Category: Second Life

2025 week #48: SUG meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Goddess Temple, August 2025 – blog post

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. These notes form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript. They were taken from the video recording by Pantera, embedded at the end of this summary – my thanks to Pantera 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 is held every other Tuesday at 12:00 noon, SLT (holidays, etc., allowing), per the Second Life Public Calendar.
  • The “SUG Leviathan Hour” meetings are held on the Tuesdays which do not have a formal SUG meeting, and are chaired by Leviathan Linden. They are more brainstorming / general discussion sessions.
  • Meetings are held in text in-world, at this location.

Simulator Deployments

  • All simhosts appear to be undergoing restarts this week, with no deployments. This will be due to it being Thanksgiving in the US.
  • One final simulator release for 2025 is in the works.
    • 2025.10 is to be code-named “Jackfruit”, and will comprise crash fixes, optimisations, some internal updates and also work on “some early [WebRTC] Voice moderation features” which will not be exposed to users for the time being.
    • First panned deployment is to the BlueSteel RC channel on Wednesday, December 3rd.
  • The first simulator release for 2026 will be 2026.01 “Kiwi” – details TBA.

SLua Work

  • The SLua beta is now available on the Main grid (Agni). Official information on this is to be blogged either on Wednesday, November 26th, or early in the week after US Thanksgiving.
  • The nine beta test regions are centred on SLua Beta Void (mind the water!).
  • Harold Linden is working on the SL-specific JSON encoding so you can encode and decode vectors and keys, etc., and have them decode as actual keys.
    • This work is implemented within the SLua repository, but has yet to be deployed.
  • The question was asked on when it will be possible to get require from script assets. Rider Linden noted that LL likely doesn’t have plans on the drawing board to include directly from a script asset in inventory, although it could be done with the JSONRPC (plugin makes the request, viewer finds the script, plugin includes it in the pre-processed code) – however, you’d have to have full rights to the script you are including.
  • Official VScode plugin notes:
    • It is not yet available on the VScode marketplace.
    • Issues and PRs for code submissions can be made here, and the plugin downloaded.
  • A general discussion on possible SLua capabilities.

SLua Resources

WebRTC Update

  • Roxie Linden noted that there has been a WebRTC voice server update. This provides HRTF (better spatialization) as well as server crash fixes. It’s still regarded as “beta”, but the WebRTC team is looking for feedback on its usability.
  • WebRTC remains limited to selected Linden-owned regions (on the Preflight RC channel).
  • There have been discussions on expanding the number of Main grid regions supporting WebRTC, but there are no firm plans as to when this might happen.
  • There have also been some internal experiments with voice transcription (captioning).
    • The above led to general requests about text-to-speech and how it “should” work. Roxie made it clear that while the capability has been discussed, no work has thus far been scheduled for it.

In Brief

  • Rider Linden was on call for the past week, so his attention has been split. He has fixed an issue with one of the mail in scripts and keeping on top of the Pull Requests into the VSCode plugin and monitoring the SLua regions on Agni.
  • Leviathan Linden has been carrying out Voice related work, but is now “almost done” with that. He is currently focusing back on simulator crash and performance issues.
  • Monty Linden has been working on an SL Mobile project and will be working on some simulator fixes over the holiday period.
    • He also hopes to find time to write-up all he knows about TP/RC failures and the systems that contribute to them. This is work that will be looked at in the New Year.
  • A general discussion on the use of Discord, including as and official channel for Second Life communications, the pros and cons with the platform, its generally popularity and the requirements for joining various Discord channels (including the SL official).
  • A discussion on SL supporting various chat tools.

Date of Next Meetings

  • Leviathan Linden: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025.
  • Formal SUG meeting: Tuesday, December 9th, 2025.

† 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.

2025 SL viewer release summaries week #47

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, November 23rd, 2025

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.
  • Outside of the Official viewer, and as a rule, alpha / beta / nightly or release candidate viewer builds are not included; although on occasions, exceptions might be made.

Official LL Viewers

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V7-style

  • Black Dragon for Windows –  5.5.0 November 21 – release notes.

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • SL Mobile (Beta) version 2025.1067 (A) / 0.1.1067 (iOS) – November 20 – Avatar rendering improvements.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

The inviting joy of Sei Fiore in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Sei Fiore, November 2025 – click any image for full size

I came across the region design of Sei Foire (“flowers for you”), within the Destination Guide. Its description immediately caught my attention, offering as it does a clear invitation to visit.

