Category: Simulator User Group

SL project updates 16 7/1: server and viewer

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sorrow; Inara Pey, February 2016, on Flickr Sorrow – blog post

Server Deployments

There are no server deployments planned for this week, and no planned restarts for any of the channels.

There is an RC deployment planned for week #8 (week commencing Monday, February 22nd), details of which are still TBA.

As there have not been any rolling restarts, and won’t be any across the entire grid until around week #9, the advice is that if your region is behaving abnormally, file a support ticket to have it restarted. The Lab’s support team are aware that there are no scheduled restarts at present, so they should process requests OK.

SL Viewer

With Monday having been a holiday in the United States (Presidents’ Day), there was no meeting at the Lab to discuss viewer promotions.  This leaves the current list of Lab viewer unchanged from the end of week #6:

  • Current Release version: 4.0.1.310054, January 15 – formerly the Maintenance RC viewer download page, release notes
  • RC viewers:
    • HTTP updates and Vivox RC viewer updated to version 4.0.2.310660 on February 4 – combines the Project Azumarill RC and Vivox Voice RC updates into a single viewer  (download and release notes)
    • Maintenance RC viewer version 4.0.2.310545 released on February 2 – 38 updates. fixes and tweaks for memory leaks; viewer crashes; UI, permissions and mesh uploader bugs; visual muting issues, autopilot issues and duplicated calling cards (download and release notes)
    • Quick Graphics RC viewer updated to version 4.0.2.310127 on January 20 – provides the new Avatar Complexity options and the new graphics preset capabilities for setting, saving and restoring graphic settings for use in difference environments / circumstances (download and release notes)
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions) version 5.0.0.310099 released on January 20 – adds 90+ bones to the existing avatar skeleton (download and release notes)
    • Oculus Rift project viewer updated to version 3.7.18.295296 on October 13, 2015 – Oculus Rift DK2 support (download and release notes)
  • 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 (download and release notes).

As noted in my recent TPVD meeting report, further updates are expected to the HTTP / Vivox RC viewer and the Quick Graphics RC viewer, but these may not appear this week.

Region Crossings – Grey Box Issue

There have been increasing reports of region crossing issues, including the return of the “grey box” attachment issue which was originally seen in 2013 when crossing from a BlueSteel RC to any other region. This would see any passenger(s) sitting on a vehicle surrounded by (or even replaced by) a grey prim, and left with no choice but to relog, leaving the prim behind, attached to the vehicle.

Caitlyn recently got caught by the "grey box" issue as we were sailing on the north side of Blake Sea. If you encounter the problem, please file a JIRA with as much information as possible (see below)
Caitlyn recently got caught by the “grey box” issue as we were sailing on the north side of Blake Sea. If you encounter the problem, please file a JIRA with as much information as possible (see below)

At the time of the problem first appearing, Kelly Linden described it thus:

Every agent has a ‘task’ representation on the server that is the same as a prim. The bug is in sending the linked set w/ avatars to the other region: avatars after the first are losing the special avatar treatment and getting passed as a regular linked prim. So that prim is what the server thinks all avatars look like.

Simon then added:

The region crossing code basically un-sits avatars from an object, sends both the avatars and object to the next region [as separate sets of data], which puts them back together. In this case, the 2nd avatar doesn’t get detached properly and things go south from there. So the 2nd avatar gets sent over bundled up with the object … which it’s not designed to do.

It had been thought this issue had been dealt with via a fix for (non-public) BUG-3547. However, if it is resurfacing, the problem now is to pin it down in a reproducible manner, if indeed it is returning. Should you encounter it, please make sure you file a JIRA providing as much information as possible, including your viewer log files, the regions you were crossing between when it happened yo you (or your passengers), the date and time, details of the vehicle you were using, etc.

