New to Second Life, or new to HUDs? This page explains everything you need before you open your first Arcanum product. Each step is short. You can skip anything you already know.
Words you will see
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Inventory | Your personal storage. Everything you buy goes here. Open it with Ctrl + I. |
| Rez | To place an object from your inventory into the world. |
| HUD | A control panel you wear on your screen. Only you can see it. Most Arcanum products are HUDs. |
| Local chat | The text chat that people near you can read. |
| Channel | A hidden chat line for sending commands to objects, for example /9. People near you do not see it. |
| Region (or sim) | One piece of land in Second Life. |
| Parcel | A smaller plot inside a region. Each parcel has its own rules. |
| Sandbox | A public place where anyone can rez objects. Good for unpacking and testing. |
| Mouselook | First-person view. You look through your avatar's eyes. |
| RLV | An optional viewer feature that lets scripted objects do some things for you, like sit you on a teleporter. |
1. Find your purchase
When you buy something, Second Life puts it in your inventory.
- Press Ctrl + I to open your inventory.
- Look in the Received Items folder. Marketplace purchases arrive there.
- Items bought from an in-world vendor usually appear at the top of your inventory, or in Received Items.
Can't find it?
Type part of the product name in the search box at the top of the inventory window. You can also get a new copy at any time. See Get a new copy below.
2. Unpack the box
Most products come in a box. You open the box in the world and copy what is inside into your inventory.
- Go to land where you are allowed to rez objects, such as a sandbox or your own land.
- Drag the box from your inventory onto the ground.
- Right-click the box and choose Open.
- Click Copy to Inventory. A new folder with the same name appears in your inventory.
- Right-click the box and choose Take to put it back in your inventory, or Delete it.
Some Arcanum boxes are special
Wishmaster arrives as a magic lamp that you click to unpack. Each product's Getting Started page explains its own box.
"You can't rez objects here"
The land you are on does not allow building. Move to a sandbox or to land you own, then try again. Search the map for "sandbox" to find one.
3. Wear the HUD
- Open the new folder in your inventory.
- Right-click the HUD and choose Wear or Add.
- The HUD appears on the edge of your screen.
Wear or Add? Add keeps any other HUD that uses the same spot on your screen. Wear may replace it. If another HUD disappears when you put ours on, use Add instead.
To take a HUD off, right-click it on your screen and choose Detach.
4. Type commands in chat
Many Arcanum products listen for commands on a chat channel. A command starts with a slash and the channel number.
- Press Enter to start typing in local chat.
- Type the command, for example
/9 dispel. - Press Enter to send it.
/9 dispel- People near you do not see commands sent on a channel.
- Type commands exactly as shown, in lowercase.
- Each manual lists its own commands. Wishmaster uses channel
/9.
5. Make a shortcut key (gestures)
A gesture can type a command for you when you press a key or type a short word. This is handy for spells you use often.
- In your inventory, right-click the Gestures folder and choose New Gesture.
- Give it a name.
- Add a Chat step and type your command, for example
/9 dispel. - Pick a key in Shortcut Key, or type a short word in Trigger.
- Save, then right-click the gesture in your inventory and choose Activate.
Using gestures in the Second Life Knowledge Base explains the gesture editor in detail.
6. Move your camera
Some spells cast where your camera is looking, so these controls are worth learning.
| Do this | What happens |
|---|---|
| Hold Alt and click something | The camera focuses on it. Move the mouse to look around it. |
| Press Esc | The camera goes back behind your avatar. |
| Press M | Mouselook (first-person view). Press Esc or M to leave. |
| Scroll the mouse wheel | Zoom in and out. |
On a Mac, use Option where this page says Alt.
7. Where magic works
Arcanum products are scripted, and many spells place objects in the world. Each parcel decides whether that is allowed.
- Scripts turned off: Your HUD may stop responding.
- Building turned off: Spell effects cannot appear.
- Not sure? Test in a sandbox first. If something works there but not somewhere else, the land's rules are the reason.
Please follow each region's rules. Many roleplay regions ask you to turn on a "safe" mode so your magic is visual only. See the manual of the product you use.
8. RLV (optional)
RLV lets objects do a few things for you automatically. For example, a teleport spell can sit you on the teleporter without a click. Our products work without it.
Firestorm: open Preferences → Firestorm → General, tick the RLVa option, click OK, then quit and restart Firestorm.
Not every viewer supports RLV. If yours does not, the product still works; you just click a little more.
9. Lost or misplaced HUD
My HUD is off the edge of the screen.
Right-click the HUD and choose Edit, then drag the colored arrows to move it. Some HUDs, like Wishmaster, snap back to a corner on purpose. Their manuals explain how to move them.
I can't see my HUD at all.
Detach it and wear it again from your inventory. If it is still missing, right-click it in your inventory, choose Attach to HUD, and pick a different spot.
Two HUDs are on top of each other.
Right-click one in your inventory, choose Attach to HUD, and pick a spot that is not in use.
My HUD does not answer my commands.
Check that you typed the right channel (for example /9), that the HUD is worn, and that scripts are allowed where you are standing. Then try in a sandbox.
Get a new copy
Lost an item, or need the newest version? You can get it again for free:
- On this website: sign in to your account and open My products. Press Redeliver.
- In-world: visit The Arcanum and touch the Arcanum Terminal. It can also give you a sign-in link for this website.
- Need help? Ask us on Discord.