Sei Fiore is a whimsical daydream brought to life, where rolling meadows of daisies sway like tiny suns in the breeze and every path feels touched by a bit of magic. Here, the world softens, ponds shimmer with quiet secrets, petals twirl like confetti, and joy tiptoes back into your heart as naturally as breathing.

– Sei Fiore Destination Guide description

Sei Fiore, November 2025

On my arrival, I was delighted to discover this Full private region design is the work of Raven Fairelander (RavenStarr Fairelander). She was the creator of Posey Wildes, a setting I visited back in August 2024, finding it to be a beautiful and evocative setting rich in poetry and short stories by classical writers such as Eliot, Dickinson, Poe, Wordsworth, Yeats, Wilde and more. I was captivated by that visit, and remembering it caused no small amount of anticipation as I started to explore Sei Foire.

That said, I should state from the outset that while there are some passing similarities between Posey Wildes and Sei Fiore, particularly in terms of the touches of whimsy, the two are very different – and richly engaging – settings, with Sei Fiore being unique to itself.

Sei Fiore, November 2025

It is a setting perhaps most perfectly described through Raven’s words in the setting’s Destination Guide and About Land descriptions, the latter of which states:

A meadow-born dream where joy grows wild. Rolling fields of daisies stretch beneath a golden sky, their petals whispering laughter to the wind.  In Sei Fiore, joy isn’t chased, it’s found, blooming right where you stand.

– Sei Fiore About Land description

Sei Fiore, November 2025

I found this description particularly apt because as soon as I stepped out of the Landing Point gazebo, the joy carried by the region immediately surrounded me. This is very much a setting where trying to view it logically is to face defeat; this is a place to simply be accepted and relished as it is explored.

In this, the various locations awaiting discovery – the pond with its giant frogs and sea serpent, the dinosaurs gossiping on the shoreline, the pink elephants, the crystal walk burrowing through the neck of a hill, the giant plants, and so much more – are all very different one to another, yet the all flow together into a unified whole.

Sei Fiore, November 2025

Within the setting it is possible to wander, to sit, to meet the locals in all their forms (from the aforementioned dinosaurs et al to dapper-dressed mice, little fairies, mythical beats and more), or find your way to a beached pirate’s ship or to platform-hung tree, and visit gardens where dragons sleep and meadows where a horse awaits you as its rider…

With giraffes watching over terraces held aloft by balloons to a certain tea party sitting atop waterfalls that give rise to the setting’s modest brook, Sei Fiore is a tumbling mix of themes and ideas, all woven together with a sense of laughter and happiness within a landscape rich in detail and photogenically attractive.

Sei Fiore, November 2025

This is a place to watch out for the smaller details as well as the large; where table-top games rub shoulders with the option to sit back in meditation or contemplation; where the gentle rocking of a boat on the water might send you to sleep or interactive elements might take you by surprise (do mouse-over things!).

And when you feel you’ve roamed enough, you can make your way up to the island’s hilly middle, past the Curious ‘Shrooms and under the living arch of a tree to reach the Green Witch Café, and available yourself of the company of Althea The Green Witch within the cosy walls of her establishment.

Sei Fiore, November 2025

Beautifully crafted and a joy to explore, Sei Fiore is well worth taking the time to visit.

SLurl Details

Sea Fiore (Frozen Star, rated Moderate)

2025 week #47: SL CCUG and Open Source (TPVD) meetings summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Hippotropolis Campsite: venue for CCUG meetings
The following notes were taken from:

  • My chat log of the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting of Thursday, November 20th, 2025 and my chat log of that meeting
  • Pantera’s video (embedded at the end of this article) and my chat log of the Open-Source Developer meeting held on Friday, November 21st, 2025.
Table of Contents

Please note that this is not a full transcript of either meeting but a summary of key topics.

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 generally held on alternate Thursdays at Hippotropolis and is held in a mix of Voice and text chat.
  • The OSUG meeting is a combining of the former Third Party Viewer Developer meeting and the Open Source Development meetings. It is open discussion of Second Life development, including but not limited to open source contributions, third-party viewer development and policy, and current open source programs.
    • This meeting is generally held twice a month on a Friday, at 13:00 SLT at the Hippotropolis Theatre and is generally text chat only.
  • Dates and times of meetings are recorded in the SL Public Calendar.

