Melusina Parkin returns to the Nitroglobus Roof Gallery for October, with an exhibition called Mysteries, and it is a thought-provoking display of photography.
“Missing faces, veiled ones, obscure looks,” Melusina states in introducing the exhibition. “Statues and mannequins populate Second Life with their mysterious mood. Sometimes they are creepy, sometimes they are gentle, always they are silent.”
Thus, Mysteries presents thirteen images of mannequins, figures and statues captured from around Second Life. Such figures, to be found all over the grid, whether in stores or art events, parks or role-play regions, homes or photography studios, all have some kind of story to tell – be it part of a larger setting or contained within the frame of their own display as a work of art or object of everyday use.
So to, through Melusina’s collection, do they tell a story or stories within this exhibition. The images have clearly been selected with care to project this, Mystery 10 through Mystery 13, for example, are displayed together on two walls, presenting an unfolding narrative – although what that narrative might be is up to each of us as we view the images. Others, such as Mystery 7 perhaps tell a story quite independently of the other pieces in the collection. But however one looks at them, the stories are there, individual or collected, waiting to be heard.
But there is more here as well, if we’re willing to look a little deeper. Our avatars are, in a sense, our own mannequins. Through them, we get to decide not only how we interact with one another, but how we actually appear to one another. We can project – or inhabit – our avatars at will, using them to reveal or hide, project or protect, many different facets of who we are. They are both a window into who we are and a shield by which we can hide the things we do not wish to have seen. Mystery 2 and Mystery 3 perhaps embody this most specifically.
So as Melusina states, Mysteries may present an apparently lifeless population – but in doing so, it makes us wonder about human feelings and thoughts – and particularly, perhaps about our own feeling and thoughts, about our identity, relationship with others, and our openness.
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation
Updates for the week ending Sunday, October 15
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 5.0.8.329115, dated September 22nd, promoted October 13th – formerly the “Moonshine” Maintenance RC – NEW
It’s time to kick-off another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, October 15th
13:30: Tea Time at Baker Street
The pages of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, the final set of twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories first published in the Strand Magazine between October 1921 and April 1927, are once again opened for another tale from the diaries of Dr. John Watson…
This week: The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
Originally entitled The Adventure of the Black Spaniel, this story marks the last of the 56 Sherlock Holmes’ adventures penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; although it is not always the final story in printed versions of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, nor is it necessarily the last time the Great Detective will be appearing at Seanchai Library SL.
There are odd goings-on at Shoscombe Old Place, a racing stable in Berkshire, which have aroused the concerns of the head trainer, John Mason.
In visiting Sherlock Holmes, Mason is not sure precisely what he wants investigated, but instead offers a list of odd behaviours on the part of Sir Robert Norberton, who runs the stables, and his sister-in-Law, Lady Beatrice Falder, who owns Shoscombe. In the case of Sir Robert, Mason fears he might have gone quite mad.
Holmes and Watson travel to Berkshire, lodging at a local inn close to the stables, where they can keep an eye on things. Holmes quickly draws the conclusion that something is amiss, and may well have to do with Sir Robert Norberton having given his sister-in-law’s hound to the innkeeper, the dog being far too expensive a breed for an innkeeper to normally be able to afford. Thus, on the pretext of taking the dog for a walk, Holmes and Watson set out to investigate further…
To find out more, be sure to turn up on time for a spot of afternoon tea at Baker Street!
18:00 Magicland Storytime: The Black Cauldron
Join Caledonia Skytower at Magicland Park as she concludes the tale.
Monday, October 16th 19:00: Reckoning Infinity
Gyro Muggins reads John E. Stith’s alien first contact story, once described as “Rendezvous with Rama meets James and the Giant Peach“!
Lieutenant Commander Alis Mary Nussem, her body partially bionic, isn’t to happy about finding herself aboard the same space vessel as the man she deems responsible for the accident which robbed her of a part of her natural body. However, she must put aside her differences with scientist Karl Stanton when a massive object enters the solar system, apparently on course to be swallowed by the Sun – but not before it will collide with a space station in Earth orbit.
