The Carter and Dar Show, hosted by Carter Giacobini and Dar Writer, isn’t something, I confess, I watch on a regular basis. There’s no bias here on my part, it’s just that I don’t have time to take everything going on in and around SL to take everything in.
However, on May 3rd, they broadcast a show featuring Jessica Lyon, recorded just after the release of Firestorm 4.4.0, so I tuned in to take a look. The show is just under an hour in length, with the interview with Jessica starting at the 12:50 mark.
Jessica Lyon with
During the show, Jessica talks about a range of topics, including: Server-side Baking / Appearance; the HTTP updates, very LOUD users, viewer bugs (and how it’s not always easy to catch everything), the “missing prim” issue and the interest list, why the z-offset Quick Preference is no more in Firestorm, and more. She also explains some of the reasoning behind Firestorm and why it focuses so much on features and capabilities in comparison to the official viewer.
So, if you’re looking to find out more about Firestorm and what might be coming down the road, take a look at the Carter and Dar Show.
Linden Lab have announced a revamp to the way in which they will be releasing viewer updates in future.
Currently, the process for the majority of viewer changes is that they go through a progression – generally being seen first in the development channel (or sometimes prior to that in a project viewer), before moving through to the beat viewer (where updates go through what is effectively a final validation / user test) prior to being adopted into the SL release viewer.
This system has generally worked, but can cause problems, particularly when there is a lot going on in terms of projects and updates, and things end up being “queued up” for the release (as is currently the case, where CHUI, Server-side Baking / Appearance, and a host of other updates / fixes are concerned all being “queued” awaiting their turn in the beta viewer release channel.
Another problem – as seen at the end of last year – can be that should a significant issue occur within the beta viewer code, it can completely block further viewer releases until such time as the problem can be tracked down and effectively fixed. Last year this meant that viewer updates were effectively stalled for around a two month period while LL sought to isolate and fix the problem.
To try to overcome any bottlenecks which might occur with viewer releases, the Lab is adopting a similar process to that used by the server-side code release mechanism, as the blog post explains:
We’ll release more than one new version at the same time in parallel to subsets of users for final validation, and then promote the most important of the best of those to the default Release Viewer when that testing shows it to be ready.
If a development project wants to put out an early version for testing prior to it being ready for the Release channel, a channel specific to that project (either ‘Project <project>’ for very early versions, or ‘Beta <project>’ for more mature ones) will be created, just like we do today. These will be shut down when the project is ready to move to final testing in the Release channel, and users in the early project test channels will automatically be upgraded to the corresponding Release candidate version.
This means that in the coming weeks, we’ll start to see different versions of the viewer start to appear in parallel in their own “release candidate” channels, and people will be able to choose which versions they want to download and try-out. Once it is deemed the code from a specific “release candidate” viewer is ready for release, it will be integrated into the SL viewer and made available to the community through the established mechanism. As such, the beta viewer channel will be vanishing in the near future.
Quite how well different flavours of the viewer will run together on a single computer for those who want to try-out more than one upcoming release remains to be seen. Generally, different versions of the SL viewer tend to play nicely together. However, as was seen with the 3.4 and 3.5 code base changes problems can occur. In that particularly instance, running a development or beta viewer using the 3.5 code and then swapping back to the SL release viewer on the 3.4 code resulted in all the toolbar buttons vanishing from the latter.
The overall hope is that this change will mean that specific features and updates will reach the release version of the viewer at a greater pace than can be achieved with the current process, which in turn should not only smooth the path for new capabilities and features to reach users quicker (allowing for the inevitable bugs and hiccups such projects tend to encounter anyway), but perhaps also help in get fixes for significant issues and problems out to the mainstream viewer.
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 Viewer Round-up 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
By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information as the week progresses
The Viewer Round-up Page also 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.
