Category: Viewers

Viewer release summary 2012: week 48

Posted on by Inara Pey

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: 2 December, 2012

(With a couple of extras!)

  • SL Viewer updates:
      • Current version rolled to 3.4.2.267137 on November 26 – release notes
      • Development version rolled to 3.4.4.267322 on November 28
      • Mesh Deformer project viewer rolled to 3.4.1.267522 on December 1
  • Dolphin – two updates:
    • November 27 rolled to 3.4.4.26695 – core updates: primarily fixes and updates  – see the release notes
    • December 3 (included here due to updates) – rolled to 3.4.5.26752 – core updates: changes to graphics setting to reflect latest updates from LL reflecting the underlying changes to how graphics cards are grouped into classes; “rebake region” button moved into a menu option in Build/Pathfinding; adds fix for edge-on rotation always behaving as if “snap to grid” is enabled; columns in the Area Search floater can now be properly resized; IM tabs can now be vertically stacked in the Conversations floater – release notes
  • Firestorm rolled to a FULL release – 3.4.1.31155 on December 3 core updates: too many to mention; please see the release notes and my Beta release review (update to follow)
  • Niran’s viewer rolled to version 2.0.4.2321 on November 27 – core updates: ESC now closes the overlay floater; explanatory notes on issues with saving graphics presets; assorted fixes and updates – release notes
  • Cool VL updates:
    • Stable branch rolled to 1.26.4.41 on December 1 – core updates: removal of unused crash reporter (see release notes for explanation); improved default positioning of floater panels when running Cool VL for the first time; better defaults for the camera settings; improved the media HUD, now with a volume slider; implemented click events on the status bar stats graphs; added highlighting and tool tip support for the missing llGetParcelMusicURL() LSL function, and for the new LSL constants OBJECT_PHYSICS, OBJECT_PHANTOM and OBJECT_TEMP_ON_REZ; assorted fixes, including crash issue on opening/immediately closing pathfinding tools
    • Experimental branch rolled to 1.26.5.21 also on December 1 – core updates as per main release, plus: Many changes to shared media support see this message for details; fixed improper default settings for local lights and water reflections in the feature tables
    • Release notes
  • Libretto – removed from round-up page due to website being unavailable and client removed from the SL Third-party Viewer Directory.

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SL production viewer reaches 3.4.2

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update 18:35 GMT: Sometimes one reads the release notes and misses things. See the section on the Volume Controls towards the end of this article

The official SL viewer has now moved to the 3.4.2 code base with the release of version 3.4.2.267137.

This release brings with it a couple of signficant changes and a host of updates and fixes.

Steam Link-up Changes

Anyone performing a completely fresh install (including the removal of all account-related folders from the computer) will clearly see that the code for the forthcoming link-up with Steam is now present in the viewer, as the prompt to create an account will be prominently displayed.

The prompt displayed for anyone who installs the SL viewer for the first time – primarily aimed at those who will soon be able to download the viewer through Steam without necessarily having an SL account.

For those who do not perform a clean install, the prompt will not be displayed (as the viewer will locate existing account-related folders), nor will anyone who automatically updates their viewer should they see a prompt to do so. This means that the pop-up dialogue will not plague everyone who has an SL account, so shouldn’t be a source of annoyance. However, the cleaned-up bottom section of the screen (also with a “Create Your Account” option in the lower right corner) will obviously be visible to all, and gives a further indication that things are progressing.

This change also doesn’t mean the Steam link-up is live; I understand from Linden Lab that there are still some steps to be completed outside of this work. But again, given the viewer updates are starting to appear, it is reasonable to anticipate the time for a formal announcement to be drawing closer.

The prompt will also (I believe) be seen by those who come to SL via the “traditional” route of signing-up for an account first via the SL website (or any of the third-party sign-up options which may still be available) and then downloading the viewer. As such, it’ll be interesting to see if anyone gets a little confused by a prompt asking them to create an account when they believe they’ve already done so, rather than simply ignoring the pop-up by clicking CONTINUE.

