Category: SL User Group Meetings

SL project updates 2017-4/3: TPVD meeting: 64-bit, Linux

Posted on by Inara Pey

Whimberly, Whimberly; Inara Pey, January 2017, on FlickrWhimberly – blog post

The notes in this update are taken from the abbreviated TPV Developer meeting held on Friday, January 27th, 2017. The video of that meeting is embedded at the end of this update. My thanks as always to North for recording and providing it.

SL Viewer

[01:19] There has been no movement with any of the viewer currently in the various pipelines during the week, leaving the list as:

  • Current Release version: 5.0.0.321958, dated December 1st, promoted December 5th, 2016 – formerly the Project Bento RC viewer
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Maintenance RC viewer, version 5.0.1.322791, dated January 12th
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Alex Ivy (LXIV), 64-bit project viewer, version 5.1.0.501863 for Windows and Mac, dated January 10th
    • 360-degree snapshot viewer, version 4.1.3.321712, dated November 23, 2016 – ability to take 360-degree panoramic images – hands-on review – still pending completion of work on the 64-bit viewer, and no updates expected in the immediate future
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847, dated May 8, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

[01:48] There are two more branches for the Maintenance viewer updates in the offing. One is, as per Oz’s stated intent, a branch for rendering only fixes, the second will continue with the regular releases of Maintenance RC viewers with all other general fixes and updates.

64-bit Viewer

[22:55] The number of users on the 64-bit project viewer remains “small”, however, the Lab is pleased with the way most things in the viewer and viewer build process are working. There are still three major areas of work which need to be completed, outside of bug fixes, before the viewer can progress to release candidate (RC) status:

  • 64-bit Havok for OSX: the binaries, etc., have been received from Havok, but have been built using Xcode 8. The Lab is therefore updating the Mac viewer build process to use Xcode 8 so that the Havok code can be incorporated.
  • Updated VLC and CEF support: this is in process, and in the case of CEF, will include a new wrapper (project Dullahan – link for those who are curious about the etymology of Lab project names) which will replace llCEF, making it easier to render web content through the viewer
  • The new viewer installation / update process: this is being overhauled to improve the installation and update of the viewer. In particular, it will include a check to ensure users have actually downloaded the correct version of the viewer for their system. For example, if you are on 32-bit Windows and download the 64-bit version in error, the installer will recognise this, and download and install the 32-bit version for you.

Note the above still only apply to Windows and Mac OSX.

Linux Viewer Status / Future

[30:21] Thus far, the Lab hasn’t progressed very far with Linux 64-bit, beyond building some of the libraries. The aim is still to have the third-party viewer development  / open source community provide a strong level of support for Linux. However, it is recognised that the current way in which the Linux viewer is currently distributed makes it difficult for third-party support to be maintained.

In an attempt to improve things, the Lab is going to try to move away from using a TAR ball method of distribution to providing a .DEB file, which can be installed using standard Debian installation commands. This will involve changes to the Linux build process, which itself may highlight issues in producing the desired .DEB file. Where this is the case, the Lab will look to discuss and resolve issues with the TPV / open source community. It is hoped that this approach will result in a much improved and easier to manage mechanism for Linux viewer builds and distribution.

Other Items

Music Streaming Default Volume

[04:57] The first TPVD meeting for 2017 included a discussion on audio streaming autoplay found in the official viewer, and the problems this can cause new users. As a result of that discussion, the Lab agreed to revisit the default media volume setting in the viewer. This is now under discussion within the Lab.

Voice Issues

[06:06] While there is a Voice update coming down the line, people are reporting increasing Voice disconnection issues (see BUG-41288). Kyle Linden has been looking into the problems to try to identify where issues might reside, and it is a topic for discussion at the next Lab / Vivox meeting, in about a week. Oz Linden is also improving the code in the viewer to better monitor and report on Voice connections and issues so that they can be more easily identified; these updates will hopefully be in the upcoming Voice viewer.

