Firestorm v5.0.11

[iceing Braveheart]

On 1/26/2018 at 2:35 PM, Whirly Fizzle said:

Yeah, we are getting a lot of hate on http://www.firestormviewer.org/lod-and-the-upcoming-firestorm-release-the-what-and-why/

A check mark would look much better if you are trying to indicate Havok support here

http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=downloads

typically people add a red x for no support...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havok_(software)

check marks not x's

https://secondlife.com/premium/

 

nothing here offers any insight into what we are downloading like the page above does besides 64-bit and 32-bit and opensim where is havok?

http://www.firestormviewer.org/windows/

[Solar Legion]

1 hour ago, iceing Braveheart said:

A check mark would look much better if you are trying to indicate Havok support here

http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=downloads

typically people add a red x for no support...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havok_(software)

check marks not x's

https://secondlife.com/premium/

 

nothing here offers any insight into what we are downloading like the page above does besides 64-bit and 32-bit and opensim where is havok?

http://www.firestormviewer.org/windows/

Did you bother to read the blog entries? Havok is present in the current releases for Second Life (32 and 64 bit) for Windows and Mac whike as always absent in all OpenSim builds.

So if the download is marked for SL AND OpenSim or is for Linux, it does not have Havok

Edited February 1, 2018 by Solar Legion

[Chic Aeon]

Back to the impostor window -- well let's call it NEW SKILL and not "trick". 

I can't say it was effortless but I DID get it and it DOES work wonderfully. It is the middle of my night so I will put the new windows in the building on the main grid later but beta grid tests were excellent. How much the texture switch will be noticeable is still a question but the land impact went from 6 to 2 for each window and there are a LOT of windows in this small building (like ten I think) so a big difference in land impact (and yes, that had been bothering me for awhile but I did't know how to fix it other than abandoning the windows). 

 

So here are my screenshots and you can see NOW WITH OUR HANDY LITTLE CHART where the break ups will be. 

OH, two things for folks to watch out for (and why I had to do this three times) is 1. If you are exporting the model from mesh in world be SURE and get your UVs down to one ^^ IF your window is more than one  mesh (of course I couldn't do this the first time on something SIMPLE). 2. Remember which way you want the impostor face to face (well DUH).   It IS the middle of the night and I did finally get it! If this works well inworld I will need to make more versions for the windows that are partly open -- but I am thinking that actually won't work well --- STILL I learned a lot and it will be handy later on. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2018 by Chic Aeon
Had the wrong screenshot in there. BACK TO BED.

[Chic Aeon]

So I said I would head over to FaMESHed when the crowds died down and I did. 

As remembered the venue has shrunk by a LOT. This 'may' be a trend as [another venue] did the same thing recently cutting down a third or so of the creators. There is likely more to that story but not important to this discussion.   and I deleted the venue name purposefully. 

Fameshed is now in a very TINY part of the sim with very TINY booths and yes, close together and definitely difficult to test any long range LODs (hence Beq's new feature as a SHOPPING TOOL comes into play).

 

I DID manage to derender the stalls and much of the display on the area across from "a" (not the :D) landscape person and camming out was possible with the effects as mentioned -- noted.  It is also true that while the creator "should" (a judgement call I admit) have a demo on the big outdoors demo area -- they do not. We can draw conclusions from that. I no longer blog their items.

The photo below is the furthest away I could get at LOD2 and still see a tree. This seems much further than the earlier reports, but also a different tree.  It may also have something to do with my computer as compared to others; I know not. 

We can only hope that the new FS features filter down to the general populace and encourage shoppers to pay attention causing  creators to pay more attention too (and perhaps learn) how to deal with LODs for their products. 

I guess I should note that there WAS another tree in that booth that is completely gone at this distance LOL. 

So it is understandable -- a bit of ranting.  Since I seldom spend lindens on things, I seldom have reason to complain, but I certainly understand why someone would feel somewhat "cheated". 

 

 

 

[Callum Meriman]

If you get a chance to look at the palms featured in this month's fameshed, do so!

