Rustica

Rustica: Change Comes Swift at Years' end! Well done, Linden Lab

2011-12-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Rustica: Change Comes Swift at Years' end! Well done, Linden Lab

Change Comes Swift at Years' end! Well done, Linden Lab

2011-12-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

As 2011 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting back on the many things which have happened to my virtual life in the past 12 months; The end of my experiments in BlueMars, the opening of my clothing store, the arrival of mesh in SL, new viewers, new marketplace, new friends made and old ones returning, as well as some old friends lost. It has, for all of us, been a pretty radical year. One particular event this month has made me more aware of how different things are, and can be, than they were before, and I wanted to share it with you.

For about the last six months, I have been searching for a community to connect with Rustica. As a single island region, it can get pretty quiet working by myself there for 60 hours a week, so I decided to search for a new home, intending to find the right fit aesthetically but also socially. The right people were a key factor in my quest. I had considered a variety of locations, preferring to join a medieval or fantasy RolePlay community because of the nature of my design work, with the limiting provision that Rustica would not become a RP region in order to remain open to my existing customer base, which spans across many genres and styles.

After much deliberation, I am happy to announce that I am joining with the Kingdom of Taure Ru and the Shadow Empire, which some of you may know also as Sylvhara. The sim should be moved over to our new home any moment now, which has me very happy. I am excited for the future and look forward to becoming part of the wonderful community of established RPers there.

My main reason for mentioning this is to make specific mention of just how amazing the Linden Lab Support Team has been during this process! I know this statement may have made some of you spew coffee across your computer, which I apologize for. It is important for me to mention their actions during this process. As much as I have lamented and lambasted them in the past for things they have done wrong during a variety of situations with me in the past, I feel it is equally important to mention how happy I am with the most recent transaction. While it is easy to complain about things when they go wrong, I feel I must in good conscience also give them praise and credit when, as most recently, they do something amazingly right.

Having placed a support ticket to move the sim, I was told that in order to move, I must get permission from several sims which were adjacent to my northern corners in the new spot. Unfortunately, the owner of those sims was no longer in SL, yet the sims had remained there for several months. With no possibility of getting permission from those sims, and no way to move to the new location without doing so, I was forced to close the ticket, which cause me to post my displeasure vociferously on my Plurk page. How could rigid adherence to a policy which was clearly not covering all the bases destroy my plans, after the weeks of meetings and planning! I was pretty livid at the failure, and having no further option, closed the ticket and abandoned the move. This, I commented, was typical of the support system and indicative of a lack of change, in contrast to what Rod Humble had stated as a primary goal this year.

I am here to redact that statement! I was wrong, and wish to explain why. Several days later, a support group manager re-opened the ticket, apologized for the problem, admitted that some mistakes had been made and rectified the situation by removing the two sims which were stuck in traffic and offering to move me to the new location. THIS, dear reader, is NOT the Linden Lab I have known for 5 years. This was something new. I almost fell out of my chair. As he stated, Mr. Humble has apparently empowered Support Group managers to go across channels and departments to fix problems like this when they arise, and I want to loudly applaud them for doing what amounts to a radical and much needed shift in policy control. It is indicative of some new shift in how things are handled by them, and it is very welcome. In the course of operating such a complex company, one which can have such a variety of problems, it is clearly necessary to have this level of authority in order to solve those problems of a more obtuse nature when they arise. If this is the new Linden Lab that Rod spoke of, then it, and he, gets my vote and will continue to get my tier. Kudos to them for doing what should be done in order to support the customers who work as hard to make SL the place it is. This is the best gift I could get this year, not just because my sim is moving, but because it means change - REAL change - is happening behind the doors there in San Fransisco. That, my friends, is awesome.

Kudos to Rod Humble for the finesse to follow through with your statements, and to Teeple Linden for making the system work. You win one internets.

Mesh Jira SH-2374 downgraded to maybe someday

2011-09-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, this isnt very good news. Apparently, the Jira I posted about mesh clothing, has been downgraded from Sprint 28 release to "someday/maybe" status. No word or contact about why this was done, though from this we may conclude that the almost 650 of us that see this as a priority dont really have a say in the matter. https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SH-2374

This is pretty disappointing for several reasons. As Nalates points out in her recent blog, there are several issues which are of a higher concern, like viewer crashes. No argument there, stability should be the top priority. What worries me is that this was done with no explanation, no comments, and we most likely wont be getting any if similar situations in the past are any indicator. Its just done. Having it go to someday/maybe status is the equivalent of the LL file 13, its like a trashcan. Sprint 28 would have been almost too soon to hope for, but this means its going to be an indefinite period of time, if ever, before we see any kind of a solution resembling a parametric deformer.

As illustrated in the image below, a wide variety of issues and problems could be solved with the introduction of some type of deformer.

These issues are new to SL. They are not new problems, however. In the virtual world Bluemars, this exact set of issues was presented and the fix they provided, a parametric deformer, solved those problems instantly and with perfect results. The effect it had in world was like night and day. Suddenly clothing worked, fit, worked well with other clothing from other stores and even worked well over other avatars. It eliminated the need for rigging or weight adjustments. In essence, it took mesh clothing and avatars from being largely unusable to largely adapted/adopted overnight. It worked in Bluemars, it worked for Eve Online, it worked for Guild Wars, Aeon, and a variety of other virtual platforms and MMOs out there. We are not asking them to invent something never achieved before. From the people I have spoken to in the game development community, both in SL and outside of it, this is a pretty standard practice.

Honestly, without this type of a system, mesh clothing and avatars are relegated to the status of experiments. They will not be widely adopted by the population, they will not be widely produced by creators. If the survey I listed in the previous post is any indicator, a large percentage of what people want to make with mesh is affected by these issues, but this does not seem to be important enough to implement the changes/fix. I personally will not be making mesh clothing without it, and I have spoken to a lot of people (both consumers and creators of mesh) who won't be using them or making them either unless these issues are addressed.

The bottom line is this: LL would be more than happy to ignore this issue, letting us all spend inordinate amounts of time trying to develop workarounds and fixes to address the many problems with rigged mesh attachments, none of which will really solve any of those problems. If we spend all the time and effort to do so, they will be more than happy to let us go about it that way, let us do all the extra work. It took six months of arguing and pleading with the devs over in bluemars to get them to introduce the mesh deformer there. Until they did, what happened there is exactly what is happening here: customers unhappy, designers frustrated with the extra work involved, the workarounds not really providing a solution. It is an identical scenario, and one of the main reasons I am so adamant about this. Ive been down this road, and there is only one exit that works, and it must be provided by the developers. Right now, the burden is on YOU and ME to come up with solutions.

If you are as unhappy as I am about this, then please comment on the jira about it. Blog about it. Post in the forums about it. Go to the mesh meetings and ask them about it. Write a Linden. Ask them why this is not a priority for them, or even on the list anymore!

Mesh Creators Survey

2011-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Please take a moment to fill out this survey on what types of items you are, plan on or want to create using mesh. You can pick two.

Online Surveys & Market Research

The FACES OF MESH

2011-08-31T04:12:00.000-07:00

This is a cautionary tale about addiction. It is meant as a warning to all who might consider trying, even just once, the deadly drug (also 3D building method) which is polygonal mesh modelling, known on the street as mesh. Currently 1 out of every 6 SL residents has tried mesh. Someone you know may be using mesh right now. Symptoms include irritability, unusual behavior, discussing technology with no one in particular and ranting about prim counts. Users of mesh will often appear partially invisible to those around them or have body parts sticking out through various clothing articles.

This is one story, but there are many mesh users and the numbers are growing at an alarming rate.

I first heard about mesh years ago, even before my second life began. At the time it seemed some far distant and misunderstood tool for reaching a new type of creative nervana only accessible to Hollywood movie studios and underground, basement-dwelling computer geeks. It just wasn't something you heard about very often or saw your friends doing. It wasn't very available, and it certainly wasn't fashionable. When I heard a CG artist talk about mesh it was as if someone started discussing calculus in a room full of 2nd graders; You might look at them, but you had no way to relate to anything they were saying. You just nodded.

