Is it possible to make a working mirror in SL?

[Jennifer Boyle]

Just curious.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

No, there is no reflection in SL other than water.  The best you can do is make a mirror and script it so when someone sits on it that their camera is forced behind the mirror looking out from its frame at the avatar 'sitting'. 

[Rolig Loon]

No, but the question comes up a few times a year,like this >>> http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Building-and-Texturing-Forum/High-gloss-floor-with-reflections/m-p/1209547/highlight/true#M4158

Sometimes people have really inspired ideas >>> http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Art-Music-and-Photography/Your-avatar-in-a-mirror-a-random-Suella-guide/m-p/791921/highlight/true#M674

As Amethyst says, though, real reflections are just too computationally intense for SL to handle.

[Calamari]

Here's the best example I know of, but the builder took a break from SL and I don't know if he's returned, so I don't know if it's still set up any place where you could see it inworld, but there is a video in the link. Note this is an effect not a true reflection

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2010/07/sl-mirror.html

[Rolig Loon]

A voice from the void reminds me that it was possible to make true reflecting mirrors in SL for one brief experimental period in about 2006, but that Linden Lab gave it up, presumably because it was a resource hog.  If you search on Google, you can still find a few videos made during that period ....

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v18139508nQX8WtG3?h1=Second+Life+Working+Mirror+%28Realtime+Reflections%29

[Jennifer Boyle]

Thanks for the informative replies.

Could the necessary computation be done on the client?  If so, it might be feasible as an option.

[Rolig Loon]

Not likely. It would all have to be done fresh every time your view changed -- 45 frames per second -- and would take a monster chunk of memory. 

[Calamari]

Thanks for posting links, I hadn't see that before.  I wonder how old mirror reflection lag compares to the water reflections we now.

[Helium Loon]

Well, it wouldn't necessarily have to be done EVERY time a view changed.  Nor would it necessarily take a 'monster' chunk of memory.

 

Reflection/Environment maps are well defined in gfx pipelines these days.  Highly optimized shaders exist to handle them.  The only real requirement for 'real time reflections' is to render an environment map for EACH reflective object in the view.  Now, obviously, that needs somre control, since it could get out of control quickly.  Limit the resolution for each based on the projected bounding box in the viewscreen (meaning most objects would only get 128x128 resolution env. map each time.  Also, EVERY frame isn't a necessity.  Every other, or every third frame, or even more, would still look good.  Debug settings could control just how often and what max resolution for such maps could be generated.  Doing a 128x128 pixel render of the world from the view of the object would take a very small amount of time (compared to a typical 1024x768 or higher main viewport render), so the hit is really from the number of such 'reflective' objects in a scene.  Put a limiter on that as well (another debug setting) and much like lighting, only handle the biggest 10 or so.

 

Suddenly, real-reflections aren't so unreachable or resource hungry.  Allow disabling them for those with weaker systems.  I wouldn't make shiny use the new shading system, since that would QUICKLY overblow it.  Add it as a new shading option.

 

The trick of course is the sub-renders of the maps.  Doing them as cubics is unneeded, since half of it would never be visible.  Better to do a spherical map render, but that's a little more complex, mathematically speaking.  And the maps for any given prim type could be optimized.....

 

It's not a simple thing to do, but it COULD be done.

 

[Rolig Loon]

Hmmmm.. and suddenly out of my league. Also, I suspect, out of the reach of my machine, even cleaned up the way you describe it.  I'd love to see it done, though.

[Alicia Sautereau]

Better they don`t do it...

Can already see shops full of mirrors to display dozens of products on shelfs to make it look "cool" and lag even more then it does now

[Licmetis Schnabel]

Hi,

As far as I know is texture of water a very special one to reproduce the reflections we can see without producing too much load.

Now, how about a world wide special mirror-texture, i.e. "water without ripples and waves". 

May be this is a silly idea ...

 

Greetings, Lica

 

[badguy Boozehound]

i have been thinking the same thing why can they not give us the water texture would be enough for rear view mirrors of vehicles.

[markkemp]

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/3-Mirror-Textures-Full-Perm-DT-Material-Collection/6244446

Looks like someone did it :catsurprised: :matte-motes-bashful-cute-2:

[Sassy Romano]

No, those are just textures and add the advert says, do not expect to see your avatar reflected.

 

What you could do though is whack up the environment reflection using materials.