Category: Second Life

Tutorial: creating Second Life Place Pages

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Holly Kai Park Place Page banner
Introduced in 2017, Place Pages are a means to allow region and parcel owners to create a web browsable page (hosted by the Lab) for their location(s) in-world. These pages can then be shared through blogs, websites, Twitter, Facebook, etc., offering a means to promote those places to a broader audience, advertise events, etc so on. Table of Contents

In addition, all published Place Pages can be searched via the Place Page home page, or browsed as thumbnails.

There is an official Knowledge Base article providing information on creating and using Place Pages, but I thought I’d offer a step-by-step guide to setting-up one or more Place Pages.

Place Page Features

A Place Page showing the use of images, descriptive text and the inclusion of an events calendar. Click for full size

By default, every region and parcel in Second Life has a Place Page associated with it, derived from information in the parcel’s existing profile. These are provided in a default format, complete with place holder image. Each page comprises a number of features:

A banner “hero” image, together with additional images which can rotate as the page is refreshed or as a slide show; descriptive text; options for:

  • Listing a calendar of events.
  • Showing a region’s covenant – useful for residential rental regions).
  • Showing items for sale.
  • Adding a YouTube video.

Buttons to allow visitors to the page to launch their viewer and teleport directly to the location (assuming they are Second Life users – if not, they’ll be taken to the SL sign-up page).

In addition, a region’s Place Page can include a list of surfaced parcel Place Pages, and parcel Place Pages will include a link back to their “parent” region’s Place Page.

Prerequisites for Managing Place Pages

In order for you to be able to use the Place Pages to promote your in-world locations, certain criteria must be met:

  • You must own the parcel / region in question OR you must be assigned a the group ability to Toggle ‘Show Place in Search’ And Set Category within the group owning the land
  • For a parcel’s Place Page to be public, About Land > Show Place in Search for the parcel must be checked (incurring a weekly fee of L$30).

Managing Your Place Pages

Setting-Up a Place Page

  • Visit the Place Pages dashboard and log in using your Second Life credentials.
  • Access your available place pages either by clicking your name in the top right corner of the page and selecting My Places, or by clicking on My Places just below the banner.
Accessing your available Place Pages
  • Depending on your land holdings (e.g. the number of regions, the number of parcels on those regions), your list of available Place Pages might be short or long. Each Place Page item provides a summary and a default image.
  • Note:the Is Viewable? column in the list determines whether or not a Place Page is viewable or not.
    • True indicates the page is publicly viewable.
    • Not Viewable indicates the Place Page cannot be publicly viewed, either because you as the owner have set it that way, or because it relates to a parcel which does not have Show Place in Search checked within its About Land floater.
Sample Place Pages listing – note the region / parcel differentiator

When you have located the Place Page you wish to edit, click Edit on the right of the listing to open the Page in default / edit view. This comprises a number of easy-to-understand sections, complete with explanatory text.

  • Details: this section allows you to determine if the Place Page is publicly viewable, and define the information it displays.
    • Disable This Place Page: prevents the page being publicly displayed.
    • Show Covenant: displays the covenant associated with the land (if provided).
    • Items for Sale: item must be set to Show in Search on the General tab of the object editor window, and will be listed with price, description and a teleport button. Note that items not for sale will also be listed, but will appear at the end of the list with Not Available in the price column.
    • Show Calendar: displays a calendar of events for the region / parcel. Event must be created via the  Events section of your Second Life dashboard at secondlife.com.
    • Title: the title for the Place Page – shown overlaying the banner image.
    • Tag line: 150-charcter tagline for the Place Page, shown overlaying the banner image.
    • Description Editor: for entering formatted descriptive text to be displayed on the Place Page.
  • Optional: this section provides you with the ability to set the page, font, and link colours used on the page. There is also a space to provide a YouTube URL.
    • Note that at the time of writing the link colour only applies to the links in the Parcel Information section of your page; it does not apply to any links you may include in the description section of your page or any events listed with a calendar (if present). That can create visibility problems with these links, depending on the page background colour selected.
  • Images: Section for uploading at banner / Hero image and additional images that are displayed in rotation on the finished page.
  • Stats: general information on the region / parcel automatically displayed on the finished page as Parcel Information.

At the foot of the page are buttons to Update the page with any changes you have made, or Cancel them. Note that clicking Update will refresh the page and display your changes.

Including Parcels in a Region Place Page

If you have more than one parcel in a region, you can automatically include all of your visible parcel Place Pages in the region’s Place Page. Note, again, parcels must have how Place in Search set within their About Land floater (incurring a weekly L$30 fee) in order for them to appear on their “parent” region’s Place Page.

