Category: Viewers

Viewer release summary 2012: week 40

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 being in adherence with 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: 7 October, 2012

Largely a quiet week. SL releases halted while crash issues / meomory leaks within the beta branch are eliminated; most TPVs awaiting fixes to resume their code merges. Lumiya issued a significant update to the Android client which brings it closer to being a functional mobile viewer for Second Life / OpenSim.

  • SL Viewer updates:
      • Beta version rolled to 3.4.1.265434 on October 4 – core updates: stabilisation / crash fix test version with tcmalloc included; fix for Microsoft Skydrive (download page; release notes)
      • Group Services project viewer rolled to 3.4.1.265496 on October 4th – core update: code to allow for fetching the group list via UDP if the new 10K cap on the UDP service isn’t detected in the server-side code
  • Zen rolled to 3.4.1.4 on October 6, to be quickly updated with 3.4.1.5 to fix a serious crash isse with 3.4.1.4. Cor updates (other than 3.4.1.5 crash fix):spell check primary dictionaries updated; QuickTime updated to 4.8.1; removed logout music streaming shutodwn delay; removed SL Destination & Avatar Picker from OpenSim; various performance updates, including cached control optimisation.
  • Group Tools release version 2.2.13.0 ob October 7. No details on updates or fixes
  • Lumiya released 2.3.0 on October 7 – core updates:Avatar & animation rendering; avatar outfit control; camera control in 3D view; ability to change active group; improved inventory update speed; assorted fixes, including ghosted objects.
  • Libretto – note that the website for the Libretto client has been unavailable since mid-September.

Related Links

Viewer release summary 2012: week 39

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 being in adherence with 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: 30 September, 2012

  • SL Viewer updates:
    • Beta version rolled to 3.4.1.265134 on September 24 – release notes
    • Development rolled to 3.4.2.265141 on September 25
    • Mesh project viewer rolled to 3.4.1.265139 on September 25, and then to 3.4.1.265192 on September 26. 3.4.1.265139 included an additional upload option for “scrawny male” shapes; 3.4.1.265192 saw the normal weighting calculation disabled, as it conflicted with how Blender creates sharp edges and would cause the deformer to split the edge
  • Kokua rolled to 3.3.4.23807 (GMa) on September 25 – core updates: Further Grid Manager updates, same build number as previous version, but GM designation updated to “GMa”. No release notes available
  • Zen version 3.4.1.3 was released on September 28 – core updates: updated to latest deformer code & inclusion of the Cool VL DEFORM_TO_CURRENT_SHAPE Patch; pathfinding updates; return of the Custom Colour options in the UI Skinning Panel & addition of Pie Menu Colour options; removal of unreliable NVidia OpenGL Shader switches; further windlight presets; assorted minor updates & fixes
  •  Cool Viewer Stable rolled to 1.26.4.32 and Experimental to 1.26.5.11, both on September 29. Core updates:
    • Stable: fix for issue of new server messages not showing; minor assorted fixes
    • Experimental: updated to latest deformer code; added a patch allowing the upload of deformer-ready mesh which is referenced to the shape your avatar is wearing when you upload that mesh;
    • Release notes for both
  • LittleSight for Android rolled to 1.4.0 on September 25 – core changes: minor bug fix.
  • Libretto – note that the website for the Libretto client has been unavailable since mid-September.

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Kirsten’s Viewer: a trip down memory lane

Posted on by Inara Pey

On Sunday 23rd September, Kirstenlee Cinquetti made a surprise update to Kirsten’s Viewer. It was accompanied by a short blog post:

I cannot help but find myself drawn in once more, you would think after nearly ten years of what sometimes seems like punishment you would throw in the towel.

But like I have stated in the past you catch a spark of what could be.. and once more you re-discover.

The shape or form of your time devoted to this most unusual habit is not yet set in stone, but you know you quite fancy the journey once again.

Version S22(1a) was not a major update to the viewer, and wasn’t intended to be, although it has been followed by a second release on the 26th, version S22 2.8.2 (11). Both are still very much Viewer 2 in terms of UI, and are more “tidy-ups” rather than any resumption of development.

Seeing the old V2-style UI actually brought a smile to my face. Well, not so much a smile as a big, sloppy grin. Even though I’ve never been a fan of the tabs on the right side of the screen, I’ve still missed the Sidebar in so many ways. It is ironic that by the time LL decided to remove it altogether, several TPVs had re-worked it into something that was both reasonably functional and no longer a blight on people’s use of SL – with Kirsten’s Viewer being at the forefront of many of the early improvements and Sidebar innovations.