I was introduced to mesh by a friend, as is often the case. Any type of computer graphics is an exposure to this insidious practice. Prims and sculptys are often considered gateway drugs to harder 3D use, as you reach farther and struggle harder to make things more real. At some point, 2 dimensions just aren't enough anymore, and you find yourself looking for a new high, some way to get to that place with your art that pixels just don't take you anymore. It was when a friend emailed me some images of work he was doing that I first saw 3D models. He was using a very early version of a program called maya. I was immediately attracted to it. I nodded dumbly as he went on to describe what he was doing in a language far above my understanding. Polygons, vertex's, Boolean equations, triangulation, materials...none of this mattered to me as much as the flawless imagery I was seeing. Looking back, I think it was at that moment that I first became addicted to it. It would be years before my own deadly experiments with mesh took their toll on my life and my work but that moment was were the desire began. Life was good, I was eager for the future. I had a nice place on the mainland, I was dressing sharp and met a really nice girl.

Over the years as a business owner/creator in Second Life, I spent much of my time online working inside that world but found myself more and more outside of it working on various items in applications designed to allow the creation of sculptys, a watered-down version of mesh which, though not as refined, was no less deadly. It removed me from my social circles, my friends and loved ones and my business contacts, as I attempted to push my creativity into the sculptured medium. I spent less time in world and struggled to find the pure high of virtual realism which sculpty allowed, my customers encouraging me to provide more and more. Soon, I was hardly in world at all anymore, spending most of my working hours inside some 3rd party micro-application designed to streamline the sculpting process, an easy way to get that special result that only they could provide. I had several sims, a huge castle made almost completely out of sculpted prims, the girl that I met now loved me. I had it all.

Eventually I ended up inside the digital boot camp that is 3D Studio Max, where a new plugin allowed me to take my sculptys to places only imagined. Ease of use was the carrot I pulled my cart after, quality design dangling in front of me as I struggled to learn the interface. Though I did not realize it, this was my first time using. So insidious is this mesh drug that I didn't even realize I was doing it. I kept telling myself each time it was 4am again that it was just doing sculptys, it's just part of the job. As a business owner, you do what you have to do, I reassured myself. I was working harder but my work was BETTER! Yes, it took a little longer sometimes and I wasn't outside much, but my customers were rewarding me with business and sales. How can that be wrong? Little did I know how wrong I was and what a twisted path this would lead me down. I didn't spend time DOING things in SL anymore. Shopping, going to clubs, hanging out with friends...these were things I just didn't seem to have time for. I even went over to bluemars to get high on mesh there for a little while. I noticed my skin was kind of dated, and my hair was usually a mess then.

Then, on August 24th the Lab announced they were going to release a super drug. Mesh. Soon, we were told, we would be able to use the hard stuff, get high the way the rest of the big world outside our happy walled garden did. With promises of unlimited detail, ease of use, lack of restrictions on how we could manipulate things we were lured into trying out the beta. Just log onto this special grid, its even free over here - no upload costs! That is how they get you. Just come try this and you can be different, somehow better than everyone else. You can have something other people don't have. Thats the hook. You go over there and you spend a few hours uploading (for free!) your own or trying a few mesh items (they give you some for FREE!) and staring at how different they are. Its pure 3d, refined and distributed to anyone who wants the next new thing, that super high that can put your creativity next to Pixar and the games you like to play outside of SL. That is the lure of it, and that is where the evil starts to wiggle into your inventory, one prim at a time.

You notice the incredible details. See how you can edit anything anyway you want to? The textures dazzle the eye. Its sparkly in a way no other building method ever was. You look around the beta grid and see amazing things people built, things that look like nothing else in SL. It's so NEW and DIFFERENT and OMG I MUST HAZ. I CAN HAZ! This is how it starts. The psychological foundation for the addiction is established before you even create your first polygon. By the time you download blender you are already feeling the effects of the drug. That first time you fire up maya and realize you dont have to use the sculpty exporter, and you can put any vertices anywhere you want, you are already high. You're fucking stoned on mesh, man, and the high is like nothing else. Each polygon, each DAE export is like a rush of adrenaline taking your creativity to places you never dreamed of. It feels amazing, like some digital absinthe fairy uploading magic to your sim. The work was just BETTER. That is when things started to get darker.

At first, it was just a few logins here and there, just experimenting. I went over to the Aditi grid and looked around. I met a few people, eager eccentrics like myself looking for a new high, dazzled by the lure of doing something familiar in a completely unfamiliar way. We would sit alone in a mesh sandbox sim for hours on end, each lost in a digital, polygon-induced euphoria. Wow, look at that! Hey, come check out this thing I just uploaded. It's a golden time. Virtual Nirvana. The clothing MOVES with you!

Soon, however, you find yourself spending more time doing mesh. The first aspects of the dark side of using mesh start to show up. You try to convince your friends how cool it is, that they should get the newest, latest viewer du jour and come get high with you. "You have to see this!" You start off on the long, winding path to understanding polygon mesh modelling. Everything is new and different, yes, but you realize it means you cant do anything with it yet. So, you start to spend hours inside your application of choice, trying to understand in attempt to keep the high going. When that stops working, you start logging into online tutorials. You tell yourself that this is so you can learn, but deep inside you know its really just so you can see what it would be like if it all worked the way you wanted it to. Just seeing someone else making mesh successfully can be almost as good as making it yourself, for a little while.

The desire, however, becomes a need. You realize that making a sculpty just doesnt feel as good anymore. You want that rush that comes from uploading your mesh and seeing how different it is. That desire keeps you offline, keeps you "up" for more and more hours a week. What started as simple experimentation gradually starts to take up all your online time. For some, this is a time when they seek content from other sources, frustrated at being unable to do it themselves. They start out at the common gathering spots for 3d content, like renderosity and turbo squid. They may even spend a little money to get some models to upload, feeding the desire for more mesh. Before long, however, this leads to less and less reputable sites.

Soon, you will be visiting places like the sketchup library, user-owned content repositories and obscure foreign-language blogs where you dont even know what they are saying, as long as they have a model you can download. Just a picture of a model and a download button will do. For some, this is a time when their addiction enters into a more serious, and dangerous, territory. Hacking into game content, bit torrents full of an easy score - anything to get a fix, regardless of the security issues. At this point I was pretty much high on mesh all the time, and I looked like shit.

You start to ignore the signs that things arent going so well, that maybe you should consider giving up ever using mesh again. Things that before would have prevented you from using again start to become insignificant. You don't log into the aditi grid anymore now that mesh is live on the main grid. It doesn't matter that you have to pay for uploads, as long as you can share your high with a few other people, showing them all the cool things mesh can do in an attempt to justify your own growing addiction to it. Before you started using mesh, building things was always done with an eye toward keeping prim usage to a minimum. Now, however, its all about the polygon, and the dangerously high levels of prim usage are thinly disguised with the innocuously deceptive abbreviation PE. PE doesn't sound as bad as prim equivalent or prim count. Its just PE, how bad can that be? It even sounds good for you, like gym class. At this stage in your mesh addiction you upload recklessly as you get your fix, spending large amounts of linden dollars, ignoring the fact that your full sim is running out of prims and that no customer in thier right mind would pay for a tree thats 75 prims and only 20 meters high. It's mesh! How can they not see how cool it is?

At this point, the effects of mesh use start to take a toll on your personal life. You are almost always frustrated and your appearance is drastically affected. You are pasty and disheveled in real life, sitting for days at a time in front of your computer in your undies, hair sticking out all over, cheetos dust covering your keyboard and shirt. You miss seeing your friends, but if you can just get that mesh right then people will love you still, and you'll be the popular one. You can stay cutting edge! The pile of empty mountain dew cans on your desk only reminds you to finish those oil drum models you wanted to make. Your friends in SL don't come around anymore, tired of hearing you ramble on about polys and extrusions and optimization, nodding at you like the 2nd grader you used to be, but aware of your downward spiral. Your SL girlfriend leaves you after growing tired of seeing only half of you, wondering what happened to the creative sculpty guy she used to know. You haven't had pixel sex since the time you insisted on wearing the mesh avatar with the rigged genitals that caused her to laugh so hard she tweeted it. She just doesn't "get you," you tell yourself. But you can see how awesome your mesh self is, as you sit alone on your platform like a zombie.

