Avastar

AvaStar Update 2014-10

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Blender 2.7 Test Still having problems?
Blender 2.7 Test Still having problems?

 Gaia has an article out explaining the basic differences between AvaStar 1.0 and the coming 1.1 version. We can get test and RC versions of AvaStar from our personal download pages at Machinimatrix. So, knowing the differences is helpful. See: Which Avastar to use ?

The article tells us there is a bug in the shape sliders in the test versions. But, all the other stuff needed to build Fitted Mesh is in the test versions. The ETA on having a fix out is 2 weeks. So, we should see it in week 12 or 3/17-12.

The current test version as of today is: avastar-1-1-998_blender-2-65.

The Blender 2.70 test build is still a 2/20/14 version: blender-2.70-testbuild1-win64. I have links in the left column too.

The nightly build for 3/5/14 is: blender-2.69-4acff9d-win64.

The avatar models provided via the SL Wiki are broken. The current best model for non-AvaStar users is the free file from Machinimatrix: The Avatar Workbench.

AvaStar 1-1-RC2-983 Released

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Gaia Clary has released an updated candidate. You can download it from your AvaStar download page.

Try this out and test it for problems. If all is well this could be the next release. In a few days Gaia will make a revised tutorial using the new release and probably Blender 2.7.

Blender AvaStar 2014-8 #2

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Gaia posted a comment yesterday letting me know that AvaStar 979 was repaired. I got a new copy this morning. Gaia did not change the file name as the problem was just a compilation problem. This file installs as expected.

I won’t get to test anything else until later today or this weekend.

Fitted Mesh & Avastar Updates 2014-8

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Today we did get a new nightly build of Blender. You can find the builds as 2.69.1 and the 2.7 test build. These are NOT the same files. One is 76k± and the other is 78k±. I know the 2.7 test build will not load the AvaStar 979 version. I also know it will not correctly export the SL Avatar. See the images.

Blender 2.7 Test Still having problems?
Blender 2.7 Test Still having problems?

I also downloaded the Feb 20 build blender-2.69-e7f3424-win64. It too will not install AvaStar 979. Bummer. But, it will install 978. It also does not have a Collada export that works correctly. You get the same skinny avatar mess.

Also, as I try various options in the plain Blender export, I find I am just crashing Blender. So, today is still not the day for Fitted Mesh.

What a downer. May be tomorrow…

Blender Fitted Mesh #SecondLife Alert

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I see that Gaia has posted in the SL Forum that a new nightly build of Blender is out. This is important as the 2/19 builds still lacked the Collada fix needed for Fitted Mesh export. I covered that problem yesterday.

Get the new builds from these two locations:

I’ve downloaded the test build and will be playing with it later.

There is also another test build of AvaStar out: avastar-1-1-979_blender-2-65.

WARNING: 979 seems to be broken. It refuses to install. Others in the Blender Avastar group are having the same problem.

Notice: the 979 file has been replaced (2/21). This file installs as expected.

Avastar Updates & News

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Another test version of Avastar is out: avastar-1-1-978_blender-2-65. There was a problem with the hands not animating. That has been fixed in this version and probably other things.

[2014/02/18 12:25]  Gaia Clary: hands work again in: avastar-1-1-978_blender-2-65.

Gaia Clary was talking in Blender Avastar group about not having enough time to answer questions and get development work done too. So, expect to see less of Gaia in the group. Personally I would prefer to have Gaia working on software and video tutorials than answering questions. Plus there are some knowledgeable people that hang out in the Avastar group that do a good job of answering questions.

SL Wiki Avatars

The sample files found in the SL Wiki were last updated in December 2013. There are; Blender files, FBX files, Collada files, and Maya files. I am now certain the Blender versions are broken. The weighting really sucks. Legs and arms of the avatar do not work as well as they did for the previous SL avatars.

Examining the files I find the weighting is not the same in the current Fitted Mesh avatar files as in the previous avatars I’ve written about in: Second Life Mesh Clothes Blender 2.6 Setup 2012 Tutorial.

I am experimenting to see if I can create a file that has the best of both sets of files.

May be I don’t know what I am doing, but as I see it now things are a mess.