Official Viewer Status

General Viewer Updates

  • 2025.08 is to be the last viewer release for 2025. This is likely to be promoted to de facto release status after the US Thanksgiving holiday.
  • At the time of writing, 2025.08:
    • The crash rate is improving.
    • This viewer includes the VHACD convex decomposition library.
    • Mesh content creators are encouraged to try the current beta of the the viewer to make sure physics hulls are working in-world, etc., given that many settings with the library are different to those used by Havok, the longer-term plan being to eliminate Havok sub-libraries from the viewer.
  • The next viewer version will by 2026.01 – details of which will be made available once its likely contents have been initially settled on by the Lab.
    • However, it looks like 2026.01 will include the new code for faster log-in loading of inventory for those with very large inventories, and a dedicated Linux build of the viewer.
    • During the OSUG meeting, Geenz Linden indicated that another project he hopes to start moving forward with in 2026 is the Current Outfit Folder (COF) updates contributed by Kitty Burnett (Catznip), and the current plan is to get this into 2026.01.

You Tube Embedding Issue

  • As a reminder:
    • You Tube recently updated elements of their video embedding code such that non i-frame youtube.com/embed/NNNNN style links will not work within Second Life (whilst youtube.com/watch/NNNNN style links will still function correctly – although this latter format does expose all the You Tube on-screen video controls, etc).
    • This is an issue liable to impact a variety of in-world television and similar systems utilising You Tube.
    • It is very much a You Tube issue, so there is no guarantee they would remain valid / useful for any length of time.
  • For further detail please refer to the official blog post: YouTube Embeds in Second Life: What Happened and How to Keep Your Media Working.
  • Those finding further information on issues arising from this You Tube change should report them via the SL Feedback Portal.

SLua Update

  • Back-end support for SLua is now available in Beta on Agni, the main grid.
  • The SLua beta viewer, available from the official Alternate Viewers page, must be used for writing SLua code, but no specialised viewer to view SLua scripts running in-world.
  • The latest SLua viewer includes the websocket to Visual Studio.

SLua Resources

CCUG Discussion – In Brief

  • glTF animation upload support: this is “on the radar” for development, but is not currently an active project, and needs to be added to the current viewer roadmap.
    • A request to review animation priorities was also requested, and it was suggested this might be something that could possibly be looked at within the current animation support framework.
    • A general discussion on animations and priorities continued through the early part of the meeting, but no-one from the Lab with sufficient up-to-date knowledge of the animation system to provide meaningful input to the discussion.
    • This discussion included the following animation feature requests: user-definable animation priorities and allow starting an animation with a specific priority, together with this proposal for animation network reworking from user Coyote Enthusiast.
  • A request was made for an independent alpha channel (i.e. not linked to Diffuse/Colour channel) and available to both both Blinn-Phong and PBR that could help reduce the number of unique textures required for things like terrain, and without having to atlas huge sheets of layered details. The short answer was that this is unlikely until there is (at the very least) an opportunity to revisit texture streaming at the very least, with Geenz noting:
We’re already on some razor thin memory margins on some of our potato machines – so if we did that we’d need to find a way to make some stuff more scalable in our texture streaming tech. This isn’t a no – we need that for other things. But it’s not a 30/60/90 days thing I’m sorry to say.

Bakes on Mesh (BoM) Layering

  • Better layer ordering has been put to the UI/UX team with not promises as to when it might be worked upon, although there are “other projects” the Lab is planning which would also benefit from this.
  • A feature request for allowing sets / containers for/of BOM layers has been submitted, and is defined by Geenz as “interesting” and “TBD”.
  • The above led to a discussion on BoM improvements (e.g. PBR materials support; blend modes of different layers; etc).
    • In response to this, Geenz noted he would like to get PBR specular support, if only as a migration path from Blinn-Phong (and with the noted, “if you do this expect things to not quite look right if you mix these two”).
  • This discussion involved the potential complexities / straightforward aspects of PBR specular support, providing BoM support to alpha channels, before circling back to the benefits of having better texture streaming in general and prioritising the latter to different texture slots, etc.
  • This discussion touched upon BoM support for Animesh and a request for a universal alpha.