Updates for the week ending: April 28th, 2013
SL Viewer updates:
Beta viewer released version 3.5.1.274588 on April 24th – core update: server-side baking / appearance (release notes)
Development viewer released version 3.5.2.274478 on April 23rd and then 3.5.2.274629 on April 24th
Niran’s Viewer released 2.2.0.2692 (Alpha) on April 24th and then 2.2.0.2692 (Alpha) on April 28th – core updates: server-side baking/appearance – release notes
One thing I neglected to mention in my recent review of Firestorm 4.4.0 is the inclusion – by Cinder Roxley – of Vincent Nacon’s alternative cloud maps, which can be used to change / enhance the rendering windlight clouds.
The default cloud layer seen over Extropia, using the AnaLutetia-outdoor windlight setting and the sun adjust to around 10:00.
I’ve no excuse for this, given Cinder actually nudged me on the matter prior to the release; just blame it on me having a blonde moment…
So, what is it all about? Quite simply, Firestorm now includes additional cloud maps made by Vincent Nacon, and which Cinder has added to the Preferences > Firestorm > Windlight tab for easy selection.
The Windlight cloud options
This presents you with four basic cloud types – the default map, Altocumulus (a middle altitude cloud, usually characterised by globular masses or rolls in layers or patches), Cumulonimbus (the familiar towering cloud formations associated with thunderstorms) and a “Layered” map. Do note that selecting any option other than the one already in use appears to require a viewer re-start in order to take effect.
Exactly what effect these different maps will have on your in-world view is a matter of experimenting with the various available windlight settings within Firestorm (a task made easier thanks to William Weaver’s Phototools). However, they can be used to produce some stunning effects – the images here are simply to provide some form of comparison.
Extropia seen under the same windlight setting as the first image in this article, but using the Layered cloud map.
What’s more, as Cinder indicated in her little nudge to me, you can create (or obtain) cloud maps of your own and add them to Firestorm to create your own unique cloud looks. “Drop any 8-bit grayscale tga with a power of 2 size you make or find under app_settings/windlight/clouds,” she comments, “And they’ll be automatically added to the list.”
For those wishing to try the cloud maps on other viewers, Vincent provides forum thread in which his discusses the maps and provides guidelines and caveats on their usage in viewers. Links to download the maps are also provided.
The Cumulonimbus map applied to the sky, using the same windlight setting and time of day – note the “stacking” effect visible in the formations on the right of the image, given the impression of some additional vertical height
The maps appear to be particularly well-suited to sunrise / sunset images, where the combination of sun and clouds can be particularly dramatic and result in some incredible images.
The blog post says it all – “old school” – a simple message with a lot of meaning. Kirstenlee Cinquetti has been twiddling under the hood with the S19 (v1-style) version of Kirsten’s Viewer with the result that an updated version – code-named “Blackbird” (version S19.404 at the time of writing) was released via Google Code on Wednesday 24th April.
This is the second time there has been a surprise update to one of Kirstenlee’s viewers – in September 2012 a couple of updates were made to the v2-style S22 viewer. As with those updates, the new release of S19 does not mean that Kirstenlee is returning to the field of viewer development per se. Nor is this a complete update – although it does incorporate a lot of v3 code and is Server-side Baking ready. As it stands, the release – as with the S22 releases in September 2012 – is offered “as is” and without support – and there is no time scale or firm commitment where further updates are concerned.
As readers, know, I’m not a fan of the v1-style interface, but I admit there is something pleasing about loading and running this release – quiet possibly because it is one of Kirstenlee’s builds, which, despite the odd hiccup between the viewer and my hardware, I’ve always felt pretty much at home with. Perhaps it’s the green :).
Some of the New Bits
I’m not proposing an in-depth review, but here are some of the main features in the update.
Server-side Baking / Appearance: as mentioned above, this update is “server-side baking / appearance ready – it will render avatars correctly on SSB/A-enabled regions and avatars using the viewer will render correctly to others. However, the new “hover” mode partial z-offset “fix” is not included in the Edit Appearance floater.
