A skybox is simply that - a box in the sky. People create skyboxes for many reasons - perhaps a little privacy to build in peace, to spend a little special time alone with a loved one, or simply to just 'build something above the clouds'.

Building at height can be a problem, because although your build will stay in place, you don't, and gravity will pull you downwards if you fall off of any flat surface. However, this quick and easy guide will show you exactly how to start building your very own place in the sky.

Firstly, you should decide on which height you would like to build at. Remembering that above 275m height, you are unable to fly. Most skyboxes are at around the 200-250m altitude, although you can build up to 768m altitude. Above 275m you will need to teleport directly to it, and will need to take a landmark to get there once you have built it.

To begin your skybox, right click on any open space and "Create" a box prim. Then right click on it and "Sit" on it. Next, right click on the box, and select "Edit". Open the "More" tab if the edit menu is in collapsed mode, and go to the Object tab.

You will notice the "Position" box with X, Y and Z parameters. We are interested in the "Z" parameter which is your altitude. Simply edit the value (in this case 88.146) and replace it with your desired building height (we will work on 250m for this example) and press Enter. Your prim will zoom up into the air, with you still sitting on it, and your view should re-centre around your new position at 250 m high.

Next, we need to make a surface to work from. Increase the X and Y "Size" buttons to 10m in each direction. The prim size will increase, and your legs will disappear inside the prim as you are still sitting down - but don't worry. Finally, close the Edit box and hit the button. You will now find yourself standing on a 10m x 10m x 0.5m prim, 250 metres up in the air.

From this position, you can now build anything you desire in the normal way, but be careful not to fall off of your building surface. However, if you do fall off, and are unable to fly back up (such as building over 275m altitude), merely repeat the 'sit on a prim and change the Z value' step above, remembering to use a slightly higher Z value so that your prim does not get lost within an existing floor prim. Once in position, this 'travel' prim may be deleted.

Building using the precision positioning tools (the X Y and Z values) rather than lining up 'by eye' is recommended when up in the air, at least for the outer surfaces, as you are not easily able to walk around to check alignment as you would be down on the ground.

Obviously the actual design of the sandbox will depend on your intended use. Here, I am merely building a 'photographic studio' that will have blank surfaces as walls, to take pictures against for Stratics articles, so that I can 'cut out' the background easily . It is 20m x 20m x 10m, big enough to contain most of the projects I am likely to be working on.

However, most skyboxes are built as completely enclosed, because they are often designed for privacy. In this case, you will need to take a landmark from inside, so that you may teleport directly to inside the skybox from the ground.

Once the outside walls of the skybox have been created, you can then continue to build the contents and texture everything. There is no necessity to make your skybox 'blend in' to the sky view - as its presence will attract nosy people anyway - but you may wish to consider using a 'cloud' or similar texture on the outside so that it is not too obtrusive on the view. However, making it totally clear or invisible will cause problems to those who are using aeroplanes or similar, as you cannot avoid something you cannot see until you hit it!

Do bear in mind that skyboxes are not 'secure', and anyone who wishes to will be able to listen in to open conversation and look inside your skybox if they have the desire without using any special techniques. Whilst 'security system' items may be purchased from a number of retail outlets, they do tend to be a little overzealous in their operation, and you may find yourself on the end of an abuse report if it is too effective in its task. In reality, most people will not bother terribly with trying to look inside a skybox unless a security script attracts their attention and irritates them enough to wonder what is so important to protect!