Author: Inara Pey

Eclectic virtual world blogger with a focus on Second Life, VR, virtual environments and technology.

2025 week #3: SL CCUG meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Lights in White Satin, November 2024 – blog post †
The following notes were taken from:

  • The livestream and my chat log of the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting of Thursday, January 17th, 2025.

Please note that this is not a full transcript, but a summary of key topics. .
Table of Contents

Meeting Purpose

  • 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 held on alternate Thursdays at Hippotropolis.
  • Dates and times of meetings are recorded in the SL Public Calendar, and they are conducted in a mix of Voice and text chat.

Official Viewer Status

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.11.12363455226, formerly the ExtraFPS RC (multiple performance fixes, aesthetic improvements and UI optimisations), dated December 17, promoted December 20, 2024.
  • Release Candidate: none at present.

General Update & Runitai Linden’s Departure

[Video: 2:11-7:20]

  • Numerous bugs and issues have been reported following the ExtraFPS viewer promotion, and as a result, these seem likely to be developed into a bug-fix viewer (“ForeverFPS”), with an initial cut at an RC version potentially coming in the next week or so.
  • There are “numerous discussions” occurring at the Lab regarding possible future projects, but nothing at present to announce.

Runitai Linden Departing LL

[Video: 3:52-7:20]

  • It was announced that Runitai Linden (often referred to as DaveP) is departing Linden Lab to enter public service.
  • Runitai commented directly on his reasons for departing the Lab and his feelings about doing so, however, rather than drop them here for those who prefer to read rather than listen, I’ve provided a transcript with some additional notes: Runitai Linden hears the call of Public Service.

2K Bakes on Mesh

[Video: 12:52-14:47 and 15:10-17:03]

  • It is believed the 2K bake updates for the Bake Service are “ready to go”, having cleared QA per my notes from the SUG meeting.
  • The viewer updates required to allow 2K textures to be used with wearable layers are apparently merged into the Develop branch, but yet to surface within an RC viewer built from that branch.
  • In theory, the back-end support could be enabled pending the viewer update, because it will not interfere with current rendering, as the viewer should continue to limit wearable textures to the current maximum of 1024×1024 until it is updated to apply 2K bakes. However, discussions on how to proceed pending the viewer update will be taken-up internally by LL.

In Brief

  • [Video: 10:05-10:39] A request was made for Darcy Linden to attend at least some CCUG meetings to discuss the Lab’s AI character generation project (see: Introducing the Character Designer (Alpha) and this follow-up forum thread). Vir Linden indicated he will check with Darcy on plans to join / hold meetings.
  • [Video: 14:48-15:00] here have been multiple requests / discussions over the years about the potential of an Inventory archive to allow people to reduce (some of) their Inventory bulk / bloat by archiving items through a supported system rather than just boxing them. Currently, such a service is not on the roadmap.
  • [Video: 17:32-22:55] A request to add the type of client (viewer, browser, SL Mobile) some is using to their avatar tag “to help people help others”. Surely the easiest way to find this out, as a mentor / someone giving assistance, etc., is to ask (“Are you using SL on a Mobile or through a browser, or have you installed the client on your computer?”).

Comments from Philip Rosedale

The core CCUG meeting was shortened to 30 minutes due to LL meeting conflicts. However, Philip Rosedale dropped in to provide assorted comments and feedback.