SL project updates 16 6/1: server and viewer

Posted on by Inara Pey

Calas Galadhon; Inara Pey, February 2016, on Flickr Calas Galadhon – Gulf of Lune – blog post

Server Deployments

There are no server deployments planned for week #6. The reason for this is that most of the staff directly involved in developing and enhancing the platform – the engineering team, product teams, etc., are meeting to discuss plans for further enhancements and improvement to Second Life in the coming month, as existing projects such as Bento continue to unfold.

This more than likely means the next deployment will take place Wednesday, February 17th, 2016, to at least one of the RC channels.

This also means the detailed project information is liable to be a little light this week as well.

SL Viewer

The HTTP / Vivox RC viewer was updated post my last SL projects Updates in week #5. Version 4.0.2.310660, issued on February 4th. This update includes three new fixes:

  • MAINT-6055 [corehttp] Win or Mac – voice does not stay connected on resume from sleep
  • MAINT-6064 Voice disappeared after rejected IM call
  • MAINT-6108 Cannot turn off ‘Console Window on next Run’ option in develop menu.

There has been no promotion to release viewer for any of the current RCs, which leaves things as follows for the release channel and project viewers:

  • Current Release version: 4.0.1.310054, January 15 – formerly the Maintenance RC viewer download page, release notes
  • RC viewer (+ the HTTP / Vivox RC above):
    • Maintenance RC viewer version 4.0.2.310545 released on February 2 – 38 updates. fixes and tweaks (download and release notes)
    • Quick Graphics RC viewer updated to version 4.0.2.310127 on January 20 – Avatar Complexity and graphics pre-sets (download and release notes)
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions) version 5.0.0.310099 released on January 20 – adds 90+ bones to the existing avatar skeleton (download and release notes)
    • Oculus Rift project viewer updated to version 3.7.18.295296 on October 13, 2015 – Oculus Rift DK2 support (download and release notes)
  • Obsolete platform viewer version 3.7.28.300847 dated May 8, 2015 – Windows XP and OS X older than 10.7 (download and release notes)

Open Development Meeting

The Open Development (also called the open source developer meeting), hosted in-world by Oz Linden, will be moving from Monday to Wednesday from February 17th, the time remains unchanged.

Core User Group Meetings

As a reminder, information on current LL technical user group meetings can be found on the SL wiki, and are summarised here. Meetings have an open attendance, but please note that are specifically for discussing the subjects listed. Question on matter such as support issues, the Terms of Service, LL’s general policies, etc., cannot be addressed at these meetings, which are chaired purely by members of the engineering and QA teams.

  • Tuesday, 12:00-13:00 SLT: Simulator User Group (formerly the Server / Sim Scripting group) – Simulator issues and technology. Held in text chat. Meeting SLurl
  • Wednesday,  07:00-08:00 SLT: Open Development – discussion of SL development, including open source contributions. Held in text chat. Meeting SLurl
  • Thursday, 13:00-14:00 SLT Project Bento  – Avatar Skeleton Extension project. Held in voice + text chat. Meeting SLurl (Aditi): Mesh Sandbox 2
  • Thursday, Server Beta User Group (SBUG) – server changes and public beta testing.  Held in text chat. Meeting SLurl (Aditi): Morris

There is also the TPV Developer meeting, held on alternate Fridays, which is specifically aimed at TPV Developers, and which is primarily held in voice.

SL project updates 16 5/1: Server and viewer

Posted on by Inara Pey

Calas Galadhon; Inara Pey, February 2016, on Flickr Calas Galadhon – the view along the revised coastline from Dimrill Dale towards Glanduin – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, check the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

On Tuesday, February 2nd, the Main (SLS) channel received server maintenance package 16.01.21.310177, previously deployed to the three RC channels, comprising Internal simulator fixes and a fix for BUG-1313 “LSL llSetPos in root prim of attachment behaves differently at high altitudes – viewer does not show updates”, which can cause attachments to fail to update correctly at altitudes over approximately 1500 metres.

There are no scheduled deployments to the RC channels for this week, and there are currently no plans for any deployments in week #6 (week commencing Monday, February 8th). Some suspect this is because nest week will see one of the semi-regular meetings those at the Lab directly involved in Second Life have to determine projects and priorities taking place.

