Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Robot Sanatorium Re-Do
Posted on 11:24 AM by Unknown
Written 29 August, 2011
Robot Sanatorium Re-Do
Because of the large scale of the robot sanatorium on Whimsy Kaboom, it was necessary to choose from a limited number of megaprims or use multiple 10-meter prims to span distances. The ramps, for instance, required two prims for the floors and two for each side for each span. The floor was made of 10x and 20x prims; because parts of the floor are solid and parts are steel mesh, it wasn't possible to use a single megaprim. Walls required multiple prims.
I set out to save as many prims as possible by stretching prims, replacing two or three, or in some cases as many as six, with a single prim. In the end, I saved about 140 prims at the sanatorium alone.
Because of its patchwork nature the floor was a challenge, but I saved prims there, too.
Below the fold you'll find some screen shots of the process.
Here's a ramp. Because it spanned a distance greater than ten meters, it requires two prims. Ramps at upper elevations have sides, and so required six prims.
Here you can see the two prims for the ramp:
This is the prim I'm going to remove:
In the Edit menu I checked Edit Linked Parts, selected the highlighted prim, unlinked it, and deleted it. See, it's gone.
Still in Edit Linked Parts, I selected the lower section of ramp and stretched it until the gap was closed. By checking Stretch Textures BEFORE I elongated the prim I didn't have to rescale the texture after stetching.
To avoid prim flicker I would zoom my camera so I could see the joint clearly and close up. I didn't want any unsightly gaps or prim flicker.
Here's a gap I flubbed on the first pass. I noticed it almost immediately and fixed the problem.
Here are three prims in the floor I was able to work with. I eliminated two and stetched the third to cover the distance:
Here I've raised the new single piece of flooring so it can be seen clearly:
I was surprised to discover so many prims could be saved at the robot sanatorium and equally surprised to find so few could be saved elsewhere. 150 additional prims on Kaboom leaves 400 free, giving us some breathing room for who knows-- maybe another ridiculous feature.
Woo Hoo, I Can Stretch Prims to 64 Meters!!!
Posted on 2:17 AM by Unknown
Written 29 August, 2011
Woo Hoo, I Can Stretch Prims to 64 Meters!!!
The new mesh server software went grid-wide about a week ago and I've been having a grand time going around the Whimsy sims and freeing up prims by replacing two or three identical 10-meter long prims with one newly-stretched mega.
I didn't free up as many prims on Whimsy as I had thought-- maybe 50, or at the Temple of Doom (maybe 10), but Whimsy Kaboom now has 200 more prims-- highly significant for a Homestead region with just 3750 primitives.
The physics engine seems to have been updated as well. My rocket, which flew to about 550 meters, is now soaring as high as 800 meters.
And of course, there's mesh. I bought a pair of mesh jeans and forced myself to load the latest iteration of Viewer 2 (called Viewer 3, but identical to V2 except for mesh support, which at the moment Firestorm doesn't have.
My next post will be about prim saving, and the one after about mesh.
Woo Hoo, I Can Stretch Prims to 64 Meters!!!
The new mesh server software went grid-wide about a week ago and I've been having a grand time going around the Whimsy sims and freeing up prims by replacing two or three identical 10-meter long prims with one newly-stretched mega.
I didn't free up as many prims on Whimsy as I had thought-- maybe 50, or at the Temple of Doom (maybe 10), but Whimsy Kaboom now has 200 more prims-- highly significant for a Homestead region with just 3750 primitives.
The physics engine seems to have been updated as well. My rocket, which flew to about 550 meters, is now soaring as high as 800 meters.
And of course, there's mesh. I bought a pair of mesh jeans and forced myself to load the latest iteration of Viewer 2 (called Viewer 3, but identical to V2 except for mesh support, which at the moment Firestorm doesn't have.
My next post will be about prim saving, and the one after about mesh.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A New Motorcycle, and an Old One
Posted on 4:40 PM by Unknown
Written 28 August, 2011
A New Motorcycle, And An Old One
Above you can see me with my ride from 19 Motorcycle.
Here I am with my older motorcycle, the MLCC Rocket.
I've had the Rocket a long time-- more than 3 1/2 years, according to the date on the notecard that came with the bike. Over the years the motorcycle itself has been updated at least four times. In fact, when I rezzed it to take this photo an update arrived.
The Rocket is a fine bike, old school all the way-- not only in its looks-like-a-Harley design, but in its use of prims. There are no sculpts anywhere.
I took a jump to MLCC headquarters today to take some snapshots. This great statue stands at the entrance:
Inside are cars and trucks...
