Second Life and Virtual Worlds
Alpha 3 or version 1.1.0.34268 has been released. Cinder Roxely has made a Mac version.
There are changes for the Oculus Rift:
Get more info here: CtrlAltStudio Viewer.
There is a new version of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer for Oculus Rift. See the announcement here: Alpha 2 of the CtrlAltStudio Viewer with Oculus Rift Support.
Jo Yardley has been talking with Björn-Christian Bönkost. Björn has a Rift SDK unit that he is using with David Rowe’s CtrlAltStudio Viewer. Björn visited Berlin in Second Life™ and Jo got him to write about it. You can read his account here: First Oculus Rift user visits Berlin.
[youtube zorXEWIbZYg]
I think for anyone thinking of trying out the Rift, Björn ‘s comments say it very well: “I was impressed, amazed and stunned. The city is bigger than anything you can find as a demo for the rift.”
There is now a viewer out with some Oculus Rift support. It is incomplete. But, according to the web site you can stick your head in and look around. See: An Initial Foray into Second Life with the Oculus Rift.
There is currently no User Interface. The author of CtrlAltStudi Viewer, David Rowe, says the Lab will soon release a Oculus Viewer with a UI. I’m not sure exactly what ‘soon’ means in this case.
As it is now:
Use the viewer as normal to get to where you want to go, then toggle into “Riftlook” mode (“3D” toolbar button or Ctrl-Alt-3) and don your Rift headset. Move your head to look around and use the arrow or WASD keys to move about. “Forwards” is the direction your Rift was pointing when you toggled into Riftlook. It makes most sense to use it while sitting down.
Jo Yardley is going to love this.
CtrlAltStudio Viewer is about 3D display. This release is a ‘Main Release’ version.
This viewer does a render for use with shutter glasses, nVidia 3D Vision.
David Rowe the programmer says this is the final release for now. As the Lab and Firestorm update their viewers he will be updating the CtrlAltSudio Viewer.
Earlier I had speculated that he would be headed toward the Oculus Rift. But, in the announcement he says he will be waiting for the Lab to provide Oculus Rift support. So, am wrong. But, he does seem to intended to add Oculus support when it arrives.
Currently there are some interesting things going on. David reports he has been told about someone using an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 Windows system, projecting onto a 9 foot screen (2.7m) using two Christie LX34 projectors through Polaroid filters…
Someone else is using 3DTV with the viewer.
David says, “GeForce Windows and GeForce Max OSX with NVIDIA 3D Vision appear to work well, at least with recent graphics chips.”
You can download the viewer for Windows and Mac here: CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.0.0.34218.
Note: to use 3D Vision software you need a monitor that can handle 120hz display. Most flat panels are 60hz.
I am always cautious when testing new viewers. I’ve taken time to ask around to see who knows Strachan Ofarrel or has heard of CtrlAltStudio Viewer. Basically: no one in my circle of friends.
You can find the support blog for the viewer here: CtrlAltStudio. There it shows the developer as David Rowe. I suppose that is a RL name.
The CtrlAltStudio blog has been around since March 2013. The rez-day for Strachan Ofarrel is in 2006.
None of this means the viewer is safe. We have had enough rip-off viewers that one has to be careful. I can’t say it is or is not safe.