Month: January 2016

Recalling a Starry Night in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Several years ago, I was pointed towards a You Tube video showing the creation of a scene in Second Life. The video was posted by Sharefestival, but was originally produced by Robbie Dingo.

Watch the World, made far back in 2008, poses the question “Ever looked at your favourite painting and wished you could wander inside, to look at it from different perspectives?”, and takes us on a time-lapse journey through the in-world recreation of what is perhaps Vincent van Gogh’s most celebrated work, The Starry Night.

The Starry Night is one of many the artist created depicting the view from the window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. It is the only noturne he produced in the series and was painted a little over a year before his death. In it we see the pre-dawn countryside visible from the artist’s bedroom, but with a styled village of Saint-Rémy – which was not visible directly from van Gogh’s room – added in the middle distance. It’s a poignant painting, and one which inspired American singer-songwriter to compose the equally poignant Vincent.

The Starry Night, part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City
The Starry Night (889) by Vincent van Gogh, part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City

In the video, we are taken on a journey with Robbie as he recreated The Starry Night in Second Life, offering visitors the opportunity to enter van Gogh’s world and visit his village. It’s a wonderful video, hauntingly framed by McLean’s lament, and it is one I’m often drawn back to time and again, so much so, that I had convinced myself I’d already blogged directly about it.

Sadly, the build itself has long since passed from Second Life, but as I’ve not dedicated a post to the video, and again found myself watching it recently, I thought I’d rectify the latter and write about it now. It’s a timeless piece, and a beautiful demonstration of how Second Life can be used to present a new perspective on art.

Robbie also offers a Revisited video on the piece, in which he shows footage not used in the original cut:

Statues, avatars and mermaids

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off a week year of story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, January 17th, 18:00:From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Mied-up FilesWhen running away, it’s always handy to have some idea of where to run to. In Claudia Kincaid’s case, the ideal place is the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. As her younger brother has money, Claudia decides he should come with her to help on the finances front.

The museum proves an interesting place to settle into, but when the museum purchases what appears to be an early work by Michelangelo, a statue of an angel, for the unbelievable price of $225, Claudia and Jamie, her brother, find themselves taking on the role of investigators.

Is the statue genuine? Has the museum bought itself a bargain, or is  the statue something else? Digging into the matter, Claudia and Jamie are led to the remarkable Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, former owner of the statue and the owner of some remarkable files which promise to led Claudia into some discoveries about herself.

Join Caledonia Skytower at Magicland Park as she reads from E.L. Konigsburg’s engaging story.

Monday January 18th, 19:00: Snow Crash

We all know Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash as one of the inspirations behind Second Life. Now Gyro Muggins continues his reading of this modern classic.

Snow CrashIn the 21st Century, Los Angeles is no longer a part of the United States, but is instead run by a variety of corporate and other factions, which much of the city divided into sovereign enclaves. Mercenary forces via with private security firms; drugs and the private vehicle reign supreme and where hyper-inflation is rampant.

Within this strange and complex world exists the Metaverse, an omnipresent 3D “Internet of everything” in which people can roam as avatars. It is in this world that the aptly named Hiro Protagonist (and former pizza delivery driver) operates as a sword-welding heroic warrior and bounces between the virtual and physical worlds as the self-styled “last of the freelance hackers.”

However, when his friend and fellow-hacker Da5id, falls victim to the mysterious new drug Snow Crash, which exists in the virtual world as a computer virus capable of infecting machines connected to the Metaverse and in the physical world as a viral infection which attacks the central nervous system, Hiro sets out to learn the truth of what is going on. Working with his virtual business partner, the 15-year-old Y.T., Hiro digs into the truth behind Snow Crash, leading him (and Y.T.) to the doors of fibre-optics monopolist L. Bob Rife and his acolytes and minions, including the highly dangerous Raven.

Tuesday January 19th 19:00: Pearl

PearlFaerie Maven-Pralou continue her reading of the first book in Lisa Pinkham’s the Doll Collection series.

Everything changes for Addy on her 12th birthday, when she receives a mysterious gift of a collection of dolls and an opal necklace imbued with magical powers.

Soon, Addy finds herself transported to a beach where she meets a mermaid, Pearl, and where she can swim with and talk to underwater fairies and enjoy the company of min-reading dolphins.

But all is not as safe as it seems; when Pearl vanishes and Addy’s magic necklace is stolen, Addy is left with no way home and without a friend – and she must confront the thief on her own, trusting that the magic which resides in her is enough to put things to rights.

