Mesh Deformer Update 2013-14

Don’t get excited. There is no ETA on the Deformer nor is the project moving. However there is a new Project Viewer out (273384). You can find the link to it on the left column. (SL Mesh Deformer) Oz merged in the CHUI code.

About the only thing that has changed is the drama in the JIRA thread STORM-1716. We get more and more uninformed people commenting. Anyone reading the last couple of screens will be completely confused now. I tried to correct some of that mess.

Some think the Deformer doesn’t or mesh clothes won’t work with Avatar Physics. That is just plain old uninformed. It works just fine. Yay, Karl!

Some think they have ‘tried’ it and seen it NOT work. I’ll have to ask if the old deformer clothes have been removed from Hippotropolis… or wherever it is they are. Because those old clothes do NOT work with the current Mesh Deformer. Only the clothes uploaded with the latest version of the Deformer work. Then only when the clothes are uploaded with the Deformer flag set to enabled, which is not the case for most mesh clothes.  That shows even more how little some of the comment contributors know.

The Deformer has not changed in the last 2 or 3 viewer updates. So, it makes it hard to know which clothes will and won’t work. When in doubt re-upload.

Kisume Shan is still concerned about the deformation calculation time. When one first puts on a mesh clothing item that is set to use the Deformer, it can take seconds to minutes for the calculation to finish. In the mean time o ne is left wondering why the mesh clothes don’t fit.

My experience is that low poly stuff works just fine. The calc’s finish in 2 to 4 seconds or less. But on high poly items and old computers it can take minutes. So, Kitsume may have a point. I suppose if that problem is significant enough, it will have to be handled.

While lots of ideas have been proposed, I suspect in the end the Server Side Appearance process is where the calculations might be done, or at least where the calculation result could be cached. That would save every viewer having to recalc the deformation matrix. I have no way to know if that is even a possibility, but it sounds good to me.

5 thoughts on “Mesh Deformer Update 2013-14

  1. I can fully understand why the Jira is closed reading some of the comments.I would close it too…as for the calculation time, 2 – 4 seconds is on the boundaries of what i think is acceptable to process something. There are a ton of factors but I would hope that anything that takes minutes is taken back as far in the process as needed before it is released. I know everyone wants it out, but 1 minute is an eternity online.

    • I agree. A minute is a long time. People will think something is wrong until the learn differently.

      I think concern over this may be part of the reason the Deformer is on Hold.

  2. I can verify that viewer support isn’t needed to compile or use the new AO functions… Although the ability for “Stop Animating My Avatar” to also clear your AO will need a viewer update.

  3. Pingback: What is the Problem?!? | MetaReality Podcast

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