Black Dragon

Black Dragon Viewer Review

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Version: Black Dragon 3.7.27 (34575) May 22 2015 Review

Update: This article starts out listing a number of small problems with the Black Dragon Viewer. From some feedback I decided to add here at the beginning, this is a pretty nice viewer.

I am not into doing reviews of Second Life™ viewers like I once was. It has been a long time since I have used the Black Dragon Viewer. I often say I stopped using it because the user interface (UI) changes so fast. NiranV objects to my continually saying that. When I was using it, it was changing. But, NiranV tells me that has not been true for some time, years. And at the time I was forming my opinion he had just started work on Black Dragon and was changing it pretty fast. Fair enough. I need to update my thinking and belief about what is actually happening.

RAYNE Isles
RAYNE Isles by Loverdag, on Flickr
Taken w/Black Dragon Viewer

So, I now (6/2 – week 23) have Black Dragon 3.7.27 (34575) May 22 2015 installed. I’ll be using the viewer as I write this. Then over the next few updates I’ll decide if the UI is changing so fast I can’t keep up. I’ll publish this well before I have time to decide on the rate of change. But, my experience is that NiranV is pretty factual about what is going on with the viewer. So, for now I’ll concede the point and change what I say. 

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Black Dragon Viewer Updated Week 22

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Inara is covering the update of the Black Dragon Viewer for Second Life™, version 2.4.2.5. See: Black Dragon 2.4.2.5: snapshot floater and cinematic camera.

The effect of the new Cinematic/Head Tracking Camera is shown in the video. I would have to play with the camera to see if I like it and think it useable, which has nothing to do with whether it is or isn’t. The effect in the video is pretty neat.

I may have to try it to see how it works with the SpaceNavigator, which uses flycam mode when controlling the camera..

NiranV is working on the viewer’s snapshot panel. NiranV designed the panel that appears in the SL Viewer distributed by the Lab. In NiranV’s viewer the panel is apparently evolving. That is S.O.P. for NiranV, which is the reason I like the Black Dragon Viewer but don’t use it. I like the innovation. I hate continually having to figure out how things work or what controls have moved to where with each update.

It isn’t as bad as I may make it sound. I think everyone that takes pictures or makes machinima in SL should try the viewer.

Second Life: Black Dragon 2.42 Released

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If you know the viewer, you know it is an experimental viewer. The author of it tries all sorts of things. Like Benjamin Franklin and others NiranV has lots of what I label failures. But, the gems that do work out make it worth it.

Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior

A current feature Black Dragon has is Volumetric Lighting, previously labeled GodRays. This is a rendering process that reveals light interacting with air… the atmosphere. The feature makes for dramatic images. I think this is going to be an awesome features for those using Oculus Rift type displays.

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Black Dragon Viewer

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A new release of this experimental viewer is out: 2.4.1.9 – Feature Update.

dragon in the sky
dragon in the sky by Mikil Tiki, on Flickr

This version has the Volumetric Lighting. It also has a change to how video memory is used. Both of these changes are something people have been interested in for a long time. The memory change could reduce texture thrashing(repeated render sharp, blurry, sharp…). It may be a big aid to those with newer video cards and lots of video ram.

Niran warns at the beginning of his announcement that you need to pay attention to your video memory allocation settings to avoid excessive texture thrashing These are in-viewer settings so I suspect you can live with the defaults Niran has set.

The announcement: Black Dragon Update 2.4.1.9 “Feature Update”

Inara goes into detail about the viewer: Black Dragon 2.4.1.9: “volumetric lighting” and more. She has images of the new controls in Preferences and a video showing Volumetric Lighting.