Kisten’s Viewer: a trip down memory lane

That this isn’t a return of Kirsten’s viewer – and shouldn’t be taken as such – was made clear by Kirsten’s partner, Dawny Daviau, who chatted with me earlier this evening about the updates. “He grabbed the latest Kirstens viewer and just played a bit with it and compiled it again with just here and there an adjustment,” she explained. “There wont be any serious work anymore done as he still works and doesn’t have the time for that. It’s just refreshed, and wont get the new things LL offers now like pathfinding etc. See it as recreational work on the viewer but because we had so many requests for the viewer we put it up for the fans.”

One of the last releases on Kirsten’s Viewer included a (still unique) 3D view of the world. That’s still present in the updates – you can find the option under Preferences->Graphics->Advanced-> Misc->Toggle Anaglyph Render. You may also need to disable deferred rendering (lighting and shadows) – but if you’re able to view 3D rendering on your computer, it brings a whole new depth to Second Life.

Being based on V2, performance isn’t perhaps as good as the latest generation of V3.x viewers. On my system, it ran at around 23 fps at ground level with deferred off and Draw set to 128m. Pushing Draw up to my usual test range of 360m reduce the frame rate to around 18 fps. However, I do have an older GPU, and it did always tend to struggle with Kirsten’s, sadly. This is reflected by the fact that with deferred active, I was reduced to single digit frame rates – just 7 fps at 128m, and 4 at 360m.

There is far too much in V3.x I’ve become used to  – and dependent upon, in some respects –  to make a return to using Kirsten’s viewer full-time, but seeing these two releases was a welcome trip down memory lane, tinged with no small measure of regret at what might have been, had the Crowdfunder funding raised enough for work on the viewer to continue.

Related Links

With thanks to Nalates Urriah.

Viewer release summary 2012: week 38

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 being in adherence with 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: 23 September, 2012

  • SL Viewer updates:
    • Current Release rolled to 3.4.0.264911 on September 20 – release notes
    • Beta version rolled to 3.4.0.264785 on September 20 – release notes
  • Dolphin issued 3.3.21.24786 on September 23 – core updates: Windlight updates (some pre-sets renamed, inclusion of new pre-sets & removal of duplicates); new Reset button on machininima floater; RLV updated to 2.08.03.04; fix for Linux viewer stalling when text printed on the on-screen console (release notes)
  • Kokua rolled to 3.3.4.23807 (GM) on September 20 – core updates: Grid Manager changes and fixes. No release notes available
  • Zen rolled to 3.4.1.2 on September 20 – core updates: performance updates; Show Avatar Location in Status Bar; assorted fixes; release of Phototools options (taken from Firestorm ahead of official launch) – release notes
  • Cool Viewer the Stable branch rolled to 1.26.4.31 and the Experimental branch to 1.26.5.10, both on September 22. Core updates:
    • Stable: improved Preferences->Graphics tab layout; Fixed MultipleUpdate messages and the object import feature (both SL only); Implemented Singularity fix for SLPlugin.exe preventing media from playing (Windows only); fixed Max OS-X build system issues; fixed OpenSim crash issue / when using the status bar search box; assorted other memory and minor fixes
    • Experimental: as per 1.26.4.31, plus:fix for rendering system memory leak; fixed the deferred rendering invisprims support
    • Release notes for both
  • Pocket Metaverse updated to version 1.7.2 – September 13 core update: iOS6 support (missed from last week)

Related Links

Group tools: giving notice to people

Posted on by Inara Pey

Group Tools is a Windows client for Second Life specifically designed for those who need to send out group notices or IM messages simultaneously across a number of groups.

Rather than having to create individual notices for each group, or copy & paste a message multiple times into different group IM sessions, Group Tools allows you to set up a single message (with attachments, if required) as a notice, as an IM or both, to all groups you have determined should receive the information. As such, the client is aimed towards people like entertainers, large event organisers, venue owners, and so on, who may operate multiple groups which need to receive the same information, or are members of multiple groups to which they frequently send the same information.

To achieve its goals, Group Tools is designed to be used with an alt account, which is treated as an in-world bot for the sending of messages. So to make effective use of the client, you will either require an alt account which can be used in this way, or create one specifically for use with Group Tools. The bot itself needs to be a member of all the groups to which you regularly send IMs and notices (ans will require permission to send out notices in the case of the latter), and be logged into SL via Group Tools in order to send messages as required. To add flexibility, Group Tools includes the concept of an “Operator’s Group”, which allows those you trust to be able to send out notices / IMs through the bot (they do not need to be running Group Tools).