Parcels in a region can be listed in the region’s Place Page

Continue reading “Tutorial: creating Second Life Place Pages” →

Sundarban in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sundarban; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSundarban – click any image for full size

Update: This location has closed, the SLurl have therefore been removed from this article.

“Sundarbans is a vast mangrove forest located between India and Bangladesh, well-known for being the habitat of the Bengal tiger,” Gabrian Lascelles (gothicgaylord) writes in his introduction to his new Homestead region, Sundarban. “It’s my vision of India,” he informed me in passing an invitation to Caitlyn and I to visit. “And as I’m from Sweden, it’s been a lot of research for me, but if I’ve managed to catch just a breath of India, I’m happy!”

Gabrian is perhaps best know for designing and building Costa Blanco (see here for more), and as a landscaper at Amazon River. We both thoroughly enjoyed Costa Blanco, so with Gabrian’s invitation in hand, we hopped over to Sundarban to have a look around.

Sundarban; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSundarban

The physical world Sundabarans lies in the vast delta formed by the by the super confluence of the Ganges, Hooghly, Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers as they empty into the Bay of Bengal, straddling India to the west and Bangladesh to the east. It is a huge ecosystem encapsulating both freshwater swamps and the world’s largest area coastal mangroves, around 10,000 square kilometres (6,250 sq mi). As Gabrian notes, the area is the home of the endangered Bengal Tiger, but it is also home to other endangered species besides, such as the estuarine (or saltwater) crocodile, the northern river terrapin, the South Asian river dolphin (freshwater dolphin), barasingha swamp deer, as well as more widespread breeds of mammals, bird, fish and reptiles.

For his build, Gabrian presents a coastal area made up of low-lying muddy / sandy islands, some linked by bridges, others by zip lines, while little motor boats provide the means of puttering around the waters to reach all of them. The landing point sits on an island on the north side of the region, where sits a little shanty store. Elephants are bathing in the water close by – although they are of African, rather than Indian, origin (don’t blame Gabrian for this, African elephants in natural poses are a lot more popular with creators than their Indian cousins).

Sundarban; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSundarban

East from here, over a low wooden bridge, is a second island. This is home to an old corrugated iron shack, a small shrine, and a path leading up to the wooden jetty on the north side of the island where the motor boats can be obtained. For the adventurous, a set of zip lines have been set up behind the old shack, providing a way for people to travel to / from the island to the south without the need for a boat or getting their feet wet.

This island is probably the largest by visible landmass in the group. It arcs to the south and east, a slender ribbon of grassy dunes sitting under the shade of trees reflecting the physical world’s Sundarbans freshwater forests, before ending in a finger of rock pointing up at the sky. An ancient ruin can be found here, converted into a rest spot complete with canopied massage table looks towards the eastern islands in the group, and another pair of zip lines link it with the nearest of them. Before riding one of them, however, it’s worth walking down to that finger of rock I mentioned – you’ll pass more of the local wildlife along the way and find a most unusual perch up in the rock itself.

Sundarban; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSundarban

Those seeking the tigers will need a motor boat, as they are on a small island to the north-west, separated from the rest by water. Just heed the sign as you approach the island’s little bay, or you might find yourself on the menu – as seems to have been the case with the last couple of visitors, porcine and human!

Sundarban is Gabrian’s personal vision of an exotic part of India, and a place that’s easy to explore and easy on the eye. Throughout the islands are numerous places to sit and cuddle (although be aware some do have distinctly adult poses in them!), and plenty of opportunity to take pictures. Should you enjoy your visit, please consider a donation towards the region’s upkeep – just look for the beggar / trader near the path to the motor boat jetty.

Sundarban; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSundarban

SLurl Details

  • Sundarban (Enchanted World, rated: Adult)

2018 viewer release summaries, week #12

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

Updates for the week ending Sunday, March 25th

This summary is generally published on 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 5.1.2.512803, dated February 23rd, promoted March 1st – formerly the Nalewka Maintenance RC – No Change.
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • Ouzo Maintenance RC, version 5.1.3.513630, updated March 23rd.
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V5-style

V1-style

  • Cool VL Viewer updated as follows: the Stable branch to version 1.26.20.48 and the Experimental version to 1.26.21.14, both on March 24th (release notes).