SSB/A-OK: O the left – S19 Blackbird rendering my Alt (on the SL SSB/A beta viewer) and I correctly on an SSB/A-enabled region; on the right – I render correctly in my Alt’s view
Mesh Uploads: Nicky Dasmijn’s mesh uploader is included in this release of S19, again bringing it into line with other viewers and the age of mesh.
Anaglyph [3D] rendering: Kirsten’s first introduced 3D rendering in the S22 viewer. While still very experimental, with all the interest in Oculus Rift, its inclusion in S19 with this release is perhaps a little pertinent and timely as a means of generating a 3D view in a viewer.
If you have 3D glasses, Kirsten’s latest S19 (404+) gives you a 3D world
Restrained Love: RLV comes to Kirsten’s viewer with a dedicated preferences panel which includes the ability to set a “profile” against your RLV use – one of “BDSM Persona-Player”, “BDSM Role-player” and “Non-BDSM”. These define how many (and which) RLV controls can be blacklisted (i.e. prevented from operating), so that, for an example, someone using the “Non-BDSM” option can make use of options such as automatic chat redirection, shared folders for changing outfits and “forced” teleports which necessarily having to also have the more restrictive RLV options active.
RLV comes to Kirsten’s Viewer – complete with a set of “profiles”
Pathfinding: Kirsten’s Viewer S19 also gains options to display pathfinding information on linksets and characters. These options are on the Tools menu. As S19 supports OpenSim, there is no navmesh visualisation as there is no Havok sub-licence agreement.
Comments
Overall, this is a sudden and interesting update to Kirsten’s original v1-style viewer, incorporating a lot of v3 code which more than makes it capable of running on today’s grid. On the whole I found it to be stable, and with performance levels I’ve tended to get from Klee’s builds (somewhat lower than with other builds for reasons I’ve never fully fathomed). I did encounter an odd issue – while I could run the viewer in deferred mode, when I enabled shadows, my in-world view turned black, and refused to come out of its sulk until I disabled shadows once more. Whether this was due to a problem with the viewer, or simply another of the hiccups which seem to occur between my hardware an Klee’s viewer builds at times, I couldn’t say.
There are a few bits missing from the update as well – no Depth of Field for photographers, for example, (although Dawny Daviau, Kirstenlee’s partner, tells me this might be coming). So don’t expect it to be fully up to S22 / v3 standards in terms of options, etc.
Again, this release is not a return of Kirsten’s viewer per se, although there is an open invitation for those who like the viewer or the v1-approach to give it a go. Just remember, support isn’t given – and it may be a while before a further update arrives.
In the meantime, some more 3D, this time courtesy of a video demonstration from Chantal Harvey, filmed back when the capability first appeared in Kirsten’s Viewer.
Update April 29th: Don’t forget my additional piece on the new cloud options in Firestorm 4.4.0.
Firestorm 4.4.0.33720 made its formal debut on Monday 22nd April, although it has been well and truly put through its paces by both the Firestorm beta testers and the preview group for some time now, in order to ensure it is as ready for mainstream release as possible. It includes a huge number of updates and revisions, both from the Firestorm team and their contributors and from Linden Lab.
Given the size of the release, this is not intended to be a review of absolutely everything within Firestorm 4.4.0 – please refer to the release change log for that. Instead, this review focuses on what I regard as the key updates / changes. As always, credits for the various updates and contributions to Firestorm which re mentioned here can be found in the release change log – again, please check them there.
Server-side Baking /Appearance Support
Note that this item is Second Life-specific.
This isn’t actually a visible change to the viewer in term of UI, etc., – but it is an important one.
Server-side Baking / Appearance is a major change within Second Life which is primarily aimed at reducing or eliminating issues of “bake fail” (when the avatar skin & clothing layers fail to render correctly and with remain blurred or show the avatar wearing the “wrong” outfit). This capability is being introduced in two parts: viewer-side support and server-side support.