Ordered to investigate the object, which is as large as a moon and quickly given the name “Cantaloupe,” Nussem, Stanton and the crew of their ship rendezvous with it, only to find they are not the first: the wreck of another vessel lies on the surface, a hole drilled into the object close by. The only means of entry to the Cantaloupe, Nussem and Stanton lead a team down through it – to make a stunning discovery.
Like Nussem, Cantaloupe is an bio-mechanical entity. It is alive, but it’s interior also have pipes, elevators chambers and more within. But it is also a place of danger – as Nussem and her also companions quickly discover – some to their cost. It’s also a place of unexpected surprises, as the crew’s biggest discovery proves…
Also presented in Kitely hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.
Tuesday, October 17th, 19:00 The Water Mirror
Faerie Maven-Pralou reads Kei Meyer’s tale of magic.
Merle is apprenticed to a maker of magic mirrors. She even has one of her own, with a surface of water into which she can reach without ever getting wet – magic being a relatively common thing in Venice. Meanwhile, her friend Serafin, once a master thief, now works for a weaver of magic cloth.
Both Merle and Serafin accept the wonders of the city, from the mermaids in the canal to the stone lions on which the city guards ride on their patrols. But all is not well; beyond the walls of the city, the Egyptian Empire is laying siege, an army of mummy warriors and flying sunbarks held at bay by the power of the Flowing Queen, which runs through the city’s canals and hold the enemy forces at bay.
Then Merle and Serafin overhear a plot to capture the Flowing Queen and render the city defenceless. And while no-one actually knows what the Queen looks like, they set out to protect and / or rescue her. In doing so, they must ally themselves with the Ancient Traitor and journey into the realm of Dark Reflections…
Wednesday, October 18th, 19:00 Monsters of the Midwest
True Tales of Bigfoot, Werewolves and Other Legendary Creatures with Kayden Oconnell. Also presented in Kitely hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.
Thursday, October 19th 19:00 The Haunters and the Haunted
With Shandon Loring in a special session at Octoberville in Second Life. Also presented in Kitely hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/108/609/1528.
Advanced Notice!
Sunday October 22nd 13:00-15:00: Ghostly Tales
Seanchai Library and friends gather at Kultivate Magazine’s Scare Me Silly fund-raiser on behalf of Team Diabetes SL, for spooky, chilling tales of the season.
Sunday, October 29th 13:00-15:00 The 2nd Annual Holly Kai GREAT BOO!
Scary storiesfollowed by music and dancing. Possibly more! Stay Tuned!
Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.
The featured charity for August and September is Little Kids Rock, transforming lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in schools.
I’ve long admired Milly Sharple’s art, as I’ve tended to mention in the past. I’ve reported on her work – which includes region designs as well as art; and along with many others, disappointed to hear she was retiring from Second Life art and shutting down her facilities at Timamoon Arts and Isle of Lyonesse.
However, such was the outpouring of support from those wishing to see Milly continue to display her art in, she relented and established a new gallery called Cynefin, where she is now exhibiting a select of work called Creations.
Cynefin – Creations: Milly Sharple
One of the major attractions for me with Milly’s work is her fractal art; I’ve written about it on numerous occasions, and Creations includes examples among the 52 pieces on display. However it also includes pieces representing her more recent experiments with mixed media, combining her work with fractals with her photography. Also to be found are samples of Milly’s landscape photography from within Second Life – all of which makes Creations a fascinating and worthwhile visit.
The gallery space is set within a single-storey building of modern design which is ideal for exhibiting Milly’s work. A central entrance lobby featuring six pieces of Milly’s more recent work in mixed media, which opens out into two large gallery spaces with rooms for wall-mounted and free-standing displays of Milly’s art.