  • [Video: 24:40-25:35] On AI and Scripted Agents, etc.: thinks the Lab’s policy on AI and bots is going to be “a complex and evolving matter”, and that as AI becomes more powerful, people will need to come together to decide how best to handle it in SL, given the variety of views.
  • [Video: 27:39-40:14] The above indirectly led to a discussion on being able to identify bots in Group chat sessions and IMs similar, where it may not be obvious that messages are being bot / AI-generated.  There are flags which should be used with scripted agents and which should force a message to indicate a messenger is a scripted agent in IMs; however, the issue appears to be that chat and IM can get flooded so quickly with text, the notification can be missed. Suggestions were made to make this text a different colour and possibly pin it to the top of the chat / IM window.
    • This resulted in a list of categories of bot bad behaviour being drawn up, including begging,  phishing, undesired group chat, traffic gaming, data collection (e.g. Bonnie Bots) even overwhelming users with NPC text & failing to account for other interactions.
    • Overall, this became an extended conversation, and following the video is recommended for full context.
  • [Video 25:45-26:48] On promoting Second Life as a place to hold work meetings: does not believe the platform has reached that point, because of the lack of nuance within avatar communications – humans really heavily on non-verbal communication cues for further subtext, etc., in exchanges, and SL currently cannot provide these.
    • [Also, as a sidenote, LL put considerable effort into trying to develop SL as a behind-the-firewall “business application” between 2008-2011 with the Second Life Enterprise (SLE) package (licenses at around US $55,000, but I cannot remember how many avatars came with that license), and that didn’t go so well at the time – potentially because of the shortfalls Philip mentions being among the reasons it didn’t really gain a lot of traction at the time.]
  • [Video: 40:14-50:10] A discussion on resource allocation through Project Zero to allow fair and balanced access to SL at minimum / no cost through the browser for people without it being abused (e.g. by people creating and running dozens / hundreds of bots through the browser access, thus running up costs to a point where others have to start paying at a higher rate.
    • As this was a brainstorming session producing multiple ideas (e.g. limiting browser access to subscription accounts  – potentially missing the people the service is really geared towards helping, as they may not have subscription accounts; controlling via some form of 2FA; utilising Payment Information on File both as a means to limit access to those who are PIOF and a means to prevent them logging-on more than one account through the streaming service at one time, etc.), please refer to the video.
  • [Video: 50:11-54:08] When will voice services switch solely to WebRTC? – still waiting for more users to move from Firestorm 6.6.17 to a PBR-enabled version of Firestorm (which will hopefully happen once Firestorm release a version based on the ExtraFPS viewer code, allowing for the issues for poor Linden Water quality – reflections, etc.).
  • [Video 55:50-1:01:05] Discussion on exclusion volumes for boats under PBR (as re-enabling the forward renderer to allow invisiprims to hide water volumes is not going to happen). Runitai indicated there are potentially alternatives to allow such exclusion volumes to work.
  • [Video: 1:01:11-1:02:55] Comments on alternative rendering engines and content support segueing into thoughts on why other VW platforms have never achieved the level of adoption by users as witnessed with Second Life (including Sansar, OpenSim and Meta).

Next Meeting

† The header images included in these summaries are not intended to represent anything discussed at the meetings; they are simply here to avoid a repeated image of a gathering of people every week. They are taken from my list of region visits, with a link to the post for those interested.

Runitai Linden departs LL for public service

Posted on by Inara Pey
Runitai Linden in both his "Classic" (Primitar-esque) look and his more recent avatar look
Runitai Linden in both his “Classic” (Primitar-esque) look and his more recent avatar look

Update: subject to direct correction, I believe (from comments made) that Runitai is moving to work as a paramedic.

During the Content Creation User Group meeting on Thursday, January 16th, it was announced that Runitai Linden (often referred to as DaveP) is departing Linden Lab.

One of the now longest-serving employees at the Lab, Runitai joined the company in 2005, and has been a core member of the graphics / rendering team throughout most of that time, although he was moved over to work on Project Sansar, remaining with that project through to its launch as Sansar, before transferring back to Second Life when the Lab suspended work on Sansar in early 2020, prior to its eventual sale to Wookey (then Wookey Projects Inc).

Commenting on his departure, Runitai stated:

It’s been almost 20 years, and I’ll always be grateful for the time that I’ve had here, no doubt, and everything Second Life has done; and I’ll always be proud of what Linden Lab and the residents have accomplished here. But I’ve been convicted [sic] recently to pursue a career in public service, and at the same time I felt that calling things stopped coming together in my head for doing the work that needs to be done here; I really feel that I’ve done all that I can do  and it’s time for me to go on to something else.
I wouldn’t be able to do that if it wasn’t for all of you. The career I’ve chosen doesn’t exactly pay a living wage, so I’ll definitely be living off my savings! But I feel this is what I have to do. I also feel that the Second Life team has never been stronger, everybody at the Lab and the open-source community does such great work, such talented people; world-class engineers all round. I have no doubt that Second Life will thrive in my absence.
I will definitely miss all of you, I’ll miss this place – it’s been a rollercoaster, that’s for sure! 

If you wish to listen to Runitai’s comments you can do so via the CCUG meeting video [3:52-7:20].

One of the things very much marked by Runitai’s return to Second Life following his time working on Sansar, has been the drive to update the visual fidelity of the platform more it towards established graphical standards. While this initiative may not have originated entirely with him, his involvement in this work has been instrumental – particularly in looking at how best to enable key aspects of the glTF specification the Lab hopes to adopt (e.g. supporting current mesh data formats over the outdated Collada .DAE, prototyping scene upload capabilities, etc.), and in driving much of the work in getting the viewer’s performance back up to acceptable standards following the issues coming out of – but not necessarily entirely the result of – the implementation of PBR materials and rendering.