Wednesday, January 20th, 19:00: Silence of the Loons

While writers from the southern American states turn to tales of crime, inevitably the broiling heat of humid summer days is an ever-present backdrop. But when the stories of criminals and their ways are moved northwards to Minnesota, it is the brutal cold of hard winters which offers a frame for many of the tales.

In this collection, 13 of the state’s top crime writers present a series of tales of mystery, all of which are linked by the same 8 clues, which lead the reader through their dark twists.

Join Kayden Oconnell as he reads from this fascinating anthology.

Thursday, January 21st

16:00: Stempunk Selections

with Finn Zeddmore, presenting a special Steampunk themed session at SL Goth Magazine’s TIMEKILLER II Festival.

19:00: Time Travel Stories

With Shandon Loring – Also to be presented at Seanchai Kitely and Seanchai InWorldz. Check session post during the week for specific grid locations).

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Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The featured charity for January / February is Heifer International, working with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

Additional Links

SL project updates 16 2/2: SBUG / TPVD and 64-bit official viewers

Posted on by Inara Pey

Furillen; Inara Pey, December 2015, on FlickrFurillen (Flickr) – blog post

The following notes are primarily taken from the Server Beta User Group meeting of Thursday, January 14th and the TPV Developer (TPVD) meeting held on Friday, January 15th, 2016. A video of the meeting is included at the end of this report, my thanks as always to North for the video recording and providing it for embedding.

Server Deployments – Recap

There was no deployment to the Main (SLS) channel on Tuesday, January 12th. On Wednesday, January 13th, all three RC channels received the same sever maintenance package comprising:

  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT – when targeting an object, OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT will return the total of all inventory types in each link of the linkset. See BUG-10575 for further details
  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_PRIM_COUNT – provides a means to get a worn attachment’s prim count (rather than just returning 0).  See BUG-10646 for further details.
  • Simulator crash fixes.

RC Server Deployment Week #3

The RC server deployment scheduled for week #3 (week commencing Monday, January 18th), should include the feature request for llGetObjectDetails ( myKey, [OBJECT_REZZER_KEY] ), which returns the parent_id of any task in the region:

  • If the object came from an object rezzer it returns the ID of the parent object
  • If it was rezzed by an avatar, it returns the agent ID of the avatar.

It will only return details for those objects rezzed in-world after the code has been implemented. Objects already in-world prior to deployment will be ignored (NULL_KEY is returned).

SL Viewer Updates

[00:30] The Maintenance RC viewer, version 4.0.1.310054, was promoted to de facto release status on Friday, January 15. This view comprises some 38 fixes and improvements, including updates for some regressions introduced into the viewer with the previous release viewer, and some CEF bugs.

The Project Azumarill HTTP updates RC viewer and the Vivox voice updates RC viewer have been merged into a single release candidate, version 4.0.1.309943, release on Thursday, January 14th, 2016. This is expected to be updated in the next week to deal with a further issue, after which it is anticipated it will be promoted relatively soon to the de facto release viewer.

[01:43] The Quick Graphics RC (Avatar Complexity and graphics presets) is still undoing further refinement, particularly in the way that Avatar Complexity is calculated as a result of feedback provided by users testing the current RC version (4.0.1.309320 at the time of writing).

[0213] There is an update to the Oculus Rift project viewer (3.7.18.295296 at the time of writing) in progress, but no ETA on when it will appear.

Project Bento (Avatar Skeleton Extensions)

Main update: Project Bento User Group update 2 with audio

Issues with the Bento project viewer are viewed as a priority by the Lab. However, no time frames are being set for updates as the project is very much still in beta on Aditi.

There will be a “show and tell” event on Aditi on Tuesday, January 19th, where content creators working the new avatar skeleton extensions will be demonstrating their work for an upcoming episode of The Drax Files World Makers, which takes a look behind the scenes at the project.

CEF and 64-bit Official Viewers

[12:00] The switch to CEF has forced the Lab to re-think its position on 64-bit viewers. Essentially, the CEF code comes as a package, and those producing it ceased supporting Mac 32-bit a while ago (so CEF on the Mac viewer from the Lab is actually a release or so behind the version on Windows).

As a result, the Lab has started on a 64-bit viewer build project, which includes both Windows and Mac. It is possible that as a result of this, and once the 64-bit versions of the viewer are ready to go, the Lab may cease in offering a 32-bit Mac version of the viewer (obviously Windows will continue to be offered in both 32-, and 64-bit flavours).

The 64-bit versions of the official viewer will include 64-bit specific contributions from TPV developers, and Oz has also requested that a number of other open-source contributions which have been languishing since submission are folded into the project.