Cynefin Creations: Milly Sharple
The art itself is, as always, is magnificent; the richness of the pieces has to be seen in order to be fully appreciated. The diversity of styles on display – as is evidenced on entering the lobby space, where one is greeted by six attention-holding pieces – means this is a truly superb exhibition. As such, written words do not do any of the art offered the justice it deserves; nor does picking out any particular piece or group of pieces for specific mention above the others. However …
There is a series of seven female studies which I have to admit completely captivated me with their presence and depth (five are show in the image below). At first appearing as “simple” studies, there is a richness of style within each of them. With some this borders on the abstract, with others there is a hint of Milly fractal work within the mix of human study and floral painting. They are – even by the extraordinary standards of Milly’s art as a whole – stunning.
Cynefin Creations: Milly Sharple
Milly’s work stands as some of the most beautiful art in Second Life – and frankly, the grid could have been a duller place without it. Seeing her return with a new gallery space, and one so rich in content is both a pleasure to see and a joy to welcome. I’m looking forward to many future visits.
Organised by Team Diabetes of Second Life, the event features live performances. DJ parties, a hunt and a quest, tricks and treats, a haunted mansion, ghostly rides and – of course – shopping!
@AdReNaLiZeD@, Albino Peacock, Babey, Bad Dragon Clothing, Beyond Persuasion Design, Blush, BRYNE, Candy’s Designs, Cats ‘n Kittens Boutique, Cazimi, ChiC buildings, Chiffon, Cleopatra Inc., Creepy Midget Designs, Dallas MacKenzie Designs, Dominique’s Designs, Epicine, Fae Fantasy Creations, Fashiowl Poses, Gidget’s Style, Gross Princess, GypsyRose Botanical, IMaGE Factory, Indigenous, Just Imagine, Just Ordinary, Kades, Kiliki Bikini, Kitty Creations, Kittycat’s Creations , LC Fashion, Lunar Seasonal Designs, MadCatCreations, Mahlberg Tailors, Mara’s Mysteries, Mariposa, Metal and Stone, Orchid Petal Designs, Park Place Home, ::Pharmacist::, Porcelan, Potomac Signature Homes, Queued, Redangel Designs, Rico’s Customs, Romance Couture, Roth’s, Rowanessque, Rush Love Your Look, Sasheba’s Closet, SpellBound Boutique, Sunspear Creations, Tayren’s Fantasy Fashions, The Crone’s Garden, The Little Bat, The Pumpkin Head, TRS Designs, Tylar’s Treasures, Unforgettable Temptations, Winx Trivium, Wood Works, and Zoom.
Performances and events will feature storytelling by Seanchai Library, live singers, DJs, tribute bands, a fishing tournament, costume parties – check the Scare Me Silly event page for the schedule of events through the month!
This year, attendees can participate in the Evil Pumpkin Hunt and / or the Skeleton Quest. The pumpkins in the hunt are scatters across the Scare Me Silly event grounds. They contain a variety of hunt prizes from creators. Find them, pay L$10 to each of them (all payments go the Team Diabetes of Second Life) and claim the prizes within!
The Skeleton Quest costs L$500 to enter. Attach the Quest HUD, find all of the skeleton parts in the haunted mansion and claim a haul of 30 prizes! All proceeds from the sale of HUDs go to Team Diabetes of Second Life.
About the American Diabetes Association
Established in 1940, the American Diabetes Association is working to both prevent and cure diabetes in all it forms, and to help improve the lives of all those affected by diabetes. It does this by providing objective and credible information and resources about diabetes to communities, and funding research into ways and means of both managing and curing the illness. In addition, the Association gives voice to those denied their rights as a consequence of being affected by diabetes.
About Team Diabetes of Second life
Team Diabetes of Second Life is an official and authorised fund-raiser for the American Diabetes Association in Second Life. Established with the aim of raising funds in support of diabetes treatment and to raise awareness of the disease in SL, Team Diabetes of Second Life was founded by Jessi2009 Warrhol and John Brianna (Johannes1977 Resident), and is served by an advisory board comprising Eleseren Brianna, Jessi2009 Warrhol, Sandie Loxingly, Rob Fenwitch, and Dawnbeam Dreamscape, with Saiyge Lotus serving as a special advisor. Events Co-coordinator (with John Brianna) is Veruca Tammas.