The reality is that you arent awesome anymore at this stage of your mesh use. You are an addict. Most people cant see you anymore. You start to hang out with other users that have the same glazed-over stare that you do, your new mesh being interesting for the moment it takes for them to find something cooler. Then they are off for another fix, and so are you. When you aren't showing off your latest mesh victory, you stumble through your SL in a polygon-induced stupor. Your avatar skin and clothing are 2 years out of date. Your AO looks like something you got at the freebie store on welcome island. Your shoes, when you remember to put them both on, often end up up your ass or worn on the wrong foot, but you don't really notice. Your once awesome hair is now half in your skull, having been edited while you were meshed out last weekend trying on some new avatar body parts. You don't even texture your work, just lining up the raw, white uploads instead. No one talks to you anymore, because you are a scary, mumbling, half invisible pile of alpha maps and textured blobs. You spout random gibberish that only another mesh addict would understand, ranting occasionally about the Lab not giving you more prims to work with. Eventually, you end up in some seedy hotel mainlining polygons.

These are the final stages. Your business is failing, sales and traffic dropping to record lows as you continue to search for that mesh high that always seems just out of reach. Hopefully, someone you love will step in. Hopefully, people you know will intervene, preventing the loss of yet another designer to the evil that is mesh abuse. Friends don't let friends use mesh. Do not let them, and don't try it yourself.

You may become just one of the many faces of mesh.

NOTE: This post is satirical, though there are elements of truth within it. Im high on mesh right now. lol

The Coming of Mesh (or mess-h, or meh-sh, depending on how you look at it)

2011-07-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

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It has been quite some time since I've blogged anything thats been happening with Rustica, so much so that it is hard to know where to begin! It has been a hard year in SL for so many people I know, for all of us it seems. In my last post I spoke about my experiments over in Bluemars, which has since gone completely off the radar in pursuit of developing an app for iOS mobile devices. Since November I have been back in SL, as many of you know, continuing to develop several large sets of furniture, several new houses and working on a variety of large events and expos as well as several appearances and articles with prim perfect.

My time in Bluemars, while not what I hoped or expected, was extremely beneficial as both a way to learn and prepare for the eventual release of mesh in SL, and as a wonderful form of "art therapy" for me, which was much needed at the time. Zen is your hands in the dirt, as the saying goes, and Bluemars was an excellent garden to experience new tools, new technology and return to designing just for the sake of design. It was an amazing experience, the cryengine helping me take my designs to very new places.

In returning from that therapy, I realized I needed to get back to the joy and simplicity of designing which brought me to SL in the first place. I also realized that after 4 years I wanted very much to take a break from doing furniture and houses. In February of this year I decided to do something which I had wanted to do since I started my first shop on the mainland; To design a mens and womens line of clothing and accessories. (In fact, I almost chose that market instead of furnishings!) In sorting out how I could go about this, I realized that it would be best to separate this new product line from Rustica completely, rather than incorporate it into the castle and existing products. Thus I created a completely new line, and a new retail location which will be far above the castle on the Rustica sim. The mens label is called bastard and the womens label is called bitch; you can find the blog for them here: http://bitchbastard.blogspot.com

The Runway

Rest assured I have not stopped producing items for Rustica. Indeed, I have several large projects already in progress. This is simply a much needed change of pace, something to refresh my work and recharge my creativity. Designing houses is often a very lengthy process, and I wanted to try something that allows me to create at a faster rate and see results in a more timely manner. This will, hopefully, be good for all my work and reflect in any items I design. It has already had a profound effect on me. This new store, the new market, and the inclusion of a new type of tool (mesh) is a radical departure for me, and already has had an excellent impact on me personally as a creative individual.

Item vendor spotlights

As you can see from the pictures of the new store, it is a radical departure from the experience one has as a visitor to Rustica, almost to the point of being an opposite; The castle encourages you to explore, to wander the many rooms, floors and tunnels. The clothing store, however, is a graphic and minimalist environment designed to allow for a low-lag, quick-rezzing visit where you are presented with space and depth, almost no store at all. It uses light and shadow to define the space, rather than heavy architectural sculpts and textures. The focus is on easily accessing the items you want to find in a visually dynamic space.

The center/landing point

The introduction of mesh has had a profound impact on the types of items I want to present. Though I have been part of the mesh beta program since prior to my experiments in Bluemars, I have been primarily focused on learning how to use it for the last several months. I had intended to introduce a variety of mesh clothing items in the new store. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of mesh as a worn object for the initial release, I will only be producing a limited amount of mesh clothing. It is impossible, because of the lack of adjustment
capability, to provide a product which I feel confident in supplying to my customers; It requires you to adjust YOUR shape to IT, rather than it being able to conform to your existing shape. At a later date LL has mentioned the possibility of including some type of deformer system to allow for customization of purchased mesh clothing and avatars, but it will not be included in the initial release. If you are interested in this problem at all, please consider adding your vote to the JIRA which I created requesting a mesh deformer. It has much more information on this problem, and your vote can help! https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/CTS-693

Bitch is on one side...

...bastard is on the other.

I want to say thank you to the many friends and customers who continue to support us; Without you, I could not have come to this point and could not do what I do. This has been a very hard year with so many closings, so many leaving SL. Rustica, however, is still here, still growing and there is much to come in the coming months. I am very optimistic about the future of SL, my personal future in it, and the many interesting things which are coming to SL this year, including the possibility of a tablet-based connection! Onward and Upward!

Building a lifeboat, watching the clouds roll in...

2010-10-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Its been a very odd year for us, which seems to be the case with so many people I know from SL and in RL. Things often change faster than I think I can keep up with - part of the inherent difficulty of trying to live in multiple worlds with multiple lives. Central to any of them working well is the desire to always grow as an individual and as an artist, regardless of the identity or the medium of expression. With that mindset I have been expanding in the new virtual world Bluemars with an idea which I first explored on a sim design called Rune not too long ago with the "Alpine Deathrace 2000" offroad race. We had so much fun with it that we decided to do it again in this new virtual world, not with one sim but with a city thats 1024 sims in size - or roughly 5.2 miles!

As you may imagine, this is going to take a bit of work, which is why I have been off the radar for some time since the LL fiasco that became the end of the LagNmoor sim. As we've said before, we have no plans to leave SL and will be continuing to provide content and new releases there. Though it is in early beta stages of development, Bluemars is an important step toward the future for my work and a new chapter in the evolution of virtual reality. In lieu of the ongoing problems with SL, however, I am not just trying to expand there; I now also see it as a lifeboat of sorts, if something does happen to SL. I want a place to land, a place for my friends and others to land.

I will continue to add updates and information here for all of my work regardless of which world I do it in. I have much to do!

Followup: LL drops the ball, again.

2010-06-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

After yesterday, I wanted to update on just exactly whats been done: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I saw some items, like the vendors, and some single pieces had been removed (about 1% of it). Not certain who removed those items. On contacting the lab this morning, I was told that "Oh, yeah the removals team are off for the weekend. Theres really nothing we can do till monday." So....48 hours after sending me a letter stating my content was removed from inventory and in world at those locations, theres actually MORE of my stolen work out there than there was initially:

4 sims full of stolen content still sit there in world. In fact, not only is Skatman and his alt not removed, apparently they had time (or someone with build perms on his stuff) to come in and build some additional items using my stolen work last night. A few of the buildings now have also been rented out and furnished since I filed last week.

From last January, a sign across 2 sims which could be seen in the map.

The email was not answered, content/avatar not removed, but the map was changed 3 times in 24 hours.

THIS is a reason, among others, that I am angry and can see no other recourse.

I will be deleting my sim at 3pm today, and will be filming the protest for treet.tv to air. I do this primarily because I cannot afford it any longer, but I also want to deny that small portion to them. I'm taking back the 300$ a month that I've been paying them for protection and service there. It is a simple thing, done simply. There is no deep meaning behind it, there is no expectation of change. Protest is simple.

