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From SYW

Welcome to Scripting Your World: The Official Guide to Second Life Scripting.

Here are the extras!

You are probably here for bonus content, mentioned in the book:

You can get your very own copy of Scripting Your World from Amazon and other bookstores everywhere!

Disclaimer

Scripting Your World was published in 2008: as such, the authors have moved on to other endeavors and Second Life has changed substantially as well. We still think that SYW is a great place to start your LSL experience, but understand that there are lots of new capabilities that the book doesn't cover. There's little appetite for a second edition of SYW, so when you do something cool, write about it and let us know!

Introduction

Scripting Your World is the complete scripting introduction for anyone who wants to learn how to make their Second Life objects move, interact, and change. This book, written by an expert team of programmers, covers every aspect of LSL, from the basics of avatar movement and communication to physics and special effects to interacting with the world outside of Second Life. This thorough reference and tutorial features detailed walk-throughs and step-by-steps that teach the "why" of scripting while explaining core LSL conventions. It includes more than 50 exclusive, brand-new custom scripts that you can use and modify right now. Make doors open automatically, put a message in a bottle and watch it float out to sea, create a tip jar, and start a storm complete with loud thunderclaps and flashing lightning.

  • Understand the Linden Scripting Language: Master every aspect of Second Life's programming language
  • Automate with scripts: Greet visitors by name, teleport around the world, and dance with a partner
  • Learn physics and vehicles: Create a jet pack, a magic carpet, and a machine gun
  • Use environmental controls: Create moving shadows, make water splash, and have bees flit from flower to flower
  • Integrate multimedia: Dazzle residents with streaming TV and ambient soundscapes
  • Incorporate the outside world: Build a live news ticker and send e-mail


If you are here after downloading a scanned copy, please also buy a physical copy: It just isn't that expensive, and we're still a long long way from breaking even. The publishers will never ask us to write another book, or even update this one with new material unless they have a good financial reason to!

Classes and Groups

SYW HQ Events

We periodically run contests, classes, and other in-world activities. You can always visit our in-world location at SYW HQ (Hennepin <38,138,108>), or check our Current events page for information.

Formal Education

Happy Hippo Education Classes on content creation in SL. Their scripting classes use SYW as a textbook. Visit Kinetix <175,69,22> to get started.

University of Washington Extension has an excellent certificate program on Virtual Worlds with an extensive in-world presence.

In-world Groups and regions

Builder's Brewery has near-daily formal classes on content creation, including scripting.

Scripting Your World Special Content

  • Bonus Material includes addenda to chapters, a series of online-only in-depth projects, and extra reference material.
    • There are five special projects: Dance, Bowling, Combat, Traffic (textures), and Articulation
  • Notes has any annotations, clarifications, and corrections on the print and PDF documents.
  • There is also a forum to share scripts and resources. This is where you will find scripts from the web-chapters, plus scripts and resources shared by other readers. All of the scripts from the print edition of SYW are available in-world or from XStreetSL
  • Photographoria has information about the photos in the book, including locations and other tidbits.
  • Event081101 for resources, slides, and transcripts of the 1 November 2008 in-world kickoff. We demonstrated how to make a digital picture frame.
  • SYW.Fabulo.us (You are here!)


On the Web


Reviews & Buying the book

Scripting Your World can be ordered from Amazon (US); Amazon (Canada); Amazon (UK); Amazon (France); Amazon (Germany); Barnes and Noble; Powells; Borders; Wiley; Chapters; and, of course, from your local Real Life bookstore.

Amazon now has a kindle version, available as: [1] The publisher sells an electronic (PDF) version directly at: [2].

Here's a place to put Reviews -- we promise not to edit them. :)

People, Atomic and Digital

Authors

Dana Moore, aka ElectricSheep Expedition
Michael Thome, aka Vex Streeter: (Twitter) (blog)
Dr. Karen Zita Haigh, aka Karzita Zabaleta

Others

Minimal Ballyhoo is an avatar run by Vex that handles finances, vendors, contests and such for Scripting Your World.

Legal

The fabulo.us domain name and all subdomains are entirely the legal property of Michael Thome. He is not interested in selling it under any terms, so don't bother asking. All fabulo.us sites are hosted by Dreamhost, under Michael's name.