User:Trixxiee Schomer/Tutorials/Guide to the SL Interface
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Contents
A Basic Guide On How to Use the Second Life Interface
Basic Interface
This is the basic interface of Second Life, and the one you will see when you first sign in. Along the top are various menus which are not necessary to be able to interact properly in Second Life. There are also your co-ordinates, which tell you exactly where you are - for example, Trixxiee is at (51,22,135), which shows she is 135m above ground level, which is the A.I. Emporium in Schome Park. You are also told the time (in PDT, unfortunately, but it helps when you are trying to work out when downtimes are), and how much money you have, in Linden Dollars (L$)
Along the bottom of the screen are the tabs which will be of most use to you in Second Life, and these will be explained in more detail below.
The Chat and History Tabs
When you talk to people in Second Life, you need to have the chat tab selected (this happens by default). The history tab, shown by the red arrow, enables you to see what has been said through the chat and also tells you if your friends have come online or gone offline.
The IM Tab
If you wish to speak to someone privately in Second Life, you can do this through the IM tab (shown by the arrow). You can also talk to everyone in a group through IM, though you must be a member of a group to do this. To talk to them, double click their name in the list and start typing. If they are offline, the IM will be saved and sent to them next time they log in. However, someone must be your friend to be able to IM them in this way. See 'The Friends Tab' for information on how to make someone your friend.
The Friends Tab
The friends tab shows you how many of your friends are online, and allows you to instant message them easily, as well as offer them a teleport so they can come to where you are. A person's name will be emboldened if they are online. To add someone as your friend, right click their avatar in-world, and select 'add friend' from the pie menu. If they accept your friendship offer, they will appear in your friends tab as online. There is no limit to the number of friends you can have.
The Snapshot Tab
If you wish to take a picture of what you are doing in Second Life, you can do this by clicking the snapshot tab. The screen shows comes up, and you can choose to save the picture you have taken to your harddisk, or take another snapshot, among other things. Taking snapshots is a really good way of recording what you are doing in Second Life, and to show other people what you have been up to.
The Search Tab
Being able to search is very useful in Second Life. You can search for specific people, places and groups, as well as other things. This is especially useful if you want to join a group or find a person.
The Build/Edit Tab
Building is a very important skill to learn in Second Life, though not everyone is as good as everyone else at it. To begin building, select the build tab, choose the shape you wish to make, and 'draw' on the ground. Trixxiee has made a square cube which she could turn into anything from a chair to a robot. You can then edit what you have made by choosing edit. This allows you to change the size, shape, position and colour of the object you have made.
The MiniMap
Using the minimap is very useful for telling where people are. People that are at the same altitude as you appear as circles, while those that are at a different altitude appear as a 'T' shape. You can also zoom in and out of the minimap either by holding your mouse over it and scrolling if you have a scroll wheel, or right-clicking and selecting either 'zoom in' or 'zoom out'.
The Inventory Tab
In Second Life, everything you buy, create or get given gets put into your inventory, which you can see when you click the inventory tab. You can organise your inventory in any way you like. If you click the 'recent items' tab, you can see everything you have made and been given since you last logged on.
