Day: October 7, 2024

2024 SL viewer release summaries week #40

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week through to Sunday, October 6th, 2024

This summary is generally 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.
  • Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.

Official LL Viewers

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.10.10800445603, formerly the DeltaFPS RC, dated September 11, promoted September 17promoted August 26 – NO CHANGE.
  • Release Candidate: ExtraFPS RC, version 7.1.11.11074622243, September 30.
    • Performance improvements: enhanced texture memory tracking, broader hardware compatibility and higher FPS gain.
    • Aesthetics improvements: new Antialiasing setting – SMAA; Contrast Adaptive Sharpening; Khronos Neutral Tone Mapping (can be changed to ACES via the RenderTonemapType Debug setting).

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

  • Kokua: 7.1.10.56206 (no RLV) and 7.1.10.59780 (RLV variants)  (DeltaFPS), Sept 30 – release notes.

V1-style

Mobile / Other Clients

  • Mobile Grid Client version 1.33.1308, September 30 – changelog.
  • SL Mobile (Beta) version 2024.7.530 – October 1  – update notes.
  • Speedlight v35, October 3 – release notes.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Shadowfell: A short film from Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Calas Galadhon Shadowfell  – click any image for full size

Every year, Tymus Tenk, Truck Meredith and the Calas team bring us worlds of wonder to explore in the form of their Halloween and Christmas wonderland builds as an adjunct to Calas Galadahon Park, and each year we are gifted with regions of mystical / seasonal delight. Mixing an atmospheric setting rich in places to explore, scenes to uncover, rides to enjoy and events to attend, all knitted together by the weave of environment settings, soundscape and supporting music, these builds are always and genuinely a highlight of Second Life.

For October / Halloween 2024, the Calas team once again present Shadowfell, a three region journey journey through a realm which although probably not modelled specifically after any element of Tolkien’s mythology, carries with it something of a sense of Middle Earth during the Second and Third Ages, mixed with hints of other franchises to offer an engaging potpourri of elements deserving of careful exploration. First presented in 2022 as The Gardens of Shadowfell, the setting was updated and expanded in 2023 (see: A journey through Shadowfell in Second Life), and it is this iteration – with some little tweaks and updates (including the use of PBR materials) – which opened at the start of October 2024 for people to enjoy.

The Shadowfell Pavilion schedule of entertainment for October 2024

As with all of the Calas themed builds, this is one in which it is very important visitors note at least some of the guidelines regarding a visit, all of which can be found at the landing point – with the most important perhaps being:

  • Make sure you Used Shared Environment (via World → Environment).
  • If you are not a PBR viewer, make sure Advanced Lighting Model is active via Preferences → Graphics).
  • Enable local sounds.
  • Make sure you have particles visible.

It also is suggested that those who can, should also enable Shadows via Preferences → Graphics. This is worthwhile if you can – and with the roll-out of the performance improvements within the viewer, this should be easier than it might have once been for a fair number of Second Life users – and I’d at least recommend it for photography.

This year, rather than blathering on and talking the four legs off a donkey describing the setting, I thought I’d offer a video instead – hope you enjoy it (best viewed in You Tube!)!

SLurl Details