Artists do not fight wars and revolutions. We start them.

Think. Be angry. Act.

Rustica: Deleting LagNmoor sim due to THEFT. Thanks for nothing, LL.

2010-06-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, an avatar named Skatman Shelman, his alt Skatman Edelmann, decided to start doing entire sim builds for people in SL. The problem: he's using tons of my stolen work to do them with, claiming it as his own work. Hes even got my furniture in vendors. The sims containing this work are Nosferatu, Black Dissidia, Vamps Nest and Les Carpathes.

After Filing a DMCA, waiting for 6 days, I was sent the response that "LL has sucessfully and expeditiously removed the content listed from those locations and the inventory of the avatars." Excellent, right? Not so:

Within an hour of getting this email, I went to all of the locations listed and the items have NOT been removed. 4 sims of my content still sits there, being sold and distributed through vendors, rez boxes, etc. Hundred of pieces of my work - sections form my carriageway house, my garden set, my sculpted prim pack, furniture from my store. One of the houses is even called "maison Rustique." Nice touch.

So, with some of the removals team members fired recently, it seems they are now limiting the enforcement of the third party viewer policy to merely sending you useless documents to make you feel like they have done something to protect you, when in fact they have not done anything but send you a document saying they have. Im not really up to speed on the legalities of this, but it seems to me that telling me they've acted on a DMCA when they haven't would be against some kind of law. It should be if it isn't, but then this is typical of the perfect loopholes that exist within the framework of the TOS policy and the DMCA policy that make it next to impossible for you to do business here.

Those avatars still exist in world, despite my filing on them, LL admitting that the persons were found guilty by way of removing the items from them, and despite 2 other people having filed on this person in the past for similar offenses. Just what exactly do you have to do to be removed from second life? I think we all need to ask that question. Supposedly, the 3rd party viewer policy was designed to help them remove people like Skatman and his alts, to give them more authority. From the working end of that policy (which hasn't stopped any 3rd party viewers from coming to my sim, unlike my CDS which works fine still...) I can say my experience leads me to conclude that it is designed more than anything to make it look like the lab is finally being pro-active about theft. In a word, BOLLOCKS.

I was told "If you have a problem with the removals team responding to your email - send the removals team an email." That is, according to several LL employees, "the only thing you can do." No person to speak to, no help whatsoever beyond that. Nice loophole.

SO...after all of this, Ive just decided to delete the LagNmoor sim and maintain my business in SL on the Rustica sim only. I cannot justify the cost under the current market, and under the current policy enforcement system that exists here. I will continue to operate here as long as possible. Items that existed on that sim, like my houses, will be available on the Rustica sim in vendors.

If you would like to see LagNmoor again before it is gone, now is the time. It will not be here tomorrow. Thank you to all the people who have come to it over the last two years. You are the reason I am still here.

I pray that nothing like this will ever have to happen to another person in SL.

New Rustica Release - The Forever House

2010-05-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

The Forever House.

I called it that because it took me that long to finish - time spent in attaining a level of detail beyond any of my previous efforts, while reducing the total prim count from over 600 in the initial design down to the finished 280.

While simpler in look and layout than the others, the complexity of the post & beam vernacular style and design of the individual parts places this house firmly as the most difficult of my designs to complete. It is, in many ways, the summation of what I have learned in my time as a home builder.

The Forever House has been designed to fit between the existing range of LagNmoor Village homes in size and prim count, larger than the Crooked House and Seaside Cottage but not as big as the Carriageway House. I have also listened to the many requests and implemented a variety of changes for this and future houses in the LagNmoor Village collection, such as a reduction in scripts, less prims, open floorplan and a completely new rezzer system.

The Forever House contains a variety of sculpted primitives created specifically for this house. The focus on detail and craftsmanship includes:

• Post and beam/plaster construction over stone foundation, beamed ceiling
• Vented gable roof and vented front and rear dormers
• Center split, leaded glass doors and windows with diamond mullions and functional hardware (the doors all open from the right side, unless you are on the other side of them, in which case they open from the left.)
• Sculpted House Djinn to adjust window textures and transparency
• Split barn-style Dutch door with working hardware
• Front Corner Lamp (touch to turn on or off)
• Two working stone fireplaces with a functional chimney and tiled hearths. (click hearth tile to turn on or off the chimney smoke)
• Crown/Shoe moulding
• Qoined corner facades inside and out
• Crenellated machicolations on the tower, varanda and patio
• 1-off and baked texture work throughout
• Curved pocket doors in the stairwell tower at each level
• Front veranda, back patio off the master suite
• 3rd floor tower patio with conical roof for open-air use. (touch to turn on or off)

2010-05-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to document the Rune sim for posterity, and Mr. Stretch Mayo did an amazing piece of work...a real tribute to the fun we had there. Thank you Stretch! check this out:

(look in 720HD if you can)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEbEm0cTz1k

A Very Special Thank You To All The Wonderful Photographers and especially Feline Slade and Annaliusa Bertolucci for their photos in this blog... Go Watch The Video From Stretch Mayo!!

~PICTURES OF RUNE BEFORE IT IS GONE~

2010-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Post any and all pictures you have taken of RUNE and the Alpine Death Race On The Rustica Flickr Group.... In Memoriam As A Lasting Tribute To The Beauty Created Here By Maxwell Graf... The Sim has been sold and will be no more VERY VERY SOON! Sunday March 7th 2010 Is The Last Day to Shoot A Bear Or Ride Throught The Alpine Death Race...
Please Share Your Fun Times, Good Memories, Special Moments, Bear Hunts And Awesome Photos...with us

*~*Love To You All*~*

Featured Artist Of The Week At Twisted Thorn Textures

2009-12-31T05:35:00.001-08:00

Come See Maxwell Graf At Twisted Thorn Textures. Maxwell Is The Featured Artist Of The Week At Twisted Thorn. Nighty Goodspeed And Elenora Wisent Have An Amazing Display Of Beautiful Textures and Furnishings For Your Enjoyment. Come To Twisted Thorn, Where Textures Are An Art. This Week Catch Maxwell Graf In House 24/7 At Twisted Thorn. If He Is Sleeping When You Pop In, Smile and Wave. Meet Maxwell Graf In The Twisted Thorn Display For Espresso Each Morning At 10 SLT.

See The Beauty That Is Maxwell Graf, Rustica Furnishings, LagNmoor Villages, And Rune All This Week At Twisted Thorn Textures

RUSTICA PINE FOREST COLLECTION

2009-09-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Maxwell Graf Ventures From RUNE To XStreet SL Marketplace!

To View All The Rustica Items Available On XStreetSL Click The Title Of This Blog!

Maxwell Graf Has Turned The MarketPlace Into A Showcase For Some Of His Beautiful Landscape Items That He Used To Create RUNE, His Newest Sim! The Pine Tree Forest Collection, The LIGHT Pine Tree Forest Pack, The DARK Pine Tree Forest Pack, The DEAD Pine Tree Forest Pack, The BURNED Pine Tree Forest Pack, The Grass / Underbrush Pack, The WEEPING Pine Tree Forest Pack, The Deadfalls/Stumps Pine Tree Forest Pack And The Landscaping Rocks, 3 Rock Set. These Are The Wonderful Sculpted Rocks And Stones That Maxwell Created And Has Utilized On Rustica, LagNmoor And RUNE.

Max Says: "TREES! I wanted a forest, to blanket the land with them, but the low-prim/alpha texture trees out there were just not working, and the sculpted ones out there, though gorgeous to look at, often had more prims than I could use. As a result, i present this alternative to those who, like me, have had a desire to do more with less. These are sculpted, but very low prim."
The items in the sets are available in other textures and as a total collection here at RUNE and on Xstreet SL.