OSUG Discussion – In Brief

  • Signal Linden revealed that Friday, November 21st, 2025 was his last day at Linden Lab after 10 years with the company, rising to the position of Director of Engineering.
    • Signal has been the major driver in overhauling and improving the Lab / third-party/open-source relationship, which is to continue along the path Signal has set for it, improving and refining things where appropriate.
  • Roxie Linden noted that there has been a WebRTC voice server update. This provides HRTF (better spatialization) as well as server crash fixes. It’s still regarded as “beta”, but the WebRTC team is looking for feedback on its usability.
    • Further work on WebRTC is in progress, including spatial moderation.
    • Thought is still being given to replacing Echo Canyon (Vivox Voice testing region) with a WebRTC equivalent, with Roxie Linden indicating this is now a matter of scheduling and implementation.
    • Roxie’s preferred approach would be to have an ‘echo’ option with Preferences which, when used, does a full round trip to the server and back, allowing both device verification on the WebRTC service and network quality. If adopted, this will require both a server update and some viewer UI work.
  • A brief discussion on potentially replacing Chrome Embedded Framework (CEF) in the viewer (e.g. to something like Servo – as this matures). The response was that CEF is unlikely to be replaced in the foreseeable future, which does not mean there will not be fixes, etc., for identified issues.
  • Request for LL to provide SGV support, including for text on prims / test rendering in-world, including the following two requests:
    • SVG Canvas: A way to generate dynamics graphics on prim faces (without MoaP).
    • Add a Text Rendering Method.
    • In response, and specifically in terms of in-world text rendering, Geenz Linden suggested that something like MSDF might be more appropriate for SL, as it allows pre-rasterizing a large collection of fonts into some really tiny textures, and get some pretty sharp text rendering that scales “pretty easily”.
    • This led to a discussion on potential uses of SVG, and the advantages of SVG over MSDF, and vice-versa, and other options for in-world text rendering (and the use-cased thereof – such as notice boards, etc.).
    • Geenz requested tat if there are SVG-specific use-cases before text rendering, these be recorded in a feature request Canny.
  • A request was put forward to have TPV stats (usage per OS, crash rates and crash types) on a more frequent basis once more (they were at one time monthly, then switched to weekly before becoming more sporadic once more). This will be looked into.

Next Meetings

Artsville further relocates and continues to engage in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Artsville, November 2025

Artsville, the art and entertainment hub under the joint management of Frank Atisso and Vitoria Galli, has once more relocated for what I believe is the second time in 2025 (the first being at the start of the year, which I covered here).

Now occupying roughly one quarter of a Full private region which leverages the Land Capacity bonus, the overall design remains the work of Megan Prumier, working in collaboration with Frank and Victoria. It offers what might be said to be a setting of two halves: art and entertainment, which between them contain faint hints of the former Artsville design – most notably with the Landing Point, the symmetry of which calls to mind the prior location, together with the overall rugged elevation of the setting.

Artsville, November 2025

The two “halves”, as it were, of the setting lie to either side of a sheer-sided gorge, the waters of which flow from tall falls from its southern extent to the open waters at its northern end. It is mid-way along this gorge that the Landing Point sits, straddling the waters in the form of a pergola-covered paved walkway bordered by open seating areas.

The lands at either end of this bridge are of unequal size, with the western side of the the setting offering the smaller footprint. With the façades of city building running along its western edge, this part of Artsville might be regarded as the entertainment district and – at first glance at least – apparently comprises three main elements.

Artsville, November 2025

Directly facing the Landing Point is a large warehouse structure, given over to a music / event space, presumably for hosting music events and art exhibition open entertainment. Flanking this to the left and right when facing it are, respectively, a train station and a garden area offering seating and an old London buss now painted yellow and converted into bar space.

It is within the garden space that the “hidden secret” fourth part of this side of the setting is to be found: sitting below the sign and entrance for a London Underground station can be found a stairway leading down to a further event space laid out in the manner of a private club rich in wood finishes, low lighting and deep, comfortable armchairs, with the walls, wooden floor and low ceiling studded with lights twinkling gently light a star scape.

Artsville, November 2025

On the eastern side of the setting is the art-focused elements of Artsville, centred on another large warehouse style of building split into two indoor gallery spaces. At the time of my visit, these were hosting exhibition by two excellent Second Life photographer-artists: Cecilia Nansen and Christian Carter.

To the north side of this is a sculpture garden featuring the work of Mistero Hifeng which shares the space with a small café with an over-the-water seating area located over a small pond. Further water features to the eastern end of the sculpture garden, complete with seating. Bracketing the gallery warehouse is a further raised plateau, home to a music bar / lounge.

Artsville, November 2025: Cecilia Nansen – Light Enough to Land

The two exhibitions hosted with in the gallery space are entitled Light Enough to Land, by Cecilia, and Hands that Speak by Christian. Both are captivatingly exquisite, with Cecilia’s black-and-white images featuring a butterfly, and which Cecilia describes in part thus:

In this series of ten photographs, the little black and white butterfly becomes both a mirror and a symbol – a fragile creature suspended between strength and dissolution. Each image captures a fleeting moment where light and shadow, movement and stillness, existence and disappearance co-exist. … This little exhibition invites the viewer to linger in the in-between – where the ephemeral becomes eternal and where vulnerability reveals its quiet yet beautiful strength. 
Artsville, November 2025: Christian Carter – Hands that Speak