Mobile / Other Clients

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

UWA Art of the Artists machinima challenge winners

Posted on by Inara Pey
Poster by Eliza Wierwright

On March 26th, 2018, the winners of the UWA Art of Artists machinima challenge, launched in July 2017, were announced. Initially sponsored by LaPiscean Liberty of SLArtist and Singh Albatros and The Writers Centre, Singapore, the challenge opened with a prize pool of L$350,00 which, thanks to additional sponsors such as Pooky Amsterdam of Pookymedia, topped-out at L$430,000 by the time the challenge closed to entries on December 31st, 2017.

Challenge entrants were asked to produce a machinima film focused on any of the art exhibits located on the UWA regions in Second Life. They were allowed to choose individual pieces of art or a collection around which to weave a story. However, the art had to be a relatively significant part of the story, and not merely something glimpsed in passing, and films to be considered for any of the prizes could not exceed 8 minutes in length (although longer films could be submitted if desired.

The award ceremony was held at the historic Winthrop Hall in the UWA virtual campus in Second Life. As well as a celebration of the competition and its winners, the event also marked an end of an era. “It’s a farewell from me,” Jayjay Zifanwe, who has been the powerhouse behind the UWA’s presence in Second Life and its patronage of digital arts, informed me ahead of the ceremony.

He continued, “Farewell in a sense that it’s the last of my major events, and the last speech in will do within SL.” During his opening address at the awards ceremony, Jayjay took time to thank all of those – especially Freewee Ling, curator of the UWA’s art exhibits, and to all those who have done so much to make the UWA’s presence in SL so rewarding for him. In doing so, he also paid tribute to artist Alizarin Goldflake, who passed away recently after a long illness.

The Awards

All of the entries can be viewed on the Slartist website.

Art of the Artists Awards

Sponsored by LaPiscean Liberty and Slartist.

Award Awarded To
 Film title / link
1st – L$75,000 Glasz Decuir Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) and Intrusion Detection System(IDS)
2nd – L$50,000 Tutsy Navarathna Serendipity
3rd – L$40,000 Natascha Randt & Karmia Hoisan The River of Forgetting
4th –  L$30,000 Isabelle Cheren Before the World was Made
5th – Award L$20,000 Bryn Oh Cerulean
Craft Awards (L$7,000 each)
 Suzie Anderton; Amelie Marcoud; Diana Rose; Elle Thorkveld; Tantra Sangha & M1nn0taur; Veyot; Gerhard Helmut & Lila~R; Iono Allen; Joseph Nussbaum; Secret Rage; Lampithaler

 

The Pookymedia Awards

Sponsored by Pooky Amsterdam and Pookymedia.

Award Awarded To
 Film title / link
1st – L$25,000 Bryn Oh Cerulean
2nd –  L$15,000 Tutsy Navarathna Serendipity
3rd –  L$10,000 Suzie Anderton Never Say Never
Honourable Mentions (L$1,000 each)
 Amelie Marcoud; Iono Allen; Lampithaler; Isabelle Cheren; Chic Aeon

 

UWA Art of the Artists Special Awards

Totalling L$51,000, awarded by Jayjay Zifanwe on behalf of the University of Western Australia.

Award Awarded To
 Film title / link
L$17,000 Amelie Marcoud For Love and Art
L$17,000 Suzie Anderton Never Say Never
L$17,000 Chic Aeon The Amalgamation of Objects

The Merlion Special Prizes

Awarded by Singh Albatros and Kaylee West on behalf of The Writer’s Centre, Singapore to the films which best represent the The Merlion,  the national personification of Singapore, and featured at the Merlion Portal in Second Life.

Award Awarded To
 Film title / link
L$16,666 Amelie Marcoud For Love and Art
L$16,666 Suzie Anderton Art and Transformation – a dialogue at intervals
L$17,000 Diana Rose A Journey From the Past: Singapore

 

 

Congratulations to all those who received an award, and thanks to Jayjay, FreeWee and all those involved in this challenge.

A summer’s twirl in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

La Virevolte; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrLa Virevolte – click any image for full size

“Twirling like a butterfly, fluttering in the sky, choosing the most fragrant flowers, regardless of the end of summer.” So reads the introduction to the latest incarnation of La Virevolte (The Twirl), the highly photogenic Homestead region designed by Iska (sablina). When last we visited, the region was in the grip of winter. With this incarnation, the region has a new look caught in the Sun – as the description says – of late summer.

A visit starts on a terrace outside of a little café. It sits in the corner of a little hamlet built alongside a channel-like canal running east-to-west through the region, splitting it in two. A house also occupies the terrace, a vintage Citroen van serving as a mobile fresh produce stall, sitting between the two. Facing them sits another house, the barn alongside seemingly in the process of being converted into a home. House and barn sit on an island of grass surrounded by a loop of road.

