Comparison (not overly great) between 2K BOM (l) and current maximum of 1K (r). Credit: Girl Crush (Zipper) via Linden Lab
Following Pepper Linden’s statement at the Tuesday, February 4th, 2025 Simulator User Group meeting that Second Life 2K Bakes on Mesh support is now grid-wide, Linden Lab posted an official announcement on Thursday, February 6th, 2025.
Residents, the wait is over! We’re thrilled to announce that as of February 3rd, 2025, 2K Bakes on Mesh (BOM) is now officially live!
After an exciting round of testing on Aditi, where many of you helped us refine this feature (thank you, beta testers!), we’re now rolling it out to the main grid. That means higher-resolution baked textures are here to take your avatars to the next level!
This is the service that allows compatible wearable textures – skins, clothing layers, tattoos – to be baked at up to 2048×2048 resolution, which should lead to them appearing crisper and sharper on avatars (system or mesh with Bakes on Mesh enabled), although the following should be noted:
Bakes will be to the highest texture resolution in the bake composition (e.g. if the highest resolution among the layers – skin, clothing, etc – is 512x512K, then the overall bake will be 512x512K overall; if the highest resolution is 1024x1024K, then the bake will be 1024x1024K; if just one texture is 2048×2048, then the entire bake will by 2048×2048).
The exception to this is eye textures: these will never be bakes any anything higher than 512x512K (so there is not need for creators to start producing 2048×2048 eyes).
This blog post include sample shots- one of which is included in this post – and people should read the official post for full details.
Feedback is requested via the feedback portal, or via the weekly Simulator User Group (SUG) meetings, held Tuesdays at 12:00 noon SLT at this location.
The following notes cover the key points from the Web User Group (WUG) meeting, held on Wednesday February 5th, 2025. They form a summary of the items discussed and is not intended to be a full transcript. A video of the meeting, recorded by Pantera Północy, is embedded at the end of this summary – my thanks as always to Pantera for recording it and making it available.
The Web User Group exists to provide an opportunity for discussion on Second Life web properties and their related functionalities / features. This includes, but is not limited to: the Marketplace, pages surfaced through the secondlife.com dashboard; the available portals (land, support, etc), the forums.
As a rule, these meetings are conducted:
On the first Wednesday of the month and 14:00 SLT.
Meetings are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.
As reported following the January meeting, the dashboard page (secondlife.com) received something of a refresh, utilising the new colour scheme, banner, etc., but not offering a choice of themes.
Featured News Blog feed: the Feature News blog widget on the default viewer log-in screen (“Linden News” on Firestorm) has been fixed to display correctly, the the Event screen on that splash screen has been enlarged.
The blog feed on the viewer splash screen has been fixed, and the Events listing increased in size
Second life web maps – fixes to several issues, and a basic refresh (change of colour to the teleport button); however, web maps still do not provide meaningful information on places highlighted, which has previously been noted as something the Web Team would like to address; nor does it search by region name.
A new “secret thing” which, at the time of the meeting, “could not be talked about”.
Marketplace
[Video: 13:37-18:51] A suggestion to allow people to “subscribe” to their favourite stores, allowing them to see a page for those stores listing all of the recent new items added to the stores.
However, this functionality already exists (albeit it with a limited display) using the Marketplace Favourites > Newest First; so rather than adding new functionality which effectively repeats what is there already, why not:
Refresh the existing page so it can display more than just 4 items per store – such as by using a left / right scrolling display a-la the Related Items section of the listing pages (and add an RSS feed based on the listing order selected via the drop-down options).
Surface this page better, so users are aware it exists and can access it quicker. , and perhaps make that page more accessible/visible and (if required) add an RSS feed to it which pushes information based on the selected drop-down?
[Video: 19:56-20:14] Marketplace: a request for an update on Marketplace Styles (aka “variants”) – e.g. allowing multiple colours of an item in a single listing – was made. This was functionality Reed Linden indicated would likely be deployed at that start of 2023, but which is (for whatever reason) still “not prioritised” for finishing / deployment.
[Video: 20:29-21:00] It is know that the keyword blocking on Ad Blocker (and similar tools) can actually block Marketplace listings.
[Video: 36:56 -38:17 ] Marketplace Shopping Events: having shopping event pages on the MP creators could register to join and on which have their nominated products listed. The pages could be set-up by creators on the MP for creators on the MP (like in-world shopping events), rather than jus LL-created events.