People gather for the Content Creation User Group meeting, October 12th, 2017
The following notes are taken from the Content Creation User Group meeting, held on Thursday, October 12th, 2017 at 13:00 SLT at the the Hippotropolis Camp Fire Circle. The meeting is chaired by Vir Linden, and agenda notes, etc, are usually available on the Content Creation User Group wiki page.
Medhue Simoni live steamed the meeting to You Tube, and his video is embedded at the end of this article, with key points of discussion noted below. Time stamps to the recording are included below, and clicking on any of them will launch the video in a separate browser tab at the assigned point. However as these notes present the meeting in terms of topics discussed, rather than a chronological breakdown of the meeting, so some time stamps may appear to be out of sequence.
Animesh (Animated Mesh)
“I like the name ‘animated objects’ because I think it’s unambiguous, but it takes a long time to type!” – Vir Linden joking about the name “Animesh”.
Project Summary
The goal of this project is to provide a means of animating rigged mesh objects using the avatar skeleton, in whole or in part, to provide things like independently moveable pets / creatures, and animated scenery features via scripted animation. It involves both viewer and server-side changes.
In short, an Animesh object:
Can be any object (generally rigged / skinned mesh) which and contains the necessary animations and controlling scripts in its own inventory (Contents tab of the Build floater) required for it to animate itself.
Can be a single mesh object or a linkset of objects (link them first, then set them to Animated Mesh via the Build floater > Features).
Has been flagged as and Animesh object in the project viewer, and so has an avatar skeleton associated with it.
Can use many existing animations.
However Animated objects will not (initially):
Have an avatar shape associated with them
Make use of an avatar-like inventory (although individual parts can contain their own inventory such as animations and scripts)
Make use of the server-side locomotion graph for walking, etc., and so will not use an AO
Use the avatar baking service
Will not support its own attachments in the initial release.
These are considered options for follow-on work, possibly starting with the notion of a body shape (to help with more fully-formed NPCs).
Viewer Progress
[1:11-3:40] We are now “very close” to seeing a project viewer, test content and test regions appearing. The viewer has been passed by LL’s QA team, the initial test content is being developed (and will be added to, although people can obviously also test their own content) and a total of five regions will be set-up on Aditi (the beta grid) for the purposes of test very soon. Four of these will be arranged in square and be rated Moderate (allowing for comprehensive content testing, including how Animesh is managed on region crossings), the fifth will be separate and rated Adult.
The main hold-up for now is documentation: release notes, wiki documentation, FAQ, etc. When all is ready, there will be a blog post on the project, and the viewer itself will be appearing on the Alternate Viewer wiki page – so those interested in testing Animesh should keep their eyes on both the official blogs and the viewer wiki page.
Root Positioning
[4:20-7:20] The most recent work with Animesh has remained focused on aligning the root joint of a skeleton associated with an Animesh to the position of the Animesh object in-world. The problem here is that the skeleton / avatars in SL are oriented along the X-axis; however, some tools (Avastar?) align along the Y-axis.
This means that when applying skeleton (X-axis orientation) with an in-world mesh objects with a Y-axis orientation to make it Animesh, the latter can jump and rotate. Vir had been looking to make changes in the skeleton’s orientation to handle mesh with a Y-axis orientation this. However, it turns out doing so could cause unwanted behavioural changes for scripts handling attachment rotation and positioning. To avoid this, the skeleton orientation will remaining X-axis oriented. Vir hopes that the upcoming testing will allow the settings for linking skeleton to mesh can be further refined to make the conversion from static mesh to Animesh as smooth as possible.
