Attachable HUD Can Personalize Your Experience

                                                                                  
Attaching a Heads Up Display (HUD) object is easy. Here are the steps:

1. Right click on an object in SL and choose “Attach to HUD.” 
2. There are several placement options, choose the most appropriate; it will attach immediately.
3. Change the position, scale, and rotation with the edit tools. 
4. HUD attachments will scale in size with the resolution of SL – you may want to test it at several standard resolutions to make sure it looks right.

Keep in mind, only you can see a HUD you have attached, so it is great for showing information you don't want others to see. Now that you've see how easy it is, here are some examples of things you can do:

• Custom Maps: create a map by offsetting and rotating a texture based on the user's position and rotation. Use it to show information that you can't show on SL's map – doorways or target locations.

• Help Console: create a console that can offer contextual clues to use your experience. Make a button with a question mark that flashes when the user visits a new area. When they click it, show a texture with a help message.

• Speedometers or Altimeters: for cars or aircraft. A script gathering real-time environment information from within Second Life can feed the information to a HUD, which can display the information in the form of a car dashboard or an airplane cockpit.

• New Product Notifications: create a widget for your store. Have a HUD check your listings with email or XML-RPC and pop up a preview or coupon to reward loyal customers.

• Game Interfaces: make a card game where dealt card textures are shown in the HUD and the player can use them with just a click.

• Browsable Tutorials: with images and text that walk though how to's and splits information into chapters.

• Augmented Virtuality: that allows you to display meta-information about avatars or places nearby – perfect for making a matchmaker or tour guide.

• Controls: for scripted tasks. For example, create a remote to control the streaming media on your land.

Want to join in the fun of HUD scripting, catch up on what’s new in the HUD blog!