Grauland / Primary Colors, September 2024 – click any image for full size
MorganaCarter, who is one of multiple people who have pointed me to various regions and parcels over the years, dropped me an IM directing me to Jim Garand’s Grauland Flickr group, and specifically to an image and message simple in form, but very saddening:
Many people in SL have regarded Grauland as a favourite location; a place to visit and enjoy, each new iteration bringing something special to our digital world.
For more than seven years I’ve routinely visited it to appreciate Jim’s work and to blog about it. And while I didn’t managed to captures every single version of the region which arose in that time, I did cover 30 – and I will genuinely miss being able to visit it and see what else has come forth from Jim’s fertile imagination.
The builds Jim has presented with Grauland were always unique, although there were certain themes to which he would return – sci-fi, urban, minimalist, industrial -, but no single design ever re-tread exactly the same path as any previous design.
My first visit was in March 2019; I think that was to the first region build Jim had opened to the public – but I could well be wrong on that. At that time, the region was leaning heavily into a landscape-as-gallery, featuring things like an arrangement of great concrete blocks (a geometric motif which would oft appear in Jim’s designs in various guises), an indoor galley and outdoor 3D displays.
Art always remained a part of Grauland, be it front-and-centre, as in March 2020 with Grauland Castle and Art Park and again in July of that year in which an ancient henge, modern architecture and statuary all combined with the landscape, or with June 2021’s Grauland Falls; sometimes it was more subtle, as with October 2021’s Grauland’s Lights, where geometrics forms and a cityscape served to highlight the use of lighting in Second Life; sometime it even appeared to be a natural part of the architecture or urban space – a graffiti-marked statue here, wall paintings there…
As well as offering unique designs, Grauland could also present places inspired by locations in the the physical world – tropical islands, deserts, urban centres and industrial outlands and more. Iceland in particular became the focus of two designs (both favourites of mine, as I’ve always loved the times I’ve spent in that country) – July 2023’s Grauvik and February 2025’s Grauvik 2 – both of which were set on a fictional island just off the Icelandic coast.
As noted earlier, Grauland also took us to places far away from Earth. Some of these carried with them the opportunity for visitors to create a back story to account for the mystery which might be implied within them (November 2023’s Grauland / The Deity Machine) or engage their their sense of adventure, as with January 2023’s visit to a space station and a Mars-like planet, together with The Grauland Cluster (September 2025) and June 2026’s visit to the Spires of Sector 7.
One – The Last Trees, from April 2024 – might be seen as gentle warning about the perils of unchecked global warming here on Earth, whilst Arrakis / Fremen Home in May 2025 offered a take on Frank Herbert’s Dune.
One of my favourite industrial designs Jim produced was Grauland / Primary Colors (September 2024), a marvellous setting in which primary colours were very much part and parcel of the build, often in the most subtle of ways (just look at the use of red on the locomotive), and which very cleverly gave a hint as to where it might reside were it in the physical world thanks to an advertising board.
Grauland is going to be missed by many, and there is so much more that might be written about it, but I’ll close here with the words I left for Jim on the Grauland Flickr group – if you’re also a fan of his work, I hope you’ll leave some words of appreciation as well -, and a couple more images.
Will always appreciate the work you put into Grauland, Jim, and in being able to visit and blog. Many, many, thanks for all the time and effort and consistently building special places for us all to enjoy.
The CCUG meeting is for discussion of work related to content creation in Second Life, including current and upcoming LL projects, and encompasses requests or comments from the community, together with related viewer development work.
This meeting is generally held on alternate Thursdays at Hippotropolis and is held in a mix of Voice and text chat.
While viewer 26.3 is now available as a Release Candidate viewer, it does not include all the hoped-for performance improvements (particularly with some of the texture streaming work.
This was because of time constraints in getting the updates tested across as many hardware configurations as possible.
As a result, this work will be held over for the Graphics Care Package (GCP) viewer.
The GCP viewer is a lot of fixes and improvements around PBR and correcting issues within it as far as possible. It is hoped that this viewer, which has been suffering a lack of resources, will start to move forward once more in the near future.