Environment Maps

[12:53] At the end of the last TPV meeting, there was a convoluted discussion on environment maps and potential limitations. A JIRA feature request – STORM-2146 – has now been raised, outlining the specific issues with the environment maps, and what can be done to improve them to provide things like simulated environment reflections.  Acknowledged as being a prime example of a really good feature request in terms of level of explanation given (including mitigating risk of content breakage), the topic was put aside for detailed discussion at a later date, to allow this meeting to focus on the 64-bit viewer and Linux.

Server-side Group Chat “Opt Out”

Firrestorm has a viewer-side implementation to mute all chat from a group, but a server-side capability is being requested
Firrestorm has a viewer-side implementation to mute all chat from a group, but a server-side capability is being requested

[17:53] This is a request to provide support for “opting out” (muting) from group chats without necessarily having to wait for it to start & closing the window (e.g. via a right-click option on the group list or in the group profile – a method taken by Firestorm in providing viewer side support for the capability).

The Lab is aware of numerous requests for such an option, together with numerous and different suggestions on how it might be implemented. Because of this, no firm decision has been made on whether or not to add such a capability, managed server-side, has been taken.

The advantage of server-side support is that rather than having the viewer just discard incoming messages seen as “unwanted”, the server will not send them in the first place. This is very much what the Lab would like to achieve, were the capability to be added.

E-mail Improvements

[39:37] Changes are coming to the way in which e-mails are managed / distributed by the Lab. Please see my separate report on what this means and verifying you e-mail address, if you have not already done so.

SL Wiki Editing and JIRA Viewing

[49:03] The Ls Wiki remains closed to general editing. Users with a genuine need to edit wiki pages they have previously helped maintain or have created, should file a support ticket or raise a JIRA requesting the are granted Edit rights, and why they are requesting them. The Lab is now maintaining a white list of approved users.

Similarly, TPV developers and open source contributors who cannot view JIRAs related to their work, etc. (“Permission Violation”), should e-mail Oz Linden to request broader access to the system.

SL project updates 2017-4/2: Content Creation User Group w/audio

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Content Creation User Group has re-formed out of the Bento User Group, and is held at the Hippotropolis Camp Fire Circle. Imp costumes entirely optional :D .
The Content Creation User Group has re-formed out of the Bento User Group, and is held at the Hippotropolis Campfire Circle. Imp costumes entirely optional 😀 .

The following notes are taken from the Content Creation User Group meeting, held on  Thursday January 26th, 2017 at 1:00pm SLT at the the Hippotropolis Campfire Circle. The meeting is chaired by Vir Linden, and agenda notes, etc, are available on the Content Creation User Group wiki page.

Core Topics

  • Potential follow-on projects
  • Modelling for efficient rendering
  • Animations
  • Outfits

Follow-up projects

There has been no further progression on the potential follow-on projects from Bento (see my week #2 Content Creation Group meeting report for details of follow-ups).

  • In terms of the baked texture on mesh idea, the Lab has asked for specific content there “onion” meshes are used – and it has been reiterated this is most of the common mesh bodies and heads
  • There is still some confusion as to what may be causing the animation conflict issue. While it may be that changes will be made to the animation system in the future, as per the suggestions Vir forward previously (see the link above), the solution for now is to try to address the issue at a scripting level to prevent conflicts.

Modelling for Efficient Rendering

Medhue Simoni has been producing a series on the use of Level of Detail (LOD) to help with generating rendering efficient models in Second Life. Part 1 is embedded below, and Part 2 can be found here. A third part will be available soon, and hopefully, he and I will be producing a companion article in this blog once that part is available on-line.