Runitai did not elaborate on the specific area of public service he is moving into (or which is perhaps now claiming his full-time attention). However, everyone in Second Life who has come to know him well or distantly (as in my case) over the years cannot fail to understand the incredible amount of work his has put into the platform, or the sheer wealth of technical knowledge he has acquired and put to use throughout his time at the Lab. This along with his openness, honesty and jovial nature, will be very much missed.

For my part, I’d like to thank Runitai for all of his work with Second Life and wish him well in his new career path. Also, for those who do know Runitai and who have not already obtained a copy, his Linden Bear is available at the Hipptropolis Campsite, home of the CCUG meetings – it is floating (at the time of writing) serenely next to the table and camp fire.

 

A stop at Ruehaven village in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Ruehaven Village, January 2025 – click any image for full size 

Occupying a Full region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus, Ruehaven Village is a rural setting mixing private residences with public spaces visitors are invited to explore and enjoy.

The best way to describe the setting is by using the description presented via the Destination Guide:

Ruehaven Village is a quaint, small family-owned village set in an English-style Victorian era. It features lots of beautiful scenery, functioning businesses, happy and friendly residents, and more. 
Ruehaven Village, January 2025

The Landing Point is located towards the south-west of corner the region, alongside the local churchyard. Before it, the paved road of road of the village runs northwards, braced to either side by village shops and houses.  The first of these is the local pub (no village in England is really complete without having at least one pub!).

A road showing signs of heavier use points eastwards from the Landing point, and has a short spur stretching to the village harbour quay sitting behind the pub and village businesses.  This is also the arrival / end point for the local railway.

Ruehaven Village, January 2025

The private residences are spread across the region, one within the village (and marked as such); the others along the remaining sides of the setting. They belong to the Second Life families who live within the region, and are clearly separated from the public spaces by fences and hedgerows.

Central to the setting is a lake – froze for winter at the time of my visit, the island rising from its waters the home of a cosy pavilion where afternoon tea and pasties might be enjoyed, together with music from the piano.

Ruehaven Village, January 2025

The dock and boat to one side of the lake suggest that trips out on the water might be encouraged when the weather is more amenable, while a carousel sits across the water to offer rides of a different kind. Meanwhile the road running east away from the village actually passes around the lake, offering a route of exploration that will lead visitors to the major points of interest.

The latter include the church mentioned above, the dance pavilion, the various stores in the village, and the local sled run (well, while the snow lasts!). Those who enjoy horse riding should also pay a visit to the local stables as there’s a rezzer there with open use, and the roads are well-suited to horse riding.

Ruehaven Village, January 2025

I assume the seasons with the region change through the year,  but the current wintery look and feel to the region give it a romantic look and feel, adding to its overall photogenic beauty. And when you’re done exploring, don’t forget to spend a little time relaxing at the local café.

All-in-all, a delightful and easy-on-the-eye setting.

Ruehaven Village, January 2025

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Artsville relocates in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Artsville, January 2025 – click any image for full size

A new entry in the Destination guide alerted me to the fact that Artsville – the art and entertainment hub under the joint management of Frank Atisso and Vitoria Galli – has relocated.

Now occupying roughly one third of a Full region, the “new” Artsville is a very different beast to the “old” (or previous  might be a better term). Whilst it continues the design collaboration between the owners and Megan Prumier, the updated Artsville presents a tranquil, almost mystical setting of ruins, underground spaces, gardens, walks and more, all set on and within a rugged, island-like setting  tucked under a curtain wall of high cliffs separating it from the rest of the region in which it sits.

Artsville, January 2025

This is a place where natural elevation is used to offer a location rich in a sense of space and freedom, with the various elements from landing point to ruins and gallery spaces to upper reaches, all flowing together harmoniously. Within it lie spaces offering both a sense of sharing, should you visit the setting in the company of others and of quiet contemplation, should you visit alone.

Presented with an east-to-west orientation, the setting can be very broadly be split into four parts: to the east there is a large, oval-shaped promontory, the flat top of which is home to the remnants of a large structure with walls of great blocks hewn from rock. To the west is the larger bulk of the setting, a tiered fortress of rock rising from the water, an into which industrious hands have bored (or perhaps laboured to convert natural tunnels and caverns), creating a marvellous series of interconnected rooms.

