Year: 2016

SL Project updates 16 27/1: Server, viewer, Oculus Rift

Posted on by Inara Pey

Legacy Ridge; Inara Pey, July 2016, on Flickr Legacy Ridge – blog post

Server Deployment

Despite the holiday in the US for July 4th (which has previously pushed server deployments back 24 hours), the Main (SLS) deployment did in fact take place on Tuesday, July 5th. This was the server maintenance package previously deployed to the three RC channels in week #26, comprising the following fixes:

  • BUG-11836  Increase max animation size – animation files up to  250Kb can now be uploaded
  • BUG-6035 (non-public) LSL email registration (for receiving email from outside the region) can break without automatic recovery.

There was no planned RC deployment on Wednesday, July 6th.

SL Viewer

As expected, the Inventory Message viewer, version 4.0.6.315555 (dated May 23rd) was promoted to the de facto release viewer on Tuesday, July 5th. This viewer sees the removal of deprecated and unused UDP inventory messaging mechanisms from the viewer. Pending its adoption by third-party viewers, it will also eventually see the removal of server-side support for these messages, most likely towards the end of 2016.

Currently, this leaves the official viewer line-up, RC and project, as follows:

  • Maintenance RC viewer, version 4.0.6.316883, dated June 24th –bug  fixes and updates
  • Project viewers:
    • Visual Outfit Browser project viewer, version 4.0.6.316422, dated July 1st – ability to preview images of outfits in the Appearance floater. Expected to be updated to release candidate status soon
    • Oculus Rift project viewer, version 4.1.0.317313, dated July 1st – Oculus Rift DK2 + CV-1 support. However, this update appears to have significant issues, see below for more
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions) viewer, version 5.0.0.317134, dated June 30th
    • Project VLC Media Plugin viewer, version 4.0.6.316258, dated June 15th – replaces the QuickTime media plugin for the Windows version of the viewer with one based on LibVLC
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847 dated May 8th, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

Oculus Rift Project viewer 4.1.0.317313

There appear to be significant issues with this project viewer, which is intended to support both the DK-2 and CV-1 versions of the Oculus Rift headset. For further information, please refer to the following links:

 

All the fun of the fair in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Unknown Theme Park
The Unknown Theme Park

Theresa Tennyson-Trang dropped a landmark into my hands recently, with a suggestion Caitlyn and I might like to pay a visit to the Unknown Theme Park. So – we did!

Established in 2006, by Ade Franklin, the park is now managed by Miyi Nishi, and  is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. And were I to sum it up and just a handful of words, I’d describe it as one , and it is quite simply one of those gems of Second Life which needs to be experienced rather than just read about.

The Unknown Theme Park
The Unknown Theme Park

Located on Heterocera, the park sits between Route 1 and the sea, offering everything a visitor might expect from a theme park – main rides, side shows, activities like 10-pin bowling or skating, all of which have been gathered from creators across SL and brought together for family friendly fun.  It’s a place in which you can quickly lose track of time – as Caitlyn and I found out when we discovered our visit had stretched over two hours – and we still had more to try!

“[We Have] 37,000 square metres packed with more than 50 activities,” Miyi says of the park. “Come on by and have some fun or do some fishing or skydiving, or relax at our beach or tree house! All rides are free with a money back guarantee if not satisfied!”

The Unknown Theme Park
The Unknown Theme Park

The landing point is located right in the centre of the park, surrounded by several of the larger rides. Some of these, like the tower drop, roller coaster and Ferris Wheel, are precisely the kind of ride you’d expect in any theme park in the physical world. But as this is SL, there are also one or two which blow a raspberry at gravity, opting instead to offer patrons the kind of ride physical world theme park designers can only dream about – such as Free Fall by Obione Klaar and the G-Force Spinner by Mr. Mad (MadLad Clip).

Alongside these, there are “smaller” attractions – bumper cars and boats, the old pirate ship swing, and so on, to be enjoyed. There also the side shows and attractions such as 10-pin bowling and roller skating as well as the skydiving Miyi mentioned. There’s even a miniature railways running around and through the park, offering visitors an easy way to discover all the park has to offer as the little train chugs its way around the track. Movie buffs might want to try the theatre across the water from the main park.

The Unknown Theme Park - roaring around the roller coaster
The Unknown Theme Park – roaring around the roller coaster

Filled with ambient sounds, offering a marvellous mix of old and new spanning a decade, and presenting many, many opportunities for fun and enjoyment, whether on your own or with a friend or two, The Unknown Theme Park is very much worth a visit. Should you do so, please consider making a donation towards the park’s continued presence in Second Life.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, Caitlyn and I are heading back to the Space Roller for another ride!

