The main channel got an update today. Simon Linden tells us this is a good one. While we can’t see changes, no new shiny, there is considerable system performance improvement on the back side.
Quoting
We updated the main server channel this morning. The most interesting part of the update is internal – not normally visible. But, we got a big improvement in the caps router … an essential part of keeping regions and viewers happy.
… we made one part of the big system work better.
A caps router directs the regions’ requests for various tasks to the correct servers. I don’t have a lot of information on how all the parts work. I know there are a number of regions in a server host. The server host establishes a connection to the various other computers in the system that handle various tasks. It then provides each region with information needed to connect or receive information from those backend servers.
Places Are Not Evil – People Are
Getting a copy of your inventory list, seeing friends online, talking to the asset server… these are all capabilities of the system, caps. Of course, voice and chat are part of the servers provided by backend servers.
You may be aware that when servers are updated on the Tuesday and Wednesday restarts that a number of regions fail to come back online as they should. One noted problem is not being able to log into a region. You may be able to TP into it, but things don’t work well. That region is likely in a host that has failed to connect to the caps, is suffering what is called caps failure. Continue reading →
I got a June 1 announcement I just noticed that AVsitter is going to go open source July 31, 2017. See the official announcement here: AVsitter to become open-source!
The video is for AVsitter™ (2013), which I’ll call AVsitter1. I couldn’t find an AVsitter1 video by AVsitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_xLVYe9zQ
If you don’t know, AVsitter is a tool for building and controlling animations in things, furniture mostly. It serves for simple to complex animation control. There are videos and various other tutorials on how to use both AVsitter1 and 2. (AVsitter2 on YouTube) These days most are AVsitter2™.
There will be one final update of AVsitter1. Some support will continue. Continue reading →
Today AvaStar released a new release. You can get it from your products page. I’m not sure what, if anything, is new or changed. I assume there are bug fixes. If you read the problems I had adding in the Slink 2.0.30 rig to the then current 2.0.46, you are aware of one problem.
Crystal Gardens
The new version is 2.0.48. It updates easily. I disabled and removed 2.0.26, installed and enabled 2.0.48 (2RC10) without error.
Of first interest to me is whether I can update the Slink model I want to use. Slink updated their May 2016 to a May 2017 version. The 2017 version used AvaStar 2.0.30. The Slink people, AvaStar people, and I had trouble updating. Slink was gracious enough to update their files to 2.0.46.
With this new AvaStar version I tried updating the Slink 2.0.46 version to 2.0.48. At first, it seemed to have updated without a problem. I did have to close Blender and reopen to get the Outliner to update. Then I realized all the Slink meshes failed to parent to the rig in the update. So, I’ll have to move the Slink model and my things manually.
The Slink people have come out with a new tool for those making Appliers for Slink bodies. Siddean Munro has made a video of the tool: Slink Texture Studio. The formal announcement from Slink is here: The Slink Texture Studio – for Creators!
A really interesting feature is the ability to use textures on your local computer without having to upload them. Instructions start at 04:50.
I know Firestorm has a feature to allow the use of local textures, those on your computer. I hadn’t realized the feature is also available in the Linden Viewer.
The Studio has a land impact cost of 71 prims. That pushes me over my main grid parcel’s limit. So, for me, this is a tool for the ADITI grid or AGNI sandboxes. Of course, while it can be used in either grid, if you do use it on ADITI the UUID’s used and generated will not work in the AGNI grid.
Not much has changed since week 21… said Oz as he listed off these changes…
There is a new AssetHTTP version. It is doing reasonably well and Oz Linden thinks it likely to promote to the default viewer.
A new Voice RC is out but, it is too new for the Lab to know much about how it is doing.
Also, a new maintenance viewer is out and it too is too new to say much about performance-wise.
.Psychosis.
Alex Ivy, the 64-bit version of the Linden project viewer, has been updated. A RC version of it is in QA. The RC is likely to release in week 22.
The Lindens are changing the server side support for viewer update process. This is the process that decides if you should run a 32 or 64-bit version of the viewer. The update process is taking a fair amount of effort. A couple of easier said than done things weren’t anticipated that are being resolved. Continue reading →
Talking with Eleanora Newell (AvaStar) and Siddean Munro (Slink) We have come to the conclusion the updater in AvaStar 2RC8 has a bug. It will supposedly be fixed in 2RC9. Fortunately, we don’t have to deal with the bug.
