I always feel like it's cheating to use a mesh's shadow map if it's really detailed. Even when I've bought the mesh semi-exclusive...

why? a shadow map is meant to be used.. otherwise you have to guess at all the shading since its not there for you to bake in your 3d program

Well like I buy SID's meshes sometimes....when I can afford them, which is already incredibly rare. If I do use the shadowmap, I spend like half an hour and I'm pretty much done. I feel lazy.

Lookit Gyazo That's the mesh I'm working with...other than the black parts which were originally white, that's the shadowmap. That needs like, nothing done.

I'm use to making things on IMVU and spending 3 hours on one texture. Come to SL, Shadowmaps do 80% of the work for me. I feel so wwweeeeiirrdd XD

well yes and no. the shadow map is just that...a shadow. a lot of people just recolour it and call it done. the idea is that you make your own fabric and apply the shadow map to it

^

something like that would still take me a couple of hourse because I would be making a fabric pattern and then ading stitching and maybe embelishments ec

i use the provided shadow maps but it still takes me some time to get the fabric right and draw in the details and stitching and what not.

i also add a little more light and shadow sometimes and a few extra wrinkles

yup that too

And this one has most of that, but I'm adding more light and other things. I'm just so not use to having these XD On most IMVU meshes, you have the UV to use and that's it.

Maybe I'm just being silly to feel this odd about a shadowmap...

yeah i've made a few imvu things lol

use it it was part of the resources you paid for. no reason to ignore it <3

yeah baking is the easiest part of mesh lol

AO and shadows is just one part of what the light would do on the mesh in RL

but yeah it's part of the ressources, use it.

the gyazo that you pasted - if the white / silverish parts are the texture that were delivered with your mesh, they gave you a specular bake, which helps a LOT with highlights and stuff