In Brief
It has been repeatedly noted across multiple meetings that the What’s Next pages (accessed via the menu bar at secondlife.com) are in need of update. This message has been repeatedly heard by LL, and noted as heard, such that updates to these pages should hopefully be deployed some time in the next month.
[26:35-36:30] A request from the web team for suggestions on what people would like to see added / improved. Suggestions included:
Making secondlife.com more dynamic (something I’ve directly discussed with Brett Linden and Philip Rosedale).
Making the websites feel more an extension to users’ in-world lives.
Web-based inventory management capability for carrying out basic inventory sorting tasks (moving items between folders, etc.).
Ability to respond to / send IMs from the web, rather than having to log-in via the viewer / SL Mobile.
Ability to carry out basic Group task: see notices, etc.
This discussion tipped into 3rd party tools such as browser extensions (such as Marketplace Enhancer – note: link does not indicate endorsement – for Firefox / Chrome / Edge) people use alongside of any SL web properties.
A request for some Last Name updates to include more “regular/international” names, rather than only rolling out updates based on a specific theme and / or holiday/event (e.g. as with the current crop of “Valentine’s Day” themed last names).
A suggestion for LL to promote resident-organised events celebrating notable days / holidays outside of those marked by the Lab as well (Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, etc.), such as by a category in the Destination Guide.
Request for more genuinely international themes of Linden Homes (e.g. “Alpine”, “Victorian” and “Mediterranean” are all US-centric versions of such buildings, and not necessarily representation of their European equivalents).
Also with Linden Homes, the promise to make the Premium Plus ability to request specific locations for a home more streamlined, rather than relying on Support tickets, has also slipped down the priority list.
An informal discussion on the Web team – all are remotely based, rather than office-based, they do have occasional get-togethers in person (although the formal annual full-staff meet-ups the Lab used to have – as noted on more than one occasion during Ebbe Altberg’s time with the Lab – have not been held “in a while”), as well as regular in-world team meetings/meetings via Zoom (or similar).
Art in Second Life can cover many genres, disciplines and forms – some of which can be controversial (perhaps most notably at the time this article was being written, the use of AI tools). The platform also has the ability to bring art – both from the platform itself and from the physical world – to an audience who might not otherwise come to see or appreciate. In this regard, Second Life can be an educational force for art and the history of art.
In this latter regard, I recently visited a fascinating exhibition concerning Renaissance artist with whom I was not overly familiar. Created by Camie Rembrandt, herself a creator and visual storyteller, The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola takes the visitor on a visual and informative dive into the life and art of a highly influential Italian artist, Sofonisba Anguissola. Located within the estate of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators (CDS), the installation also touches upon the work of both some of her contemporaries (including two of her sisters), and the influence she exerted over those who followed her.
The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola
For those – like me – previously unaware of Sofonisba, she was born around 1532 in one of the more modest Lombardy noble families, and received an education which included fine arts to become one of the first women painters to be accepted for formal apprenticeships and training as a student of art. As a young woman, her talent was recognised by Michelangelo when she moved to Rome, and in around 1559, she moved to Madrid to become a lady-in-waiting and personal tutor in art to Elizabeth of Valois, the Spanish Queen, and later an official court painter to the king, Philip II. This, coupled with her rising fame and financial independence (courtesy of two supportive husbands, the first the result of an arranged marriage on the part of Philip II, the second the result of love), allowed her to become a skilled and highly regarded artist, famous for her portraiture, willing to encourage and train younger artists.
Passing away at the astonishing age of 93, Sofonisba’s oeuvre had a lasting influence on subsequent generations of artists, influencing the likes of Rubens and Caravaggio, whilst inspiring a cadre of contemporary female artists to reach beyond the constraints placed on their education (such as not being able to study anatomy or nudity), and reach similar heights of ability and fame in painting, including Lavinia Fontana.
The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola
For her installation, Camie presents prints of some of Sofonisba’s most highly regarded works across five rooms:
Ground floor to the right of the landing point: family paintings by young Sofonisba, and regarded as her most attractive pieces, painted at a time when she had yet to have the formal strictures of courtly painting impressed upon her.
A selection of her self-portraits painted throughout her life – as Cami notes, between Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rijn, Sofonisba Anguissola produced the most numerous self-portraits of any artist in that period, laving us a rich legacy of work marking her passing years.
A selection of paintings from her 20-year career as a royal painter for the court of Philip II.
The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola
Upstairs, and split between two rooms are paintings by other artists:
The first room (furnished in a style befitting Anguissola’s time) contains works by Sofonisba’s sisters Lucia (2) and Europa (1) and by contemporary Lavinia Fontana (who studied with Anguissola before going on become perhaps the first female career artist in Western Europe, relying on commissions for her income.