Aditi Log-in Issues and Inventory Syncing

[06:40] There are still issues being experienced by some people when logging-in to Aditi, which see them redirected to a “safe” zone (most frequently ACME H), rather than to their last log-in point. This is still subject to investigation by the Lab.

The new process for inventory syncing (see my report from 2015 week #52 for full details) between Agni and Aditi still has yet to be implemented. In essence, once this comes into effect, a password change will no longer trigger any syncing between your Agni and Aditi inventories. Instead, logging-in to Aditi will flag your account for inventory syncing. This takes place overnight (Pacific time), and cause your Agni inventory to be merged with your Aditi inventory, rather than overwriting it, thus preserving content unique to your Aditi inventory.

In the meantime, if you need your inventories syncing between the two grids, file a support ticket requesting a manual synchronising of inventories.

Continue reading “SL project updates 16 2/2: SBUG / TPVD and 64-bit official viewers” →

VWBPE 2016: of submissions, nominations and deadlines

Posted on by Inara Pey
via VWBPE.org
via VWBPE.org

The 9th annual  Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) conference is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, March 9th, 2016 through Saturday, March 12th, 2016 inclusive – but deadlines are fast approaching for those still wishing to to submit a proposal for a presentation.

VWBPE is a global grass-roots community event focusing on education in immersive virtual environments which attracts 2200-3500 educational professionals from around the world each year. Events take place in both Second Life and OpenSimulator.

The call for proposals invites educators and those involved in the education sector or offering support to that sector are asked to reflect on work and their accomplishments within the context of the conference, and consider submitting a proposal and sharing their work with the wider education community:

Educators and communities of practice who use virtual worlds are trend setters–pioneers in a virtual landscape of possibilities. To you, the next horizon is the next opportunity for change, for innovation, and for exploration. It is the next opportunity to offer a paradigm shift, and to chart unexplored lands for the newcomers, the intrepid following in your footsteps, and the curious seeking to find new opportunities and new ways of thinking.

This year there will only be one call, and only one call, for proposals, so get them in by no later than January 17, 2016. This is a hard, no-extensions, deadline. Don’t get left out! 

The full Call for Proposals guidelines can be found  on the VWBPE website. However note that the deadlines are extremely close:

  • The call for proposals in the academic and communities of practice categories ends Sunday, January 17th, 2016.
  • The call for creative categories – exhibits and machinima ends Sunday, January 31st, 2016. Take advantage of the extended machinima deadline to submit your artistic vision and inspire participants!

Thinkerer Award Nominations

Thinkerer-1
via VWBPE.org

The Thinkerer is presented on the basis of lifetime achievement,  rather than for a single contribution, to an individual whose deeds and actions have shown consistent selfless service towards the promotion of learning, community, and educational practices, and who exemplifies the spirit of cooperative development within immersive environments.

Those wishing to nominate someone they believe deserves to be recognised for their contribution to the field of education and immersive environments should review and complete the  nomination criteria and submission form.

All nominations should be received by Sunday, February 7th, 2016. The final selection of the award recipient will be conducted by the VWBPE Organizational Committee by Sunday February 21st, 2016 and will be announced publicly during the conference closing ceremonies on Saturday, March 12th, 2016.

Related Links

A dreamer’s forest in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams (Flickr) – click and image for full size

TELRUNYA – Forest of Dreams is a relatively newly opened region in Second Life. Designed by Nessa Zamora (Noralie78) to help demonstrate her landscaping abilities, the region is also an envisioning of her “happy place”,  a place of ethereal beauty in which it is easy to lose oneself.

Entering the Forest of Dreams, it is easy to feel as if you have stepped into a corner of Middle Earth; that you are perhaps on the edges of Lothlórien or another forested elven enclave, sheltered from the rest of the world by the tall, grass-covered hills surrounding the region.

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams (Flickr)

This is a place where exploration is very much the key to discovery. The dense forest means that casual camming around isn’t easy and risks you missing a lot; only on foot can you really appreciate all there is to be found here, be it beneath the forest’s canopy, along the banks of the winding waters, at the top of ancient-looking steps cut into the tall hills, or underground.

To help you find points of particular interest, there are teleport points to be found scattered across the region. These are certainly handy for keeping track of places you may have missed, but again, I do urge travelling on foot as much as possible to really appreciated the forest.

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams (Flickr)

As might be expected from an elven realm, the Forest of Dreams is in a state of perpetual twilight. However, the region works with many windlight options, although I’d venture to suggest those offering a dusk or twilight offer perhaps the best options for appreciating the region as you explore.