... older models made with regular prims, and newer ones made from sculpted prims:
The Rocket is cleverly scripted and fun to ride, and has served me well. But oh, my 19 motorcycle!
Cruisers are okay, but I've always loved the vertical twin cylinder British bikes of yore-- the Triumphs, BSAs, and Nortons. My 19 is a single, but you can't have everything. It looks great, sounds great, and runs great. I especially like: that it rests on a side stand when no one is riding; the kick starting animation, and the foot-down-when-stopped animation. The only flaw I've seen is that the kickstand and shadow remain when one rides off and must be manually deleted.
19 Motorcycle is a small place, located on the Edo Japan Region. It's beautifully detailed. It reminds of the bike shops I used to frequent in the old days:
In addition to the SLR400 model (my bike), 19 makes a three-wheel scooter...
...and this bad boy:
They also sell a marvelously-made 3/4 helmet, available with and without hair:
Alas, there are no roads to ride on Whimsy, but I often take my 19 motorcycle out on the many roads and racetracks in Second Life.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tiny Party
Posted on 7:30 PM by Unknown
My friend Leaf Shermer (who owns the Eccenricity Estate that adjoins our Whimsy Estate) has been tiny a lot lately. I tried to get her to take more calcium, but she says she likes being tiny.
Tuesday night on Eccentricity is party time for Leaf and her friends. I joined last week and had a great time. The 50s and 60s music was awesome.
See the flying book in the foreground? That's me!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Phyneas Jack's Lookout
Posted on 7:56 PM by Unknown
Phyneas Jack's Lookout
Tonight I found myself at loose ends and teleported to a few locations to see if they were still around.
First up was Phyneas Jack's Lookout, a little shack perched precariously atop thin poles in the Rodeo sim. It's at the end of a long ridge that marks the eastern terminus of the Forest of Karuhvel, which lies within the Stinson, Rodeo, Noyo, and Cowell regions.
The lookout is positively ancient by Second Life standards, perhaps six years old. I know it was one of the first places I found when I first rezzed in October 2006. Ever since, it's been one of my favorite places to stand. I go there whenever I take the notion. Sometimes there's no one there and I savor the silence. Sometimes others are present, and I have nice conversations, for they're there for the same reason as I-- to enjoy the place.
For years a storm raged below, just about where the campfire is now.
The storm has been gone a long time now. I miss it.
When I arrived this evening an avatar named Harry Swashbuckler was standing on the roof, taking in the view.
The lookout is one of Harry's favorite places, too. I told him about the rainstorm. One thing led to another and I looked up the website of the Phyneas Jack Memorial Trust, which is dedicated to preserving the Forest of Kahruvel. Harry told me he had seen Salazar Jack (one of the trustees) in the area a few weeks earlier. Since I knew Salazar is still around, I wrote a notecard and dropped it on his profile, asking him to bring the rainstorm back.
Who knows... maybe the next time I visit it'll be raining.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Cast Away on Whimsy Kaboom!
Posted on 8:32 PM by Unknown
Written 19 August, 2011
Cast Away on Whimsy Kaboom!
They arrived a week ago Wednesday on a broken-down tardis, a group of Second Life explorers from the group +Torchwood+, who found themselves marooned on the beautiful but dangerous Whimsy sims.
They set up camp under the shadow of these big rocks on Kaboom...
... but a rainstorm washed them out.
The castaways were forced to relocate:
Eventually they discovered Whimsy, to the east.
They explored, and catastrophe ensued.
Here are excerpts from Johanna's Jourbert's journal. I assure you her descriptions of the Whimsy islands are accurate!
Torchwood
Lost On an Island
DAY 1
We were on our way to New Babbage to try to close the rift when the tardis got crazy ( again!) and expelled us somewhere.... sometime.
The Tardis won't let us go back home. We're stuck on this island for god knows how long.
As usual, Jan took over and built a shelter to protect us. Unfortunately, the storm destroyed it this night. We are all tired, dirty and wet. I can't believe some people actually pay to go to places like this!
DAY 2
Early in the morning I swam quite far, exploring, and found a suitable place for a new camp. There's even a wood shelter, and the camp seems more protected from the storms. Maybe with a little patience we could transport everyone and everything with the canoe Gwen found.
DAY 3
Sean is dead, stabbed in the heart. We never had an easy relationship, he and I, but now... it's just too late, too late to apologize, too late to ask him for an explanation about his behavior with me. Too late for anything...
Loranos suffers more and more from his eye and headaches and was profoundly affected by the death of his friend. Yesterday Jan, Mel, and Gwen didn't make it back to the camp. We're really worried.
