Mesh Update: Part Deux
You may have noticed that we’ve added a Mesh Enablement tab to your Account. Get ready to explore the latest innovation from the Lab!
Mesh? What the heck is that?
We’ve had quite a few questions from users about mesh — mostly along the lines of what is it? How can I use it? When will it become available? Well, we’ve got some answers for you — and some good news!
First of all, what is it, exactly?The term “mesh” refers to an object that consists of polygonal geometry data. Essentially, it’s what you see in modern video games, special effects and 3D animation. It's extremely flexible — and when it’s well-made, it can be way more efficient than the existing prims and sculpties you’ll find inworld currently. Mesh objects are first created in external programs, such as Blender or Maya, and then imported onto the Second Life grid. Once there, mesh objects can be manipulated in pretty much the same ways you would manipulate a regular old prim. And, here’s the best part — the wait is almost over! We’ve been rolling out mesh-upload capability to selected regions over the past week, and the rollout pace will increase in the coming weeks.
Mesh on the Main Grid
Because we’re rolling out mesh-upload capability across the Main Grid over the next few weeks, mesh is not going to be available everywhere all at once. But, you can get a preview. Ready to try mesh? Here are a few steps you'll need to complete to get started:
1. Get enabled. To do this, you'll need to first complete a short tutorial about mesh and intellectual property rights.
2. Download the Mesh Project Viewer.
3. Once you’re inworld and using the Mesh Project Viewer, teleport to the selected Project Regions where mesh capabilities are enabled. If you're interested in uploading mesh objects, you will want to visit public areas to test. View the list of current mesh enabled sandbox regions here.
If you have a region and want to get upgraded early, check here.
Before you do visit a Project Region, you should check out the Mesh Project Wiki Page and read about uploading mesh.
It's also a good idea to read through the Mesh Forums to get more info and to ask questions of your fellow creators.
During the rollout period (until we enable upload in the next version of the Release Viewer), Linden Lab will charge a discounted fee for uploads. Also, during this initial period, no mesh items should be posted to the Second Life Marketplace due to the limited availability of places to rez mesh objects.
We’re excited to share our latest project with you — and can’t wait to see the awesome things you’ll build with mesh!
Go out and create something amazing – have fun!
Linden Lab
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