Account Registration

Group Tools is unusual in that it requires an account registration process and a licence fee payment in order to be used. The registering account should be your main account, which is used to manage your bots, and not any account you intend to use as a bot. Accounts are registered in-world at the Group Tools office.

Licence fees can be purchased on an in perpetuity basis (one payment only) or on a monthly renewable basis. For those wishing to try-out Group Tools, a free one week trail period is available, which provides access to Group Tools in full. Licence prices can be found on the Group Tools website, as can the Privacy Policy, which is a recommended read.

Registration will also supply you with a sample notecard which can be used as a template to help with formatting your own message notecards.

Once you have registered, you’re ready to download Group Tools (if you’ve not already done so), and set-up your bot(s).

Download and Install

The Group Tools download .EXE is 7.56Mb in size, and should install OK once downloaded. However, issues have been reported using Norton Internet Security, and guidelines have been posted on the Group Tools website for those who may encounter similar problems.

Control Centre

Group Tools comprises two parts: the Control Centre, used to set-up bots and log them into Second Life, and the Client Window, where specific operations can be carried out.

Launching Group Tools displays the Control Centre screen which you use to define your bot(s). Bots are set-up using the account name / password for an SL account and linking them to the registered  Master account. Account names are entered with a period between the first and last name, not a space (i.e. “Inara.Pey”, not “Inara Pey”).

Control Centre screen as it appears before any bots have been defined

Once this initial information has been entered, SAVE BOT should be clicked. This will create a dedicated bot account within Group Tools, complete with a Group Tools-specific password, which is quite separate to the bot’s SL password (and so cannot be used to log-in to SL with the bot via other means). Clicking SAVE BOT will also refresh the Control Centre screen to display a SETTINGS button next to the bot’s name. Clicking on this opens a tabbed panel (below), allowing further options to be set for the bot.

Updated log-in screen for a saved bot

The Settings tab comprises options to:

  • Set a default log-in location for the bot when using Group Tools
  • Allow the bot to automatically sit on a defined prim (useful if the bot is logged-in to a busy area and you do not what it to be an obstacle to traffic – just supply the UUID of the prim on which the bot is to sit)
  • Assign the bot to an Operators Group – see below.
  • Set whether or not Group Tools should start and log-in to SL using the bot whenever you start Windows.

The Misc tab allow you to set various options, including:

  • Whether or not the bot can accept friendship offers from anyone or just from operators
  • Whether the bot can use money
  • An automatic IM reply sent in response to incoming IMs
  • How inventory offers are received by the bot.

Once you have set / changed any of these options for a bot, make sure you click SAVE BOT to ensure the settings are correctly stored by Group Tools.

Continue reading “Group tools: giving notice to people” →

Viewer release summary 2012: week 37

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 being in adherence with 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: 16 September, 2012

  • SL Viewer updates:
    • Beta version rolled to 3.4.0.264601 on September 12 – release notes
    • Development: rolled to 3.3.5.264693 on September 13
  • Dolphin issued 3.3.20.24775 on September 16 – core updates: bug fixes including OOC closing correctly, use of “:” as umlaut when using MU* pose “:”, landmarks open from notecards correctly; new features including Groups list show number of used / free group slots; Groups hidden from profile display (when viewed by others) shown in yellow; Mac OSX build now digitally signed; RenderVolumeLOD defaults to 4.0 for High graphics; “All Friends” can now be hidden on Friends List; AO folder only created when client AO used; Object highlighting when editing can be turned off/on via ALT-H
  • Cool Viewer:
    • Stable branch rolled to 1.26.4.30 on September 15- core updates: Add fast timers from V3 backport; implemented toggleable, dual code paths for llTargetOmega() angles tracking; workaround for MultipleUpdate message bug on OpenSim
    • Experimental release rolled  to 1.26.5.9 also on September 15 – core updates as per 1.26.4.30, plus: Added the v3.4 renderer specific fast timers; Enabled invisiprims rendering in deferred rendering mode (Advanced->Rendering->Deferred Rendering menu); Fixed old style mini-map dots rendering issue (also fixes OpenGL compatibility context issue, speeding up deferred rendering)
    • Release notes for both
  • Singularity rolled to 1.7.2.2956 on September 16 – core updates: “crash fixes” (awaiting details) – release notes
  • GroupTools rolled to installer release 2.2.12.0 on September 16

Related Links