Siddean Munro has updated the May 2017 Slink Dev Kit. The May Kit updated to AvaStar 2.0.30. It is now a June 1 Kit updated to 2.0.46, the newest AvaStar.
So, just download the Kit again and get the latest version.
Also, if you are moving older projects to the new version, Append those objects to the new updated avatar. It is easier, faster, and presents fewer problems than trying to update the rig.
Talking with Siddean,
Heya, I’ve been chatting with Eleanora and Gaia [AvaStar peeps] about the update process. It’s not entirely unique to my kit.
There was some bug with the update process that Gaia says she’s fixed, will be released in the next version of the release candidate, and Eleanora says you need to have the little snowflake enabled on the update tool for the female body, and to uncheck “male” under the appearance sliders on the male body.
I found it just easier to add the new rig and attach the bodies to it, than mess around with their update tool. It’s always been problematic.
I will be advising anyone who asks to download the latest from my DropBox though, I will try and keep on top of Avastar updates as much as I can.
The thing you described with the bones all rotating from their individual origins – I asked about that in the Blender channel the other day, and someone responded she’d had the same issue as me, and locking and unlocking the bones did the trick. 🙂
I don’t really know why they lock the bone rotations. It’s like they have AvaStar all setup for animations, but we have to jump through so many hoops to get the rig ready for creating mesh with it. I’m going to send them a NC with some thoughts today so I will put in a suggestion for a rig setup toggle – animation to skinning maybe.
The best thing you can do with your older projects is append them into the new kit, rather than updating the old rig and risking errors from the old body meshes.
…
Eleanora just messaged me that the update tool is broken, the sliders don’t work. So appending to an updated rig might be better in the short term until they figure this out.
The rest of the article below is mostly outdated now. However, if you need to update a rig, you may find some help in it.
Having some problems with newly released Slink model? I did. Took me some time to figure out how to get it working. This is the ‘step-by-step’ to getting an integrated Slink-AvaStar working base.
PS: 6/1/2017 – Various people and myself are running into additional problems. Be sure to read the comments. BUT…
Siddean Munro has resolved the problem. A new Dev Kit was released 6/1/2017 that is updated to AvaStar 2.0.46. So, save yourself some heartache and get the new file. If you are updating one of your older files, the information in this article may help.
As it appears now, the fix is to replace the old rig with a new AvaStar generated rig and avoid trying to update.
The model released by Slink is made with AvaStar 2.0.30 (or 2.0-Beta-30). The latest release of AvaStar as I write this is 2RC8 (or 2.0.46). The original Slink file works just fine. Whether you are Skinning and Wight Painting or Animating.
Here is the problem I found.
The file as received works as I expected. In Blender Weight Paint and Pose Mode, the bones behave as I expect. Once I ran the AvaStar Rig Update, the bones were screwed.
The main channel got a new package: #17.05.05.326149. This version has some fixes for the Parcel Access Override feature.
Blue Steel and Le Tigre get a new package: #17.05.19.326482. This version fixes Parcel Access Override and BUG-100704 “[Server] If Anyone Can visit is selected after Allow Group was set only group members can enter”
Magnum is to roll, but as of today, it hasn’t been decided which package.
Wake up, rise and shine 😉❤️
Second Life AssetHttp Viewer version 5.0.6.326593 – This one updated from 5.0.5.325940.
Second Life Voice Viewer version 5.0.5.325998 – This one didn’t update this last week. The viewer has a higher crash rate than the Lindens think acceptable. So, they have been working to make it better. In general this version changes:
Adds support for a higher quality voice
Fixes the apparent position of the speaker in nearby voice
Improves retry behavior when there are problems connecting or during temporary connection problems
Logs more detailed information to the Lab for quantifying connection issues
Improves security of the communication between the viewer and SLVoice
Unrelated to voice, improves the validation of TLS certificates (security improvement)
Second Life Project 360 Snapshot Viewer version 4.1.3.321712 – Still no change. But, work is said to be progressing.
Second Life Project Alex Ivy Viewer version 5.1.0.505089 – No change from last week.
I saw people talking about AvaStar 2RC8 (2.0-46) in group chat. I can’t find any announcement of it being released. There is update information in the release notes: Fixed in Avastar 2.0-46 (Avastar-2-RC8).
