Second Life: Sandboxes and Privacy for Beginners

In the beginning it is hard to get used to having no privacy or not having the appearance of it, since in second life there really is no privacy. Usually one of the first things I cover with new players is how to find a small spot of your own temporarily to change your clothing or sort through your inventory. Many people make friends or rent land in order to have a place called home but if you do not own land or have a friend who does you can go to a public sand box.
A sandbox is a place set aside for building, these places can be pretty busy and chaotic but usually are full of people to meet and learn  from. I made a lot of friends in the beginning at Sandboxes. But a small warning, you might be hit on by the more uncouth players. If this occurs and you are upset by it remember you have a mute button, right click the uncouth avatar, select mute and poof they are gone.

When selecting a Sandbox to visit keep in mind there are different types of sandboxes, some for regular building, scripting and some for combat weapons. When you teleport to one look around for a sign explaining the rules to you. Beware at the combat ones you can take damage and die (teleported home).

Also most Sandboxes have a auto-return clean up that is set on the parcel to clean up clutter and mess people leave. Look around for information on their auto-return policies before getting settled in so you are not taken unaware by it.

 Here are a few that have been recommended to me in the past:
Now as you look around the sand box on the ground, you notice how  it is crowded. As a new player your probably thinking how are you expected to change with all these people watching really? Well you don't; You build a privacy box in the sky and use it. But a small warning, the sky may be teaming with people too. You just need to find a Sandbox that is active as you like it. That could take a bit of shopping around.

If you have never built anything in Second Life before and would like to read a short manual on it, I would recommend reading the SL Knowledge base on Building Tools first. But if you are the adventurous type and never read instructions, read on to learn how to build your own Privacy Box.

1. Click Ctrl+B to open your Build Interface.
2. Click the Wand at the top of the Build Interface.

3. Select the Square Prim. 
4. Click the Ground.
5. Right click the prim you just created then edit.
6. Select the Object Tab
7. Under Size (meters) enter 20.0 in the X, Y Slots and 0.10 in the Z Slot. You will have a large flat prim.
8. Build another box on top of the flat prim you just built following Step 1-4.
9. Right click the 2nd prim you built select edit.
10. Click Move Tab (cursor pointing at a square icon), you should have red, blue and green arrows/lines coming out of the prim now.  
11. Hold down your shift key, click the flat prim. you should have both prims selected now.
12. On the Build interface click link.
13. Now sit on the smaller prim. 
14. Once your seated right click, edit on the flat prim
15. Select the Object Tab
16. Under position (meters) enter in how high you want the box to go up in the sky. I usually enter in 3500.  You can not build higher than 4,096m. The minute you enter in the number and click off the slot your box will shoot up into the air carrying you up with it. If you accidentally stop on someone's platform just follow step 14-16 and enter in a new height.
17. Once you are at a height you are happy at, click Ctrl+B to open your build interface
18 click on the edit tab.
19. Check mark "edit linked"
20. Click the flat prim
21. Hold down on your shift button
22. Click the blue arrow and pull up on the prim. A duplicate prim of the flat prim will be created. 
23. Click the new prim to edit
24. Click on the Object Tab
25. Type 95 in the Hollow Slot 
26. Under Size (meters) enter 20 in the Z slot. Now you should be surrounded by a huge hollow box. 
27. Use the blue edit arrow on the hollow box to move it down to touching your original flat prim (floor prim
28. Check that "edit linked" is still clicked
29. Click the original flat prim (floor)
30. Hold down on your shift button
31. Click the blue arrow and pull up on the prim. A duplicate prim of the flat prim will be created.
32. Drag the new flat prim to the top of your hollow box to create a ceiling for your privacy box. 
33. Hold down your shift key and click on each of the prims you have created w/o letting go of the shift key
34. Select Link 
35. Click on the General Tab Change the name to "Privacy Box"
36. Select the Texture tab, Select a color or find a texture in your inventory and color the box so that it doesn't hurt your eyes. A lot of Sandboxes have free texture boards you can get free textures and other building tools.
37. Now you can take a copy into your inventory to be rezzed at a later time as you need it. To get back in your privacy box from the outside you use your camera to cam into the box and select sit on the small box prim. It will pull you inside of the box.

And that is  how you create your small private spot in Second life. Please remember this is temporary. You need to clean up after yourself when you are done as Sandboxes are not your mother. *Grins*

Till the next post take care!
~Taliferrue


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