NEW RELEASE: The Well of Sorrows

2009-08-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Make a wish, cast in your dreams, pour out your heart to the abyss! The Well of Sorrows is equipped with 5 menu-driven poses, each carefully placed (but adjustable to suit your needs). You and 4 of your most depressed friends can gather at the old wishing well and contemplate whos going in first; Each can click after sitting and choose from the remaining poses available, or change to any available pose at any time.

PRIM COUNT: Well = 15, Vines = 14, Wind Vines = 8 x 2, Shadows = 13
PRIM USAGE TOTAL: 15 for well, 58 if all elements used

YOU CAN VIEW AND PURCHASE THIS ITEM ON THE LAGNMOOR SIM HERE:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/LagNmoor/218/37/25

This well features:

• 2 different copies of the well: SOLID CORE - for surface mounting and HOLLOW - for use as an actual well, with a hollow section underneath to place below water level.

• a linked set of vines which are not linked to the main body of the well, so that you may remove them once rezzed to save on prim count. When you initially rez the well, the vines will be there. DO NOT DELETE THEM, take them back into your inventory so you can use them again.

• 2 different sets of shadows for using within the wells. When placed down inside the rim of the well, it will gradually darken the view to black, giving a nice spooky appearance. :o

• 5 different poses which operate for up to 5 avatars: (R-click and sit on the well. Then, L-click on the well. A menu will appear which will allow you to see the other avatars sitting, and allow you to choose from any of the remaining positions.)

• a dripping sound which will play every so often down inside the well.

• 2 different wind vines to place on the ground. They produce two different creepy wind sounds. place them near the well to complete the look.

♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥X♥Xcake♥or♥death♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X

If you have any questions or comments please contact: Lyyric Fei, our business manager.

Sincerely, Maxwell Graf, owner and designer
Rustica Home Furnishings©

When science and technology fail, art survives. Eat the rich. :P

A NEW RELEASE!!!

2009-07-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

The Rustica Pine Forest Collection of Trees and Underbrush by Maxwell Graf

YOU CAN VIEW AND PURCHASE THIS COLLECTION IN A SIM-SIZED BUILD @ RUNE

http://slurl.com/secondlife/RUNE/150/219/48

or on both the Rustica and LagNmoor sims, from vendors located there.
__________________________________________________

Trees are always a problem with me. I'm picky as hell about them. I love the sculpted ones that i find, but they are generally too prim-heavy to use more than a limited number of them.

I wanted a forest, to blanket the land with them, but the low prim alpha texture trees out there were just not for me. As a result, i present this alternative to those who, like me, have had a desire to do more with less. These are sculpted, but very low prim.

This collection features:

• 5 different sculpted tree types (Light, Dark, Dead, Burned and Weeping) in various sizes.
• 3 sculpted tree stumps
• 2 deadfall trees
• 5 different sculpted underbrush types (leafy, fluffy grass, thin grass, ferns, stems/twigs)

The sculpted primitives and most of the textures in these items are original works, having been hand painted without the use of photographic inclusion. Please respect the effort involved in the making of these items and use them only in the manner described in this agreement. Theft is killing the content of SL, not just the businesses of those who work hard to make it.

♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥X♥Xcake♥or♥death♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X♥X

If you have any questions or comments please contact: Lyyric Fei, our business manager.

Sincerely, Maxwell Graf, owner and designer
Rustica Home Furnishings©

copyright©2009 Rustica and Maxwell Graf, all rights reserved.

When science and technology fail, art survives. Eat the rich. :P

HUGE news for Rustica and Mr. Graf...

2009-05-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! I know many of you havent heard from me in a bit, or seen new releases lately, so I wanted to send this letter to let everyone know just exactly whats been going on over here on the sims.

FIRST THE BIG NEWS: RL has been taking a toll on my SL, which is why its been quiet over here. The good side of that is after 2 amazing years of building Rustica together, Lyyric Fei and I are going to shack up in RL! I am moving 3500 miles to share a house with her. As you can imagine, packing up and moving that far takes a bit of doing, which is why i have put building things on hold for a bit so I can focus. I am still here in SL as much, just more tired now. lol. The house hunt continues!

MORE BIG NEWS: As of this morning, we are now the proud owners of Arcana Nuevo, the sim located next to LagNmoor and Rustica. Arcana Nuevo has been an iconic part of the SL landscape since 2004, and though you may not know the name of it, you have most likely been to it at some point if you are a castle lover. The amazing woman who designed and built it had taken it down to build something new about a month ago. Sadly, she has had to leave SL for a while and wanted us to take over the sim. We gladly accepted.

YET MORE BIG NEWS: The new sim is called RUNE, and will be developed between now and the end of summer. It will contain (you may want to sit down) a 4x4 off road racing track with a variety of vehicles to hop on and get dirty with. Think big jumps, lava, mud, spikes, sharks, alligators. We did a test run in about 2 days that was so much fun we decided to do a permanent version with the same landscaping and look as the other two sims - trees, rocks, waterfalls, sculpted ruins, walls. There will be seating and viewing areas, possibly a gun emplacement or two so you can fire at the people racing. Interesting rally and team events will definately be part of the picture. I've always been attracted to the places in SL that have things to do that don't suck. Vehicles, even the best ones, usually dont have much to drive on unless you want to go in circles. The few days we had the test build running were amazing fun, and the response was the same with everyone who tried it: Wow! thats crazy and fun....lets go again.

YET AGAIN, BIG NEWS: Above the track, high up in the air we will also be making (you should still be sitting down) a location for our new lines of CLOTHING and ACCESSORIES! Yes friends, after all this time and many requests, I will be using my sculpty/texture madness to make things to wear. There will be several other designers producing with me for this new venture.

EVEN BIGGER NEWS: I get asked about 30 times a week about a few particular items that have been taking forever to do. (You know who you are, and you know what they are.) After I get settled in my new home this month, I will be making a great effort to get all the unfinished bits on my sims completed. The bar and all its bits, the metro collection items, the water hookah, the wishing well, the 4th house.....ALL OF THEM WILL BE COMPLETED AND RELEASED. Even if I cant find a scripter who can actually manage to complete the damn bar, im going to release it. Either that or im going to set fire to it in the castle yard. Im not going to ramble about the 5 scripters who never completed the project. Shame on them.

I have designs for several new houses, including a larger and more livable crooked house, and will be making them after the other items are completed.

Well, that being said, I want to thank all of you for making my RL and SL possible with your patronage and your kindness over this last year. Its been more work than I thought I could survive, but YOU have made it possible. I will make more!

Onward and Upward!

-Sincerely,
Maxwell and Lyyric

NEW RELEASE: Le Jardin Rustiqué

2009-03-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce the latest release: The Rustic Garden Kit. This kit contains a plethora of sculpted and distinctly textured items for creating walls, formal gardens, entryways, fences and rock landscaping on your land. All of the parts are designed specifically to match the houses and sculpty pack items also sold by us, to allow for a matched layout of your own design!

It is available from the vendor at http://slurl.com/secondlife/LagNmoor/142/149/30

The Rustic Garden Kit has over 30 items:

• 8 columns - for between and at the end of wall sections; both 4m and 7m sizes of flat, balltop, urn and fire urn styles

• 3 landscape rocks - The MUCH asked for rocks that I have used all over the sims; low corner, tapered and rounded. With creative use of these, you can make any landscape.
• 3 stairs - 3, 6 and 12 stair sets for using with the walls.
• Sculpted hedge maze - a good way to get lost. (theres an invisable top on it too, so you cant get out except at the ends.)

• Stone crypt - Something distasteful and dark to offset all the butterfly and particle poofers that are in your neighbors yard.
• 8 walls - 6m and 9m high wall sections of scultped stone, capped, in 4, 6, 8 and 10 meter lengths (use with columns).
• 4 corners - 90 and 180 degree curved wall sections to compliment the straight bits, in both 6 and 10m heights.

• 2 topiary hedges - square and round tri-level topiary trees.
• 3 raised beds - Raised dirt planting beds with varying columns to match the walls. These work with the hedges and topiary, or your own flora.
• 4 hedges - several distinct styles and sizes of sculpted hedges. These can be used with the planting beds or along to frame your house or yard edge.