Efficient modelling for Second Life has long been a problem within the platform, and something exacerbated by the arrival of full mesh support. Given this:

  • The Lab is considering revising the rendering cost calculations “at some point” to encourage people to consider more efficient models (e.g. making more use of normal maps to add detail to models where appropriate, rather than rely on always producing an extremely high poly count model).
  • It has been suggested that providing some basic indicators of what might be considered “reasonable” number – poly counts, proportionate scaling of LODs, etc. – for models could be produced, together with videos (by content creators with a solid understanding of the subject and Second Life)  on efficient use of normal and specular maps
Using a normal map to enhance the detail on a low-polygon model
Using a normal map to enhance the detail on a low-polygon model. The image on the left shows a model of some 4 million triangles. The centre image shows a model with just 500 triangles. The image on the right shows the 500-triangle model with a normal map taken from the model on the left applied to it. Credit: Wikipedia

The discussion broadened to cover awareness among content creators as to what actually works and where falsehoods / misunderstanding lie. A cited example in the meeting was that of mesh clothing makers avoiding the use of normal maps because they want their clothing to look the “same” to everyone, even though doing so can severely impact the user experience for those on lower-end system, and thus discourage users from buying their goods.

.BVH Animations and Animation Playback

Animations can be uploaded to Second Life in one of two formats, .ANIM and .BVH. The latter are optimised as a part of the upload process, and this is proving to be a particular problem for Maya users when animating facial expressions. These require finer bone movements in the animation, which the optimisation process is filtering out, requiring Maya users to use exaggerated movements. Blender users can avoid the issue by using .ANIM, which does not pass through any form of optimisation / filtering.

While it is recognised that the thresholds used by the .BVH optimisation / filtering process may not be the best for very small bone movements, there are currently no plans to alter / refine the .BVH uploader. Nor is it really feasible to adjust the thresholds for hand and face bones, as this could have an adverse effect where these bones are re-purposed for other uses (as Bento is intended to allow).

There are two possible workarounds which may help with these issues for anyone using the .BVH format:

  • Swap to using .ANIM files, which do not go through any similar optimisation process. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for Maya users, as there is current no .ANIM exporter for Maya, although Aura Linden is working on one in her own time, and is hoping to get time in about three weeks to sit down and finish it
  • Alter the frame rate of the animation itself – so rather than creating it at 30 fps, try 15 or 10 fps, depending on the animation.

There was also some confusion over the maximum file size for animations, as per my 2016 week #25 report, this was increased from 120 Kb to 250 Kb in June 2016. The wiki page on SL limits has now been correctly updated to reflect this. It’s also worth noting, as an aside, that animations will be moving to delivery via the CDN network in the future.

There was an extended conversation around Outfits and the Outfits folder. While much of this revolved around the Visual Outfits Browser option for Outfits, a couple of significant items were discussed.

The first was on the subject of saving gestures with outfits. As noted in my Bento update #26 and Bento update #27, gestures cannot be automatically saved with an outfit, but can be manually added as links / copies. However, Medhue Simoni has found a catch: should the outfit ever be re-saved, the gestures are removed. Expect a JIRA soon

A common request for the Outfit system to allow nested folders once more the ability was removed with viewer 2.1 (see VWR-19774), and while it was at the time noted as a possible “priority” item for consideration by the Lab, the topic has only recently again come up in internal conversations as a result of feature request BUG-41826. However, the amount of work involved to make it happen makes it unclear if the request will be accepted.

One request for Outfits which is unlikely to be acted upon, is to have links to other folders in addition to objects. This is seen as even more complex than allowing nested folders within the Outfits hierarchy.

Next Meeting

The Next Content Creation User Group meeting will be on Thursday, February 16th, 2017.

SL project updates 2017-4/1: Server, camera pre-sets, Nvidia issue

Posted on by Inara Pey

Devin, Devin; Inara Pey, January 2017, on FlickrDevin – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

On Tuesday, January 24th, the Main (SLS) channel was updates with the same server maintenance package deployed to the RC channels during week #3. This includes a partial fix for (non-public) BUG-3286, “Can’t move object” fail notifications (fixes for regions/objects with longer names are pending), together with enhanced server logging and minor internal server enhancements.

There will be no RC deployment on Wednesday, January 25th – but the RC region will be restarted in keeping with the Lab’s new policy of restarting the channels every 2 weeks, regardless of whether or not there is an associated deployment.