The second room presents portraits of Sofonisba which contain their own mysteries. The first is that of The Sienna Portrait, featuring Bernadino Campi, one of her teachers, painting Sofonisba. The second is a piece by Antoon van Dyck, depicting Sofonisba shortly before her death. However, I’ll allow Cami to reveal the mysteries to you when you visit the exhibition.
What is particularly engaging with this exhibition is the care with which it has been developed. All of the images presented are public domain, and Cami guides visitor through the exhibition via 5 HUDs (one for each room and obtained from the INFO signs in each room, or via vendors in the upstairs lounge area if any of the signs prove recalcitrant). Also in the lounge area, visitors can find a catalogue for the exhibition Cami has put together and which offers even more insight to Sofonisba’s life and art and the pieces included in this exhibition, together with a video version of the catalogue.
The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola – one of the exhibition HUDs
A magnificent endeavour, rich in art and history, the The Art and Life of Sofonisba Anguissola should be visited by anyone with an interest in art and its history.
The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, February 4th, 2025 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. They form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript, and were taken from Pantera’s video of the meeting, which is embedded at the end – my thanks to her for providing it.
Meeting Overview
The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas.
Meetings are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.
Simulator Deployments
On Tuesday, February 4th, 2025, the simulators on the Main SLS channel were restarted with no update.
On Wednesday, February 5th, 2025:
The Banana Bread update will be deployed to the BlueSteel channel. This include expansions to llGetObjectPermMask that let you get an object’s permission mask taking into account the permissions on its inventory, and that ability has been added to llGOD.
The remaining RC channels will be restarted, most likely without any deployment.
SL Viewer Updates
Default viewer: version 7.1.11.12363455226, formerly the ExtraFPS RC (multiple performance fixes, aesthetic improvements and UI optimisations), dated December 17, promoted December 20 – No Change.
Release Candidate: Forever FPS, version 7.1.12.12999043440, February 4, 2025.
Numerous crash and performance fixes.
SL Mobile (Beta) version 2025.1.542 / 0.5.533 – Create / Delete accounts, fixes – February 4, 2025.
2K Bakes on Mesh is Live
2k BoM is now live! As of yesterday, we’ve switched over to the new bake service, and we’ll be posting a blog post soon!
– Pepper Linden
This deployment does not require a viewer update, and is grid-wide – more in the Lab’s official blog post (published February 6th). The update should also see faster bake times.
In Brief
Please refer to the video below for the following:
There are reports of an uptick in packet loss in simulator – viewer exchanges (reportedly 20% on average), and some are reporting associated lag with local chat.
This will allow a region owner/EM to set and adjust ground textures on a region, including some of the PBR features like rotation, offset and scale.
This work should be surfacing in the next simulator update after Banana Bed – called Carrot Cake.
Those who have tested ForeverFPS are reporting it offers an improve Linden Water appearance (fresnel reflection/refraction).
A request for increased terrain resolution led to a discussion on overhauling the terrain system in various ways, during which Leviathan Linden offered some history about Second Life and Linden World:
The terrain layer currently uses lossy DCT compression … The reason it uses DCT is ancient history: in the beginning SL (or Linden World as we called it back then) was expected to be sending dynamic layer data (terrain, water, wind, clouds, moisture, and ???). For dynamic layers we thought we should be using more compact compression. So terrain was a “layer” and grouped with the others. Eventually all the other layers were dropped and we ended up with a single mostly static layer that is using the wrong compression scheme.
The above was interwoven with a discussion on KVP data.
Various discussion on Luau and scripting.
A general discussion on region crossings.
Questions were asked on the Havoc physics engine. Currently, the viewer-side sub-library is being updated to Havok 2022, the simulator is running 2012.1, with Leviathan Linden noting that Havok has tried to “encourage” LL to update on the server-side; however, no physics update is likely to occur in the next year.
† The header images included in these summaries are not intended to represent anything discussed at the meetings; they are simply here to avoid a repeated image of a rooftop of people every week. They are taken from my list of region visits, with a link to the post for those interested.
Second Life accounts can new be created directly through SL Mobile
On Tuesday, February 4th, 2025, the SL Mobile app updated to version 2025.01.542 (Android) / 0.5.533 (iOS). Chief among the enhancement included is the promised Create Account options, together with the ability to delete an account (if you really want to).
