Second Life and Virtual Worlds
The people at Machinimatrix are asking what tutorials are needed for the new AvaStar 2 (now v2.1.1). They are planning to start producing new videos. So, this is your chance to suggest what is needed.
Machinimatrix: What videos are needed most ?
We are going into video production again. However, this time we want to make the videos on demand and not on what we think is needed. So here is your chance to influence what videos we will create first.
Loki Elliot has been running a series of articles titled AvaStar Unleashed (now part 7). The articles appear when Loki gets to it, meaning not a regularly published thing.
In this one, he has found a problem…
For sometime, Loki has been frustrated with AvaStar as it wasn’t doing what he wanted… or it maybe he just wasn’t doing things as AvaStar was designed to do them. I haven’t dug deeply enough into his workflow to know. But, I have been in the same place a number of times finding it was more me than AvaStar.
Often how we work and how AvaStar is designed to work conflict. The best way to resolve such issues is in the Blender AvatStar in-world group. Filing trouble tickets on the AvaStar site is great for reporting bugs. But, not that great for getting feedback. Feedback comes best from the in-world group.
In the current article, Loki has found the math precision problems that creep into Blender work from repeated operations on a model. He has a GIF image that shows the progression and eventual distortion.
AvaStar has a new release out, about 2 weeks after the release of 2.1.
Visit your Products page.
This release fixes a problem with the male avatar scales post rig update. It also improves the output precision to correct problems with mesh animation at high elevations.
Yay! We have a final release version, 2.1. The official announcement is here: AvaStar 2.1.
The price for 2.1 is:
Lindens are going for L$265/US$1 as I write this. $L6,500/265=US$24.53 or is that L$265 x 27 for L$7,155? Whether $24 or $27, it is worth it.
If you are undecided about purchasing, I recommend you do. AvaStar saves one work on a number of tedious tasks required to get mesh working in SL as it does in Blender …or maybe turn that around… and handles some hidden gotchas in the SL design process. Save time and reduce your learning curve, buy it.
I use it… maybe that is a good thing… For animation and modeling of things going to SL, I think it is great.
Another RC release is out. This one fixes a couple of bugs.
I just barely got RC-14 installed. I have yet to get to play with it.
Check your Products Page to download a copy.
When I saw the announcement for the final release of AvaStar 2.0, I hadn’t noticed the RC-14 version is out, which was me being a bit slow considering the video I posted. Check your AvaStar Products Page for the download.
I won’t get to play with it today. But… soon.
The release notes are here. The big change is in BVH import and export. Bone translations now work. The IK controls for the hands change.
There are other minor improvements and some fixes.
Word is Sparkles will update with or just after AvaStar 2.0 releases.