Pets
Another challenge is pets.
You may not have realized mesh items cannot be dropped. The code in the viewer and servers has never been written to allow a mesh prim/item to be ‘dropped’. Only basic prims can be dropped. The advanced mesh prim and the coming animesh prim cannot be dropped.
This means for a pet we want to pick up and carry and later set down and allow to roam, we cannot make it using mesh.
With mesh, there is also the problem that all shapes and animations have to be built into the item. We can’t change a mesh shape. So, animated mesh pets have a big Land-Impact impact. This is part of the reason for animesh, to get rid of massive polygon count items and still be able to animate them.
Piscine Mackenzie has given us a detailed picture of the problems they are facing making pets. LINK
Ownership Monopoly
A somewhat reasonable suggestion is to allow additions to the animesh linkset even of no-mod. But, only allow scripts from the linkset’s creator to run. So, an end user could wear any hat on my cat. However, one would have to set the hat’s options before adding it to the animesh linkset. Because all scripts in the hat would stop working once attached… well, added to the link set.
This would mean the only ‘working’ additions would be things I made, the creator of the cat. So, other designers/merchants would be somewhat locked out. I would mostly have a monopoly.
This isn’t a simple problem. If merchants can’t protect their IP, the incentive to create is lost. But, lack of competition drives up free market prices. Theft confuses everything.
Then there is the idea of having a list of people that can run scripts in my animesh cat’s linkset. This is sort of the idea with Mod-Keys. I give the key to my animesh cat’s linkset to those creators I want to let make cat accessories.
Challenge Phrase
Then the idea of a challenge phase. This is something we do now with just LSL scripting. What’s the secret password?
Groups
There is a suggestion to use groups to provide security for which creators can add to my cat’s linkset. But, that would require a group for each designer or possible each product. And the issue of black-hat viewers that allow one to join a group, by-pass fees, resist ejection… which doesn’t sound that secure at all.
More pages… links below.
I was wondering what was animesh. I thank your for this post that did help me get a better picture. But I am still confuse as to why it requires a special viewer.
I think you are an experience opensim user too . If I compare animesh features to NPC opensim feature would you say its doing the same thing ?
As you know opensim offer non playing character . There are server side bot you can use in your region. You can see them now and they dont requires any sort of viewer characteristics not already available .
For exemple NPC dancer are used in by Aine dance ball so you can dance in couples in events even if your single. You can also visit outwordz VIRUNGA – HOME OF THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS where NPC are use to move jungle animal including elephant hypothalamus tigers and even Diane to present an immersion experience .
So would you know care to explain me what is the difference with ANIMESH ?
The reason a special viewer is needed is because the current viewers only know how to handle a skeleton that is connected to an agent, person. New viewers will be able to render mesh & skeletons NOT attached to a viewer. The OpenSim NPC’s sort of cheat by pretending the NPC is attached to a viewer. So, if I understand, the OS NPC’s cost more to render than animesh because of the work-around.
OpenSim NPC’s are in some ways better than animesh for making and animating NPC’s. But, animesh will likely be more versatile. We will be able to make pets and other non-humans. Some designers are thinking of using animesh to animate the sails on a sailboat. Others are planning to use it to animate steam engines.
Also, we will be able to attach animesh to our avatars.