Account Creation
The Create Account workflow is similar to that found when signing-up to Second Life via the official Second Life website, but laid out in a manner suitable for smaller screens, and the key points aspects are:
Account creation is initiated directly from the SL Mobile log-in splash screen, which now has a Create Account option directly under the account credentials fields.
Tapping this option takes the user to the Account Creation screen where a user name, password, email address, date of birth, etc., can be entered.
As per the web sign-up process the e-mail account must be verified within 24 hours by replying to the message that has been sent to it.
This page also requires the acceptance of the Terms of Service and Second Life Terms of Service – again, just like the web-oriented sign-up, and which are presented to links to read both.
There is also an option to opt-in to the receipt of emails, etc., from the Lab, and a requirement to check a Capcha box.
Initial steps in account creation via SL Mobile: the splash screen option (l) and the sign-up page ((c) and (r)
Once completed, the form is processed and the user moves on to avatar selection – gender, facial appearance, hair style, outfit selection / clothing selection, etc, again much as the web sign-up process operates.
This section uses sliders and tap options to move between selections and to make specific choices (e.g. skin, clothing hair colours, style on clothing, footwear, etc.).
Once that avatar shale, gender, skin, clothing, etc., have by set to the user’s satisfaction, tapping the Continue button at the top of the screen will complete the avatar selection process and take the used back the the SL Mobile logging splash screen, complete with their user name entered in the top field.
The avatar selection process through SL Mobile flows much the same workflow as seen when signing-up via the SL website
The new account password can then be entered, and the account logged-in, delivering the avatar to Campwich Forest, the default arrival location for those joining via SL Mobile.
Account Deletion
It is now possible to delete an account directly from the SL Mobile app, should you wish:
Display the app’s menu.
Tap Help
Tap the Delete Account option and follow the required steps. Options to progress through the deletion request process will become enabled as required fields are completed.
It is now possible to delete accounts through SL Mobile, with options to progress becoming enabled as required fields are updated by the user
Additional Updates
The new Bone Attachment Developer Tools option (requires restart)
A fix for the formatting issues with off-line Group notices.
A new setting in Developer tools – Bone Attachment Point Handling.
This is off by default – so no behaviour change from previous versions of the app.
When enabled, can improve avatar mesh appearance handling – although a restart is required after changing the setting to see the results.
Warning: this option might also cause new problems! If you see anything untoward as a result of enabling – please provide feedback to the Lab.
More debug information relating to rigged meshes is sent for developers to use.
Personal Feedback
My own experience of the sign-up process was – painful, with the first page of the sign-up process repeatedly causing SL Mobile to repeatedly freeze.
I have no idea where the problem lay (my hardware – Android 13, with Octa-core (2×1.6 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.6 GHz Cortex-A55) CPU; Mali-G57 MP1; 8Gb primary RAM + 8Gb from 256Gb internal storage -; my wi-fi or something within the app and how it was processing the sign-up page (the avatar selection / customisation process was a lot smoother). Hopefully, this is not a common problem, as adding account creation to SL mobile is a good move for obvious reasons.
As a general note to the Lab, I would suggest placing an avatar mover at the default landing point at Campwich Forest. My test avatar arrived among a group of 12 so tightly packed together no-one could move without slamming into one another (and getting stuck, as push did not appear to be working).
By contrast, account deletion was straight-forward (bye-bye test account!), but I did not experiment with the new Bone Attachment option, as I’ve not noted any issues with the rigged meshes I routinely wear, so see no reason to toggle the setting.
Update, March 27th: Dreamer’s Landing is being overhauled and is currently closed.
Co-founded by Ⱥvalon Bouvier and Fire (Fire3850), I first dropped into Dreamer’s Landing in mid-December 2024, drawn by the concept of a setting which brings together both those new to Second Life and those engaged with the platform in order to foment a sense of community, learning, encouragement and support, in which new users gain a better foothold in-world, from being able to find a free home through to having the opportunities for direct mentorship and to engage in social events – users can even apply for jobs within the setting.
At the time of my first visit, there was still work going on setting-up parts of the region, so I had intended to hop back again at the start of the New Year and take a detailed look at Dreamer’s Landing; unfortunately, things being what they were, I didn’t manage to do so until later January – so my apologies to Fire, Avalon and their team for the delay in getting this article put together.
Our mission at Dreamer’s Landing is to provide housing, mentorship and community to new and experienced SL members, where everyone contributes and respects the people within the community. We do this by attracting seasoned residents who want to create community and mentoring.