Even Piper is paranoid. She thinks no one loves her, that people in Torchwood don't care about her. Loranos is getting aggressive. Mr. Duffy is acting strange too, but I'm not sure it isn't his normal behavior.
Today we will explore more of the island and look for the rest of the group.
DAY 4
Gwen, Piper, and I discovered train tracks and followed them until we found a small working train. We operated it and the strangest things happened. The ride is mostly under water, so we came to the conclusion that maybe if there are inhabitants on these islands, they live under the water-- but the most incredible thing was the ride took about 20 minutes. When we came back it was close to midnight.
Piper hurt her ankle and we had to go back to camp to meet with Mel and Jan. Thank god, they're safe!
Later on in the night we heard a noise and ran toward it. Mel and Loranos were on their own, having some privacy. A big dark creature was dragging Mr. Duffy down to the water. I tried to jump in, but Piper kept me from risking my life.
Today is another sad day. Mr. Duffy was cremated over Sean's remains.
DAY 5
We decided to explore and took the train again. We began to collect air tanks so we would have enough oxygen. During the ride, Loranos, Mel, and I saw a strange creature in the water. We jumped off the train and followed it into a cave full of volcanic lava. Luckily, we found protective boots near the entrance.
The cave was filled with carvings and the back gate was protected by a password. We didn't find the blue creature, but we did find an underwater city. It was absolutely beautiful, but partly destroyed by the lava. I managed to make my way into a crevasse and found a chest. Inside, an eye was looking at me-- not any eye-- Loranos' eye! I closed the chest and we ran back to the camp. I have no idea what any of this means!
DAY 6
GOD, THIS ISLAND IS GETTING ON MY NERVES!!! ... and that salty water damaged my hair and my circuits! During our night shift guarding the camp, we started to dig into the box of books we found with Loranos and Jan. In the Geography for Idiots book Loranos choose, he found a drawing and description of an island called Pagaros. It mentioned the blue creature, saying: "It has sworn to kill any that threat to its land." All this was in a unknown language, translated by the Tardis. Jan and I began to get suspicious. Who marooned us here? The Tardis! Who did the translation? The Tardis!
DAY 6, Later
I found an underwater temple and saw the blue man again. I went into the temple and got hit in the head. I woke up in an underwater jail. An oxygen tank was there for me. I saw no one, just some creepy sea creatures.
I learned later the rest of the group talked to the blue creature. It said the place was under the rule of the Master, an evil timelord who will cause the end of the universe. We're getting ready to attack the Master in the temple of Doom, as tomorrow is the solstice and the Master will be weak.
Day 7
The blue creature took us to the doomed temple. We had to walk slowly and avoid arrows and lava and fight against ghosts and snakes. The blue creature was killed while helping Loranos get a strength potion. At the end of the labyrinth, the Master was waiting. Loranos defeated him and the team explored the area, looking for Joh.
I saw Jan and then the others. I warned them the Master had said: the island is going to be destroyed. Mel got the key to the Tardis. With the Master dead, the Tardis works again and transported us back home. Six of us made it to Torchwood alive.
I WANT TO THANK SO SO SO MUCH Cheyenne Palisades, the owner of those wonderful sims, for allowing us to role play there and gave us her support.
You can show your appreciation to her by giving some Linden to the robots or taking your friends to visit those amazing Islands. Thank you Cheyenne, and thanks to all the team for a wonderful week of RP!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
MetaStock
Posted on 12:12 AM by Unknown
Written 17 August, 2011
MetaStock
I didn't make it to Woodstock, but I did make it to the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival some years later. It wasn't held anywhere near the Erie Canal, and there was no soda pop, and no pop music for that matter, just rock, and not much of that because of the rain. I drove with friends from Tennessee to Indiana in a 1963 Ford Econoline fan with a big hole in the floor where the passenger's seat should have been. The festival was continuously rainy, and we left on the second day. I heard like five minutes of music-- Dr. John-- before the weather drowned out his set.
It wasn't the greatest of experiences, but I do love to listen to music, and I've always liked the idea of listening outdoors. I've pretty much found that here in Second Life with music festivals.
This weekend Sweetie and I took ourselves to MetaStock.
Metastock was a two-day music festival held on the Viva La Vida sim. Click on the photo below to see the lineup:
On Saturday, Sweetie and I caught the last part of Mel Cheeky's set and stayed through the end of Strum Diesel's performance-- and we were back for a couple of hours the next day.
The sim was pleasant-- all meadow-- and the landscaping was perfect. There were a lot of avatars present.
A nicely scripted mastiff-- I think that's what it was-- wandered about, adding a homey touch.
Sweetie and I wore out the Intan couples danceballs.
