I Want to Develop Too, Developer Basics

Becoming a Developer
Understanding Copyright
The Previewer
Deriving
Pricing
Getting Paid
Tracking Sales

IMVU Dictionary
Developers Forums
Other Developer'sTutorials

Becoming a Developer

Becoming a developer is a fun and creative outlet and if successful, a great way to earn extra credits!

In order to become a developer you must first buy your name and register as a developer on the developers page and by reading and accepting the IMVU copyright policy.

NOTE: You will also need to have an image editing program installed on your computer for making your textures. If you are going to be doing any mesh making you will also need a 3D rendering program.

Once registered you will have full accesses to the IMVU developer’s resources including the previewer, IMVU templates, skin texture downloads, and be able to derive from select products on IMVU.

The first step in developing is downloading and installing the previewer to your computer.

NOTE: if you are only making stickers you will not need the previewer.

Once installed do the IMVU Learning the Basics tutorial to get familiar with how the preview functions.

Before submitting your product please read about deriving and pricing to get an understanding of how they work in IMVU.

 

Copyright

It is your responsibility as a developer to follow the IMVU copyright policies.

Basically, if you didn’t make any part of your product, mesh, texture, sound, etc you better make darn sure you have permission to use it.

Common misunderstandings...

"It’s on Google image search so its usable." FALSE
Have you looked at the small print that comes up when you Google image search? “Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright.”

"I bought the Album so I own the song." FALSE
That’s nice, at least you didn’t nabster it. Now read the fine print on it.

"It was on the artists site so its okay to use it." FALSE
99.9% of professional artist sites will have a copyright notice someplace, read it!

"A friend gave it to me to use so I used it." If they are the artist TRUE if not FALSE
If they are not the artist or their agent they have no right to give you rights to an image.

"I bought this photo as a poster so I own it and can use it." FALSE
Only owning the ORIGINAL work grants rights, copies do not and owning a copy grants no distribution rights.

"I luv this band so I used it to support them. No harm in that!" FALSE
You’re profiting off them, why not buy their licensed goods instead and really support them.

"The website said it was free to use so I used it." FALSE
Use means personal use only and never means re-sell or distribute. If the site said free for business AND personal use, or it said public domain, then you can use it.

"It was published on Deviant Art, Renderosity, Photobucket... etc. so it’s free." FALSE
Read the TOS

"I’m advertising the artist so what’s wrong with that? I’m helping them be seen!" FALSE
If I had a dime for every time I heard this one. They say this yet is there any mention of the artists name or how to purchase the work on the product? Nope.
If you love a work, contact the artist and see if you can get permission to use it for resale here, they might just say yes. if they grant you rights say so in description with a credit to them as the artist and a link to the artists site. Only then are you advertising for an artist.

 

The Previewer

The Previewer is the downloadable tool provided by IMVU in which you can edit and submit products to the catalog. This is the only function of the Previewer.

The Previewer will NOT make a texture, make a mesh, edit a mesh, or make coffee. The previewer will also no longer allow extraction of a products content for external editing.

A third party program(s) is needed for all product making in IMVU in addition to having the previewer.

For stickers and retexturing you will need an image making program and a basic understanding of how it works.

Suggestions

GIMP: Free and has tons of features!
Paint Shop Pro: Low end and loaded with toys including Animation Shop for making animated gifs
Photoshop: High end professional level program comes with ImageReady a gif animation program.

For anything 3D you will need a 3D modeling program and proficiency in its use as well as the afore mentioned image program.

Suggestions

3D Max7: It’s high end but its what all the IMVU documentation is written for and all the resourses are 3D max files.
Milkshape: Cheap.No documentation I’m aware of for IMVU.
Blender: FREE No documentation I’m aware of for IMVU.

The previewer can be downloaded on the Developers page.
There you will also find IMVU’s Learning the Basics tutorial as well as many downloadable resources such as image maps, skin textures and 3D Max files to aid you in your developing.

 

Deriving

Deriving Basics:

Deriving is the act of using one product to build from to make another. For a more involved expiation of deriving and deriving trees click here

IMVU and some other developers make their products available for you for a fee to use to make your own products.

Products that are available for deriving will have a ‘derive from product’ link under the product description. Products unavailable for deriving will say ‘Derivation DISABLED’.

When you derive from a product the breakeven price is the fee for using the derivable product. This fee is paid to the mesh maker(s) every time your product is purchased.

To find a mesh a non-derivable product uses use the ‘derived from’ link to track back in the deriving chain to get to the base product. Not all products will be available to use. It is also useful to use the ‘derived from’ link if the product you want to use has been derived from several times and its price is exceptionally high. You might find the root product to be significantly less in cost.

Most clothing products use existing IMVU mesh maps that are available to download on the IMVU developers page. If the developer has made an all new mesh the developer may be able to provided a mesh texture map for you. Open the texture map(s) the product uses in your image program and paint over it to make your texture.

On re-using textures... If the developer has not given permission to use their textures and/or Opacity maps as an asset in your product you cannot use them and that developer can issue a takedown notice and have your product removed from the catalog if you use them.

 

The IMVU pricing structure can be confusing at first. Here is a basic breakdown.

Breakeven Price:
This is the base cost of a product. This fee goes to pay for the mesh your product is built on. It is the total of the original IMVU deriving fee plus the fees of any subsequent developers in the deriving chain.

10% Fee:
This is a catalog fee tacked on by IMVU to every product raising the final purchase price by 10%.

Catalog price:
This is the final list price of your product in the catalog. This is the total of the Product price plus the IMVU 10% fee. This is the price your customers will pay. This is not the profit you will make.

Submission fee:
There is a base submission fee for all products. It is paid when you submit a product.

Deriving Fee:
This fee is to pay the mesh developer(s) for your copy of the product and is paid when you sumit a product. (Stickers have no Deriving fee and you get no copy when you make one.)

 

IMVU currently has two types of currency. You will only get paid in credits if your item was purchased with credits. If your Item was purchased with Promotional credits you will receive a Developing Token. For a more involved expiation of IMVU's credits system click here

Credits:
Credits are currency that were purchased and have no restrictions on their use.

Promotional Credits:
Promo Credits, sometimes referred to as Predits or Fredits, are credits given by IMVU for starting your account, invite bonuses, browsing new products, playing the spinner game, etc. Promotional Credits have restrictions on their use. You cannot give away, or buy gifts with Promotional Credits. Promotional Credits can only be used for purchasing for yourself or submitting new products.

Converting Credits:
You cannot convert currency to another form.

Devloper Tokens:
Developing Tokens are IMVU’s way of rewarding you for helping to promote IMVU to new users. You will receive one for any purchase made in whole or in part with Promotional credits. Tokens are useable for submission costs and Shoutouts at a value of 1 token =10 credits.

Cashing Out:
Some developers offer credit purchasing services to support their credit sales businesses. Check with IMVU Developer's credit sales sites to see if they offer a credit purchasing service.

NOTE: IMVU cannot be responsible for any transactions held outside of IMVU.

 

E-mail notification:
You can set your email preferences to notify you when you receive a sale. You can change your e-mail preferences from the ‘Change Email Address or Mailing Preferences’ link on your account page.

Tracking Reports:
IMVU now provides reports for keeping track of all your sales. You can access these reports from the about me panel on your homepage or from the ‘Developer Reports’ link next to the product number on any of your product’s pages.

 

More Reading...

Tiers, An Explanation on IMVU's Tier Rewards program

Credits Promos and Tokens, A basic guide to IMVU’s Currency and its Economy.

IMVU’s Content Guidelines, What it all means to you as a developer

Peer Review