Throughout the forest there are numerous places to sit and ponder, or spend time with a friend or loved one, including a walled garden, a small camp in the midst of standing stones, alongside the river, facing the ruined tower (my personal favourite)  – and elsewhere.

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams (Flickr)

The description of Forest of Dreams tells us  it is, “a world straight out of a fairytale where you can find magical creatures around every corner. A haven for  those who look for a tranquil environment, a home for fairies, fauns, elves and those who love to be lost in a dreamworld.” Having spent time exploring on foot, and via row-boat, Caitlyn and I can confirm this is absolutely so!

SLurl Details

Project Bento User Group update 2 with audio

Posted on by Inara Pey
Project Bento extends the avatar skeleton, adding a significant set of bones (e.g. 30 for the face, 30 for the hands (both of which can be seen inaction in the image above of an avatar by Matrice Laville), plus bones for wings, tails, additional limbs and ears / antennae
Project Bento extends the avatar skeleton, adding a significant set of bones (e.g. 30 for the face, 30 for the hands (both of which can be seen inaction in the image above of an avatar by Matrice Laville), plus bones for wings, tails, additional limbs and ears / antennae

The second public user group meeting for Project Bento took place on Thursday, January 14th 2016, continuing discussions on the new avatar skeleton extensions for Second Life. The following is intended to provide a summary of the discussion, together with audio excerpts from the meeting. It is not, however, intended to present a full transcript.

Additional / Alternative Bones and Experimental Region

The experimental region for those wishing to try additional / alternative bones (see my report from the first Bento public UG meeting), is now available on Aditi at BentoExperimental1. It had been misbehaving when first set-up, but is now thought to be running smoothly. 

mtg-2-2_001
Aki Shichiroji demonstrates her (untextured and in-development) centaur avatar, which uses the new wing bones to animate the rear legs

One concern among content creators who are already working on Bento is the potential for additional / alternative bones to be disruptive, that has they are added, it will break content being used for ongoing testing of Bento, particularly for those working on complex, multi-limbed avatars.

Vir pointed out that while the Lab don’t want to necessarily add to the workload in testing new bones, it’s better to look at possible additions / alternatives sooner rather than later, and accept test content may break if charges are to be made in the near future as a part of developing the project.

He also pointed out that so far, the focus on additional / alternative bones has been on the face, which shouldn’t have any impact on those working with the new wing bones, etc. Although that said, there is no limitation on proposing additional bones for wings, legs, etc., even if they do prove a little disruptive at this point in time.

End dates and Selecting New Bones

Currently, the Lab hasn’t determined any date by which proposals for additional / alternative bones must be made, or the process by which any of the proposals might be adopted. However, creators are encouraged to use the experimental region to develop models as demonstrations sooner rather than later.

While it is not 100% certain, given there is currently no clear consensus as to what additional / alternative bones might be seen as a priority among those proposing them, the Lab is considering making any potential selection the matter of a poll at some point in the future, and make any determination based on that.

Vir also indicated that ideally, the Lab would like to make as few further changes to the skeleton as possible, and so may opt to add additional bones as a single pass in the viewer, rather than gradually adding them (which might also cause problems when testing, due to the repeated risk of breaking test models as noted above).  Either way, the code will be stabilised well before any attempt is made to move Bento to the main grid, in order to ensure that people have adequate time to test things and to allow TPVs sufficient lead-time to integrate the Bento code into their offerings so that they can support it when it is deployed.

mtg-2-3_001
Oz flew into the Bento meeting directly from the Lab’s monthly “all hands” review

IK Bone Issues

A problem has been noted within the skeleton between the new toe bones and the IK (inverse kinematics) bones which connect the avatar physically to the world. The latter are focused on the foot bone in the avatar skeleton, with the result that when the new toes bones are used to animate the avatar (as might be the case with digitgrade legs), a conflict with the IK bones can occur, causing the animation to go awry. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it is very noticeable.

Exactly what can be done to deal with this is open to question; Vir’s initial thoughts were to consider changing the logic so that IK bones are focused on the toe, rather than the foot. Alternatively, Oz suggested adding a new flag which would allow a mesh to indicate it does not want a joint manipulated by IK, and idea which was seen by some creators as offering greater potential for use.

To help the Lab better understand issues and gain a thorough insight what might be required in order to address issues where they can, a request was once again put forward for very concise in-world examples and models.

Both Oz and Vir concurred that any large-scale alternations to the IK chain, such as extending it to include the new bones is unlikely, due to the risk of breakage with existing content on  the main grid and due to the additional overheads it will place on Bento in terms of testing, lead times, etc.

Continue reading “Project Bento User Group update 2 with audio” →