How to Make a 3-D Animated Character Online for Free

Virtual worlds are full of beautiful landscapes to visit. You can even build your own.

Creating a 3-dimensional, animated character is easy and fun. It can also be done for free with a computer and an Internet connection. There are virtual worlds available that will let anyone create an avatar and participate in the online world. One such service is Second Life. Second Life is a sprawling, virtual universe with plenty of activities and interactions to explore.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Internet connection

Instructions

Initiating Second Life

1. Visit the Second Life homepage with your Web browser. (See Resources.) Sign up for a free account by filling out a small amount of personal information. Then the client will be downloaded.

2. Install the client by clicking on the installation program wherever you decided to store it when downloading. Follow the prompts to complete the process.

3. Launch Second Life. During the sign-up process, you created a character name. Enter this name and password now.

4. Use Second Life's system to edit your character's appearance. All of the characters look alike at first, but they can be adapted to look more like yourself, or whatever you envision for your online persona.

5. Use your animated, 3-D character to interact with the virtual Second Life world. Make friends and explore new locations.

Tips & Warnings

• Second Life allows its users to create objects within the environment. Many people design clothes and accessories that they can sell or give away by using the virtual currency. The possibilities are endless to how you can edit your character's appearance.

• Signing up and using Second Life is free. However, it will be hard to fully enjoy the service without having some money to spend. Lindens, as the virtual currency is called, can be purchased with real money to give your characters some spending power.

References

• Second Life: What is Second Life?

Resources

• Second Life