Group Services Code

Large group management via HTTP service now part of the official release viewer

Key among the rest of the updates to the viewer is Baker Linden’s Group Services code designed to make use of the new HTTP service already available on the grid.

As there has been some confusion as to what this is all about, and at the risk of repeating myself, here’s a quick recap of the main points:

  • The new code allows for improved loading of membership lists of very large groups, together with improved reliability in editing such groups (i.e. assigning roles, removing people, etc.), by the group moderators
  • Until such time as the viewer-side code has been incorporated into all TPVs, the “old” method of loading group lists into the viewer will still be available. However, viewers using the “old” method (a protocol referred to as UDP) will have group loading capped at 10K members. This means:
    • That for groups with 10K or fewer members, there will be no change regardless as to whether the viewer is using HTTP or UDP
    • But for groups large than 10K, viewers running the UDP code will be unable to load the group until such time as they have been updated to the new code
  • The code will not lead to any improvements in group chat reliability, and is not aimed at improving group chat.

The new code is gradually appearing across all third-party viewers, with many already incorporating it ahead of this release from LL. Further, the Lab will not be “turning off” the UDP service in the short-term, so there is no risk of a viewer which hasn’t yet updated being completely unable to load any groups at all.

Volume Controls – Update

New volume control options

This release also see the official viewer adopt the “Quick volume” controls from Firestorm. These provide access to ALL major volume control options for the viewer, rather than just the master volume control, and can be accessed by hovering the mouse over the speaker icon in the top right of the viewer window.

The controls appear colourless as they are awaiting work to render them in the official viewer UI skin colour; as this work has yet to be completed (JIRA STORM-1868), I missed the fact that the update has reached the release version of the viewer when writing this update.

Other Notable Changes

The list of updates for the release is extensive (and unfortunately without any JIRA references where relevant and tha JIRA themselves are still public). As such, it is advisable to take a look at the release notes to determine what has been fixed / updated.

What’s NOT Included

The new HTTP texture fetching service code from Monty Linden is not in this release. this work is currently a part of the beta viewer project (viewer code base 3.4.3), and will be making its way into the release version of the viewer in the near future.

Performance and Feedback

Performance-wise, 3.4.2.267137 is very good on my personal set-up, and allowing for the arbitrary nature of such FPS tests.These were performed in my “new” test area, a premium sandbox with 3 other avatars present (and building):

  • Deferred off:
    • Ground: 38-39 fps
    • 370 metres: 43 fps
    • 2875 metres: 62 fps
  • Deferred on + lighting set to Sun/Moon + Projectors; ambient occlusion off:
    • Ground: 11 fps
    • 370 metres:16-17 fps
    • 2875 metres: 18 fps

The non-deferred rates have me wondering what might be achieved on an i5 machine with something like a GTX660 and oodles of memory with a 64-bit OS…

This is a somewhat overdue update to the official viewer and marks a return to periodic viewer releases. Linden Lab still have much more in the pipe to filter down to the release viewer, and it’s liable that we’ll be seeing Christmas before everything is sufficiently caught up such that the release cycle returns to its normal pace. In the meantime, there will be on-going frequent beta updates with changes filtering through to the release viewer as and when they are deemed ready. Overall, however, this release should be welcome news for those who use the official viewer.

Related Links

Viewer release summary 2012: week 47

Posted on by Inara Pey

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: 25 November, 2012

  • SL Viewer updates:
      • Beta version rolled to 3.4.3.267135, on November 20 – release notes
      • Development version rolled to 3.4.3.267201 on November 20
  • Exodus rolled to 12.11.24.1 on November 24 – core updates: large group management code; full pathfinging implementation (incl. navmesh visualisation); removal of OpenSim support from grid selector; removal of –loginuri support; various UI updates, bug fixes and minor changes – release notes
  • Zen Viewer rolled to 3.4.3.0 on November 24 – core updates: latest mesh deformer code; Reverted OpenJPEG Decoder; Area Search, Local Bitmaps, Build floater updates (script (Contents tab) and texture (Texture tab) options) from latest Firestorm Beta; re-categorized and shortened Object Context Menu  – release notes
  • Cool VL updates:
    • Stable branch rolled to 1.26.4.40 on November 24 – core updates: Reworked & renamed Audio & Video Preference tab (to Audio & Media); backported a fix to the new target omega code from viewer-development v3.4; fixed improper support for wheel mouse scroll events in parcel media; added a setting to override auto-zooming on media faces; added a “mute” button to the Media HUD; assorted minot fixes and ports
    • Experimental branch rolled to 1.26.5.20 also on November 24 – core updates as per main release, plus: Media on a Prim compiled and enabled. See this thread
    • Release notes
  • Libretto – removed from round-up page due to website being unavailable and client removed from the SL Third-party Viewer Directory.