Simulator Moves

The Tuesday rolling restart apparently included a number of simulators previously on the RC channels also being redeployed onto the Main (SLS) channel. There has been no word on why this is the case, although it might simply be a re-balancing of simulators between the various channels (Main, Magnum, LeTigre and BlueSteel), or part of a server load balancing operation (the Lab used to undertake periodic re-distribution of simulators by server, but I believe that process is far more automated nowadays).

SL Viewer

The anticipated Maintenance RC viewer arrived in the viewer release channel on Tuesday, February 2nd. Version 4.0.2.310545 includes some 38 updates and fixes for, but not limited to: memory leaks; viewer crashes; UI, permissions and mesh uploader bugs; visual muting issues, autopilot issues and duplicated calling cards (which should hopefully prevent people seeing some / many of the calling cards in their inventory duplicated each time they log-in to Second Life).

Outside of this, the current official viewers remain as:

  • Current Release version: 4.0.1.310054, January 15 – formerly the Maintenance RC viewer download page, release notes
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • HTTP updates and Vivox RC viewer, version 4.0.2.310349, dated January 27th
    • Quick Graphics RC viewer, version 4.0.2.310127, dated January 20th
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions), version 5.0.0.310099, dated January 20th
    • Oculus Rift project viewer, version 3.7.18.295296, dated October 13th, 2015
  • Obsolete platform viewer (Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7), version 3.7.28.300847 dated May 8th, 2015.

Project Bento Bone Survey

Those involved in work with the Project Bento avatar skeleton extensions are reminded that the  Bento Bone Survey,  while currently open, but is liable to be closed soon. The survey intended to gauge the level of interest in various bone proposals for the Bento skeleton is now available. So if you are an animator or content creator with a vested interest in Project Bento, and if you haven’t already completed the survey, please make sure you do so sooner rather than later. The Lab will be using the results to help with prioritising which additional bones people would like to see added to the Second Life avatar skeleton as a part of the Bento work.

SL project updates 16 4/1: server updates

Posted on by Inara Pey

Gates of Memories; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Gates of Memories – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, check the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

On Tuesday, January 26th, the Main (SLS) channel received the server maintenance package, 16.01.16.310114, previously deployed to the three RC channels. This comprises:

  • A simulator crash fix
  • A further feature request: llGetObjectDetails() functionality to get the parent_id of any task in the region (OBJECT_REZZER_KEY).

OBJECT_REZZER_KEY returns the parent_id of any task in the region. If the object came from an object rezzer it returns the ID of the parent object, while If it was rezzed by an avatar, it returns the agent ID of the avatar. The function only works for those objects rezzed in-world after the code deployment (objects in-world prior to deployment will return NULL_KEY).

On Wednesday, January 27th, the three RC channels should all receive a new server maintenance package,16.01.21.310177, comprising:

  • Internal simulator fixes
  • A fix for BUG-1313 “LSL llSetPos in root prim of attachment behaves differently at high altitudes – viewer does not show updates”, which can cause attachments to fail to update correctly at altitudes over approximately 1500 metres.

Deployment Slowdown

“FWIW, we’re likely to slow down on server updates in the next couple of weeks,” Simon Linden informed those attending the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, January 26th. “It’s not part of any evil plan, but I’m doing some internal maintenance work and travelling one week.”

How this plays out remains to be seen, but we should at least have one deployment to the Main (SLS) channel in week #5 (week commencing Monday, February 1st), assuming no issues are found, with the promotion of the this week’s RC deployment to that channel.

SL Viewer

no updates for the start of the week, with the current crop of viewers remaining:

  • Current Release version: 4.0.1.310054, January 15 – formerly the Maintenance RC viewer download page, release notes
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • HTTP updates and Vivox RC viewer, version 4.0.2.310097, dated January 19th
    • Quick Graphics RC viewer, version 4.0.2.310127, dated January 20th
  • Project viewers:
    • Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions), version 5.0.0.310099, dated January 20th
    • Oculus Rift project viewer, version 3.7.18.295296, dated October 13th, 2015
  • Obsolete platform viewer (Windows XP and OSX versions below 10.7), version 3.7.28.300847 dated May 8th, 2015.