Various pull requests (PRs) are now being looked at and worked on (e.g. semi-transparent media on a prim), but no guarantees as to when these might surface in a viewer.
Lua Updates
There is a new versions of the Lua editor viewer, as noted above.
This includes a new version of the VSCode plugin.
This has a much tighter integration with the viewer.
It is possible to select multiple objects in-world and open them for examination in a Visual Studio panel and then manipulate them (e.g. stop scripts, remove scripts or notecards) subject to permissions.
These new features do need to be enabled for use in the viewer:
Preferences → Advanced → Script Development → Script Development Settings floater → check VS Code Tight Integration.
Enabling tight VS integration on the most recent Lua editor viewer
Rider Linden is actively looking for bug reports on both the viewer and the VS Code plugin.
Note that the above does not mean that Lua is grid-wide.
Server-side support for Lua scripting remain available only in those regions with the required back-end code.
Currently, the hope is to:
Have the Lua editor got to beta / Release Candidate status after the 26.3 viewer is promoted to release status, with the caveats again being a) viewer priorities may change; b) at the time the viewer reaches beta / RC, Lua code support in the viewer still may still be restricted to those regions running on simulators with the required back-end support.
Have the back-end support for Lua deployed grid-wide “some time” during quarter 3 2026 (e.g. between this meeting and the end of September 2026)
Official Linux support remains with the Lua editor viewer as its first release.
General Discussion
Discussion on mesh improvements are continuing internally at LL. This is something the Lab wants to get done, but it may not be something that surfaces in the near future. Once the internal discussions have led to decisions, then more details will be put to the CCUG for discussion.
The game_control code now might not ship with the Lua editor viewer given the additional back-end work Leviathan Linden has agreed needs to be done (see my notes from the previous Leviathan Office Hours meeting).
A demonstration of a means to export scripts from a HUD to an external app to assist with HUD creation / positioning / testing was demonstrated (videos here, here, here and here). The end goal for the project – making it available to others and how, was not too clear.
The above led to the subject of SVG support in the viewer being again raised. This is seen by Geenz as being “something that could be interesting at some point”, but the Lab is “a ways off” of having time for the work outside of MOAP.
In the meantime, Callum Linden is looking at MOAP + SVG support and what can be done there.
Viewer-native (aka “official”) PBR support for Bakes on Mesh (BoM):
Geenz noted there is interest at LL in providing this, but there there are various pre-requisites and consideration to be worked through, together with priority.
One example of this is: considering how to combine PBR BoM with Blinn-Phong, with a prerequisite being PBR specular support in the viewer (which is due to be a part of the GCP viewer).
There is also some need for work on BoM in general, such as improving elements of the UX.
glTF lights:
glTF lights are described as “still a ways out”, but SL is getting radiometric units per the glTF specification for the Sun and Moon as a part of the GCP viewer.
Point and spotlights are a “much bigger ask” requiring additional wire protocol work and updating object parameters. As such, there is work in advance which needs to be completed in order to make point and spot lighting “doable”.
The above touched on shadow casting, which was seen as a combination of being something that might have to wait for the graphics API / Vulkan work, and as requiring sufficient controls and settings so as to allow users to adjust it for performance on their hardware.
A pull request (PR) to add the ability to take screen shots with a transparent background only showing avatars, Animesh, particles from the avatar, objects sat on, and selected objects (eliminating green screens) has been put forward and looks like it is going to be accepted.
A question was asked if the consensual system at the Adult Welcome Hub (see my review here) will be made available to content creators for use grid-wide. There is apparently a Feature Request asking for this, and it is under review.
Geenz requested that if people know of regions parcels with pre-PBR EEP settings which look “broken” when viewed on a PBR viewer rather than a non-PBR viewer (e.g. things seem to be unnatural dark or objects are unnaturally glowing, etc., when see on a PBR viewer but not on a pre-PBR viewer such as non-PBR versions of Firestorm), to please for LMs to him for investigation. This does not include PBR EEP settings looking differently on pre-PBR viewers, etc.