What a pity her shirttails flew up just as I took this shot. I can't believe I blocked her face!
Metastock was held to promote Metatunes, a service that allows online performers to make their original music and covers available to listeners-- and allows listeners to get songs from their favorite performers. It's perfect for Second Life.
It was pleasant to chat with Sweetie as we danced and listened to the music.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Skype
Posted on 6:24 PM by Unknown
Written 14 August, 2011
Skype
Before there was Second Life voice there was Skype-- a service that allowed free voice and webcam calls between (or among, as there can be multi-way calls) internet users. Sweetie and I began using it in late 2006 or 2007.
It was strange to hear and see one another after a month or so of typing and watching our avatars kiss on the Devotion poseball, but we quickly got used to speaking to one another and soon Skype became our primary method of communication.
Almost always when we're in world together we're in Skype, keeping up a running conversation that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous-- usually the latter. It was in Skype we planned the sim we were buying, in Skype we designed our robot sanatorium. We're in Skype while we're dancing, in Skype when watching video, in Skype when we're shopping.
When Second Life voice was introduced in the summer of 2007 we gave it a try, but in those early days we found it glitchy and were soon back in Skype.
Nowadays voice works pretty well on the grid. I usually have it enabled, but I'm rarely interested in saying anything. Most of what I hear-- especially at the infohubs/welcome areas-- is inane and I've just no incentive to speak. If I want to say something, I prefer to say it in chat.
At most of the places Sweetie and I go, even where there are lots of avatars-- for instance, at concerts-- people use rarely use voice chat. The few who do are often profoundly annoying to everyone else.
And yet voice statistics for voice use are high (or so claims Linden Lab, who apparently track every minute every avatar has voice enabled). I'm sure most of the actual use is between couples and small groups of friends, either in public through the private voice channel or at their homes in open voice.
Time has shown the naysayers who predicted the death of Second Life at the hands of hordes of screaming avatars to be wrong. Wrong, too, were those who believed voice would significantly change the grid. What has actually happened, I believe, is something no one predicted (or at least I don't remember it ever having been mentioned): people use voice to talk privately among themselves.
Skype
Before there was Second Life voice there was Skype-- a service that allowed free voice and webcam calls between (or among, as there can be multi-way calls) internet users. Sweetie and I began using it in late 2006 or 2007.
It was strange to hear and see one another after a month or so of typing and watching our avatars kiss on the Devotion poseball, but we quickly got used to speaking to one another and soon Skype became our primary method of communication.
Almost always when we're in world together we're in Skype, keeping up a running conversation that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous-- usually the latter. It was in Skype we planned the sim we were buying, in Skype we designed our robot sanatorium. We're in Skype while we're dancing, in Skype when watching video, in Skype when we're shopping.
When Second Life voice was introduced in the summer of 2007 we gave it a try, but in those early days we found it glitchy and were soon back in Skype.
Nowadays voice works pretty well on the grid. I usually have it enabled, but I'm rarely interested in saying anything. Most of what I hear-- especially at the infohubs/welcome areas-- is inane and I've just no incentive to speak. If I want to say something, I prefer to say it in chat.
At most of the places Sweetie and I go, even where there are lots of avatars-- for instance, at concerts-- people use rarely use voice chat. The few who do are often profoundly annoying to everyone else.
And yet voice statistics for voice use are high (or so claims Linden Lab, who apparently track every minute every avatar has voice enabled). I'm sure most of the actual use is between couples and small groups of friends, either in public through the private voice channel or at their homes in open voice.
Time has shown the naysayers who predicted the death of Second Life at the hands of hordes of screaming avatars to be wrong. Wrong, too, were those who believed voice would significantly change the grid. What has actually happened, I believe, is something no one predicted (or at least I don't remember it ever having been mentioned): people use voice to talk privately among themselves.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Kamakazi Champagne
Posted on 2:18 PM by Unknown
Cheyenne Likes Champagne |
Kamikaze Champagne
I'm not much of a drinker, but I love champagne.
It being predicted to reach 96 degrees Fahrenheit outside today, meaning I wouldn't be leaving the house, I decided to chill a bottle of Veuve de Vernay-- inexpensive bubbly. An hour ago I popped the cork and made a mimosa. I capped the sparkling wine with a rubber cork and leaned it against a head of cauliflower on a shelf in my refrigerator.
My drink didn't last long, so I went back into the kitchen to make a second. In fact, my plan was to return again and again until the bottle was empty.