The Village of LagNmoor will contain a handful of different homes, from small cottages to Estate homes and Manor houses. Additionally, a full line of forest and landscaping products will become available as they are completed.

Thank you, and safe paths!
-Sincerely, Lyyric Fei and Maxwell Graf

2009 New Releases for the Village of LagNmoor

2009-01-04T19:35:00.001-08:00

Yay! It's finally done.

We are very happy to release the newest in a collection of medieval prefabricated homes called "The Village of LagNmoor." The homes are done using the same process and style as Rustica castle (read: a plethora of sculpted bits), but in a more convenient take-home size!

"The CarriageWay House" is a response to customers who wanted a larger, more livable space for their second life home. With its predominant carriageway arch, through which family and guests can escape the weather to dismount and enter into the house from a more protected entryway, this house has been designed to also become a mixed use or multiple occupant dwelling. Combinations of shop/tavern downstairs and private residence upstairs can be achieved with no modification to the structure. Elements such as the stone fountain with hitching post, stone stable and wishing well are all available to accessorize your dwelling to your tastes.

Go to the house inside Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/LagNmoor/142/151/30

LOTS OF PICS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE :)

In addition to the level of texture and shape detail you have come to expect from Rustica, we have added a number of scripted features into the building that are unique to this structure:

• 400 Prims, 30H x 30D x 40W Footprint, 3 links sections
• Sculpted exterior: Stone walls, roof, doors and windows, archways, fireplaces, detail elements, mouldings
• 2 different sculpted stone fireplaces (with smoke, working grate and chimney)
• Complete finished interior: peaked gable interiors, exposed wooden beam ceilings, trim and archways,
• Opening, wooden casement and arched windows
• Sculpted doors with functioning knobs and sounds
• Period-correct, lockable, retractable, sliding, metal gates on windows and doors (hidden when open, clanging shut with a satisfactory CLANK when activated)
• 2 House controllers: The house controllers are located both at the bottom of the railing out front (the large stone ball) and above the main arch inside the master bedroom suite. Left click them to Adjust window color, transparency and texture (Day or Night) for each floor, lock and unlock metal security gates and change permissions for controller access.

ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE HOUSE:

• The bathtub and sink are included but not linked, giving you the option of placing them or using your own.
• A section of sculpted, copiable fencing is included, for connecting the stable or decorating your property lines.
• 2 different, copiable wind vines let you place randomly timed sounds of wind blowing when an avitar is within 10m of them.
• A window seating set containing cushions, pillows, a throw rug, candle, book and vase of flowers, for placing in the 2nd floor window.
• 2 seating cushion sets for the corners of the master bedroom, with separate oil pot lamps
• 2 fires for the fireplaces
• A sculpted, copiable broom, for dust bunny herding

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES:

• A fully Functioning, period-correct medieval kitchen is available for purchase separately to fit inside the separate room off the carriageway. In it you will find a large multi-door stove with woodbin and working fires inside, a grill with spitted meat over a fire, cabinets, baking bread, sculpted utensils, meat and vegetables.

• A Sculpted, two-stall stable/barn is available for purchase separately to coincide with the equine elements of the CarriageWay house. Working barn doors, large front bay doors, stall gates, a hayloft and sculpted hay floors all have been designed to complete the design of your estate.

• A working fountain and hitching post, for your thirsty mounts, is also available. The 5 built in poses can be used indivudually or work in conjunction for couples, and the water supply is able to turn off and on at the pump handle.

• Additional Library shelves for the upper tower room are available for purchase separately. They are extremely low prim, have working lights, some with lower cabinets and each comes with a set of sculpted books to fill the shelves which you can color to match your interior!

♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥XSPECIAL MAD MAX DISCOUNTS♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥X

Heres the deal:

• If you buy the cottage, you get 30% off up to 10KL$ worth of furniture! This will apply to any items we offer excluding the sculpty packs and prefab homes.

Heres the details:

For anyone who has purchased a home from us we are offering a 30% discount off of any furnishings up to 10,000L$. This includes the individual items inside the cottage or any furnishings from Rustica's main store. The discount will be provided after a transaction notecard is recieved with the total of your purchases. Please include the cottage transaction in the list as proof of purchase (the cottage price does not apply to the 7K total - more $$$ for you) and PLEASE SEND NOTECARDS TO LYYRIC FEI, our business manager, to recieve the discount.

Heres a few images of the house!

Weekend Shopping Spree!!!

2008-10-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

From 7 pm slt October 17, 2008 until 7pm slt October 18, 2008...For Every 750.00 Lindens you spend at Rustica Home Furnishings, you will receive a 200.00 Linden discount from Lyyric Fei! Simply send your transaction history from your SL website to Lyyric Fei and she will drop the 200.00 Lindens into your account!! For Every Shopper/Reader who mentions this blog spot to Lyyric, Between October 17th, 2008 and October 19, 2008 your name will be entered into a drawing for a free 1000.00 Linden shopping spree at Rustica Home Furnishings.

Come To Rustica Home Furnishings!! Explore... Shop... Be!!!

The LagNmoor Village Crooked House... Halloween Special!

2008-10-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

In celebration of All Hallow's Eve, we are very happy to release the second cottage in a collection of medieval prefabricated homes called "The Village of LagNmoor." The homes are done using the same process and style as Rustica castle (read: a plethora of sculpted bits), but in a more convenient take-home size!

I present The Crooked House! As the name implies, there is not a right angle in the building. Every aspect of this vernacular building style is built to represent the look of years of decay and repair, from the leaning tower to the tilted walls and floors. Built in details throughout the interior and functionality to help create your dark lifestyle.

LOTS OF PICS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS NOTE! :)

In addition to the level of texture and shape detail you have come to expect from Rustica, we have a built a number of scripted features into the building as well. Heres a list of some of the features:

• 157 PRIMS!
• Sculpted exterior stone and roof, door surrounds and windows.
• Sculpted stone fireplace (with smoke out the chimney) and leaning stone tower with 6 levels, stairs and ladders
• Complete finished interior, allowing you to have full use of the upper space (instead of teleporters for R.P.)
• Opening windows and doors
• Period-correct, lockable, retractable, sliding, metal gates on both doors (hidden when open, clanging shut with a satisfactory CLANK when activated)
• House controller: Adjust window color, transparency and texture (lit and dark) for each floor, lock and unlock metal security gates and change permissions for controller access.

♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥XSPECIAL MAD MAX DISCOUNTS♥X♥X♥X♥X♥♥X♥X♥X

Heres the deal:

• If you buy the cottage, you get 30% off up to 7KL$ worth of furniture!

( You can purchase the furnishing item individually inside the house)

Heres the details:

For anyone who has purchased a home from us we are offering a 30% discount off of any furnishings up to 7000L$. This includes the individual items inside the cottage or any furnishings from Rustica's main store. The discount will be provided after a transaction notecard is recieved with the total of your purchases. Please include the cottage transaction in the list as proof of purchase (the cottage price does not apply to the 7K total - more $$$ for you) and PLEASE SEND NOTECARDS TO LYYRIC FEI, our business manager, to recieve the discount.

Heres a few images of the exterior!

and some shots of the interior features (furnishings not included):

The Village of LagNmoor will contain a handful of different homes, from small cottages to Estate homes and Manor houses. Additionally, a full line of forest and landscaping products will become available as they are completed.

From The Cradle To The Grave!!

2008-10-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Just released a couple of creeped out items for halloween! Both are available at the base of the entrance stairs...

From the Cradle to the Grave:
____________________________________

The Empty Crib - ok, theres a story behind this, and why i dont keep it out all year round. After making it a long while ago, i had it on the upper floors. About 3am one fine morning it started up by itself while I was working very intently and freaked me out bigtime. SO....if it does this to you, I have nothing to do with it.

It rocks back and forth with a creaking sound when clicked, and after a time a ghost baby will appear and begin crying. Even the crying is freaky on this. I dont keep it out after the holiday. Do so at the risk of your own comfort. This is dark.
____________________________________

The Freshly Turned Grave - This is a headstone and some nice cushy earth for when you need a nice long dirtnap. Sculpted, of course. This one doesnt do anything. Its for dead people and the dead don't need functional things. It is copiable so you can make one for each of your victims.