La Virevolte; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrLa Virevolte

The western end of this loop touches on a headland ending in a promontory of rock on which is perched a lighthouse keeping watch on things. North of the hamlet, beyond the road’s loop, the land offers rugged grassland rising to a rocky bluff. This open, rugged land continues around the east of the region, grassy slopes rising within the shoulders of a high v-shaped plateau. The grass between the slopes and the café are divided in part by an ancient stone wall, cupping a wild garden between it and the hamlet’s buildings.

Across the channel – which is spanned by a stone bridge – a road runs south before curling to wind its way up the stepped landscape, ending among tall pines trees, where a track points east to where an old farmhouse sits atop a rocky shelf, the land between track and building also falling in gentle steps, some of which are – like the terraces below – retained by ancient drystone walls.

La Virevolte; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrLa Virevolte

These terraces are in part cultivated, presumably by whoever lives up in the farm-house. The lowest one is given over to root and vine vegetables, while grapes are ready for harvesting on the next terrace up. They and the vegetables point to the late summer setting for the region. Stone steps climb the terraces, offering a shorter route up to the track leading to the farm-house for those who don’t feel like walking the road.

This is another marvellous design by Iska, one made particularly attractive by the way things like the building have been brought together. Take the house across the road from the café, for example; part of the original wall seems to have collapsed at some point, and an effort has been made to replace it with a red brick wall. Elsewhere sit the carcasses of an old a car and van, the former turned into a little garden, the latter now serving as a snuggle spot. These and the children’s toy and tricycle in the grounds of the houses, a broken flower-pot on a doorstep, all give the feeling that this is a home to unseen locals.

La Virevolte; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrLa Virevolte

Walking through the region, it is very easy to picture you’re deep in rural France. I was immediately put in mind of parts of the Massif Central (the open water and lighthouse notwithstanding), given the general style of the houses. I mentioned this to Iska as we talked about the design. “The southern foothills of Massif Central, yes!” she replied. “[With] a lot of fountains and rivers, I love the sound of water everywhere.”

To say this is once again a photogenic design would be an understatement; it is a painting in and of itself, the selected windlight and sound scape both complementing it perfectly. Throughout the region are places to sit and admire / cuddle, such as the aforementioned old van, a picnic blanket out on the banks of the channel, the tables of the café and more. 

La Virevolte; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrLa Virevolte

Altogether, another fabulous design, kudos to Iska in building it and offering it to people to visit. and thanks to Shakespeare for the nudge concerning the redesign.

SLurl Details

BURN2: Burnal Equinox 2018

Posted on by Inara Pey
BURN2 Burnal Equinox 2018

The Burn2 Burnal Exquinox event, which will run through until Sunday, March 25th, is now open.

The theme for this year’s event is H2O = Water but H2+O -> Fire, with the press release for the event explaining the theme thus:

It is in two parts. The first we all know, that H2O represents WATER. But…the second part is not a chemical formula; rather it is an attempt to describe the process of combustion that results in FIRE. Both utilise hydrogen and oxygen, but manifest in different ways.

Just as these two gases – oxygen and hydrogen can be combined to form very different basic elements  – water and fire – so the theme hopes to promote the idea that the sum of two or more things is very often something more – and that the “more” can be very different depending on how things are combined. Thus, through the imaginative bringing together of the core elements of a BURN2 event – building, art, and music – by different eyes and hands across the Playa, the organisers hope BURN2 participants will create a celebratory weekend that both reflects and is greater than all of its parts.

BURN2 Burnal Equinox 2018

The weekend kicked-off at 10:00 SLT on Saturday, March 24th, courtesy of the Lamplighters, and the full schedule for the weekend available on the BURN2 website. Activities and performers include:

  • The BURN2 fashion show.
  • BURN of the Nebula.
  • Samm Qendra.
  • The Vinnie Show.
  • Lamplighters Fires Dances.
  • ~DRUM~.
  • And more.

The event closes at 22:00 SLT on Sunday, March 25th, 2018 with a concert by Loreen Aldrin.

About BURN2

BURN2 is an extension of the Burning Man festival and community into the world of Second Life. It is an officially sanctioned Burning Man regional event, and the only virtual world event out of more than 100 real world Regional groups and the only regional event allowed to burn the man.

The BURN2 Team operates events year around, culminating in an annual major festival of community, art and fire in the fall – a virtual echo of Burning Man itself.

Related Links