UWA Flagship Challenge Outline "Challenges for Sl Builders"

When I first looked at the UWA Flagship Challenge Outline it was slam dunk for me. I had been building in SL for close to a year. I specialize in custom hi-end creations. Mostly one of a kind builds for Sim owners that are mostly fantasy based builds, castles realistic or fantasy, art deco to modern style houses, various stores, clubs and you name it I have most likely built it. It was the end of the month of October so I entered a Sci-Fi based build I had done. It was a large and extremely detailed build for a client a one of a kind job. But it could be used as an art gallery it was all glass and space age modern in feel. I felt it would be a good entry and give me exposure to allot of individuals over the course of a year. It could help me extend who sees my builds and my business. Well it took first place and I felt great about it.

Then the rules for the UWA Flagship got specific and the days of entering any thing I had in inventory which I had done already, like how I entered in October ( I actually entered 3 builds a Japanese dojo, A realistic 10th century fortified manor and the sci-fi build) was over in my mind. I realized that none of them would work as a modern real life build that could be reconstructed in Perth Australia as part of the UWA University complex.

So I did a little research and started to build new specifically designed for the challenge creations. The challenge I found was that it took a bit to figure out that SL and RL are two different creatures when it comes to building a realistic building in Second Life that can be a base line for a possible Real Life construction. Too much of the SL factor was coming out in my builds. The fantasy side or the ok the law of Physics dont need to apply here factor, kept getting mixed into the builds. So one thing you do want to keep in mind is you have to look at this challenge as if you was designing a building that can only be seen in RL. What I mean by this is you can't fly to the floors or walk through the walls, the laws of physics will apply and you have to keep this in mind because the judges are mostly from the rl side of the equation in this competition. So if it doesn't look real to them it wont fly no matter how cool it looks in SL.

I came to realize that the fantasy side of the build needs to demonstrate it self in creative design and techniques that are applicable to real life applications of architecture.
So the simplest way to think of it is will they and can they build it?
So old builds of castles, churches, discos, space stations, stores, and tiki huts won't really be in the running because they do not fit the requirements as outlined in the UWA Flagship Challenge note card.

So I am now at the point where the builds I create for the contest are specific to the rules and requirements of the challenge and are built only for it. I know this has provided me with an edge in the challenge. It took a bit to figure out what the judges are looking for and how they evaluate the builds in the competition but its helped me become a better builder and has actually increased my custom build business, not by being seen in the challenge but by building with an eye that brings together RL and SL based concepts, designs and techniques at a higher level than I had before as a SL Builder only.

I hope this assist you in understanding the design and concept side of the challenge some what. It only took me 3 months to really get it and I have actually placed back into in inventory 3 builds I had done for the challenge that just don't fit the requirements for this challenge. Several weeks of works and thousands of prims, but if its not right why enter I feel.

I look forward to any questions or concerns you may have as you participate in the UWA Flagship Challenge. I will state here and now unequivocally this is a competition and I am trying my utmost to do the best I can in it. But I am willing to share what I have learned while being in this competition and wish you the best in it.

Nyx Breen