Today I found some additional information about what Linden Lab is doing with the avatar.
In the JIRA there is an item: STORM-1800 – The vertex weights of the default character mesh could be better. Recently Alexi Reggiane added a comment (
Clothes Skins Etc
Fitted Mesh Update 2013-49
Machinimatrix has released a new test version of AVASTAR: avastar-1-1-910_blender-2-64. You can get it from your personal Avastar download link.
[youtube rKcyUSfUFk8]
(Forum discussion of video – 2012)
This update adds 7 Collision Bones:
- RIGHT_HANDLE
- LEFT_HANDLE
- BUTT
- LOWER_BACK
- UPPER_BACK
- LEFT_PECK
- RIGHT_PEC
Along with the bones a tool for copying weights from ‘deformation’ bones to ‘collision’ bones has been added. Instructions for using the tool can be found here: Avastar new testversion for “Fitted Mesh”. Gaia says this tool does not so much copy the information as rename the weight groups. This is something you can do with just Blender and something I was experimenting with.
Second Life Mesh Eye Lashes
I like lashes. I have a bunch. But, prim lashes can be a pain to get adjusted. Mesh lashes can solve some of that problem. They can be more easily shaped to the avatar eye and nicely curved.
The beautiful Juicybomb has an article on lashes. Check it out: Know your Mesh Lashes.
The current main SL Viewer 3.6.7 (281793) Sep 30 2013 has the transparency problems Juicy mentions. That really sucks.
The fun part of these lashes is the tintable set and the ability to make them glow.
Update: Strawberry likes these too. See: My Favorite Mesh Eyelashes.
Second Life Toothie
This is a full body mesh avatar you can find in the Second Life Market Place. I thought it was just too fun not to share.
[youtube fAhPvbl_cR0]
Second Life Height Offset
Third party viewer users are accustomed to have the a feature know as avatar z-offset or height offset. This feature allowed us to precisely control our avatars vertical position. Whether walking, sitting, or ground sitting we could adjust the avatar’s vertical position in relation to the ground or a floor.
The roll out of SSA broke this feature. It appears this is the thing most often asked about in various support groups since SSA rolled out. At least it is the question I see most consistently being asked. Well, that and temporary texture upload. But, temporary texture upload has been replaced with Local Textures for some time.
Today I see the Marine Kelly has an article out about a fix for Height Offset. See: RestrainedLove Viewer 2.8.5.3 with Z offset fix. Marine also explains how to use Local textures in her article.
Another Voice on Liquid Mesh
Gaia Clary, author of the Avastar Blender add-on, has posted an article on Second Life™ Liquid Mesh. See: Liquid Mesh. Gaia commented on Strawberry Singh’s blog at the end of the article: Hucci Akita Boots & Questions regarding “Liquid Mesh”
Gaia provides the same take on Liquid Mesh that I do. Gaia is, however, more strongly saying creative types should be avoiding the use of the technique in products.
Gaia has a stronger belief than I do that collision bones won’t go away. I suspect there will always be some part of the avatar that is used for detecting/calculating collisions. There is no doubt collisions will always be need to be detected. That is part of how virtual work.
Neither of us has any idea how likely a change to collision detection is if the avatar changes. Nor can we anticipate what changes to Second Life performance might be an incentive to change the detection system.