IMVU.com has been growing in popularity for years, and now has advertisements on such major sites as Myspace. IMVU is mostly based in user-created content. Learn how to make your own, and maybe even a profit!
Instructions
- 1
Sign up for an account at IMVU.com. For a free account, you will start out with a 'Guest_' before your name. The next step is to buy your name, a reasonable one-time fee (sometimes names even go on sale!). If you are over 18, I also recommend buying an Access Pass, since this will enable you to make 'adult' products. Please note that IMVU has a very PG-13 standard of 'adult,' but to maximize sales potential, getting an Access Pass (or AP) is worth it because it allows you to make clothing for avatars that would otherwise violate the MCG (Minimum Coverage Guidelines).
2Once you own your name, and possible your AP, it's time to start developing. Most of the people actually making products for IMVU refer to themselves as 'devs,' even though the official term has been changed to 'Content Creator.'
To get started, check out IMVU's introductory pages and download the IMVU Previewer. The Previewer is the program you will use to make and test your digital products before uploading them to IMVU for sale.
When you have the Previewer installed, start thinking about what kind of products you want to make.
Enter the community. Make some friends, join some groups, and check out the catalog to see what sort of things are available, especially if you are planning on deving for a niche market like vampire, furry, adult, or cosplay.
4Learn the rules. Products submitted to IMVU can fall into three catagories: GA, AP, and UFI.
GA means a product is fit for all audiences.
AP means a product is available for adults only.
UFI means a product violates the rules and is unfit for IMVU.
The definitions for all of these things can be found on the IMVU website. When in doubt, check the forums or ask another dev.
5Here's the painful money-spending part: Buy your avatar name (a one-time fee), and some credits. I recommend buying from a credit reseller, since it tends to be cheaper unless IMVU is having a giant sale. Furrycredits.com is a good, reliable reseller, but feel free to look around and find your own. You'll probably want at least 10,000 credits to start. At the current rates, this will only cost you a couple bucks. If you want to get an Access Pass, now would be a good time to get that, too.
6Make your first product! You're probably going to want to find something to derive from. If you want to make a shirt for girls, look up Clothing: Female clothing : Tops. Find a type of shirt you like and go to the product page. Near the top of the page, on the right, if the product says "Derived from," try that link to see if you can find the same mesh higher up the chain: The lower on the derivation chain you are, the more expensive your product will end up being.
Once you've got a product to derive from, click the "Derive" link near the bottom. This should open the product in the Previewer. From there, you can insert your own textures. Developing takes practice and exploration, and everyone's methods are different. Play around with it.
7Once you have a product you're happy with, save the file and click "Upload to IMVU." This will open a page in your browser to fill out: Product description, price, icon, keywords, etc.. You don't have to finish everything now: You still have a chance to edit before you publish your product. Open the IMVU client and test out your product. You may also wish to take a screen shot for a product photo, and make an icon for it. If you take a screen shot, upload it to Photobucket or a similar site, then put the HTML code into your product description. To make an icon, crop and resize your product photo to 100x80 pixels. I also recommend making a small logo for yourself, to make your brand more identifiable. Once your product page is all done, publish your product.
A new product has to go through Peer Review, a process that's still being modified, but essentially, gives other devs a chance to make sure new products are following the rules. Once it's out of Peer Review, it's for sale in the catalog. Happy Deving!