Related Links

Exodus 12.11.24.1: a compact update

Posted on by Inara Pey

exodus-4Saturday November 24th saw the next release of Exodus hit the download page, and Ash Qin from the team was kind enough to give me the nod – I confess, I’d lost track of the nightly builds and so have fallen well behind with the viewer’s on-going development – and access to the beta release of the build.

Exodus 12.11.24.1 is based on the Linden 3.4.2 code base, so it includes the majority of the most recent updates from the Lab, including the new Group Services code for managing and editing groups with more than 10K members, and a host of other Linden goodness.

Installation

The Windows installer weighs-in at a touch over 34MB in size and contains absolutely no surprises during the install process – as one would expect. As per usual, I did a completely clean install, which brought me to my first surprise: on start-up Exodus displayed the Steam-related “Create Account” prompt.

No, Exodus isn’t going to Steam.

This doesn’t mean Exodus is heading for Steam a-la the official viewer, just that the Steam code is now part and parcel of the SL beta viewer code, and the Exodus team didn’t see any reason not to merge it into their code, given it is only ever something established users are ever going to see once after a fresh install (and possibly not at all if they don’t perform a clean install or the team moves to an updater system – which is something they are considering).

Pathfinding

This release brings with it pathfinding, which the team had originally hoped to release a lot sooner. This includes not only the build tools associated with pathfinding (Linksets and Characters floaters, attributes in the Build and Object Profile floaters, etc.), but also includes the Navmesh visualisation code, as Exodus becomes the latest viewer to sign-up to the Havok sub-licence agreement with Linden Lab.

An impressive image of Deshima, showing the navmesh visualisation in Exodus

This means that anyone who has been using Exodus to access OpenSim grids via –loginuri will no longer be able to do so when using this release. Similarly, the optional grid selector which can be displayed on the login splash screen only lists Agni (the main grid) and Aditi (the beta grid).

The move to the Havok sub-licence also means that with this release, Exodus moves to the official mesh upload code from LL, rather than using the HACD code which has been in common use within TPVs.

Group Services

Large groups will load and can be edited with this release of Exodus

As mentioned above, Exodus gains the large group management and editing code from Linden Lab with this release, allowing groups with 10K or more members to load in the Group floater and which allow group owners and officers to edit and manage very large groups.

Again, just as a point of reference for those unfamiliar with the new code changes: these do not relate to group chat or anything related to improving group chat. That is an entirely separate project within Linden Lab (and one which may not be being actively progressed while other work is being undertaken). This is purely about using HTTP protocols (rather than the old UDP) to bring more stability to the downloading, viewing and editing of very large groups.

Viewer Updates

Alongside the updates and fixes from LL, Exodus 12.11.24.1 gets a number of updates all of its own:

  • The Flickr option on the Snapshot floater now includes an option to include the parcel name / SLurl in the description
  • You can now Paste as Link’ and Copy as Link using the right-click or CTRL-SHIFT-V and CTRL-SHIFT-C using Exodus’ built in “pastebin” functionality
  • A Copy as Link button added to the About Second Life Viewer floater, allowing the information in the floater to be viewed via the web
  • A Copy Key option added to the avatar right-click context menu, allowing for easy copying of the Avatar Key.
Two new options for Exodus: the include location option for Flickr uploads on the Snapshot floater, and Copy as Link on the About Second Life Viewer

Fixes and Changes

Exodus 12.11.24.1 also includes a number of fixes and changes from the team:

  • MOTD should work now on OS X
  • Added copy key to gear menu for avatar inspection panels
  • Colouring of certain elements
  • BMP cursors on Linux
  • Higher compression of LZMA packages on Linux
  • Curl on OS X no longer defaults to trying to use IPv6 in Curl (related to MOTD issue).