The next RC deployment is expected to be week #5 (commencing Monday, 30th January, 2017).

SL Viewer

No changes since my last update. The status of viewers in the pipeline remains thus:

  • Current Release version: 5.0.0.321958, dated December 1st, promoted December 5th, 2016 – formerly the Project Bento RC viewer
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Maintenance RC viewer, version 5.0.1.322791, dated January 12th
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Alex Ivy (LXIV), 64-bit project viewer, version 5.1.0.501863 for Windows and Mac, dated January 10th
    • 360-degree snapshot viewer, version 4.1.3.321712, dated November 23, 2016 – ability to take 360-degree panoramic images – hands-on review
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847, dated May 8, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

Camera Presets

As I noted in a recent TPVD meeting update, Jonathan Yap is working on a code contribution for the official viewer which will allow users to set and save their own preferred camera presets in the viewer.

The idea is that, like the graphics presets functionality Jonathan contributed to the viewer in 2016, users will be able to define their own placements for the SL camera around their avatar (e.g. an over-the-should view, a view from overhead, etc.), which can then be saved and selected / used as required. Jonathan has only recently started on the work – which has an associated feature JIRA, STORM-2145 – but that should hopefully change once various decisions have been made by the Lab.

Nvidia Driver 378.49 + 64-bit Viewer Bug

Nvidia release their 378.49 driver on Tuesday, January 24th, and it can cause an unusual bug / issue with 64-bit viewers. The problem was first noted on Firestorm 5.0.1 (see: FIRE-20774), but I have repro’d it on the Lab’s own 64-bit project viewer (version 5.1.0.501863 at the time of writing) and  on Alchemy 4.0.0 (a crash issue had prevented comprehensive testing on Alchemy 5.0.0 at the time of writing).

The Nvidia 378.49 driver bug which can occur with 64-bit viewers when ALM is disabled, as seen on a 64-bit version of Windows)
The Nvidia 378.49 driver bug which can occur with 64-bit viewers when ALM is disabled

The issue only manifests when Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) is disabled in a 64-bit viewer, and renders the in-world view with an odd blue tinge which almost looks like the blue colour channel is impinging on the red channel. As noted in the Firestorm JIRA, enabling ALM can prevent the issues, as can toggling Glow off when ALM is disabled. See the Firestorm JIRA for workarounds, should you encounter the problem.

How the same scene looks in the same viewer (SL Alex Ivy 64-bit project viewer for Windows, version 5.1.0.501863 at the time of writing)
How the same scene looks in the same viewer (SL Alex Ivy 64-bit project viewer for Windows, version 5.1.0.501863 at the time of writing)

The issue was raised at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, January 24th, a JIRA for the issue on the Lab’s 64-bit project viewer is available on BUG-41294.

 

SL project updates 2017-3/2: texture uploads, Content Creation UG

Posted on by Inara Pey

An Uncertain Destiny, Mystic; Inara Pey, January 2017, on FlickrAn Uncertain Destiny – blog post

Server Deployments – Recap

  • The Main (SLS) channel was restarted on Tuesday, 17th January, but there was no associated code deployment
  • A new server maintenance package was deployed to the RC channels on Wednesday, January 18th, comprising a partial fix for (non-public) BUG-3286, “Can’t move object” fail notifications (fixes for regions/objects with longer names are pending) + internal server and logging enhancements

SL Viewer

No further updates to the current viewer pipeline list.

Texture Uploads and First Time Rendering

The Lab has been making some hardware (/communication?) changes to the texture upload / delivery mechanism (e.g. both the handling of texture uploads from the viewer to the asset system, and then from the asset system back out to the viewer via the CDN). When deployed to the main grid, these should see improvements in the uploading of new textures and their appearance on in-world objects, whether uploaded individually or in bulk (e.g. hopefully little / no grey panels in new texture upload previews when viewing them from inventory, and few / no grey object faces when uploading a texture and then immediately applying it to an object face).