LagNmoor Village Cottages!!!

2008-10-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Maxwell Graf has expanded yet again and is offering his cottage collection in the same amazing style as the Rustica Castle. Maxwell has incorporated his sculpted prims or sprims as he coined, to become the phenomenal new choices offered to SL residents for a place to call home. The cottage collection has several sizes in the works and include a Witches Cottage, a SkyTower, A Manor House And A Carriage House with Kitchen and A separate Stable Building, And The Seaside Cottage 1 . The Seaside Cottage 1 has been completed and is for sale on the LagNmoor Sim. The cottage also has an incredible offer of a discount on the furnishings shown in the cottage! Once you purchase the cottage, if you then choose to furnish it from Rustica, you will receive a 30% discount up to 7000.00L in the store.

Some Yumminess about the Seaside Cottage 1 available now,
• 173 PRIMS! The building footprint will fit on a 512 parcel, but the prim limits will not allow you to have it on a 512 parcel without additional prim limits.
• Sculpted exterior stone and roof, door surrounds and windows.
• Sculpted stone fireplace (with smoke out the chimney) and stone gable ends exposed on the interior
• Finished interior roof, allowing you to have full use of the upper space (instead of roof parts bisecting each other in the attic!)
• Opening windows and doors
• Lockable, retractable sliding metal gates on all opening windows and doors (hidden when open)
• Interior sliding pocket doors to private room and upper access
• House controller: Adjust window transparency and texture (lit and dark) for each floor, lock and unlock metal security gates and change permissions for controller access.

Come to the LagNmoor Sim just south of Rustica and wander through the beauty of the LagNmoor Village Cottages Now being offered by Maxwell Graf. Come... Shop... Be....

New Rustica Store Castle and Sim NOW OPEN!!!!

2008-06-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Bright Blessings!!
Maxwell Graf And Lyyric Fei are sooo Excited to let you all know the new sims have now opened! Maxwell Has Finished 3 months of 24/7 creating and building and sculpting to bring you a Wunnerous, Fabulous, Stunningly Phenomenal New Spot To Explore And Shop.. Come See Us.. Let Us Make Your Home A Castle...Your Castle A Home!! The New Rustica Castle is More Spectacular then ever imagined. The furnishings are stunning! The designs exquisite... The exploring... To Die For!!!
YOU
MUST
SEE
This
Come.. See.. Shop.. Explore.. Be!!

Intents at Rustica

2008-04-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

At Rustica Home Furnishings....

In desert sun or forest, castle yard or rooftop...

... these tents are designed for relaxing color therapy and intimate chats.

Five moody environments of yummy goodness.

Dream a little dream at Rustica Home Furnishings! Part of the Gothic Collection.

New Metropolitan Collection Release at Rustica Home Furnishings

2008-03-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Today we are happy to announce 36 new items released for the Metropolitan Collection, making it about 80% complete!
Be the first kid on the block to deck out your dwelling in chic urban lushness. Satin silver over leather and mahogany finishes. Indulge, baby. Available on the 3rd Floor.

Metro Collection New Releases, by room:

Bedroom:
Memorysculpt Bed
Armoire
Italian Painting
Tall Cabinet w/ baskets

Bathroom:
Leather Bench
Vessel Sink and Stand
Wall Shelf w. towel bar
double towel bar

Living Room:
Sofa Table
Coat/Hat stand
Floor Lamp
coffee table
loveseat
club chair
side table
oval coffee table
salon chair
glass shelving unit

Dining Room:
3 Drawer Cabinet
Dining Table
Dining Plate, Square (copy)
4 different Dining Chairs
Hanging Lamp

Office:
Side Cabinet w/ pose

6 Rugs
Table Lamp
italian painting
landscape painting
vase - seagrass
vase - reeds
vase - thorns
oak pen and ink, wood framed

Available now, at Rustica Home Furnishings.

Car Couches at Rustica

2008-02-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

The car couch is now available in 3 sizes: Coupe, Sedan and Wagon. They have built in poses to cut a prim or 3 off the total, and the full color change menu so you can pimp yo' ride. Located on the roof of the store. Get your kicks... at Rustica Home Furnishings.

Sculpted Roses from Rustica Home Furnishings

2008-02-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

Rustica Home Furnishings designer Maxwell Graf went against his inner voices and succumbed to the commercialization of romance: Sculpted Roses are now available in Red and Black on Black, for those who mourn on the 14th. Single and six pack (otherwise known as single stemmed or half dozen) available.

Whether you spread the love or want to express your pain, Sculpted Roses from Rustica Home Furnishings can help you feel it out. Located right next to the TP until after the holiday, when they will be relocated near the almost-finished Metropolitan Collection.

Table in photos also available.

Clocks by Lahar Broadway

2008-01-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, walking through Rustica Home Furnishings can feel a bit like living out the Tell-Tale Heart. That incessant ticking!

It could be that only one of us has a guilty conscience, or it could be that you simply lack a clock of your own. If this is the case, a trip to Rustica will let you have the chance to see the timepieces handcrafted by Lahar Broadway, another friend of LagNmoor.

These clocks and watches keep real time, as well as including a scripted menu where you may select your time zone, whether or not you want bling (particularly for watches) and include realistic sounds that can be turned on or off.

Within the walls of Rustica, you have the opportunity to view many of Lahar's designs within the various furniture designs, to get an idea of how they would fit into your decor. The rich colors and realistic textures alone add beauty to a room, but the fact that they really work makes each one an excellent purchase. Grandfather clocks, wall clocks, mantle clocks, the list goes on!

Available in Lahar's own store are watches for men and women. These pieces have the same scripted options as the larger clocks, but of course are wearable and fashionable.

Also available in his store are a few more clock variations including a cuckoo clock!

We hope to see you soon at Rustica Home Furnishings!

The Thin Line

2008-01-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over, most of us are left with bare living rooms and walls devoid of cheer. Maxwell Graf, owner and builder at Rustica, would like to wish everyone a early "Happy Anti-Valentines Day," and offers up this sculpture, the Thin Line.

A feat of sculpted prim design, this heart can be your public statement of hurt, pain, or anti-Valentines sentiments. Note the shadows, one of the elements adding beauty and realism to the work.

When you come by Rustica Home Furnishings to check the sculpture out (3rd floor), you may sneak a peek at the new Metropolitan Collection, coming soon at Rustica!

Technicolor Drapes!

2007-12-27T20:01:00.000-08:00

After you have acquired all the furniture and art you need for your place of residence (meadow, castle, hotel, skybox, or cemetary), you may discover you still need some adornment for the walls.

A trip to Rustica Home Furnishings to look at the Technicolor Drapes might have you exclaiming, "WTFOMG these drapes really work!" because, well, they do.

Available in multiple size and style options, each set of drapes comes with color changing options similar to the rest of the Technicolor Collection. These color options are not merely solid colors, but beautifully handcrafted with textures designed specifically for these pieces. And while they will work nicely with other pieces from the Technicolor Collection, these luscious textures and colors will integrate nicely with any furniture and home designs.

There are three settings to the Technicolor Drapes, all made by the tassel pulls - solid curtains, sheer curtains, or completely open. This allows you the ultimate flexibility in your home or establishment, including offering an easy way to provide access to doors or windows that you might not always wish to display.

And yes, they really work. Come to Rustica to test out multiple models on our sales floor.

Greeting Card

2007-12-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Rustica Home Furnishings! There are exciting things coming in the new year. The new sims.. more collections.. incredible artwork and fun!!

A huge thanks to all of our friends, old and new! Maxwell Graf and Lyyric Fei want to let you all know we love you and are honored to call you friends! Thank you for your support and help and smiles and thank you for loving Maxwell's furniture.. YOU are making this Dream Come True!!!

Gryphon Lair Armor

2007-12-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Maxwell Graf and Rustica would like to introduce Punchinello Philbin as the armor designer in SL to be reckoned with. He has captured such realism with his Sculpted 3D Armor and to quote Maxwell "You will NOT find armor like this anywhere in SL." Punchinello Philbin has set up a vendor at Rustica Home Furnishings with his first of many armor lines.