Using imposters they decompose nicely to lower lods, and to my untrained eye, they look quite good LI wise. It's so nice to be able to see these things happen using the LOD drop down.

[Chic Aeon]

5 hours ago, Callum Meriman said:

If you get a chance to look at the palms featured in this month's fameshed, do so!

Using imposters they decompose nicely to lower lods, and to my untrained eye, they look quite good LI wise. It's so nice to be able to see these things happen using the LOD drop down.

I did note that the palms held together nicely. Just not in the market for palms so didn't pay TOO much attention :D.

To be FAIR, the change in venue styles COULD be for faster shopping for folks  -- since many items like clothes, jewelry and hair are all sold by vendor photos anyway.  Personally I like some space to roam. 

I do love the new info on the build menu, BUT it does only tell you THE DISTANCE that the LODs will switch, NOT how they will look at that switching point. You can get an idea from the vertices count of course (also great to have), but visual testing is still the final test - in my book anyway.

 

I had an occasion yesterday when building for Fantasy Faire (long distances needed) to use the chart for something unexpected. Even though my tris were low on a building , I had "overbuilt" with even the uploader defaults used. The build would have been visible from FOUR SIMS AWAY  -- well THAT was overkill for sure. So I uploaded at a lower setting. Still visible from four sims away, but likely not all that great LOL.   Saved some land impact pints  and some work for the viewers.  Fantasy Faire is built in an "O" shape and I am a corner so no one is going to be looking from four sims away. 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Chic Aeon
some photos having nothing to do with this got included and I hadn't uploaded them. VERY ODD.

[Anastasia Horngold]

3 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

I do love the new info on the build menu, BUT it does only tell you THE DISTANCE that the LODs will switch, NOT how they will look at that switching point. You can get an idea from the vertices count of course (also great to have), but visual testing is still the final test - in my book anyway.

 

Just above the chart is a dropdown that allows you to switch between LOD models, so you can see exactly how they will look when they switch.

[Chic Aeon]

4 minutes ago, Anastasia Horngold said:

Just above the chart is a dropdown that allows you to switch between LOD models, so you can see exactly how they will look when they switch.

Yes thanks. I know that is there and it IS helpful but not as telling as actually TESTING visually inworld and from different angles and directions.   

But the new additions are ALL a great help FOR SURE!

 

 

[Chic Aeon]

One other thing I noticed today. Unless I missed something (long day, many bakes but turned out well) we can only see the new mesh info on MOD items. So  ---- does this mean that more creators that don't want to work on their LODs and physics skills as needed will simply make their items no mod? 

That is a daunting thought. 

[LittleMe Jewell]

15 minutes ago, Chic Aeon said:

we can only see the new mesh info on MOD items.

That would explain why I'm not seeing it on many things.  I thought maybe I accidentally turned off some setting.

[Chic Aeon]

Well you can of course see it on YOUR OWN things which is what I have been using it mostly for since I buy very little. But got a fee car today (prop for MOSP) and was wondering. I suspect the cars are all downloaded from the web but that "seems" to be legal now that it is in Sansar and we have the same LL TOS. But who know?  

Still very good for BUILDERS!!!!!! I use it a lot. 

[Anastasia Horngold]

1 hour ago, Chic Aeon said:

One other thing I noticed today. Unless I missed something (long day, many bakes but turned out well) we can only see the new mesh info on MOD items.

I'm able to see it on no-mod items. Make sure you're looking at mesh, not sculpties. Also try ticking "Edit Linked" if it's a linkset.

Edited February 6, 2018 by Anastasia Horngold

[Chic Aeon]

You know I think you are right!   

I have almost NO no-mod stuff but I remembered a gacha item that I had that was no mod. I remembered as it was bigger than life size and no way to make smaller :(. So I tested on it. 

I had NO idea that car was sculpt. Frame rates are still good so I guess I will leave it for now :D. 

 

THANKS. 

It ALSO showed some weird stuff that was mention in another thread that I can hopefully find and add this too.