Artsville, January 2025

Connecting these two extremes lies a narrow neck of rock, upon which has been created one of the setting’s several garden spaces, and which forms the Artsville’s new Landing Point. Bracketing this, but separate from the rest of the setting, are two circular islands, each home to an impressive oak tree. Neither is directly accessible from the rest of Artsville (save by flying, if you must), but both serve to enhance the overall design.

The ruins, with their stone-flagged floors and roofless spaces, offer an engaging mix of public spaces: the venue for music events (second and fourth Friday of the month, between 13:00 and 14:30 SLT), together with areas to sit and pass the time with friends, and corners of quiet retreat. Those venturing up the stairs from the event terrace will also find a gorgeous bar area. There’s also a secondary art display area here as well, which at the time of my visit presented images of Artsville as captured by a quartet of SL artists.

Artsville, January 2025 – Silent Tones; artist credits as per image

The main gallery, meanwhile offer a series of chambers in which to display art. At the time of my visit, these featured Silent Tones, an ensemble exhibition brought together by Frank and Vitoria and featuring a single piece of art from each of 12 invited artists. The exhibition is defined thus:

In a world dominated by vibrant hues and vivid imagery, Silent Tones offers a quiet, contemplative pause. This exhibition … explores the delicate power of minimal colour. 
Through their lens, the artists have delved into the nuances of light, shadow and texture, allowing the subtleties of form and composition to take centre stage. The absence of bold colour evokes a sense of stillness, a return to the essence of what is seen, where mood and emotion are conveyed through the slightest shifts in tone.
Artsville, January 2025

It’s an engaging exhibition, and I particularly like the fact that links to the artists’ Flickr pages have been included, allowing easy access to the greater catalogue of their work.Another aspect of the gallery’s design I like is the potential for the two main halls within it to be used for individual exhibitions, where this to be considered; each might be seen as a boutique-sized space allowing for more intimate interactions between artist and audience. Intimacy also extends to the bar tucked away between and to one side of the two gallery halls. Utilising the MINIMAL King’s Skybox by Ors Quan, it is an eye-popping display of ambience and décor.

Artsville, January 2025

To either side of the entrance to the gallery are what might be termed the lower gardens. One of these takes the form of a hedge maze. Featuring sculptures by Mistero Hifeng, it leads to a path which makes its way up the southern side of the upper tier of rock, the lower end of the path watched over by a sculpture by Fujiko Lemon (Nicoll Levee). To the south, the garden is wilder in nature but also includes a path making its way upwards, this one by guarded by a sculpture from MedievalFantasy.

This latter path direct visitors up to the upper garden and a romantic-looking hilltop conservatory commanding views out over open waters. The southern path, meanwhile, directs visitors up to walled terraces and seating, with gates also offering access to the upper garden, and thus connecting south and north together.

Artsville, January 2025

With a central firepit and a balcony standing high over the entrance to the gallery, this upper garden is perhaps the most tranquil aspect of the setting; both the firepit and the balcony offer places for sharing or for sitting in quiet retreat – with the swing watched over by deer adding to the contemplative nature of the space.

Megan has always produced region and parcel designs to capture the eye and camera, and her work at Artsville is utterly sublime, making the setting perhaps the most unique gallery space in Second Life; whether you appreciate artistic expression through the platform or whether you simply enjoy exploring SL, this iteration of Artsville is not to be missed – and make sure you keep an eye open for all the little touches scattered around, and have local sounds enabled for the fullest experience.

Artsville, January 2025

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2025 week #3: SL SUG meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
La Côte Sauvage, November 2024 – blog post

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday,  January 14th, 2025 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. They form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript, and were taken from Pantera’s video of the meeting, which is embedded at the end – my thanks to her for 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.
  • These meetings are conducted (as a rule):
  • Meetings are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
  • Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.

Simulator Deployments

  • On Tuesday, January 14th, 2025, the simulators on the Main SLS channel were restarted with no update.
  • On Wednesday, January 15th, all remaining RC channel outside of BlueSteel should be updated with the Apple Cobbler simulator update, which includes llGetAttachedListFiltered(),llGiveAgentInventory(),llMapBeacon(),llTransferOwnership(), and a modification to llModPow, so it should work faster (however, it does not correctly handle the full range of positive 31-bit integers -and Leviathan Linden is working to define the range for which it supplies correct answers, so check the wiki page for updates).

SL Viewer Updates

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.11.12363455226, formerly the ExtraFPS RC (multiple performance fixes, aesthetic improvements and UI optimisations), dated December 17, promoted December 20 – No Change.
  • Release Candidate: none at present.

