#SecondLife News Week 17

This week a new package rolled out to the main grid. This is the package with the Inventory API changes. These are intended to make inventory transfers more stable and reliable. Features also will allow the Inventory loads to scale better. This is the package that was running on Blue Steel and Le Tigre release channels.

The main grid also got the change in flight height. The limit has been moved from 150-200m to 5,000m. Flight feathers should no longer be needed. However, some feathers will make you fly faster and that may be a worthwhile reason to use one.

If you have a flight feather or whatever device that sends you into orbit, contact Simon Linden

Release Channels

The package running in Magnum failed this past week. Group notices being sent from regions running Magnum failed. This package will continue to run in Magnum with a number of additional fixes.

Read more

#SL Scripting and Mesh News Wk17

Not much going on in scripting right now. Various changes and new functions are winding their way through QA and the release channels. But, not much new information. Also, Kelly Linden did not have the usual Scripting User Group Meeting this Monday.

Prep Linden at Content/Mesh Meeting

The new PRIM_SLICE in llSetPrimativeParams() is in testing on Magnum Release Channel. The Magnum release is having problems with group chat. So, it is unclear whether that feature will roll to the main channel tomorrow or not. I can’t image that llSetPrimativeParams() is causing group chat issues. But, the Lindens are testing interactions, so it may not make it.

Read more

#SL Mesh Deformer Project Update Wk16

Inara Pey has an article out titled: Parametric Deformer: Qarl updates (2). Qarl Fizz, the former Linden writing the Mesh Deformer code, participates in the Metareality Podcasts. In the Apirl 20 broadcast. Smoke and Mirrors, Qarl talks about progress on the Mesh Deformer, known to some as AKA Parametric Deformer.

SL Mesh Feet
Mesh Feet with Deformer 0.1

The audio recording is over an hour long – 1:23:00.

The audio starts out talking about the coming SL9B celebration. Geez, Drax and I see the reaction to the SL9B announcement similarly. This and the coming Myrylyn Shinn interview I’ll be publishing have me reconsidering my mental state. But… Yay, Tateru Nino. Whatever, if you are considering doing something for SL9B, listening to the section is worthwhile. It runs from about 01:00 to 26:00 minute marks.

Botgirl’s SL9B parody song is at 25:20.

27:20 Discussion on Max Grafs standard sizing for mesh clothes starts.

The part where Qarl talks about the Deformer is at 28:00 and runs to 28:54. It’s just a few words. Basically Qarl has been busy and hasn’t worked on it for a time. He put some time in on it 4/16 and is moving on it. He reiterates that Linden Lab is committed to getting it working. He would be seriously surprised if the Deformer was rejected. In his opinion that just is not going to happen. To get the sense of things you have to hear this section it’s less than a minute.

Read more

#SL Pathfinding News Wk16

We have lots of new information on Pathfinding.

This week saw the first Second Life® PUG meeting: Pathfinding User Group. This is a group lead by Falcon and Lorca Linden. It is to be held each week in PATHTEST1, ADITI. The meeting starts at 4 PM SLT/PDT. All those interested in Pathfinding are welcome.

First PUG Meeting

There is no in-world Pathfinding group for chat and drama. The meeting is not yet listed on the User Group page.

Read more

#SL Avatar Changes ‘in progress’

If you are working with mesh you probably understand some of the problems the Second Life® avatar has. If you make clothes for Second Life Avatars you are also likely aware of the short comings of the Second Life Avatar. For all the time Second Life has existed users have wanted better avatars. When SL Avatar 2.0 is released that will change… we’ll want better avatars. Oh,  wait! That’s not a change.

Another gotcha at the max breast size setting

We always want something better and as technology improves we get it. It takes better computers to run SL than it did when SL was created. In 9 years (going by SL birthdays) technology performance has doubled about 6 times, or 2^6th = 64 times… don’t see it in your frame rates? Neither do I.

For some time when I see a Linden asked about when we might see an Avatar 2.0, I hear them give evasive answers. Not maliciously, they either don’t know or are NDA’d. The best non-committal answer we get is that it is not a near term project. I think the Lindens would love to give us a new avatar. The problem is the literal RL millions of dollars of content such a change would break.

Read more