The Looking Glass, July 2026 – click any image for full size
It has been a decade(!) since I last visited The Looking Glass, the stunning region that is home to creative genius of Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee, supported by ColeMarie Soleil.
It’s been a place which has captured imaginations time and again down the years, and has been on my list of places to revisit for a fair while, particularly since the more recent graphical and performance improvements made to the viewer.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
For those who may not be familiar with the work of Marcus (aka artist, musician, writer and actor J. Matthew Root) and Sharni, they are two long-time Second Life creators with a focus on fantasy designs.
Those who participate in the annual Fantasy Faire will likely be more than familiar with their work; between them they have over a decade and more, produced marvellous regions for that event.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
For his part, Marcus specialises on architecture, while Sharni creates everything from furnishings and décor items to plants and flora to mystical and fantasy elements, many of which are used to bring life to their designs, as is amply demonstrated in the Fantasy Faire worlds and within The Looking Glass.
Both are incredibly talented artists, and I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing their work in the past as both a reviewer and judge of University of Western Australia art events (now sadly gone from SL), in which Sharni’s work has been justifiably the recipient of multiple awards.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
The Looking Glass offers a truly marvellous means of immersion into their combined work. Almost everything within the region has been created by either Sharni or Marcus, and can be found in The Looking Glass (TLG) store, which is perfectly blended into the setting, residing as it does within a number of buildings.
However, the region isn’t merely a showcase of designs; it is a world to be explored from its waterfront Landing Point through to the islands serenely floating in the sky. Within it can be found places of romance such as the ballroom, places to share in the company of someone close, gardens of fae and magical delights, places for celebrating dance and music, corners of mystical goings-on – there is even a hidden crystal chamber awaiting discovery (among other hidden places).
The Looking Glass, July 2026
And, of course, there is the citadel climbing nigh-on 200 metres into a sky slowly brightening in response to a rising Sun.
With hundreds of windows lit from within and staring all around, the citadel alone is a place of wonder in its design and size and as a place of exploration and discovery. Not only does it feature the core of The Looking Glass store (with more to be found within the Basilica and the Feed your Head store close by), it houses an art gallery recalling Fantasy Faire Builds by Marcus and Sharni from times past, together with an exhibition of Marcus.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
To help people find their way around, there are teleport stations, but for initial explorations, I really recommend stating on foot; the stations are plentiful enough to be easily found during on-foot explorations.
That said, there are areas within the region which do require the teleport system to reach them. Chief among these are the upper reaches of the citadel, which include a Library with an outdoor space and neighbouring room However, the teleports do not connect to all the points of interest; some, such as the floating islands and upper reaches of the citadel (which I believe are open to the public) appear to require flying to reach them.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
Stretching out from the citadel tower and diagonally across the region is a great bridge, its arches taller than any of the buildings clustered to either side of it. Easily spanning woodland at water channels, the bridge extends out to the events amphitheatre whilst offering a magnificent, lantern-lit look back at the great tower.
With its own dome of stars twinkling under the lavender-tinged sky and cross which blazing meteors arc, this is another magical place. As well a offer a stunning view at the citadel, the bridge offers an excellent vantage point to look out over the town and lands below, providing a marvellous view of the great open-air ballroom in its ring of ruins.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
A ramp curls around the tor on which the amphitheatre stands, providing access both to and from the ground. I do suggest walking up (or down, if you come to the amphitheatre from the citadel) it and through its tunnel.
Keep your eyes peeled as you do, and you might find the entrance to one of the hidden secrets of The Looking Glass. Another is to be found here as well, just be prepared to get a little wet when accessing it J .
The Looking Glass, July 2026
The Looking Glass is a place of great beauty and a huge attention to detail. Tucked away throughout are corners presenting places of retreats along with the floating islands. There are also touches of whimsy to be found as well – who knew hobbits drove VW Beetle convertibles, for example!
There are also more semi-hidden places to steal away to, some of which add a certain sense of character and life to the setting. Several of the buildings, far from being mere display pieces are furnished, with one or two heightening the sense of mysticism present throughout.