I added ice to my glass and poured in some orange juice. My mistake was not reaching for the Veuve first, for just as I was about to grab it it it rolled away from the cauliflower and fell 18" to the bottom lip of the fridge. Upon impact, the cork made a POP sound and went sailing, followed by a one-inch thick stream of champagne that soaked my jeans, the floor, my cabinets, the front of the dishwasher, and the inside and outside of the fridge.
I grabbed the bottle as fast as I could, but there was only enough wine to fill my glass. I mopped up the wine with my trousers and a towel, tossed them into the washer, and made a quick run at the floor with a mop. Then I came upstairs to write this.
One of the better things I've made in second life is a bottle of faux Dom Perignon champagne. In fact, there are two versions, vintage 1996 and 1916. The first is free on the Second Life marketplace. The second sells for 10 Lindens because, well, it IS vintage.
Over the years I've sold thousands of bottles of the 1996 vintage on the marketplace and a few of the 1916 (which would have long since turned to vinegar in real life). A year or so ago I reworked the bottles, making them look better and saving a prim in the process, and replacing the usual free throw-the-drink-in-your-face animation with one that makes the avatar actually sip. I made a flute complete with tiny particle fizz and sound and added a popping sound when the bottle is opened. Sales picked up, and now I would estimate I sell six or seven bottles a day.
Get your free bottle here.
The good thing about my virtual chapagne is it never rolls out of the refrigerator and explodes all over your kitchen.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sensei Cheyenne Instructs a Newbie in the Ways of Second Life
Posted on 6:04 PM by Unknown
Written 7 August, 2011
Sensei Cheyenne Instructs a Newbie in the Ways of Second Life
"Please, Sensei Cheyenne, how can I change my avatar?"
"The ways of the Advanced Mode are passing strange. To get there, you must first die."
"Die?"
"Yes, the big X at the upper right of your screen. You must embrace it. When you come back, you will choose the Advanced Path, and your inventory will appear to you."
"Thank you, Sensei."
"Oh, my wise and ancient mentor, I cannot see my avatar."
"You are following the Way of the Cloud. I have for you an ancient scroll that will give you the wisdom to return to your virtual corporeal body."
"What does rebake mean?"
-----
"Oh, Sensei Cheyenne, how will I get Lindens?"
"You must choose between two paths-- the Way of the Bank Card and the Way of the Second Life Job."
"How will I know the correct choice?"
"You must listen to your heart. Does it tell you to spend long hours at a make-believe job making three Lindens an hour or does it tell you to transfer a few dollars in and live like a prince?"
"Uh, the job?"
"You have made a wise choice, grasshopper. Now you must log out of Second Life and drive to my house and mow my lawn. The Lindens will be awaiting you when you finish."
-----
"Oh, great and wise Cheyenne, I think I am in love."
"This one is already taken, my child."
"No, no, no, with HugeBreastsNoBra Resident."
"And is this avatar in love with you?"
"Yes, she is. She told me so."
"In voice?"
"No, Sensei. In chat. Should I tell her I love her?"
"You must first clear things with this avatar's real life wife."
-----
"Oh, wise master, I am now a vampire."
"We are an equal opportunity dojo. Vampires are accepted, so long as they can pay."
------
"Cheyenne, my sensei, which viewer should I use?"
"You must consider carefully. Consider Phoenix. Phoenix rises from the ashes of Emerald and lives again. And soon it will die again, broken by the advent of the Age of Mesh."
"So I should use Phoenix?"
"I did not say that. Then there is Firestorm. Many hands had a hand in its creation, many hands struggle to move it beyond the realm of beta, to the land of official release."
"Okay, Firestorm it is, then."
"Then there is Kristen's Viewer. And Imprudence. And text-only viewer. And others."
"But which one should I choose, sensei?"
"You must walk the lands of Second Life with each of these contenders. Only then will you know the viewer that is right for you."
"And Viewer 2?"
"Grasshopper, you disappoint me. Have we not spoken of Viewer 1? How can you see your opponent when the entire right side of your screen is filled by a huge window? How can you keep track of your enemies when the windows on your screen remain opaque when inactive? How can you be smexy when your skin has built-in tightie whiteys?"
"On, Sensei, please forgive me. I did not know."
"Do you see the woman behind me?"
"The stylishly-dressed ninja with the jeweled katana?"
"The very one. Sensei Sweetie will be your new instructor. Go with her now. She will teach you advanced techniques like Crane on a Wireframe and the Lotus Derendering Position. You will learn to see things far away and will be able to make yourself invisible to others."
"You mean like Disable Camera Constraints and alpha masking?"
"We say Eye of the Falcon and Spirit in the Wind, but yes. Now go with Sweetie. When you return I will show you The Way of the Infinite Prim."
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