planning for Home & Garden Expo. This year, Bloom has also been a factor, and in previous years I also had the privilege of being a part of The Arcade.

Adding to that the fact that most of my WoO releases are full avatars requiring a lot of out-of-the-ordinary setups and this is a recipe for a lot of stress!

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t be doing any of it if it wasn’t stimulating to me and I didn’t learn anything from it.

Athenaeum Arcana is a vast library, shattered by a gargantuan presence, put together by Elizabeth Jarvinen (polysail). Elizabeth has made an immersive space, making use of repeated assets to minimize load times and seamless Materials (diffuse, bump and shiny maps) to help give the region subtle but important and immersive detail that draws a visitor in.

Setting up at Fantasy Faire this year went off with minimal issue. Thanks to having been given a mock-up of my store space beforehand, I was able to roughly figure what I wanted where, although by the end of setting up, this had changed a moderate degree.

I did take a fair amount of time to juggle and rearrange, mostly because it’s not always easy to have a shop space fit just right at first try, even if a mock-up has been offered. Environment, eye-lines, figuring out what kind of eye-catches are available on-site – these are things that aren’t always present in a mock-up and may not even be ready at such time that they are delivered.

In addition to this, I spent a fair amount of time setting up RFL vendors, although I must express immense gratitude to whomever revamped the vendor situation this year.

In previous years, vendors connected to a website and required multiple variables to be set web-side before functioning in-world. This year, it seems all the team authentication got handled up-front, and they seem to have done away with any sort of web-side editing. Instead, the system is as easy as dropping the reward item in, clicking to add a price, then dragging the vendor texture to the appropriate prim.

I’ve only had a chance to skim through the other Fantasy Faire regions so far, but certainly intend to explore in greater detail when I get a chance later. Perhaps I’ll see you around?

Fantasy Faire runs from April 16 thru 29! Visit Wilds of Organica on Athenaeum Arcana region!

Looking forward, keep your eyes forward to April 25, when all Organica, Wilds of Organica and Akimeta products on Organica region will be marked down 25%!

Full details to follow.

If you really like my stuff, perhaps consider donating to my Patreon? Your continued support helps to produce weekly content (written, modelled, animated or otherwise) and helps to keep original content creation in Second Life!

Thanks for your support!

Bloom 2018 – New release!

Prism Events’ Bloom event begins April 15 and runs thru to the 30th –

From the creators of Tannenbaum and Salem, Prism Events brings you Bloom.

Rich in flora, fauna and foliage, Bloom warmly welcomes spring with over 100 vendors and 2 ways to shop!

Stroll through Bloom’s Springtime Market and connect with artisans across the grid, selling seasonal goods. Or try your luck in the Gacha Grove!

Bloom opens on April 15th and promises to be a wonderful shopping experience, sure to put a spring in your step!

and just to give you a sneak peek, I thought I’d let you know about this new release ahead of time!

These are slightly oversized armchairs intended for both singles and couples seating. They are 4LI each and feature 7 single animations and 4 couples animations. They are mod, copy, no transfer. Best viewed with Advanced Lighting turned on!

Check these and many other new spring-themed items out at Bloom, starting on Sunday!

Cochrane – Rustic kitchen island with accessories

New this week is a new addition to the kitchen department!

This decor item includes a rustic wood island great for every-day food prep. It comes with various accessories suitable for any modern kitchen! There are 15 pieces total, packaged as a coalesced whole and some items can be de-linked where desired.

All items are mod, copy, no transfer and many are materials-optimized.

Drop by the main store in Organica Sim or visit the Organica Marketplace store to pick this up!

Fresh Cut Roses

Right in time for Valentines Day, these fresh-cut roses are now available in-store and on Marketplace and they are great for both buying for yourself or gifting to others!

Mod, copy, no transfer. To gift, left-click the vendor and choose the ‘gift’ option (or buy on Marketplace).

If you like what you see but don’t think it’s quite right for you, perhaps consider donating to my Patreon? Your continued support helps to produce weekly content (written, modelled, animated or otherwise) and helps to keep original content creation in Second Life!

New Flowers this week at Organica!

This week, we turn to Spring! Sorta.

It’s still pretty solidly winter here in Canada, so I figured we could use some flowers to brighten things up.

This week, you can pick up one or more gerbera varieties in store or on the Marketplace!

2LI at packaged size, these flowering plants feature vibrant colours and detailed materials – perfect for any outdoor garden! Pick ’em up now seperately or as a fatpack!

Wilds of Organica – New Release for June 2017 at The Arcade!

Tiny Peryton Avatar – Okapi coat (RARE!)

A new set of Perytons is now available at The Arcade from June 1 thru 30th!

These 1m tall antelope/bird hybrids require a Bento-enabled viewer and come with HUD (AO & Eye control), mesh body, full body alpha, default shape and eyes. As with all of Wilds’ releases at The Arcade, these avatars are transfer-only, but they can be exchanged for non-transferrable mod/copy editions at the main store (just read the instructions in the included notecard).

Visit any one of the Arcade regions here: The Arcade, The Arcade 2, The Arcade 3

Grass Tops, Hyacinth and Morning Glory now available!

Grass Tops

This newest offering from Organica has been a long time in development. Back a few years ago, I released a couple of Erosion sets, which serve to create transitions between higher and lower terrain, offering opportunities to create a terraced effect between land & land as well as land & water. At the time, the greatest aim was to create such items such that LI could be kept low. With those goals in mind, the erosion sets have gone on to do very well.

With that said, I’ve since received requests for similar items with grassy fringe, which would create a better blend between the top texture and the rock texture, so I’ve taken some time to create and test a new set of grassy top items, as follows:

These pieces range from 1-9 LI at packaged size – This is a bit higher in some cases than the original erosion sets, however with the increased degree of geometry, it is unavoidable. (If LL offered the opportunity for content creators to apply an alpha mask to a material separate from a diffuse texture, we would be able to make further LI savings, however that appears to be outside the scope of potential tool development at this time). These items feature baked soil/rock texture and the usual leafy texture that is offered with the original erosion pieces by default. All pieces have a tapered edge for easier blending and placement. As with the erosion sets, you can also apply your own terrain texture if you wish. Six shapes are included to give you the most flexibility while landscaping. Check them out in-world here or on Marketplace here!

Additionally, two new types of flower are now available!

Hyacinths

Each package offers both potted (3 plants per pot) and unpotted (individual plant) items and there are ten different colours to collect, mix and match, both separately as well as in a fatpack! 1 and 3 LI each, Mod, copy, no transfer, available both in-store here and on Marketplace here!

Morning Glory

Featuring signature trumpet-like flowers, these vines grow around an intricate wrought-iron trellis and grow from a beautiful, ornate planter! Available in four varieties, materials optimized. 7 LI each, mod, copy, no transfer, available both in-store here and on the Marketplace here!