The Looking Glass, July 2026
Even some of those which are not furnished have been set to enhance the feeling that this is a place where times and life passes: lights shining from windows, fires visible in hearths – even a bureau tucked into the small bay of a house, topped by an ornate Moroccan tea set and softly lit by a lamp, gives the impression someone is at home.
To summarise – a genuine work of art from the tallest tower to the most hidden of chambers. Timeless, it sits as a song to the creative potential of Second Life.
The Mobile Learning Centre: general information boards
Back in June 2026, I wrote a piece on the Mobile Learning Centre, a Linden Lab created experience geared towards incoming users accessing Second Life via the Second Life Mobile app (and those existing users who are new to SL Mobile) gain familiarly with using the app and finding out more about Second life as a whole.
As there is also a broadly similar experience for new users coming into Second Life using the Desktop, I thought it only fair that I revise / replace the original piece with one covering both. Hence this new article.
The Mobile Learning Centre is one of the SL Mobile Experiences seen when logging-in to the App, and accessed by tapping the GO button.
Like most tutorial experiences current and past, the Learning Centres take a familiar route of guiding users through a series of lessons.
However, and unlike many past tutorials of this nature, these avoid trying to cover everything some might regard as “essential”, these Learning Centres focus on the absolute basics in getting started: moving, jumping, chatting, sitting, standing, teleporting. This allows them to be useful without being overwhelming because of the volume of information a new user is being asked to digest in a single pass.
As a brief overview, both experiences:
Present the same lessons, information and challenges in the same environment, in a manner consistent with whether the user is using the Desktop viewer or SL Mobile.
Take the form of a space station, with learn-by-doing lessons progressing through a number of rooms to which the user gains access by “collecting” (walk through) large stars, whilst including a “side quest” in which the user “helps” the captain of the space station.
Have teleport portals and boards to places like the Welcome Hub and other new user experiences to help the user increase their engagement with the platform and learn more.
Control additional options and challenges, offering opportunities for entertainment whilst learning.
The stars to be “collected” are colour-coded to the the rooms to which they are required in order to gain access, and form a core part of the lessons being provided in each of the learning rooms. The number of stars required to access a room is presented on the door to that room.
The arrival point for both experiences comprises informational boards on most of the above – collecting stars, the side quest, etc. Together with the first elements of the tutorial signage.
These tutorial graphics are simple, direct and easy to follow. They’ve been specifically designed to communicate necessary information without relying heavily on text, thus avoiding complications of translation, localisation, etc. They are also obviously application focused: users at the SL Mobile Learning Centre will see graphics specific to the Mobile app, and those at the Desktop Learning Centre will see graphics specific to the Desktop viewer.
Learning Centres: movement tutorial graphics for SL Mobile (left) and Desktop (right)
This does mean that in places, the Desktop Learning Centre does have more such graphics than the Mobile Learning Centre, but this is to be expected because of things like the different modes of control available in the Desktop viewer. This can be seen at the arrival point of the Desktop Learning Centre, which includes graphics on text chat range and camera manipulation (the former included not only because it is essential to understanding text chat but also because it was found new users often ask a question of a mentor within places like the Welcome Hub – and then walk out of range before a reply could be provided).
From the arrival point, and after walking through two yellow stars, users can progress down a ramp to collect the stars needed to access the next tutorial room – this one focused on avatar navigation using an elevated walkway. This is followed by a room focused on jumping / flying (placing users in an aquarium!), prior to a visit to the ship’s bridge to earn the thanks of station’s Captain.
The Mobile Learning Centre: elevated walkway
At the lower end of each experience, there is a large, galleried social space. This contains places to sit (with graphics on how to do so) and the option to collect red stars to open a floor accessway to the tar Run challenge, located underneath the area and accessible once five red stars have been collected. However, this is where the similarities between the respective areas in the two experiences end.
Within the Mobile Learning Centre, this area includes the teleport portal to the Welcome Hub, a teleport board to other experiences and instructions on how to access the Destination Guide and teleport to locations. There is also a side room with a picture gallery of locations in Second Life, together with windows looking out over what appears to be a black hole.