Performance and Feedback

Performance-wise Exodus 12.11.24.1 again gives very similar results on my usual review system (see the panel on the right sidebar of this page) as recent viewer releases I’ve taken a look at in the last month:

  • Deferred off:
    • Ground: 28-29 fps
    • 370 metres: 36-38 fps
    • 2875 metres: 43-45 fps
  • Deferred on + lighting set to Sun/Moon + Projectors; ambient occlusion off:
    • Ground: 9 fps
    • 370 metres:15 fps
    • 2875 metres: 18 fps

Like like Catznip R7 and the recent Firestorm beta, these figures dropped only very slightly (just 1 fps on average) if I also activated ambient occlusion in deferred; again marking the fact that for me, things seem to have improved recently over the start of the year.

Compared to other recently releases, this one from Exodus is relatively small and compact – which doesn’t lessen its overall impact; once again it places Exodus back among the leaders of the V3-based TPV pack. There are still a couple of things I’d like to see, one of them being my usual request of TPVs in general: the ability to left / right range the toolbar buttons at the bottom (or top for those that use that space) of the screen. Only one does it so far, and it is really handly having the option.

Nevertheless, nothing should be taken away from the Exodus team, offering as they do a pleasing and worthwhile update.

Related Links

Viewer release summary 2012: week 46

Posted on by Inara Pey

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: 18 November, 2012

  • SL Viewer updates:
      • Beta version rolled to 3.4.2.266561 on November 14 and then to 3.4.2.266995 on November 18 (release notes)
      • Development version rolled to 3.4.3.267061 on November 15
  • Dolphin rolled to 3.4.3.26620 on November 18 – core updates: Group Services code updates for editing / managing large SL groups; items from multiple creators now show “multiple” rather than “unknown” when viewed in inventory (properties); new in-world maturity functionality (dialogue warning on trying to enter a region with a higher rating than your current setting &uption for setting to be updated); code base now up to LL’s latest viewer-dev and Marine Kelley’s RLV (2.08.03.04);  – release notes
  • Firestorm released 4.3.0.30936 Beta on November 15 specifically aimed at Firestorm users who need to edit and manage large SL groups – release notes
  • Niran’s viewer rolled to version 2.0.3.2262 on November 12 – core updates: Group Services code updates for editing / managing large SL groups; UI fixes and tweaks – release notes
  • Cool VL updates:
    • Stable branch rolled to 1.26.4.39 on November 17 – core updates: bug fixes, backport (and update to) V3 font rendering; improved the logic for the font size and the anisotropic settings; minor speed optimization to the world map backported from Singularity
    • Experimental branch rolled to 1.26.5.19 also on November 17 – core updates as per main release, plus:improved logic for the font size and the anisotropic settings has also been extended to the anti-aliasing setting; bugfix to the render pipeline backported from viewer-development v3.4
    • Release notes
  • The Group Tools Installer moved to version 2.2.15.0 on November 18 – no release notes available
  • Libretto – removed from round-up page due to website being unavailable for a month and no response from creator on status (also removed from the SL Third-party Viewer Directory)

Related Links

Firestorm 4.3.0: Cry “Havok!” and let slip the goodies of update

Posted on by Inara Pey

Firestorm 4.3.0 has arrived slightly earlier than expected, in the form of an initial beta release made as a result of the implementation of new Group Services code across the main grid.

While this is only a beta, and the associated Firestorm blog post gives fair notice that it may yet be somewhat wobbly while final work on getting it QA’d and ready for a formal release is ongoing, there is more than enough in the release to make it something people are liable to be hungry for. So here’s a preliminary review of the release as it stands today, with the caveat that things may change between now and the full release, which is currently scheduled for December.

