Making a Flexi Skirt Panel

We will make a simple skirt panel using a flexi prim. Later on, we will be joining several of these panels together to make a full skirt.

Rez a prim on the ground. It will be a wooden box.

Go to the General Tab of the edit box and name it something like “Skirt Panel”.

We will make this prim of type “cylinder”. In the Object tab, change the type to ‘cylinder’. Remember that you can only use Boxes, Cylinders or Prisms for flexi objects!

Something useful to know is that the flexible behavior of each of these object types differ from each other. That means the look/feel of your final garment will be determined by the prim type being used. There is only one way to discover how these properties affect the unique look/feel that you want: Experiment, experiment, experiment!!!

For this example, we use the following settings in the in the ‘Object’ tab (please keep in mind that other shapes are possible)

Size: x= 0.380, y= 0.380, z= 1.140
Rotation: x=y=z=0
Path cut: begin=0.3, end=0.7 (this sets the shape)
Hollow = 95
Twist: x=0 and y=0
Taper: x= -0.75, y= -0.75 (to set the ‘bend’)
Top Shear: x=0, y=0

Don’t worry if the skirt panel is upside down – it’s meant to be!

Now we have the shape of the skirt panel. Let’s move on to the flexible properties.

flexiIn the Features Tab, check the box labeled “flexible”. There are 6 basic flexi properties that can be changed. However, the various combinations of these properties interact with each other. Without trying to be uninformative, there is only one way to determine how these work and interact: experiment, experiment, experiment!!!!

In this example, let’s use the suggested settings as indicated in the figure. I will go through them one by one.

Softness = 2 (this determines how firm or soft your prim will be). Values can range between 0 and 3. Use high values for silk and satin; low values for stiff fabrics.

Gravity = 4 (this determines how much the flex will react to the downward force of gravity). Values can range between 0 and 10. Silk scarves will have very low values so that they can float in the wind. Floating in the wind may not be as desirable for other garments such as a skirt :)

Drag = 4 (determines how quickly the prim will return to its original position after being moved). Values can range between 0 and 10. Mid-range values work well for most clothing. Try higher values for something like a neck tie.

Wind = 1 (determines to what extent the prim will react to the wind). Values can range between 0 and 10. Higher values here can give nice effects for the ribbons of a bow, for example.

Tension  = 8 (determines how tense your prim will be). Values can range between 0 and 10. This is obvious, but such a very important parameter. Your best bet is to try, try & try different values to get that unique feel that you want.

Force X = Y = Z = 0 (determines the force placed upon the prim on that axis). Values can range between 0 and 10. I generally leave these at zero for most clothing.

Aside from the flexi settings discussed above, there are many other factors that will subtly change the flexible properties of your garment.

As mentioned, using the cube, cutting it a bit then playing with the different flexi settings will give you a totally different look & feel than if you used the cylinder.

Even for the same prim type, the size, cut, and length will alter the effect of the flexi settings on the prim, so play around with these until you find the movement and flow that you like.

Even the attachment point matters. When attaching the flexi prims lower on the body vs. higher on the waist will give you a different style of dress.

The best advice I can give is to play with the flexi settings as well as the prim shape properties and discover what works best for you! But remember it’s the final product that matters. Make the skirt, wear it and move around to look at the flow.

Here’s something else useful to know: Flexible prims are client-side. The prim's main settings are of course server-set but the exact motion is client-side, meaning the client handles the drawing of the flexible effect and what each user sees may be slightly different.