Objects not rezzing properly until avatar near-by

[Dazzer01]

Hi folks. I have my graphics detail settings maxed out but some objects in the viewer are not rezzing properly until my avatar is close-by. They look like a distorted collection of triangles until I'm near enough for them to appear correctly. I'm using the standard LL viewer by the way. How can I get all objects to rez properly even if they're quite far away? Thanks.

I posted this on Answers and had one reply which wasn't the solution but there was no way for me to reply to it, so I'm on the forum now.

 

[Alwin Alcott]

you have this same question posted in Answers, with some replies... it's a lot easier for others to see one post instead of looking around for whats said already.

[Dazzer01]

No it was just your reply which I appreciate but it wasn't to do with my internet connection and I couldn't reply on there so I moved it to here.

It's to do with LOD range but my object detail distance is set to maximum. Thanks.

 

[ChinRey]

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memyselfandi2 wrote:

I posted this on Answers and had one reply which wasn't the solution but there was no way for me to reply to it, so I'm on the forum now.

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You got a few more answers now.

Generally, as Alwin said, do not repost the same question at different places (and remember nobody's watching the Answers section 24/7 so it may take a day or two to get an answer) but this is a common problem and posts in the Answers section tend to vanish out of sight fast, so in this aprticular case it may be a good idea to post it here too.

To sum up my answer, the problem you describe and we all know too well can be caused by:

1. Graphics processor overload caused by unrealistically high graphics settings (Solution: reduce the graphics settings)
2. Data lost in transfer (Solution: check and fix your internet connection)
3. Meshes made by amatuer builders who don't have the skills to create professional level content (Solution: never look a gift horse in the mouth ... but of course, you have to decide whether you want to use those items or not)
4. Meshes made by people who pretend they are skilled mesh makers but aren't (Solution? ummmm..... welll.... that's a good question)

[Theresa Tennyson]

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memyselfandi2 wrote:

No it was just your reply which I appreciate but it wasn't to do with my internet connection and I couldn't reply on there so I moved it to here.

It's to do with LOD range but my object detail distance is set to maximum. Thanks.

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If you go to the "Advanced" menu (activate it under "Preferences"/"Advanced") and then "Show Debug Settings" you'll get a dialog box. Start typing this in until it autocompletes:

RenderVolumeLODFactor

This will give you the under-the-hood settings for the object detail distance slider. The slider has a maximum of 2 but you can use this setting to increase it. Many mesh/sculpt makers recommend that you keep this setting at 4.

However - increasing this setting will increase the amount of video memory you use and it's really just a work-around for some sloppy practices by some object makers. Don't set it any higher than you need to see what you want to see, and don't set it higher than 4. Personally I keep mine at 2.5. If it's only a small number of objects that are giving you problems you might think about just replacing those objects.

[Dazzer01]

Thanks very much Chinrey and Theresa. I'm subscribing to points 3 and 4 you made, Chinrey. I shall try surreptitiously tweaking the RenderVolumeLODFactor Theresa. Thanks again.

Edit: As I raised the LOD the objects in question gradually took shape. I'll leave it on 4.0 for now because 2.5 wasn't quite enough, but I may lower it to 3.0 if necessary.

[Bree Giffen]

You should check your camera zoom settings. That causes the issue too.

[Dazzer01]

Thanks, will do.

[Chic Aeon]

Honestly I have had my LOD settings at 2 for over a year now and see most things very well.

 

If the items are all from one creator then it could be the mesh, but there are plenty of GOOD mesh makers around so I am having a hard time believing it is just "bad LODs". As someone mentioned if you have zoomed in or out that will mess up the LODs that would otherwise be fine (I forget sometimes when I am taking fashion photos - not good).   Ctrl + 9 will put your viewer zoom back to default.

 

Also note that setting YOUR LODs up does nothing for anyone that is visiting . So while things might look lovely for you, they will likely not look good for those on closer to normal (default) settings.    If things fall apart on regular (not zoom) view at 2, then you might want to look for some better mesh . 

 

PS. It doesn't need to be a gift to have bad LODs  

 

 

 

[Codex Alpha]

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Chic Aeon wrote:

Honestly I have had my LOD settings at 2 for over a year now and see most things very well.