The Learning Centre: portal to the Welcome Hub and instructions on accessing experiences and the Destination Guide
By contrast, the same area within the Learning Centre makes no reference to the Destination Guide, and as the Welcome Hub teleporter is located at the arrival point (together with a portal to the Adult Hub), it is also absent. However, it does provide access to a much larger social area.
Called the Moonview Zone, it comprises group of beanbags set around low tables which are all set around a central bar. A huge viewscreen / window to one side looks out over an alien world. Facing this are two further teleport board and instructions on setting a home position and creating landmarks (but, again oddly, nothing about accessing the Destination Guide). Also within the Moonview are the entrances to two challenges: an obstacle course to further refine walking / jumping abilities and the Ring Challenge to test flying skills. Rewards may be given on the completion of either.
Desktop viewer Moonview Zone
The Desktop Learning Centre also offer a “mid-level” area which includes links to the Second Life social media outlets; a landmark giver for various community gateways offering free items to new users; and two boards of the single-player Merge game (Darkmoon Edition), and a Group joiner for the SL Friends For Life Group.
Whilst a similar area is present in the SL Mobile Learning Centre, it is currently empty, perhaps because of the current level of SL Mobile’s capabilities.
Desktop viewer learning Centre: Ring Challenge
It’s likely that some might feel the Learning Centres don’t cover enough essentials – what about IMs? what about text chat in the Mobile app? What about inventory access? And so on. However, offset against this is the need to keep things as useful as possible in order to get users started without overwhelming them.
Take IMs as an example: do you just cover person-to-person IMs? Then what about Group IMs? If you are covering Group IMs, then surely at least the concept of groups needs explaining (even allowing for the joiner mentioned above). And what about conference calls? And so things spiral – and the same is true for things like inventory on the Desktop.
In this, it is also worth noting that these Learning Centres don’t reside in a vacuum or are a one-stop, “That’s all folks!” form of learning. There is at least the Welcome Hub for further guidance – although I do have a small caveat here, which I’ll come to. Further, these Learning Centres have been developed using feedback gathered from users, and they have been involved in A/B testing with other new user on-boarding tutorials, and both have consistently scored well with incoming users.
The Mobile Learning Centre: finding Rilo
My one caveat mentioned above is that currently, the Welcome Hub is geared solely towards the Desktop viewer. Even with mentors present to at least explain the existence of the Desktop viewer, it struck me that this could be confusing to incoming users on SL Mobile. Perhaps a dedicated landing area for those teleporting from the Mobile Learning Centre might help alleviate this? It could even include a teleport back to the Learning Centre for those who may have accessed the portal there prematurely / in error.
Other than this, I found both experiences pleasant and easy to follow. There is potentially space to add further information / tutorial infographics if the need arises (e.g. to reflect SL Mobile’s increasing capabilities, if required). The graphics are mostly language-free, as noted, and of a size and form where they should be easy to follow regardless of nationality or eyesight; the lessons suitable for what they are trying to achieve and the Desktop viewer challenges off of the Moonview Zone reasonably engaging.
The Mobile Learning Centre lack a Moonview Zone, substituting a destinations showcase instead (albeit without location names or teleports)
If you do opt to pay a visit to either, you can follow the SLurl to the Desktop learning Centre as given below (it’s also in the Destination Guide), but for the Mobile Learning Centre, please do so via the App itself – you’ll find the Learning Centre listed in the Experiences.
The Simulator User Group meeting place at Longfellow
The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, July 28, 2026 Simulator User Group (SUG) off-week meeting (the “Leviathan Office Hour”). These notes form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript. They were taken from my chat log of the meeting, and Pantera’s video is embedded at the end of this article – my thanks to her, as always, for recording and providing it.
Meeting Overview
The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas is held every other Tuesday at 12:00 noon, SLT (holidays, etc., allowing), per the Second Life Public Calendar.
The “Leviathan Office Hour” meetings are held on the Tuesdays which do not have a formal SUG meeting, and are chaired by Leviathan Linden. They are more brainstorming / general discussion sessions.
Meetings are held in text in-world, at this location.
Game_Control
Leviathan has cut a new version of the game_control viewer (v0.7.8). This includes:
Per-axis per-mode invert option.