Content Creation User Group

Summary of General Points

  • No further movement on the potential “Bento follow-up” project ideas (see my Content Creation UG notes for week #2).
  • The next Avastar release is in advanced testing, with a potential release around late February / March, but will include devkit support and a large number of bug fixes.
  • Appearance sliders:
    • A question was asked whether the slider system could be updated to allow for easier scaling for smaller avatars utilising Bento (as not all Bento bones are linked to sliders). Vir noted this is unlikely, as it would require a change for the base slider scaling which could break existing avatars.
    • However, Vir noted that suggestions to offer new sliders for sizing things like wings and tales have been discussed at the Lab, but nothing has as yet been decided.

Pain Points / Blockers to Bento Content

A general question thrown out by Simon Linden was whether people are experiencing particular “pain points” in producing Bento content: what they might be waiting for tools-wise or in any other way etc. this quickly spilled out into a much broader discussion on various tools and suggested tutorials. However, core points raised were:

  • Available time, learning to use external tools such as Blender,
  • Waiting on Avastar, plus tutorials, both generic and on using specific tools (e.g. Avastar and Mayastar) – which will hopefully come in time
  • Mention was made of making people more aware of SL-specific areas such as level of detail (LOD), managing physics, LI calculation rules, etc.

It was also noted that possibly having idea of having some for of sample content (e.g. wings, hands), which creators could use as an example / baseline for their own creations, together with a broader selection of documentation / tutorials / videos.

Simon pointed out that in terms of Lab developed tutorials and documentation, there are only limited resources. Many third-parties also produce tutorials (Mehdue Simoni, for example is waiting for the new Avastar to reach release before working on his video tutorials for it).

Others have also put together documentation, but are finding it hard to get that documentation seen heard above the broad range of misinformation on content creation which is  in circulation. Vir has suggested that meaningful documentation and tutorials could be linked to through the SL wiki.

In terms of the wiki, there are a range of resources available for content  creation / Bento:

 

SL project updates 2017-3/1: Server, Viewer

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Hell's Heaven 2.0, Rainbow Ridge; Inara Pey, January 2017, on FlickrThe Hell’s Heaven 2.0 – blog post

Things are still warming up after the holiday period, so not a lot of fresh news.

Server Deployments

The Main (SLS) channel was restarted on Tuesday, 17th January, although there was no associated deployment. This is in keeping with the Lab’s new policy of restarting the server channels every 2 weeks, whether or not there is an associated code deployment (the RC channels were restarted in week #2).

A new server maintenance package will be deployed to the RC channels on Wednesday, January 18th. This includes a partial fix for (non-public) BUG-3286, “Can’t move object” fail notifications (fixes for regions/objects with longer names are pending), together with enhanced server logging and minor internal server enhancements.

SL Viewer

The viewer pipelines at this point remain unchanged from week #2:

  • Current Release version 5.0.0.321958, dated December 1st, promoted December 5th, 2016 – formerly the Project Bento RC viewer
  • Maintenance RC viewer version 5.0.1.322791, dated January 12th – some 42 fixes and improvements
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Alex Ivy (LXIV), 64-bit project viewer, version 5.1.0.501863 for Windows and Mac, dated January 10th
    • 360-degree snapshot viewer, version 4.1.3.321712, date November 23, 2016 – ability to take 360-degree panoramic images
  • Obsolete platform viewer version 3.7.28.300847, dated May 8, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

 

SL project updates 2017-2/3: TPV Developer Meeting Jan 13th

Posted on by Inara Pey
Sagan Planetarium
Sagan Planetarium – blog post

The notes in this update are taken from the abbreviated TPV Developer meeting held on Friday, January 13th, 2017. The video of that meeting is embedded at the end of this update. My thanks as always to North for recording and providing it.

SL Viewer

The Maintenance RC viewer was updated to version 5.0.1.322791 on Thursday, January 12th. Otherwise the pipeline remains unchanged from part 1 of this week’s update. [34:20] this will likely be the next viewer to be promoted to release status.

