The main channels are getting a roll today, Tuesday. This update is described as a security update. The release notes describe the update a minor changes, logging changes.

The RC channels remain as is, no update.

Viewers

The main viewer remains 4.0.7.318301, as of this morning. The same as last week. 

RC Second Life Visual Outfit Browser Viewer version 4.0.8.319463 – This viewer version has updated since last week, build 319143.

RC Second Life VLC Viewer version 4.1.1.318504 – No update since last week.

Second Life Project Bento Viewer version 5.0.0.318969 – no update since last week.

The changes to AvaStar are important at this point. They determine how many people are testing Bento. The current AvaStar alpha release is AvaStar 2.0 Alpha 10. The skeleton for Bento is stabilized meaning it is unlikely to change. AvaStar sliders are said to be working and provide results that will be what is seen in Second Life. It is the workflow in AvaStar that is currently being modified, at least that is what I understood from the last Project Bento UG meeting.

The last I heard the AvaStar people had not been into Sansar yet, which I find surprising. But, it may well be that what the Lab is learning about avatar creation and animation in SL is being translated into the Sansar avatars. If that is the case then Sansar avatars are, or sort of were, waiting, in some measure, for Project Bento phase one to finalize. That may explain why avatar people we know are yet to be invited in.

I expect Cathy Foil to be invited into Sanar. She is the one building MayaStar. Since Maya is the first modeling program the Lab supports for Sansar, it makes sense to me she would be important to their effort. But, will that actually happen? No one knows that is talking.

I also expect Sansar to use many of Penny Patton’s suggestions for Second Life scale and realism. That VR is a primary goal of the project suggests realistic dimensions and proportions are important. So, while they may not be paying that much attention to Penny’s writings, they basic nature of VR is going to push them to seriously consider the facets of 3D modeling scale and proportion that tended to get simplified and shorted priority in early SL development.

We are going to be seeing lots of new stuff in Second Life from Project Bento as Sansar opens to the general public in early 2017. We know the Lindens say they are working on other projects for SL, just not yet willing to say what. But, if your job depended on a product that was about to get a new competitor, what would you be planning? Something news worthy to create competing or shared headlines?

After all, those people writing about Sansar are likely to look at the ‘Lab’ in a generic sort of way and consider the Lab’s other products. Many of them get paid by the word. So, it would be good for them to have something they could write original words about. So… what will the Lindens be planning? Or are they just so geeky they are missing the whole marketing opportunity? Time will tell.