Keyboard support for flycamming.
Variable speed for avatar rotations when using the game controller stick.
Mouse-click actions for Mouselook mode.
Mouse mode (ability to control the on-screen with a gamepad.
His hope remains to get the game_control capabilities into the Lua editor viewer before that finally goes to release status (which might happen in the latter part of August).
However, internal discussions at the Lab have caused Leviathan to realise he needs to overhaul the GameControlInput UDP message format server-side before the code can go out in a viewer. This work will also require a server-side code updates for the simulator in order for game_control to work.
Those updates have no been deployed to the Blake Sea region on Aditi (the Beta grid) for those wishing to test them.
Sandbox Wanderton and its neighbours are also going to be cloned on Aditi for further vehicle testing on land.
The above work is separate to Harold Linden’s work on script serialisation to prevent scripts from crashing/disabling on a region crossing should be live across the grid in the current simulator release.
He also indicated LL is aware of recent region crossing issues within Blake Sea on Agni (the Main grid), which might be griefer related.
In Brief
Please refer to the video for more on the following.
It was asked if the tool could be more widely used within the viewer.
However, there are no plans to do so because the version in use has been modified for that specific use, with a large number of unused glyphs stripped out that to reduce viewer installer bloat and limit dependency on PromptFont beyond the game_control requirement.
The above sparked a conversation on viewer fonts that ran through most of the meeting.
A general discussion on the use of AI LLMs for coding.
Soul Deep, July 2026 – click any image for full size
I dropped in to Kaelyn Elara’s Soul Deep recently, some 16 months after my last visit. At that time the region comprised a series of islands under a summer Sun, the design by Kaelyn and Jacky Macpherson. Richly detailed and with paths and trails to wander, it was a place I found relaxing for exploring both on foot and on horseback.
For my July 2026, I found the region was now a single, roughly T-shaped island caught in that period of time when summer is vying with autumn (or fall if you prefer) for our attention.
Soul Deep, July 2026
It’s a setting that comes with an almost poetic description by Kaelyn:
Where the salt wind carries whispers of Autumn. Wander weathered beaches, follow winding paths through golden grasses, and rest beneath trees that lean toward the sea.
Here, hammocks sway, campfires glow, and gulls wheel above an ocean that feels endless. This is a place for slow breaths, long looks, and soul-deep moments, where hope drifts in like the tide and stays a while.
– Kaelyn Elara on Soul Deep
Soul Deep, July 2026
The Landing Point sits close to the northern coastline of the “bar” to the island’s “T”, sitting on a rough path running west-to-east and between two of the three buildings to be found here. One of these, off to the east, is a café space while the one to the west is a cosy cabin. Both have a little camp site close by.
The island is low-lying; a mix of scrub grass, sand and trees, the ground broken here and there by groups of rocks. Off to the south, at the end of the second arm of the island sits a large wooden house (the Piper Hideaway by Cory Edo), this one with a little camp fire outside. Another trail meanders down to it from the north end of the island .
Soul Deep, July 2026
There are two Teegle horse rezzing hitching posts with this setting. When touch, these will offer a selection of horses of various breeds and sizes -turn of your AO and then right-click the horse to mount / sit. The mostly open nature of the island makes riding easy (just mind the beach fencing!).
The beaches offer places to sit and relax as gulls circle overhead (or keep watch on things from local signs!) and sailboats lie offshore. it’s a genuinely relaxing setting, rich in local sounds.
Soul Deep, July 2026
What I love about Soul Deep is the continued simplicity Kaelyn and Jacky place in their designs; the settings are always entirely natural in look and feel, never overcrowded; just rich in details and small touches.
Just take the way the cabin and the house are furnished – both are open to the public – or the way the café and its seating are laid out; they all offer a sense of life and presence, but never of any artificiality or sense of being props.
Soul Deep, July 2026
The same is true for the landscaping and the the items and objects to be found around the island – the rowing boats, the signs – everything has a simple, binding beauty.
Photogenic and peaceful, Soul Deep continues to present the perfect getaway setting to soothe the mind.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 