The Unknown Theme Park - Caitlyn and I on the Space Roller!
The Unknown Theme Park – Caitlyn and I on the Space Roller!

SLurl Details

Second Life Oculus Rift viewer 4.1.0.317313: update and JIRA

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Second Life Oculus Rift project viewer has been updated to support the Oculus CV-1 - but not without issues
The Second Life Oculus Rift project viewer has been updated to support the Oculus CV-1 – but not without issues

Update: July 8th: Linden Lab has suspended viewer support for the Oculus Rift. This article has been updated accordingly, notably with strikethroughs on links which are no longer valid.t.

On July 2nd, I posted about the release of the latest Oculus Rift project viewer, version 4.1.0.317313. As I’m actually Riftless, I could do little more than take a surface poke at the viewer and leave it to others to have a more detailed look – and they have done so, and found things to be less than favourable.

Ai Austin / Austin Tate is perhaps best placed in terms of overall feedback having gone through using an Oculus Rift HMD with the new viewer in several scenarios, all of which he has documented in his own blog, some of his initial finding having been reported in the comments following my original article. The problems he’s encountered include:

  • In all cases and with all graphics settings tried, the HMD view is over bright and washed out pastel in colour. He also notes the Pixel Luminance Overdrive setting, which had been present in earlier versions of the Rift project viewer is now absent
  • A failure to show any objects, wither in-world or attached to an avatar, with full or partial transparency when in HMD Mode (so, avatar hair, for example will not render). AI found that disabling Atmospheric Shaders in the viewer resolved this – but is not entirely a desirable solution
  • The image resolution in the HMD is low and jagged, and altering the viewer’s graphics settings apparently has no impact
  • Numerous UI-related issues in HMD mode, including: UI elements in fixed positions which cannot be changed via viewer settings; object and avatar labels and interaction icons fail to show; mouse pointer fails to display
  • Additional visual and display issues.
AI Austin illustrates one of the visual issues with the new Oculus Rift projects viewer: one the left, a scene rendered in the viewer when not in HMD mode; on the right, when rendered in HMD - note the washed-out Linden water in particular
Ai Austin illustrates one of the visual issues with the new Oculus Rift projects viewer: one the left, a scene rendered in the viewer when not in HMD mode; on the right, when rendered in HMD – note the missing transparencies in thew avatar’s hair, giving the impression of hair loss and the “missing” hot tub water. Credit: Ai Austin / Austin Tate

His experience mirrors that of other Rift users, including TTech (who also commented on this blog), and a number of users who have tried this 4.1.0 release of the viewer and have commented on the Oculus Rift forum thread ( see feedback commencing with this message onwards).

Commenting on the viewer at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, July 5th, Oz Linden said:

At this point, I don’t have any real comment.  It’s a Project Viewer, and one explicitly labelled Experimental at that… the point is for people to try it and let us know what they find out.

To help let the Lab know what people find out in using the viewer, I’d like to point to a bug report – BUG-20130 – raised by Rai Fargis.

While I am flattered that staff at the Lab do read this blog, if you are experimenting / trying the new Oculus Rift project viewer and experience specific issues, please add them to bug report rather than documenting them in the comments following this article (general feedback here is welcome, obviously). Doing so, and including with information on your system set-up, relevant log files, etc., guarantees your feedback is seen and recorded by the Lab, encouraging them to investigate issues.

When reporting problems, one thing to keep in mind is that this version has leapt forward several iterations in terms of the Oculus SDK; therefore comparisons with earlier versions of the viewer may not be helpful (outside of possibly pointing to removed options which proved useful in dealing with specific issues in the past). Rather, specifics of issues encountered with this version will offer a better means for the Lab to start / continue investigations.

At the moment, viewers operating in HMD mode have no means to tell the simulator they are doing so. Therefore, the Lab doesn’t have a means of accurately determining the numbers of people using Rift HMDs – and metric which could be useful in the future; as such, it is something which may change with a future update to the viewer.

With thanks to Ai Austin, TTech, Rai Fargis, and Jeanette Doobie

Support Rock Your Rack in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Image via Rock Your Rack
Image via Rock Your Rack

Rock Your Rack, the annual charity event to raise funds for the US National Breast Cancer Foundation, and which organised and presented by Models Giving Back, will this year take place between Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 16th inclusive – and the organisers are currently seeking designers, entertainers and bloggers wishing to both take part in and support the event.

Rock Your Rack is a combined fashion and entertainment event, offering the best in both to visitors, with designer booths, fashions shows, live performances and DJ sessions. In addition, there will be a range of supporting activities, including:

  • A silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind items from Rock Your Rack designers who will give 100% of the sales to the cause
  • A Rock Your Rack Hunt featuring collectables offered by participating designers at L$10 each – with all proceeds going directly into the fund-raising
  • And Art show and auction organised by Windlight Magazine on behalf of Models Giving Back.