Animesh and Vehicles / Testing vs Release
[9:20-13:20] A view is expressed that Animesh is being “rushed” without sufficient thought being given to its application in vehicle design. This in part perhaps stems from confusion about public testing of Animesh and a release in Animesh. For example, while Bento had an initial “closed” period of develop to lay the ground work, it was followed by a broad and lengthy public period of testing, consultation and enhancement.
As such, the arrival of the project viewer doesn’t mark a move towards “releasing” Animesh – but rather allows more widespread testing of the capability, including its potential use in vehicles and elsewhere. Testing is the point at which the Lab can more fully look to creators for feedback, requests for improvement – and even fleshed-out feature requests etc., which might be considered for folding-in to the current work or for follow-on work once the initial Animesh release has been made.
Quick Questions
Land Impact:
[15:54-16:29] Overall land impact constraints of Animesh are still TBD (testing will help determine what might be required). However, Vir points out that in terms of individual LI applied to Animesh objects it will initially be focused on a per skeleton basis, not on a per mesh basis (so a linkset of several rigged meshes converted to Animesh will be seen as single object with an LI, not a group of mesh objects, each with an LI).
[37:35-38:34] Couldn’t the Animesh constraint be purely land impact based? possibly, but then attachments would be excluded – as they are with avatars, and the most costly element in terms of performance are avatars; by only using LI as a constraint, then Animesh could become as impactful as avatars with multiple high render cost attachments.
[16:46-17:18] Is Animesh prim objects with an AO? No. Animesh is rigged mesh objects containing scripted animations within them, associated with an avatar skeleton.
[17:22-17:57] If an Animesh has linked skeletons, do animations play across all of them? No – Animesh does not involve linking skeletons. It can comprise multiple rigged mesh objects which are linked to an individual skeleton, which can have animations applied to it.
[18:09-18:30] will the attached mesh also count against the tri count? Yes. There will be a limit, most likely set to 20K when testing starts, but subject to review as testing proceeds.
[26:02-27:35] Short description of how Animesh will work, as covered in some of the bullet points in the project description, above. Includes some discussion of using Animesh with pathfinding.
[30:00-30:35] Is animation movement capped (in terms of moving an individual bone): yes, it is capped at 5 metres, as it always has been for avatars.
[30:41-32:55] Physical properties discussion: Animesh objects will operate like avatars: they well not have physical collisions as a result of animation (e.g. a moving arm on an Animesh will not collide with a passing avatar, for example). However, Animesh objects will have physical properties (based on mesh physics shape), and so can fall, etc.
[47:35-48:08] Will Animesh alter the land impact for existing objects in-world? No. Animesh is a new object property, only applicable to objects intentionally set as Animesh. As such, it will not affect pre-existing content in-world unless said content is converted to Animesh (if it can be).
[48:48-49:58] Will Animesh behave at altitude? There is an issue which sees mesh rigged with software skinning deforms at altitude (starting around 1,000m and getting worse from there). Animesh might suffer the same, but it hasn’t been tested.
[52:47-56:10] The eyes have it – a discussion on automating eye movements on Animesh in a similar manner to avatars. Vir see this more as building-out the NPC-style capabilities with Animesh, which is very much a follow-up to the current project.
[58:18-59:20] Can Animesh work with other mesh? It should; the complex part is liable to be keeping the object’s actual position in sync with its rendered position based on the animations playing, particularly as there won’t be a “sit” equivalent. Vir hopes this is something that will be poked at in testing.
Side notes on Animesh Constraints:
[44:08-45:21] As Vir has previously indicated, all of the constraints in the viewer – when it appears – are for testing purposes, and to provide a means by which things can be tested. For a catch-up on constraints and testing, please refer to my previous CCUG update.
[20:21-20:45] Also, to help with constraints and information, Vir has been updating the viewer’s avatar complexity panel to provide information on triangles, which will also work for Animesh objects.
[22:45-29:08] A feature request has also been submitted for an alternative method of handling land impact and incorporating Animesh – see BUG-139203. This has been left open for comment. However, it is something the Lab is interested in taking a look at.