Gryphon Lair is the "Viking Heavy Calvary Armor" set featured in these photos. The full set armor package includes the Full Set Armor Components, Alternate Jacket and Pants, Alternate Chain Mail Belts, Red and Black Beards and a Body Shape. Also available are armor pieces you may purchase individually: Sculpted Boot and Greaves, Belt and Skirt with Leaf Mail and Pouches, Leather Vambraces, Leather and Metal Pauldrons, Sculpted Torso Armor, Calvary Helmet, Horned Calvary Helmet.

The Armor is exquisitely crafted with metal, leather, sculpted rivets, jewels and finished textures that are real and period correct. Come to Rustica... see Gryphon Lair...be amazed at the best armor InWorld.

Shades of Black Gothic Canopy Bed

2007-12-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

New at Rustica, the Shades of Black Gothic Canopy Bed is an elaborately sculpted beauty that would be an asset to any home or castle. This bed is a genius of design and creativity. Maxwell spent over 60 hours in the design studio making the Shades Of Black Gothic Bed. The frame features metal sculpted bats. The curtains draw close around you to envelope you in a world of warm whispered pillow talkin yumminess!! The bed is available for purchase now and many more pieces of the Shades Of Black Collection will be forthcoming!

I know you want to come over to Rustica and lay your head on this pillow... Rustica Home Furnishings The features of this bed will send you to dream land! The Drapes open and close.. The bed is scripted with fabulous snuggle poses. the blankets cover you and you have an incredible array of scripted color-change options in many designer colors.

Rustica Home Furnishings.

Cafe Du Blonde Gossip Bench

2007-11-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Moment Unfolds...coffee flavored whispers... quiet shared laughter... promises spoken as light as a dandelion parachute released on the wind… yet with a depth of the quiet blue Pacific. Friendships form and love grows...

All these things and more unfold on the Cafe Du Blonde gossip bench. Designer Maxwell Graf wants to introduce the old world charm of the tete 'a tete into all our lives. This buttery soft leather bench with dual seating allows such a meeting to take place. Also known as a Vis~A~Vis, this seating accommodates private conversations and interviews to take place.

The dictionary defines conversation as : association or social intercourse; intimate acquaintance. For a successful conversation, the partners must achieve a workable balance of contributions. A successful conversation includes mutually interesting connections between the speakers or things that the speakers know.

"The fact that you can sit and chat, be close and share, look into each other's eyes and flirt with passionate dialogue is the draw of this collection piece"

Every patio, every boudoir every zen spot would be perfectly matched to this conversational promoter.

Come.. Sit.. Chat...Become the proud owner of this timeless designer piece - The Café Du Blonde Gossip Bench courtesy of Maxwell Graf. Only at Rustica Home Furnishings.

Prim Perfect reviews Rustica

2007-11-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

Rustica was recently featured in the Prim Perfect blog. Prim Perfect is a blog devoted to reviewing Second Life interior designers. Please check it out!

Vegas Victorian Collection

2007-11-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

When you visit Rustica Home Furnishings, the first collection you will see as everything rezzes is the beautiful Vegas Victorian Collection.

New to the collection is the addition of a color changing menu. The colors are not just red, blue, pink...there are over 30 designer colors hand mixed and selected by Maxwell Graf to meet the demands of your interior style. In this picture I have changed one piece to slate blue and another piece to one of the greyscale options. I find the pieces to look the most stunning when they are a medium to light shade so you can see the detailing of the texture work, but there are some lovely deep shades to choose from as well.

The Vegas Victorian Collection is purchased piece by piece, and includes a sectional sofa, chat lounger, loveseat, ottoman/table, chair of love and woe, and large couch. Each pose ball is hidden in a cushion, to add some class to your home. Visit today!

Technicolor Dream Couch at Rustica

2007-10-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

For your modern home or castle, I can highly recommend the Technicolor Dream Couch from Rustica Home Furnishings. With 51 classy color options, you can adjust the couch to your decor, mood, or current season.

The couch comes with six poses, built in so as to take up less prims, but does not come with the owner/builder Maxwell Graf as pictured here. One cushion also gives you a glass of wine to relax with, and will have enough for all of your friends.

Wanting to show the couch in a different color and setting, here it is in the Dream Weavers Cafe on EduIsland. I chose the moss green to compliment the photograph on the wall, and added a side table and plant from other collections at Rustica.

Another option in the Technicolor collection - the Technicolor Recliner. Equipped with a martini and working footrest, the chair has the same color changing options as the couch. Nice for the office or home!

Snuggle Up in a Bed from Rustica

2007-10-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Introducing a new feature to all beds at Rustica - the snuggle script! When the bed is not in use, it looks nice and neat with beautiful sculpted prim detail work. When you get in bed, the covers come up and up to two people can have a nice snooze.

The bed shown is the newest style available in Rustica from the Ironoak Collection - with lamps of fire that can be turned off and on. If it isn't your style, make sure to check out the other options, all with the snuggle feature!

Rustica has also added a Unlucky Chair during the month of October - but you may get lucky enough to win something anyway. Stop by for treats and terrors - but watch out for ghosts!

Rustica can be found here.

Welcome to Rustica!

2007-10-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Announcing Rustica, the home furnishing store located in the City of LagNmoor.

Each piece of furniture available at Rustica is an original Maxwell Graf design. The desire to manufacture fine and unique furnishings from virtual materials including ancient woods, fine leather, rich fabrics - hand chosen and hand painted textures with an emphasis on quality - led to the design and construction of these pieces. Ambience, atmosphere and one of a kind items will make your home a castle and your castle a home.

Come experience the quality pieces of furniture for yourself! Many include elaborate sculptie prims, drawers and cabinets with working parts, color changing menus, and more.

After you're done exploring Rustica, make sure to check out the rest of the City of LagNmoor - an amazing build with elements of Byzantine, Gothic, Dark Age, Fantasy, Turkish, English and French architectural elements. Don't be fooled - there are secrets hidden beneath the beautiful shell.

Let’s face it; they didn’t call it the Dark Ages because it was fun... but it can be fun to visit!

Rustica

Rustica: Change Comes Swift at Years' end! Well done, Linden Lab

Change Comes Swift at Years' end! Well done, Linden Lab

Mesh Jira SH-2374 downgraded to maybe someday

Mesh Creators Survey

The FACES OF MESH

The Coming of Mesh (or mess-h, or meh-sh, depending on how you look at it)

Building a lifeboat, watching the clouds roll in...

Followup: LL drops the ball, again.

Rustica: Deleting LagNmoor sim due to THEFT. Thanks for nothing, LL.

New Rustica Release - The Forever House

*~*PICTURES OF RUNE BEFORE IT IS GONE*~*

Featured Artist Of The Week At Twisted Thorn Textures

RUSTICA PINE FOREST COLLECTION

NEW RELEASE: The Well of Sorrows

A NEW RELEASE!!!

HUGE news for Rustica and Mr. Graf...

NEW RELEASE: Le Jardin Rustiqué

2009 New Releases for the Village of LagNmoor

Weekend Shopping Spree!!!

The LagNmoor Village Crooked House... Halloween Special!

From The Cradle To The Grave!!

LagNmoor Village Cottages!!!

New Rustica Store Castle and Sim NOW OPEN!!!!

Intents at Rustica

New Metropolitan Collection Release at Rustica Home Furnishings

Car Couches at Rustica

Sculpted Roses from Rustica Home Furnishings

Clocks by Lahar Broadway

The Thin Line

Technicolor Drapes!

Greeting Card

Gryphon Lair Armor

Shades of Black Gothic Canopy Bed

Cafe Du Blonde Gossip Bench

Prim Perfect reviews Rustica

Vegas Victorian Collection

Technicolor Dream Couch at Rustica

Snuggle Up in a Bed from Rustica

Welcome to Rustica!

~PICTURES OF RUNE BEFORE IT IS GONE~