CtrlAltStudio Viewer 1.0.0.34218 Released

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.

3D Controls in CtrlAltStudio Viewer
3D Controls in CtrlAltStudio Viewer

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.

Viewer Release Pipeline Update

We have a new release of the Main SL Viewer: 3.6.2-279258. If you don’t have automatic updates enabled get the newest version here: Second Life Download. You can find the Second Life Viewer’s Release Notes here. Look for the version with the 279258 number.

Download Page Changes
Download Page Changes

This version got the Vivox updates. Vivox™ is the service that provides voice chat for Second Life™. We cannot see the JIRA notes on MAINT-2696, so we cannot know exactly what changed. My understanding this only affects reliability of the service. You should have fewer problems with voice chat failing. 

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Second Life News 2013-30 #2

Some of the most interesting news comes from the Third Party Developers meetings. This is not a meeting that is well publicized. I suspect many think that having just the well informed attend is more productive. I tend to agree.

This article is 2,600+ words. It has some work-around methods for some current problems that people are experiencing. It covers some of the most informative news about SL that is available.

TPV Dev Meetin 2013-30
TPV Dev Meetin 2013-30

Server Side Appearance

SSA is going extraordinary well. The stats coming in are as expected, which means the backend is performing as expected. This means the Lab’s estimates for the amount of hardware needed are going to be correct.

View adoption is going pretty well. About 75% of users have adopted an SSA capable viewer. (84% of Firestorm users – see chart) Looking at that the other way, something like a quarter million people login each day with an old viewer. Also, the numbers vary quite a bit from day to day. 

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KokuaViewer.org Down

I’m not sure what’s up today. The kokuaviewer.org blog and wiki are down today, just when I need a copy of the viewer for my new Win7. I’ll use an older copy.

The domain name is still working but PING is dead and a TRACERT dies in Comcast’s LA area. So, I don’t know if it is Kokua’s site or Comcast that is the problem.

Their back!

Viewer Pipeline Update

The Viewer Release Candidate pipeline is operational. Get ready for some surprises. Remember. I’m writing as a Windows user. Things may be different on a Mac.

Open Source Meeting 2013-30
Open Source Meeting 2013-30

Oz Linden explained some of the thinking about and intended operation of the new pipeline. Part of the explanation was getting my terminology straightened out. Words convey meaning and people have to have the same meanings for the words being used to communicate. 

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New Second Life Viewer Pipeline

As reported before, a new viewer pipeline with various release candidates is coming online. It is mostly in place now. I don’t see where any recent announcements have been made by the Lab. Inara over on Living in the Modem World, has written about it. But, I think we are all a bit unsure how things are going to work. I know I am. I’m experimenting with things now.

I’ve updated my machine to use Win 7-64 in a dual boot scenario. This gives me a clean starting place for experimenting with the new viewer pipeline. Until today the only viewer I had installed was the main SL Viewer. I have all the other viewers on the other side of the dual boot in Vista 32. So, I can get to them. But, not from Win7.

I have clean AppData folders as a new Win7 user. Plus caches and log areas are new and fresh. 

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