In Brief

Please refer to the video below for the following:

  • Rider Linden:
 I have an internal change dealing with how the simulator makes outgoing HTTP calls. It’s just a proof of concept and changes how a few things at start-up are handled, residents shouldn’t see any differences. As that expands further in the future, I’ll start calling out things that people should be paying attention to.
  • Leviathan Linden:
Just a status update on what I’m working on: I’ve been trying to come up with a reliable repro for the “sometimes objects don’t show up upon login/teleport arrival — in order for them to show up you need to do a relog” problem. Although I don’t have a reliable repro for it I’ve verified it is a real server-side bug and have some ideas to try out. I got side-tracked on something but will get back to working on that later today.
  • A request was made on whether there could be a way for an Experience owner to see the data stored (e.g. as two-column spreadsheet) and without having to query the whole thing a few keys at a time. This led to a general discussion on now this might be achieved, with Monty Linden adding:
 KVP things are something we have to look at again in the future – if people have wants, now is a good time to start asking … if something’s needed, can add it to the stew pot.
  • The above led to a broader discussion on scripting – a viewer UI for LSD / status on the Luau project for the viewer (unclear, as Signal Linden had to depart the meeting before replying); the potential for a llLinkSetData equivalent on avatars (seen as unwise because of some of the potentials it might present – such as allowing a script to put “cookies” on avatars), data storage, touched on this Canny request, and circled back to user-supplied grid-wide experiences. This discussion ran through most of the rest of the meeting.
  • The question was asked whether it would be possible to have llGetObjectDetails respect parcel privacy settings, whereby if an object that isn’t on the parcel you are standing on has Avatars On Other Parcels Can See and Chat with Avatars on This Parcel toggled off, it won’t be able to get a list of your attachments – notably as a form of protection against data-gathering bots. Rider Linden requested a Canny feature request on this.
  • A discussion on llDerezObject.
  • Leviathan Linden suggested that a merge of 2k BOM has passed a QA review; however, as Pepper Linden was not available at the meeting to confirm overall status.

† The header images included in these summaries are not intended to represent anything discussed at the meetings; they are simply here to avoid a repeated image of a rooftop of people every week. They are taken from my list of region visits, with a link to the post for those interested.

“Nude” at Nitroglobus in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, January 2025: Kitten – Nude

In modern times, nudity in art – particularly photography – tends all too often conjure images leaning towards the pornographic, or which are at least intended to titillate. Yet the history of the female nude, from art through to photography, is both ich and varied, and has been accepted differently by various cultures and societies down the ages in reflection of the social norms of each.

As well as being associated with the more risqué / erotic, female nudity in art can be linked to  subjects as broad as the study of anatomy through depictions and interpretations both religious and mythological to the expression of ideal beauty and aesthetic perfection. But there is another aspect of of female nudity in art: the expression of vulnerability – even of innocence.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, January 2025: Kitten – Nude

This is very much the case with Nude, the opening exhibition for 2025 at Dido Haas’ Nitroglobus Roof Gallery. The work of Kitten (Joaannna), this is a stunning selection of pieces which are both highly personal – as Kitten notes – and which again demonstrates her skill in presenting images that are both marvellously artistic and highly emotive.

I’ve long admired Kitten’s work, and covered a number of her exhibitions, and have always been drawn to her use of monochrome / black-and-white, which she marries with a panoramic format which holds the eye.  Here she uses both, combining them with a considered use of focus and cropping to present a series of twelve utterly captivating studies, each with a story of its own to tell, and most offered in a perfect, minimalist style.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, January 2025: Kitten – Nude

Over the five years seen has been involved in photography – which started in 2020, Kitten’s abilities and style has grown in leaps and bounds to the point where  – to me a least – she is one of the foremost visual storytellers in Second Life arts. So much so, that alongside Scylla Rhiadra, she is one of the two Second Life artists I most admire for their ability to inhabit their work with a strength of narrative, meaning and emotion.

In this, Dido herself deserves acknowledgement; she has the ability to challenge artists to move outside of their comfort zones, to experiment, to reach into new areas of expression. Since first being challenged by Dido in 2022, Kitten has grown immeasurably in her ability to express through her art, and Nude perhaps represents her latest pinnacle, revealing not just her avatar as a nude, but her own vulnerability.

Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, January 2025: Kitten – Nude

An altogether exquisite exhibition, one which deserves time to see and consider.

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