Designer applications at the event have been open since mid-June, and will remain so until Sunday, July 31st or until the remaining slots are taken. If you are fashion designer and would be interested in participating in Rock Your Rack, please visit the Rock Your Rack Designers information page.

If you are DJ or Live performer, and would like to donate your time to the event, registrations are now open, and will run through until Tuesday, August 30th (unless all slots are filled before then).

  • DJ slots are available on the Saturdays and Sundays of the event only, and are available for either dance parties or fashion show. Those interested should check the Rock Your Rack Entertainments page, and then complete the DJ registration form
  • Live entertainment slots are available for the Saturdays and Sundays of the event, and weekday events. Those interested should check the Rock Your Rack Entertainments page, and then complete the entertainer registration form

Note that all DJ and entertainers applying must have their own music stream, as none can be provided.

Bloggers interested in covering the event have from now until Sunday, July 31st to apply. Do note that given the event involves both fashion and entertainment and requires both are covered, Rock Your Rack has a detailed set of blogging requirements. Those interested in applying to be an event blogger are asked to read the Rock Your Rack blogger’s information page prior to submitting an application.

Artists who would like to participate in the Rock Your Rack Art Show and Auction should refer to the entry requirement for participating on the Art Show application form.

For more information on Rock Your Rack, including a complete time line covering the run-up to the event, as well as information on Models Giving Back, please visit the Rock Your Rack website.

2016 viewer release summaries: week 26

Posted on by Inara Pey

Updates for the week ending Sunday, July 3rd

This summary is published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.

Official LL Viewers

  • Current Release version: 4.0.5.315117 (dated May 11), May 18th – no change: formerly the Quick Graphics RC viewer download page, release notes
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • No updates
  • Project viewers:
    • Oculus Rift project viewer updated to version 4.1.0.317313 on July 1 – Oculus Rift DK2 + CV-1 support (download and release notes) – warning: this update appears to have significant issues: see this comment and those which follow
    • Visual Outfit Browser viewer updated to version 4.0.6.316422, on July 1 – ability to preview images of outfits in the Appearance floater (download and release notes)
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions) updated to version 5.0.0.317134 on June 30 – bug fixes  (download and release notes)

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V4-style

  • Restrained Life Viewer updated to version 2.9.18 on July first, followed rapidly by version 2.9.18.1 (July 3rd) and 2.9.18.2 (July 4th), both containing bug fixes. For the full set of release notes, please refer to the links above

V1-style

  • Cool VL viewer Stable branch updated to version 1.26.18.13 and the Experimental branch updated to version 1.26.19.15, both on July 3rd (release notes)

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Project Sansar’s video spot with USA Today

Posted on by Inara Pey
Project Sansar promotional image via linden Lab
Project Sansar promotional image via Linden Lab

Update July 6th: Ed Baig  published a follow-up article today on Sansar, the Lab and Social VR. You can read my thoughts on it here.

Wurfi directed me to this short video from USA Today which features Project Sansar and Second Life (perhaps helping to answer the question put to Pete Linden during the SL13B Meet the Lindens series about the risk of promoting Sansar being to the possible detriment of SL).

The video, just under a minute-and-a-half long, doesn’t reveal anything new about Project Sansar, but it does offer a little bit of a tease.

Ed Baig: looking inside Sansar for USA Today
Ed Baig: looking inside Sansar for USA Today

At the 0:30 mark in the video, journalist Ed Baig states, “Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg won’t show much, but he did treat me to an early demo…”

His comments are followed by tantalising footage of Ed with Oculus Rift headset and controllers, stating he got to visit Mars and an ancient Egyptian tomb (both of which have been revealed in video from the Lab, as I reported by in May) “among other places” – but the camera remained focused on Ed as he waved the Oculus Touch controllers around, rather than showing anything of Sansar itself.

Second Life is represented in the video. At the start, we’re treated with a short burst from one of the Lab’s own promotional videos of Second Life, while at the end, Ed notes that while Sansar is just starting the process of opening up through the Creator Preview, “Second Life will remain”.

Along with familiar images of Sansar, there’s a soundbite from Ebbe Altberg which encapsulates the core thrust for the platform.

Sadly, there’s no follow-up article within USA Today online, just the video itself; but then at this point, there’s not actually a lot to write about that perhaps hasn’t already be seen vis Sansar. However, that will change in the near future. Alongside of opening Sansar to more creators between now and the end of the year, Linden Lab has also indicated that they’ll gradually start revealing more about the platform as the rest of the year passes and as they move towards “V1” access, probably in early 2017.

In the meantime, here’s Ed’s video.