LSL Wiki : Prim

=====Prim=====
A primitive ("prim" for short) is the basic building block (made up of [[polygon polygons]]) of [[SecondLife Second Life]]. Using [[SL SL's]] built-in [[object]] [[editor]], just about anything can be modeled out of primitives.

A prim has a [[name]], description, [[material]], and a basic [[shape]] (box, sphere, cylinder, torus, etc) that can be [[scale resized]] and modified by changing its [[parameter parameters]] (cut, hollow, twist, taper, shear, etc). Each prim has several [[side sides]] which each have a [[color]], [[opacity]], and [[texture]] that can be [[rotation rotated]], repeated ([[UV]]), and [[offset]]. Optionally, a prim can have such features floating [[text]], a [[llParticleSystem particle system]], [[lighting light-emissive]], or be [[flexible]].

An [[object]] can be made by [[link linking]] multiple primitives together, but a single prim is an object as well.

Each prim has an [[inventory]] that can contain [[item items]] like [[script scripts]], objects, [[notecard notecards]], textures, or anything else in a [[user user's]] inventory. All running scripts are contained within the prims of an object.

Despite the similarity in names, Second Life's primitives are not //true// primitives like you'd find in 3D modeler such as 3D Studio MAX or Maya, but are actually //parametric models//: simple 3D objects with [[variable]] property settings that give the //appearance// of primitives that can be deformed to a degree (but things like [[vertex]] manipulation or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructive_solid_geometry CSG subtraction]] can't be done to them).

There is an ongoing [[ParametricDebate debate]] surrounding the question of supplementing parametric models with true meshes. At this time, there is no mesh support in Second Life.

====Functions====
|||c **Function** || **Description** ||
|| ##[[llGetAlpha]]## ""&sup2"" || Get prim [[alpha transparency]] ||
|| ##[[llSetAlpha]]## ""&sup2"" || Set prim transparency ||
|| ##[[llSetLinkAlpha]]## ""&sup2"" || Sets transparency of another prim in linkset ||
|| ##[[llGetBoundingBox]]## || Get prim bounding box. ||
|| ##[[llGetColor]]## ""&sup2"" || Get prim [[color]] ||
|| ##[[llSetColor]]## ""&sup2"" || Set prim color ||
|| ##[[llSetLinkColor]]## ""&sup2"" || Sets color of another prim in linkset ||
|| ##[[llGetNumberOfPrims]]## || Get total number of prims in [[link linkset]] ||
|| ##[[llGetNumberOfSides]]##""&sup1&sup2"" || Get prim [[side sides]] ||
|| ##[[llGetObjectDesc]]## || Get prim description ||
|| ##[[llGetObjectName]]## || Get prim name ||
|| ##[[llGetObjectPermMask]]## || Get object [[permissions]] || 
|| ##[[llGetObjectPrimCount]]## || Returns the prim count for any specific object in a sim ||
|| ##[[llGetPrimitiveParams]]## || Get nearly every prim [[attribute]] ||
|| ##[[llSetPrimitiveParams]]## || Set nearly every prim attribute ||
|| ##[[llSetLinkPrimitiveParams]]## || Sets prim attributes of another prim in linkset ||
|| ##[[llParticleSystem]]## ""&sup1"" || Configure prim [[particles particle]] emitter ||
|| ##[[llSetCameraAtOffset]]##""&sup1<br>""##[[llSetCameraEyeOffset]]##""&sup1"" || Changes the camera configuration of [[agentandavatar avatars]] that sit on the prim.||
|| ##[[llGetMass]]## || Gets the mass of the prim||
|| ##[[llSetObjectDesc]]## || Set prim description ||
|| ##[[llGetObjectMass]]## || Gets the mass of the object specified by the key.||
|| ##[[llSetObjectName]]## || Set prim name ||
|| ##[[llSetObjectPermMask]]## || Set object permissions ||
|| ##[[llGetPos]]## || Get the position of a prim or linkset ||
|| ##[[llGetLocalPos]]## || Get the position of a prim within a linkset relative to its root prim ||
|| ##[[llSetPos]]## || Set the position of a prim or link set ||
|| ##[[llGetLocalRot]]## || Get the position of a prim within a linkset relative to its root prim ||
|| ##[[llGetRot]]## || Get the rotation of a prim or link set ||
|| ##[[llSetLocalRot]]## || Set the rotation of a prim within a linkset relative to its root prim ||
|| ##[[llSetRot]]## || Set the rotation of a prim or link set ||
|| ##[[llGetScale]]## ""&sup2"" || Get prim [[scale]] ||
|| ##[[llSetScale]]## ""&sup2"" || Set prim scale ||
|| ##[[llSitTarget]]##""&sup1"" || Set prim [[sit]] [[target]] ||
|| ##[[llSetSitText]]##""&sup1"" || Replace prim "Sit" [[text]] in [[piemenu pie menu]] ||
|| ##[[llSetStatus]]## ""&sup3"" || Toggle various attributes of prim/object: [[phantom]], [[physics]], [[rotation rotational]] limitations and [[llDie die]]/[[return]] conditions. ||
|| ##[[llSetText]]## ""&sup1"" || Set floating text above prim ||
|| ##[[llGetTexture]]## ""&sup2"" || Get prim [[texture]] ||
|| ##[[llSetTexture]]## ""&sup2"" || Set prim texture ||
|| ##[[llSetLinkTexture]]## ""&sup2"" || Sets texture of another prim in linkset ||
|| ##[[llSetTouchText]]##""&sup1"" || Replace prim "Touch" text in pie menu ||
|| ##[[llSetRemoteScriptAccessPin]]##""&sup1"" ||Set prim remote script access pin |||

""&sup1"" These are not traditional prim functions in the sense that they cannot be set from the object editor, but their attributes survive regardless if a script is present in the object.
""&sup2"" Can apply to [[side sides]] or prims.
""&sup3"" Only phantom and physics can currently be set from the editor menu.

====References====
	-[[http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=106052#post1035024 Kelly Linden, 5/12/06]]: ""<font color=green>"""...when a prim is saved (as an [[asset]]) in [[text]] format it is about 3[[kilobyte k]] uncompressed and about 1k compressed."""</font>""

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[[object Object]] | [[link Link]] | [[texture Texture]] | [[inventory Inventory]] | [[dynamics Dynamics]]