What we can do to automate materials is limited by the lack of script functions to change materials. The legacy materials have scripting functions. Those however only change the older material properties. There is no script control for normal and specular maps.
Simon Linden is working on LSL functions for materials normal and specular maps. Maestro Linden has been testing them. This week (21) Simon did not see them ready for any testing in ADITI. But, that they have been working on them and playing with them is great news.
Projector Functions
Another requested feature is script controls for projectors. See: SCR-163 – New PrimitiveParams flag: PRIM_PROJECTOR.
This would let us change the texture used in a projector. I suppose one could do slideshows on a wall. Surely there are more creative things people have in mind. But, for now we have no script functions to manipulate the projector textures and settings. A new feature is proposed to prive those controls. Then we could change; on/off, texture, fov, focus, ambience, color, intensity, radius, falloff.
The feature could make from interesting lighting effects in clubs.
If the chat order was not too scrambled, this is a feature Simon tell us has added to the Linden to do list. So, we may see it someday.
In any event he was asking how we thought such a feature might be abused. The group came up with some novel ideas. The Lindens want to limit the abuse potential as much as possible.
YAY FOR MATERIALS SET/GET IN LSL!