 

If the items are all from one creator then it could be the mesh, but there are plenty of GOOD mesh makers around so I am having a hard time believing it is just "bad LODs". As someone mentioned if you have zoomed in or out that will mess up the LODs that would otherwise be fine (I forget sometimes when I am taking fashion photos - not good).   Ctrl + 9 will put your viewer zoom back to default.

 

Also note that setting YOUR LODs up does nothing for anyone that is visiting . So while things might look lovely for you, they will likely not look good for those on closer to normal (default) settings.    If things fall apart on regular (not zoom) view at 2, then you might want to look for some better mesh

. 

 

PS. It doesn't need to be a gift to have bad LODs

  

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I am glad that you consistently post for creators to fix their LODs, and not to be promoting the average SL user to delve into debug settings in order to correct bad meshes. For pete's sake, I bought 2 meshes from an alleged 'top' maker in SL, and their LODs broke down very quickly, so much so one wouldn't even be able to take a screenshot at range without them turning into triangles. Great pictures, glossy advertisements, but inworld just a bunch of triangles.

What makes it worse, the product has a notecard accompanying it that suggests tweaking the Debug Settings (this area is used by developers, not average users) in order to see the mesh.. What junk.

I design at default SL Viewer setting (which appears to be 1.0)

I'm all for educating people and promoting best practices. Keep up the great posts, I've learned a lot from them.

 

AND Chin Rey.. I get you both mixed up sometimes cuz nicks are similar, he he.

 

[Dazzer01]

Chic and entity, here here. Simplistic meshes that force users to tweak fairly technical settings are quite corrupt. Hopefully there'll be a way for LL to impose minimum high quality rules for content creators, so anything less is not accepted and can't be sold. How they'd implement that though I'm not sure.

 

[Pamela Galli]

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memyselfandi2 wrote:

Chic and entity, here here. Simplistic meshes that force users to tweak fairly technical settings are quite corrupt. Hopefully there'll be a way for LL to impose minimum high quality rules for content creators, so anything less is not accepted and can't be sold. How they'd implement that though I'm not sure.

 

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Simple you just submit your uploaded mesh to a team of about 100 Linden employees so they can rez each item inworld and test the LODs.

Or, buyers could just buy things after testing the inworld demos. (Yet another reason to buy from sellers with an inworld store.)

[Codex Alpha]

Or if they are creators who cannot afford yet to maintain an inworld store with enough prims to feature all of their products, the least they can do is use the tools at their disposal to represent their product as accurately as possible.

A merchant can utilize multiple images on their store page to show the product, inworld or otherwise, including inworld shots of LODs (if the issue becomes the mainstream concern).

There is also an option to provide a video from a YouTube channel to further feature the product, possibly accompanied by a tutorial and showcasing it's visibility and use as well.

It seems on the product I have been stung on featured only one image, or simply decided to purposefully obscure issues with the product, rather than just producing something of quality to begin with.

But yes, if you can see it inworld, that is usually the best, especially for higher priced items.

[Pamela Galli]

Yes, if you cant afford any land to begin with, those meaures would help, tho they dont help with scale. My stuff is smaller scale these days so I put a warning in many listings saying one size does not fit all in SL and to check out the demo before buying.

What I did to get started: Rented a small house and decorated it, made some simple things and put them on the MP. Then I decided to replace all my home furnishings with things I made myself. Then I looked around and said Hey, I can put these all for sale and this will be a store. 

I kept buying more land as the store grew. When I ran out of land on my first sim, I started making houses because I could pop them all into a rezzer. And so on. 

 

[Phil Deakins]

You beginnings are quite similar to mine, Pamela. I used to rent out skyboxes and, being a cheapskate, I made the furnishings myself as it was much cheaper than buying them. After a while, I had some land that was no good for skyboxes because of all the junk in the sky, so I used it to set up a yard sale building on the ground so that my tenants could sell stuff they no longer wanted. I didn't take a cut. I put some of my own furniture in it as well. Then I decided to put an extra floor on top and make a little store to sell my furniture in. It went ok, so I created more and more furniture, and it really took off.