For a time I had the Linden particle test object sitting on my porch at my Second Lifeâ„¢ home. It is a nine prim object. So, once I got tired of it I took it down. But, you can still get a copy of it. The Old London Docks blog (written in German) has a link to a copy of the test object.

This is the object that lets you see the different blending modes for particles. You need to be using the SL Viewer 3.6.7 to see the new particle effects. AFAIK, none of the third-party viewers can display the new particle effects. Expect to see that in the next releases.

I’m not that creative with particles, but I expect to see some really amazing effects from people that are. It should be fun.

This week the package that ran on Magnum last week is moving to the main channel. The Magnum package is a composite of new stuff and the stuff running on Blue Steel and Le Tigre.

This package has the fixes for; llXorBase64(),llReturnObjectsByID(),llJsonSetValue(), and parcel access. A new feature is a change so that some parcel rezzers will be caught by parcel return. The last one is a shot at griefers.

RC Channels

All the RC channels will be running the same package that is running on the main channel. This usually happens when server packages have not successfully made it through the Lab’s QA process.

I am guessing that Wednesday’s restarts of the RC channel regions will happen today. But, may be not.

The information on server updates is out. The main channel will be getting an update. The package from the Magnum RC channel is being promoted. This is the package that has improved asset fetching and preparatory work for future improvements. You can read the release notes here: Second Life Server 13.09.05.280647.

I doubt we will see much improvement in asset fetching performance. It may look like it, but what we will be seeing is more an improvement from increased reliability and less wasted server effort. It is sort like the speed limit on the highway hasn’t increased, but there are fewer wrecks. So, things get there sooner.

This package also has the ‘GetMesh2’ api/function. You may remember reading that users were setting their viewers to use ridiculously high values for MeshMaxConcurrentRequests. This is a step in changing how the system handles Mesh Downloading. 

These have been the works for some time. The server side was completed earlier this year. The Wiki was updated in the spring. But, we have not had a viewer that could display the particles. That is about to change. We should get a RC Viewer tomorrow, Friday. And as usual that might not happen.

Server Beta Meeting 2013-37 – Particle Demo Object

Or you can go here now: Ribbon Viewer. If you choose to get and use this viewer, turn off all automatic updates. And leave them turned off until you reinstall the main viewer. This means if you have the main viewer installed, disable ‘willing to RC’ and auto-update. Then install this viewer.

Realize you will most likely break your current install pipeline until you do a default install of an RC or the main viewer. So, install at your risk.

This version is not likely to be up to date with other viewer updates and fixes. It is very likely behind. So, if you do try it out, get the RC version from the pipeline tomorrow.

Do NOT call support if you are using this viewer!!!

ToS Change?

There seems to be another ToS change. I have not looked to see what it is, but I did get a prompt to agree to the ToS today. I was in a hurry to be some place, so I didn’t read it.

Main and RC Channels

All the planned changes covered Tuesday have rolled out. All seem to be working. So, there really isn’t any ‘news’ for that part of Second Life™.

The server change that allows a server to restart as soon as all avatars are out of the region is on the RC’s. For now this is a region owner or estate manager tool. But, the plan is to move it into the Server Update Roll Out process to speed up the process.

There has been some discussion of having the server trigger a shutdown-coming-event in scripting. This would allow viewers and scripts to respond to a shutdown. One could have a viewer TP you to another region rather than let you get logged out. Expect such a feature to be a third party viewer feature first.

For now this is just talk. 

I haven’t tried these nor do I know much about scripting Second Life™ cameras or making machinima. Yumi Murakami however seems to know a bunch. Yumi has posted scripts for the Bijocam on her Wiki User Page. See: User: Yumi Murakami/Bijocam And Other Camera Scripts. Scroll down to get to the scripts.

M.A.G., Machinima Artist Guild, has an article about the BijoCam Construction System. This is an old article from back in 2009. At one time the Bijocam was in XStreet, the old market place for SL. You won’t find it on the current SL Market Place. Yumi released the source code August 7, 2013 and no longer sells the camera system.

In world I find the NeoVictoria SkyMall has a 3 part video tutorial on using the camera and controls. Visit the Machinima InfoHUB. These appear to be old video from the way things appear in SL. But, then the camera is old too.

You’ll find explanations of what the various LSL functions in the script do with the camera in the Wiki Category: LSL Camera.

Yumi added some new code, or at least newer code that was not in the BijoCam package.

I would think this would be something handy for any Machinimist. I am certain I’ve seen machinima made using these camera controls…

This week we are getting new rollouts. The main channel got a maintenance release. I think anything called a maintenance release is a security and exploits fix. Whatever, we are told that this release has a fix for a popular griefing tactic. The hope is we will see less region crashes.

Server/Scripting Meeting #27

This package also includes the LSL changes for llApplyImpuse and llXorBase64. 

The main channel is getting an update today. It is the server maintenance package that ran on all 3 release candidate channels last week. This is the package with the new object return scripting functions, the Pathfinding change to keep characters within a parcel, fix rendering of neighboring regions, and another fix for the HTTP-in-bound connection problems.

The release candidate channels will all get the same new server maintenance package tomorrow, Wednesday.

This package includes a fix to llApplyImpulse, which is/was only working in the root prim. If used in a child prim, it would work after the script was compiled in-world, meaning while the containing object is rezzed. If the object has the script and is rezzed from inventory, it fails.