SW: So how far along is it? Why are we not seeing it on the main Viewer?
QF: Well … Linden Lab has some objections to it, and we have to address those before we can go live. And honestly, it’s kind-of like difficult working with the Lab because they don’t have people dedicated to this project, so you have to get by with sort-of bits and scraps. What I’m going to do is: there was one last issue to be resolved and that is – if you want to get into it now – the issue that’s been called “standard sizing”; and that is the one thing that needs to be addressed before I think was can say, “We’re done”.
SW: Could you run us through what that is?
QF: Sure. So the way the deformer works is when your body gets bigger in places, your clothes will get bigger and when your body gets smaller in place, the clothes will get smaller. But the question is: bigger or smaller than what? And the answer is that you need to pick a default shape that is the shape that the clothing designer will create the clothes to so it’ll fit that shape perfectly. So when another user comes along and changes their shape away from that default shape, the clothing will change as well.
Then the question is: well what should that default shape be? Initially, I suggested just the default shape you get when you create a brand-new avatar, but some people suggested other things and … most importantly … Linden Lab suggested some things. They suggested that the default avatar is the “good” solution.
So we’ve been kind-of working on this for a couple of months now; but how do you pick what should be the best default shape? One proposal was to not just do one default shape, but to have a handful of default shapes, and those would probably be what is known as the “standard sizes” in the clothing community. So there are a bunch of standard sizes, so you can say, “Well this size is going to be a medium shirt,” and if someone is smaller than a medium, make the shirt a little bit smaller in those places….
Aki Shichiroji (audience): I don’t feel the Standard sizing initiative really covers those body differences though.
QF: Right, well, yeah, yeah…. So anyway, that didn’t answer Linden Lab’s concern. Their concern was that using a base shape that has curves in it causes a less-than-ideal deformation. If the shape has, say, normal-sized breasts and then you want to dial those smaller, the deformer won’t work as well was their concern. Now, I don’t think anybody has ever done any tests, but it’s possible that that is true.
So the current solution this is probably going to go forward is this: instead of having just one default shape or six default shapes, what we’ll do is we’ll allow the clothing designer to specify the avatar parameters – the actual size of the bust, the size of the legs, the size of the head – when he uploads his mesh. So then you can have any number of base shapes; that would answer Linden Lab’s concerns, answer the standard sizing people’s concerns – it will answer everybody’s concerns because you can do any shape except for completely arbitrary shapes. Like Saffia had the idea, well could I use a base shape to deform to an elephant shape – I think that’s a great idea, but not with this version of the deformer.
SW: So I couldn’t sort-of take the mesh clothing I’m wearing as me and change into my meerkat tiny and expect the clothes to deform?
QF: That’s not going to happen …. yet. Yet. … But I don’t think … I don’t want to rule out the elephants…
TheBlack Box (audience): is there a market for elephant clothing? 🙂
SW: It’s huge! (laughs)
QF: (laughs) Right … So that’s the state of where the deformer is now. I need to free-up a little more time to do this last part. And hopefully Linden Lab says “OK, great”, and goes with it, but … we’ll have to see.
SW: What about other Viewers? How are they placed on taking it on?
QF: I honestly don’t know. I released the code open-source, and they can apply it to their own Viewer, and I know that some do – but I’m not sure who does – and I think they have to get special permission from the Lab, because the Lab has this new Shared Experience policy that makes this kind of stuff much more difficult….
Maxwell Graf (audience): what about the possibility of creating a deformer hierarchy, like a layering system?
QF: Ahhh! Maxwell wants his layering system! Oh, Maxwell! (chuckles). Maxwell wants it so that when you put on … say a sweatshirt, and then you put a jacket over it, the sweatshirt will deform to your body and then your jacket will deform to the sweatshirt. Which is also an interesting idea, but I’m a little exhausted from this idea so you might have to find another developer for that!
Vivienne Daguerre (audience): Does this mean as a designer that I would have to make a dress with small sizing embedded, and then another with medium parameters, and another with large… and so on? Am I still going to have to have different sizes?
QF: If you want to use just one base shape, you’re perfectly welcome to. The only issue is that at the extremes, where there is a lot of deformation going on … the deformer kind-of breaks-down … so if you wanted to support extremely large or extremely small avatars you might want to create other versions, but you don’t have to.
Amadine Abonwood (audience): How does this mesh affect the avatar physics (which are already screwy on their own)?
QF: Avatar physics changes your avatar in exactly the same way that your appearance sliders do, and deforming clothing will deform to those changes as well. So if your tummy jiggles as you walk, your shirt over your tummy will jiggle the same way for better or worse (laughs). I’m not a big fan of the avatar physics, but it [the deformer] does play nicely with them.
SW: I always thought that [avatar physics] was a classic example of, you know, boy developers at the Lab having fun.
QF: Well, they were actually pushed into it, right? I think it was Emerald that had breast physics first, and it was wildly popular. And the Lab felt – and I think rightly so – that even if it is a crazy idea, if the customers want it, they should get it. I kind-of support the Lab’s decision there, although it is a very, very odd feature…
SW: Well, I think that’s one of the few times that perhaps they have!
QF: I know, I know, I know! I wish they would have done so in other cases!
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 
Reblogged this on Becca's Blog and commented:
Some really interesting points raised by Qarl here. I have to concur with his comments about the new TPV policy and how it stifles innovation; it can’t do otherwise.
It’s funny that he should comment that Linden Lab didn’t see Mesh clothing coming because I was having the same discussion with a friend just recently. The Lab’s response has been very much “but why would you want to do that?” and then bury their head in the sand about it. The fact that pretty much every major clothing Designer is offering Rigged Mesh clothing now is surely a pretty bloody strong indication that sorting the Mesh issue is of prime importance, yet their support of Qarl and the Parametric Deformer project seems lukewarm at best.
I’m still unswayed in my opinion that this is make-or-break for SL.
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