Blender

blender.org

Blender is the 3D modelling software I use for mesh creation in Second Life. It is free, open-source, and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is also, if we are being honest, one of the most intimidating pieces of software you will ever open for the first time. The interface looks like the cockpit of something that should require a licence. Do not let that put you off.

What Blender does well is give you a full 3D pipeline in a single application. Modelling, sculpting, UV unwrapping, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering: it is all in there. For Second Life creators specifically, Blender is where most custom mesh content starts. If you want to build anything beyond basic prims, you need to learn at least the modelling and UV mapping side of Blender, and probably the basics of weight painting if you are making wearables.

The learning curve is real, but the community around Blender is enormous. There are free tutorials covering everything from absolute beginner modelling through to advanced sculpting and physics simulation. The Blender Foundation releases regular updates, and the jump from Blender 2.x to 3.x and now 4.x has made the software significantly more accessible without losing the depth that professionals rely on.

For anyone working in Second Life content creation, virtual world building, or digital art more broadly, Blender is the obvious starting point. It costs nothing, it does everything, and the worst thing that will happen is you accidentally hit a keyboard shortcut and your entire viewport rotates into another dimension. You get used to it.

Sources and further reading

Blender Official Site
https://www.blender.org/

Blender Download Page
https://www.blender.org/download/

Blender Features
https://www.blender.org/features/

Blender Manual
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/

Blender Manual, Modelling
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/modeling/index.html

Blender Manual, Sculpting and Painting
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/sculpt_paint/index.html

Blender Manual, UV Editing
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/uv/index.html

Blender Manual, Animation and Rigging
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/index.html

Blender Manual, Rendering
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/index.html

Blender Release Notes
https://www.blender.org/download/releases/

Blender Developer Documentation, Release Notes
https://developer.blender.org/docs/release_notes/

Blender 4.0 Release Notes
https://developer.blender.org/docs/release_notes/4.0/

Blender Tutorials
https://www.blender.org/support/tutorials/

Blender Community
https://www.blender.org/community/

Blender Foundation
https://www.blender.org/about/foundation/

Second Life Wiki, Mesh
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh

Second Life Wiki, Uploading a multi-face mesh
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Uploading_a_multi-face_mesh

Second Life Wiki, Exporting a mesh from Blender
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Exporting_a_mesh_from_Blender

Second Life Wiki, Rigging Fitted Mesh
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Rigging_Fitted_Mesh

Second Life Knowledge Base, Uploading mesh
https://lindenlab.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/31000134329-uploading-mesh

Second Life Official Viewer Download
https://secondlife.com/support/downloads/

Second Life Marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/