Other Items

Greater Local Region Control

A bug which has been getting repeated requests for attention, particularly by those engaged in SL combat activities, is BUG-8974, “Temp rez object are not rezzed in a timely manner”. It’s also one which hasn’t seem to be working its way to the top of the pile of things to be done. During the Simulator User Group Meeting, Simon expanded on one of these reasons this is the case:

“As I remember, it’s tied up with a larger idea: letting region owners pick different settings for the region based on the performance and safety you want.  Part of the problem is due to a throttle which was added for anti-griefing. So if you want temp rezzing faster, you might want that [throttle] looser, while a venue owner would definitely not want that [the throttle looser, due to the risk of griefing]. I can’t make promises but I hope to get to it soon.  It’s still on my list.”

SL project updates 16 3/2: Server, viewer, Bento and CEF + Flash

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Keys; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr The Keys (Flickr) – blog post

Server Deployments, Week 3 – Recap

As always, check the server deployment thread for any updates.

On Tuesday, January 19th, the Main (SLS) channel received the server update package previously deployed to the three RC channel. This comprises:

  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT – when targeting an object, OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT will return the total of all inventory types in each link of the linkset. See BUG-10575 for further details
  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_PRIM_COUNT – provides a means to get a worn attachment’s prim count (rather than just returning 0).  See BUG-10646 for further details.
  • Simulator crash fixes.

On Thursday, January 21st,  three RC channels received a new server maintenance package comprising a simulator crash fix and a further feature request: llGetObjectDetails() functionality to get the parent_id of any task in the region (OBJECT_REZZER_KEY). This returns the parent_id of any task in the region. If the object came from an object rezzer it returns the ID of the parent object, while If it was rezzed by an avatar, it returns the agent ID of the avatar. The function only works for those objects rezzed in-world after the code deployment (objects in-world prior to deployment will return NULL_KEY).

SL Viewer

The HTTP updates Vivox RC viewer updated  to version 4.0.2.310097 on January 19th, while January 20th saw the Quick Graphics RC viewer updated to version 4.0.2.310127, and the Project Bento (avatar skeleton extensions) viewer updated to version 5.0.0.310099.

Project Bento

I missed the greater part of the Project Bento meeting on Thursday, January 21st, so my apologies for not having a full report.

Cathy Foil demonstrates what can happen when an avatar using a mesh incorporating the new Bento bones deforms ...
Cathy Foil demonstrates what can happen when an avatar using a mesh incorporating the new Bento bones deforms …

Deformed Avatars: The lab is still asking for examples of avatars deforming as a result of using a mesh uploaded with different joint positions. If people have examples, Vir Linden requests that both the .DAE file and a copy of the mesh model are forwarded to him so that the Lab can test items for themselves.

Elizabeth Jarvinen (polysail), also points to some discussion on the Bento forum threat on how to possibly correct the problem when it occurs. see: here, here and here).

.BVH and .ANIM uploaders: It was noted at the meeting that the .BVH and .ANIM uploader have different capabilities. The .BVH uplaoder is viewed as being not as robust as the .ANIM uploader, although it does include optimisations for animations which are not present in the .ANIM uploader. Oz Linden suggested that it would be nice if both uploaders shared the same level of robustness / capabilities.

Vir pointed out that the .BVH uploader has various optimisations which are not present for .ANIM uploads. So how parity between the two is achieved is unclear. fore example:

  • Is the optimisation code removed from the .BVM uploader or added to the .ANIM uploader?
  • Are the updates server-side, or should they be viewer-side, with the ability to preview animations prior to final upload to ensure they are playing correctly?

It is also open to question whether any such work, were it to be undertaken, would form a part of this initial Bento project.