Meanwhile, Christian’s work, also comprising ten images – these offered in colour – also have a specific focus that of the human (in the form of the avatar’s) hand, and for which Christian offers (again, in part), the following description:

I became fascinated by the stories that we can see in people’s hands; stories of resilience, care, and connection etched into their lines, the gestures that convey comfort, strength, and vulnerability without a single word. … I hope that as you gaze at these images, you’ll be reminded of the quiet power of the human connection, the unspoken stories carried in our hands, and the profound empathy we can find in the simplest touch.
Artsville, November 2025

The new Artsville is both unique in its setting whilst carrying on its long tradition of promoting art in SL, and I highly recommend a visit – particularly to catch Cecilia and Christian’s exhibitions. My thanks to Frank for the invitation to visit, and my apologies for not being able to do so sooner.

SLurl Details

  • Artsville (Isle of Thunder, rated Moderate)

Visiting a Wild Silence in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Wild Silence, November 2025 – click any image for full size

I’m not quite ready to start exploring all the wintertime settings that are currently arriving across Second Life to match the  northern hemisphere as it welcomes its end-of-year weather. I’m sure this outlook will change over the next couple of weeks, but right now, I remain in the mood for warmer spots in which to roam, take photographs and generally blather about. There’s also the fact that given my current health situation, I’m naturally drawn to places physical and digital which offer calm and opportunities for peace and reflection.

Fortunately for me, Sorcha Tyles provides just such a place; one which has recently opened to visitors under her Dutch Pavilion land group. I’ve known Sorcha for a long time, both as a region designer as and a photographer-artist and gallery owner, and had always appreciated her work. As a result, I was quick to hop over to Wild Silence after coming across it in the Destination Guide.

Wild Silence, November 2025

Like the most recent iteration of Dutch Pavilion, which I visited in June 2025 (and after it had been relocated and downsized from the Homestead region I first visited in September 2024), Wild Silence occupies a parcel within a region – in this case a quarter(ish) of a Homestead to present a beautiful wild yet also delicate natural setting.

Really, the best way to describe this setting is to use the description found in its Destination Guide entry, a shorter version of which can also be found in the setting’s About Land description:

The Wild Silence is an untamed expanse where the pale water and whispering reeds hide a vibrant world. This sanctuary is home to countless birds and offers refuge from the noise of man. Explore the winding shores and witness a fragile beauty found only in the profound, untouched stillness.  

– Wild Silence Destination Guide description

Wild Silence, November 2025

Surrounded on three sides by curtain walls of rock which will serve to nicely separate the setting from the rest of the region as it is developed (at the time of my visit, the rest of the region – Moonlight Lullaby – was undeveloped open water), Wild Silence looks southward out over open Linden Water, the majority of the setting given over to a low-lying island of shingle, rocks, scrub grasses and gravel, dotted here and there with hardy trees and upon which an enterprising soul has established a little café inside a greenhouse  (coffee houses and tea houses are a creative signature of Sorcha’s builds and always a welcome sight).

Whilst “silence” appears in the location’s name, this is more a reflection of the lack of human occupancy (despite the presence of the café and a fishing boat), as reflected in the setting’s description; the island itself is alive with swishing ebb and flow of a gentle tide along the shoreline and the song and cry of birds and waterfowl and the occasional moo of the two cows as they help keep the grasses somewhat trimmed to size.

Wild Silence, November 2025

The majority of the birds and waterfowl within the setting are located at the far end of a tongue of water curling in to the island from the southern sea, forming a tear-drop of water with surprising depth.  Here can be found ducks, geese, gulls, heron, godwits, ibis and more, all adding their voices to the local chorus.

A second ribbon of water attempts to make its way around the land, hugging the curtains of cliffs and in one place broad enough to provide shelter to the aforementioned fishing boat. Both of these inland bodies of water are also home to a couple of rowing boats offering both singles and couples seating.

Wild Silence, November 2025

Nor are the rowing boats the only outdoor places to sit, as those following the island’s gravel path from the Landing Point around to where the greenhouse café at the south-east extent on the island. The café itself is an utter charm, warm and welcoming, presenting both indoor and outdoor seating for those wishing to spend time there.

In talking to Sorcha during my visit, I learned that she will be closing Dutch Pavilion in the near future so she can focus on Wild Silence. Given this, if you have visited the former, I’d strongly suggest you do so before at least the end of the month as it really is worth the time, and to perhaps do so in concert with a visit to Wild Silence, as they complement one another perfectly.

Wild Silence, November 2025

SLurl Details