64-bit Viewer

[03:07] It is anticipated that the 64-bit official viewer, version 5.1.0.501863 at the time of writing, will remain in the project cycle for some time. An update to it is anticipated in week #3 (week commencing Monday, January 16th, 2017). Currently, the project viewer isn’t being used by many, and the Lab hopes this number will pick up so that a little more feedback can be obtained.

Points of note with the 64-bit viewer and 64-bit plans:

  • The Mac version is currently without Havok support, an it will likely be 2+ weeks before it does.
  • There will also be a number Havok libraries build in support 64-bit, which will be made available to TPV sub-licensees, but this is unlikely to happen until the Lab starts building 64-bit release candidates.
  • KDU within the viewer is being updated to version 7.9.
  • [08:08] New packaging of the media code and a new version of CEF.
  • The viewer update code will be completely revised.
  • The crash reporting code may be updated.

[11:28] Eventually, the Lab plans to have the viewer available in both 32-bit and 64-bit for Windows, and 64-bit only for Mac OSX and Linux.

For more on Linux, see below.

Voice Updates

[07.18] Updates to Voice should be appearing in a viewer in the next 2(ish) weeks. This will include a new SL Voice plug-in from Vivox which includes a new Opus codec, as well and bug and exploit fixes.

360-Snapshot Viewer

[08:33] Work will resume on this project viewer, version 4.1.3.321712 at the time of writing,  once work on the CEF updates (noted above) have been completed.

Linux and the Viewer

[10:08] Currently, the Lab have not carried out any work on a 64-bit version of the viewer on Linux. However, thought is being given on how to move forward with Linux, and it is hoped that the Lab will have some ideas to put to the TPV / open-source community by the next TPV Developer meeting. It is also hoped that by that time, the Lab will have started work on a 64-bit Linux version of the viewer.

Other Items

The following are covered in brief. please fer to the video for specifics.

New Camera Presets Coming?

[09:14] Jonathan Yap, who has worked on various code contributions for the viewer including, most recently, graphics presets, is working on a new project, which appears to be updating the viewer’s camera presets.

Music Stream Autoplay

[16:45-28:09] A lengthy discussion takes place on music autoplay within the official viewer, and whether or not it should be enabled by default.

  • Having it enabled is seen a off-putting to new users, as it means they can be confronted with loud music playing over their system almost from the moment they log-in, with no apparent way to turn it off. This is seen as possibly causing some to log-off in frustration
  • Having it disabled by default is seen as breaking the shared experience in regions where the creator has specifically included music streaming as a part of the environment
  • The compromise is potentially for the default volume on media to be reduced.

(Note, this discussion also drags on between 29:45-33:50, after the above agreement being reached.)

Click-to-Walk

[28:45] In a similar vein, a request was made to disable click-to-walk, as it has been observed that new users get confused when they find their avatar apparently moving when they haven’t touched their keyboard.  A JIRA on this has been requested.

Group Chat Issues and Group Notice Deliveries

[34:59] Group chat lag become more noticeable over the holiday period. However, the Lab ran a restart of the back-end group chat servers, and this appeared to resolve the majority of issues. If specific groups are still experiencing issues, JIRAs are requested.

[36:49] There are reports that the problem of group notices not always getting through is getting worse. So people don’t get the notice, others get them twice, etc. A JIRA, BUG-40824, has been raised on issues with off-line receipts of group notices as well.

As an aside to this, a fix is in progress t ensure that off-line messages, which may not always get delivered at the next log-in, will be delivered.

Environment Maps, Shiny, Projectors and More

[42:29-end-of-meeting] The end of the meeting centres on a convoluted discussion on the environment map used for the sky, shiny / glossiness, etc. In sort, there is a request for region holders / creators to be able to replace the environment map with a texture of their own choosing. On the plus side, among other things, this could allow things like easier simulation of reflections using projectors. on the negative side, again among other things, it could break a lot of existing content.

Changes to the environment map, providing they can be shown to have specific benefits and do not break existing content, have not been ruled out. However, a specific proposal is really required.