Bento Bone Survey

I was absent (as noted) when this particular item was discussed, so I may have the details wrong. However, it appears that, as previously reported, the Lab are going to put out a survey asking for creators and animators to indicated their preferred additional bones out of those which have been suggested. The survey is liable to be published via the Bento forum and / or the Bento user group wiki page.

World Makers Filming

There will be a final Bento filming session for the upcoming Drax Files World Makers special on Monday, February 1st. Creators and animators who have examples of content using the Bento skeleton extensions and are willing to take part in the filing should contact Draxtor Despres in-world for further details.

Aditi Inventory Syncing

The code for merging main (Agni) inventories into beta (Aditi) grid inventories is still subject to final testing before being deployed to Aditi. As previously noted in these updates, when this does happen, it will mean that logging-in to Aditi will trigger an automatic merge of your Agni inventory with your Aditi inventory as a part of an overnight (PDT) process. This means that items unique to people’s inventories on Aditi will no longer be lost as a result of their Aditi inventory being overwritten by their Agni inventory (as is currently the case). Once deployed, this update also means that a password change will no longer trigger an inventory sync between the two grids.

Suggestions have been put forward that rather than merging Agni inventory directly into the Aditi inventory structure, the incoming Agni items are delivered to a new top-level folder (perhaps called “Agni” or “Main Grid”) during the merge process, so that people can easily distinguish between unique versions of items they’ve been editing on both Aditi and Agni.

Adobe Flash on CEF Viewers

As has been covered in this blog and others, the Second Life viewer, version 4.0.0+, and all v3 TPVs using that code now makes use of the Chromium Embedded Framework for supporting rich media, including Adobe Flash.

However, for the latter to work with the viewer, it requires a specific version of Flash to be installed on your system. For those interested, Jeremy Linden has provided a knowledge base article on what needs to be installed for the official viewer, and how. With thanks to Willow Wilder for the pointer.

 

SL project updates 16 3/1: Server updates and Bento examples

Posted on by Inara Pey

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams (Flickr) – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, check the server deployment thread for any updates.

On Tuesday, January 19th, the Main (SLS) channel received the server update package previously deployed to the three RC channel. This comprises:

  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT – when targeting an object, OBJECT_TOTAL_INVENTORY_COUNT will return the total of all inventory types in each link of the linkset. See BUG-10575 for further details
  • Feature Request: llGetObjectDetails() constant OBJECT_PRIM_COUNT – provides a means to get a worn attachment’s prim count (rather than just returning 0).  See BUG-10646 for further details.
  • Simulator crash fixes.

On Wednesday, January 20th, the three RC channels should be updated with a new server maintenance package. However, at the time of writing, it looked questionable if the deployment would go ahead. On  Tuesday, January 19th, Simon Linden informed the Simulator User Group meeting attendees that there was a problem on the latest deployment image for update which caused it to refuse to start, and was under investigation.

If the deployment does go ahead, it will comprise a simulator crash fix and a further feature request: llGetObjectDetails() functionality to get the parent_id of any task in the region (OBJECT_REZZER_KEY). This returns the parent_id of any task in the region:

  • If the object came from an object rezzer it returns the ID of the parent object
  • If it was rezzed by an avatar, it returns the agent ID of the avatar.

It will only return details for those objects rezzed in-world after the code has been implemented. Objects already in-world prior to deployment will be ignored (NULL_KEY is returned).

Project Bento

no major news here, other than initial filming for The Drax Files World Makers special on Bento took place on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016. There will be a further round of filming on Wednesday, January 20th. If you are an animator  / content creator who has something you’d like to demonstrate and possibly have filmed for the episode, please contact Draxtor Despres in-world ASAP.

In the meantime, a short piece I stitched together at the filming session, showing an avatar rigged to use the Bento finger extensions compared to a avatar without the rigging; a centaur and a part of bat wings (both by Aki Shichiroji)  utilising the Bento bones.

Finger animation in the video by Abramelin Wolfe. Elephant in the splash image by Medhue Simoni.