Download and Installation

The download .EXE is big – 40MB, which is unsurprising given that Firestorm packs so much into it. I’ve been running pre-releases of this version for a while now, and the size has been consistent between them and while much bigger than other TPVs and the official viewer, it hasn’t grown overly much since the last release.

The installer is actually the place where the updates to the viewer begin for Windows users, as it now incorporates:

  • A pop-up requesting whether or not the user wishes to have a Windows Start menu entry created for Firestorm during installation
  • Addition of the version string and estimated installed size to the installer
  • Addition of new OS detection code to warn if Windows Service Packs are not up-to-date and to prevent Firestorm being installed on Windows XP with
  • Publisher data, Phoenix URLs and Firestorm icon for the Firestorm entry in the Windows uninstall list
  • Automatic deletion of all previously installed skins to reduce issues arising from an unclean install
  • Addition of a DETAILS button in the installer pop-up window to allow the installation to be reviewed.

Lab Updates

Version 4.3.0 of Firestorm sees the viewer merged-up the official Linden 3.4.1 code base and the inclusion of later updates which are just filtering through to the official viewer 3.4.2 code pipe. Together these mean that this release incorporates and number of LL updates, including:

  • Recent updates and improvements to the viewer-side pathfinding code
  • Memory leak and memory crash fixes
  • Translation updates (together with further updates from members of the Firestorm team)
  • Incorporation of the official LL spelling checker (contributed to LL by Kitty Barnett to LL) and the official Auto-replace function (contributed to LL by Kitty Barnett, Jonathan Yapp, Tankmaster Finesmith and LordGregGreg Back)
  • Rendering fixes and optimisations
  • Group Services (group management) update (from the LL 3.4.2 code branch) allowing groups with more than 10K members to be edited and updated
  • Objects by multiple creators show creator details when viewed in inventory (Properties), rather than “unknown”

This release also incorporates the new LL maturity rating function which:

  • Notifies a user when trying to enter a region without having set the required maturity level in the viewer and presents the option to change their maturity setting (subject to age verification)
  • If applicable, sends a message to the person offering a teleport that the recipient is unable to access the region due to their maturity level.

Havok Sub-licence

Firestorm 4.3.0 sees the implementation of the Havok sub-licence agreement between the Firestorm team and Linden Lab. This means that this is the first version of Firestorm to be released without any support for OpenSim access. Both –loginURI capabilities and the Grid Manager functionality have been removed.

However, as Jessica Lyon has previously noted, development of the viewer will be forking, and OpenSim support will continue in the future via a version of Firestorm which excludes the code required to access the LL Havok libraries. How tailored the OpenSim version will be for use on those grids is not clear, and those who use Firestorm to access both SL and OpenSim grids should read Jessica’s comments on support in the future.

The Havok sub-licence agreement does mean that this release of Firestorm can access the new LL-supplied Havok libraries which in the first instance, enable TPV viewers to visualise and model the pathfinding navmesh.

The pathfinding navmesh can now be visualised in Firestorm 4.3.0

Group Services

The Group Services update was the main reason for pushing out a beta release of Firestorm  4.3.0.

This code allows for improved loading of membership lists of very large groups, together with improved reliability in editing such groups (i.e. assigning roles, removing people, etc.), by the group moderators. The server-side element of this code has been available on the RC channels for the last couple of weeks, and was deployed to the main release channel on Tuesday November 13th, making it available right across the main grid.

However, in order to be used, it requires additional viewer-side code. Without this additional code, the viewer will be unable to display membership lists for groups with more than 10K members (although any groups with fewer than 10K of members can still be edited using any viewer). Thus, the decision was taken by the Firestorm team to release 4.3.0 in a beta version so that users responsible for managing groups with very large members lists can continue to edit them.

Group Services update – the difference: On the left, an attempt to load a group with almost 20K of members in the current release of Firestorm 4.2.2. On the right, the same group loaded using the new Firestorm 4.3.0 beta.

In making this release, Firestorm joins Cool VL and Niran’s Viewer in being able to handle large groups alongside the official SL beta viewer. However, the remaining TPVs are likely to have updates to support the capability out in the near future (and the code will soon be available in the SL release viewer as well).

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