– Dreamer’s Landing Mission Statement
Dreamer’s Landing, restaurant – February 2025
Occupying a Full private region utilising the Land Capacity bonus offered by Linden Lab, Dreamer’s Landing is not currently a part of the Lab’s Community Gateway programme, as re-launched in 2017. This is primarily because it is more a “next step” community for new users rather than a place for leaping in from sign-up and getting started; however, it does have links with several community gateways, including the Lab’s own welcome hub, where such on-boarding does occur. By keeping a little apart from the usual mix of on-boarding, focused learning (mixing self-learning with mentor support) found within “traditional” Community Gateways, Dreamer’s Landing is able to focus more on personalised support built around the overall sense of community.
In addition, Members of the team may have their own homes within the community and are very much a part of social activities; thus, the sense of friendship and community is further fostered, and this helps lower any embarrassment newer users might otherwise feel when it comes to asking questions / seeking assistance. Within this, Dreamer’s Landing wraps within itself the concept of paying forward; new users obtaining a home within the region are asked to give a little back to the community in support of others, as Avalon noted to me.
We have about 12 mentors at the moment who are volunteering to spend time with our new residents, and we have onboarded 14 new residents so far, hopefully giving them all a lift up to their new life in SL. Part of the project is that we encourage new users to give back by becoming greeters at the Landing Point or by contributing directly to the rest of the community here. We also try to encourage them to discover things they’d like to do in-world.
– Avalon Bouvier, co-founder, Dreamer’s Landing
Dreamer’s Landing, February 2025
The Landing Point is located on the ground level of the region, which has been attractively laid out in a style of 18th and 19th century French metropolitan architecture, with some Greco-Romano touches. A region surround offers a sense of greater space, whilst the region as a whole mixes community spaces, a small business district, gardens, and residential rentals, all brought together by cobbled avenues and boulevards. As well as the gardens and parks, copses of trees and the waterway cutting through the region help to avoid any sense of the setting being overcrowded.
The residential properties here are kept to the outer edges of the region to offer those renting them with a sense of personal space. If I understand things correctly, these units – taking the form of large classical French townhouses as might be found in Paris – are available to volunteer mentors and new users who wish to remain a part of the community.
The Landing Point sits within the small business district with boutique-style shops focused on fashion, couture and avatar customisation, together with gallery spaces to introduce newcomers to SL’s art scene, and similar. It is rounded-off by the local café, which joins with the dancing / music / games square towards the centre of the setting, the restaurant to east with its outdoor terrace / dance area build over the waters of a small cove, and the pool, spa and beach to the south-west as the major event and activity spaces.
Dreamer’s Landing – new user homes, February 2025
Getting around the ground level is easy enough on foot, but the various areas are also linked by the Dreamer’s Landing teleport system which also provides access to the region’s sky platforms. These include:
The Education Centre – where classroom lessons can be obtained for those who prefer them, together with self-help guides (touch the bookcases), and residents can apply for volunteer and paid jobs within the community (ads for these can also be found on the ground level). This level also includes the Dreamer’s Landing passport centre and a gifts centre to help new users to get started.
The Sandbox – where community members can unpack boxed items they have obtained, practice building, etc., and where community paintball games might be held.
The Walk-in Closet – offering space for users to sort their inventory, try outfits, learn about (and purchase) web-based inventory management systems, change their appearance / adjust the positioning of non-rigged attachments and try them out with various poses, etc., with with the assistance of others or in private changing facilities if they prefer.
Dreamer’s Landing – Education Centre, February 2025
And of course there is the new user free housing. This takes the form a chalet-style housing spread over a sky platform with light landscaping, with personal touches added by the Dreamer’s Landing team, such as a sign welcoming incoming users to their new home and small outdoor community spaces as well.
We currently have 24 free homes for new residents, with about half occupied. Each house is supplied with furnishings and décor, and have an additional 50 LI for personal use. However, if someone wants to have the supplied furniture removed, they can, and that will give them up to 100 LI for personal use. Houses are generally supplied for a two-month period to help people get started, although this might on occasion be extended according to circumstance.
– Fire3850, co-founder, Dreamer’s Landing
Dreamer’s Landing – new user homes, February 2025
From my multiple visits to Dreamer’s Landing, I can personally attest to the friendliness and helpfulness of the folk at Dreamer’s Landing – both established and those who are more recent to Second Life and have volunteered to help within the community. If you know of any recent arrivals to Second Life who are looking for somewhere they might initially treat as home and be among a helpful community – be sure to direct them towards Dreamer’s Landing. Further information on the community – including the schedule of events and entertainment – can be found at the Dreamer’s Landing website.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 