Viewers which do not have the viewer-side support will not work with the Server-side Baking / Appearance service once it starts being deployed on the grid – people using them will increasingly see grey avatars around them. Therefore, it is essential that Firestorm users update to Firestorm 4.4.0.
Server-side baking and how others see you: (l) if you continue to run a viewer without SSB support when the new service goes live, others will see you as a cloud, (and, other than attachments, you’ll see them as grey); (r) when you’re running a viewer with SSB support, you’ll appear correctly to everyone else – and they will to you.
For further information on Server-side Baking / Appearance, see the following blog posts:
This release sees a large number of Preferences updates, all of which are reported in the change log, and which include:
Chat:
General: new option to select display name format for IM tabs – a drop-down list of: Display Name, Username, Display Name (Username) and Username (Display name)
Notifications: a new option to Show group chat in chat console (useful if you opt to hide chiclets – see below); new drop-down option for IM receipt sounds: Play sound only if not in focus
Graphics:
General: the Quality and Speed slider incorporates additional settings (Low-Med, Med-High and High-Ultra); Lighting and Shadows is renamed Advance Lighting Model (as per the LL viewer); the Depth of Field check box is moved to the Depth of Field tab; the Windlight Sky Detail slider and the Avatar Physics slider swap positions
Rendering: Max number of concurrent HTTP GET requests slider removed; check box to Enable rendering of screen space reflections added
Sound and Media > General: uses radio buttons to show stream title notifications in chat, toasts or to be turned off
Move & View:
View: new check boxes to: disable the mouse wheel from controlling camera zoom; Show user interface in Mouselook; Enable context menus in Mouselook and Leave Mouselook after regaining focus
Firestorm: new check boxes to Reset camera position on avatar movement and Show the default camera controls mini-floater always as opaque
User Interface > General: new check boxes to open group profiles, teleport history, landmarks, place details, block / mute list in their own floaters; adds an option to show / hide the media control in the menu bar (useful when using a skin which includes the media controls elsewhere) and an option to hide IM and group chat chiclets completely (the notifications envelope and the number of IM’s will remain on the screen all the time whether or not chiclets are disabled)
New User Interface > General options
Skins: new colour option (Ectoplasma) for AnsaStorm
Firestorm:
Windlight: new capability to define cloud texture
Build: options to default prim settings, texture and permissions on creation – see the Firestorm Custom Prim Parameters video tutorial and the Firestorm wiki
Backup tab – see below.
Custom Quick Preferences
A popular feature with Firestorm is the Quick Preference floater which, as the name suggests, provides fast and easy access to some of the most frequently used options in the viewer without having to open the “full” Preferences floater.
With release 4.4.0, the Quick Preferences floater has been made somewhat customisable – essentially allowing almost anything which is a debug setting to be added to the floater. However – be warned that this capability is considered to be for advanced users, and does require a willingness to delve deeper into the viewer than some users may be used to. Further, not every debug setting can be added to the floater.
Cutomising Quick Preferences (click to enlarge)
For those wishing to find out more, Firestorm have produced a tutorial video on using the Customise Quick Preferences option, and a Firestorm wiki page.
Settings Back-up
Often, when installing a new version of a viewer, the recommendation is that one performs a “clean install” – removing all cached and settings files. This can make any viewer installation labour-intensive, as settings all need to be restored after the installation is complete, and this can take time and effort.
Firestorm 4.4.0 attempts to ease some of the pain by presenting users with a Preferences option which allows them to back-up many of their global and account settings to a local hard drive. Once done, the back-up can then be restored to an updated version of Firestorm following installation; so providing the back-up is kept up-to-date, restoring the majority of preferred settings is no longer a chore.
The Preferences Backup tab and options
The back-up option can be found in Preferences > Backup. To use it, simply select a folder on a local hard-drive as the back-up location, then select those options which are to be saved; you can then delete all files associated with Firestorm prior to performing a clean install.
