Senra Body SDK Applications Now Open

[Patch Linden]

Attention all talented content creators of Second Life! We have some thrilling news to share with you today. 

As you may have seen in past discussions, Linden Lab is nearing completion of the first phase of one of our New User Experience projects - new mesh starter avatars. Under the “Senra” brand, these two mesh bodies and heads will be named Blake and Jamie. Blake and Jamie will be replacing the previous iterations of starter avatars to give new users a better beginner experience, with the ability to customize their avatar and create their own unique look. 

In preparation for the initial rollout, we are opening applications for the developer kit to content creators. This is an incredible opportunity for content creators to take their artistic ventures to our newest users. Whether you specialize in fashion, accessories, animations, or any other form of virtual content, by incorporating the Senra brand into your creative arsenal, you can explore new horizons, introduce innovative products, and cater to a growing market of new Second Life users who are embracing their new mesh bodies.

Applying for the Mesh Bodies Developer Kit is a straightforward process. If you wish to apply, please review the License agreement and Usage Tips & Technical Info, as well as the application link itself, below.

Additional information will be provided at the time of release of the new starter avatars.

Senra Body SDK License Agreement

Senra Dev Kit Usage Tips & Technical Info

Senra Body SDK Application
 

[Persephone Emerald]

Awww 😟, I like dog-bag lady and the other starter avatars that came out with her. Will we be able to save these to our inventories for nostalgia purposes?

[Rowan Amore]

Might be good in the Merchant section as well.

[Tazzie Tuque]

Can older avatars update their SL avatars to the new ones?  And if so how?  There are loads of us older folks (like me 17 years in SL)  who just might like a new basic avatar given the look of our original ones lol.  

 

 

 

[Rowan Amore]

When released, I think they said it would be in our libraries.

[Jenna Huntsman]

Might I draw your attention to:

SDK License:

Quote

3.5 Inspection and Review. Upon completion of each Avatar Item, Licensee shall submit such Avatar Item to Linden Lab (in such form and format as Linden Lab may require) for review and approval upon Linden Lab’s request. Licensee shall fully cooperate with Linden Lab in the course of such review and approval, providing to Linden Lab such information and assistance as Linden Lab deems desirable.

Quote

3.6 Audit. Licensee hereby agrees to keep reasonable, written records in the English language regarding this Agreement, Licensee’s use of the SDK Materials, and the creation and status of all Avatar Items (“Records”). During the Term and for one (1) year thereafter, Linden Lab shall have the right to obtain true and correct copies of all such Records, and to audit such Records (either by itself, or through a reputable third-party accounting firm) to confirm Licensee’s performance of and compliance with the terms of this Agreement.

Quote

4.3 Restrictions. In order to protect Linden Lab’s trade secrets and other rights in the SDK Materials, Licensee agrees not to: (a) modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble (except and solely to the extent an applicable statute expressly and specifically prohibits such restrictions) any portion of the SDK Materials; or (b) create derivative works of any of the SDK Materials. Licensee also agrees not to disclose any of the SDK Materials.

Technical Info:

Quote

The Senra content unpacker should not deliver content for any other body/head/ecosystem.

Yeah, this is pretty DOA.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Jenna Huntsman

[Galaxy Littlepaws]

Why do we have to apply for the dev kit?

I assumed it would work similarly to the previous system avatar in regards to creating content.

Having to apply for dev kits is annoying and hinders new creators or people who just want to play around. I like being able to just download something and get started after purchasing/obtaining an avatar.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Galaxy Littlepaws

[Vincent Nacon]

There are some fixable problems with the mesh, but Lindens are ignoring all the issues we raised on Discord, they're not even responding to anything related to the new mesh avatars.

They're not listening.

DOA.

This is what we posted there.

Previews seen at the SLB20 event.

Way too much polygons for the lashes.

The nipple, for some reason the tip is almost square-ish for no good reason.

Odd spot on the butt area.

The bottom of the foot has more polygon than the top side.

Odd segments around the hips.

The models are too dense in high polygons count. It's not good for SL.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Vincent Nacon

[Nimil Blackflag]

as a creator and a 17 year user of second life i'm honestly really disappointed with all of this. first of all why are we being made to apply for an avatar dev kit? why is this not being provided just like ruth was provided? this is a HUGE wall that a lot of new creators already face in an era where to make anything wearable, you need a base to rig it on and most of us who do make wearables know the struggle of getting that first dev kit so people will actually be able to WEAR your stuff... for you to add a wall like this to the base avatar that all new people in sl will be using, basically cuts off all new creators from making anything wearable. having to apply is intimidating but then you have to sit here trying to make sense of all this legal-ese in the SDK license... why is this not just being made for us to use to bring about a new era of content for new users? why is this not being freely given, like ruth was, for new users to create, learn, and share with!

this feels very DOA and like ya'll did not really expect any adoption of these heads/bodies at all with the way this is written. this license shows a MASSIVE disconnect between LL and how content creators in second life work. i have not had to read through this many terms for any of the bodies i work with on a dev kit level. this is utter ridiculous and that's coming from someone who has been a massive second life cheerleader for 17 years now.

[Tazzie Tuque]

I was actually wondering the same thing Nimil.  Or at the very least some templates to use for BOM makers if mesh is not their thing.  I have ancient templates for BOM that I still use with a lot of messing about.  It would  be nice to have something current to use with these new SL avatars coming out.  

And I took the time to read the agreement terms and all I can say is wow!  That in itself would scare the crap out of any new SL member thinking about applying.  What deterred me was that bit about having to send everything I make to LL first for approval before I can sell it or use it in any way.  "yes boss, is it good enough?".  Nope not interested in doing that.

And I have also been a cheerleader for SL for 18 years come this Sept.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Tazzie Tuque
spelling correction lol

[Rachelle Kiyori]

To me it sets a tone that is openly hostile to newer creators, for Linden Lab to say on one of their own projects that you cannot develop for an official content that is freely available to everyone *by Linden Lab* (even if it's contacted out) - so you're saying in Second Life any random thing you come up with is good enough for the Second Life grid but not for your precious Senra body? - it really does send a hostile and elitist message and I don't think it's the message they meant to send.

SL never was about "you're not good enough" - at least, that was what I thought going into it. But Senra sends the exact opposite message with its gated SDK availability and confusing license terms.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Rachelle Kiyori

[Rachelle Kiyori]

Another alarming thing is all of these concerns were brought up on SL's official Discord - which while it's not public yet, a ton of creators are there, and even a few fairly well known ones. And we have all been completely ignored, there. This is a tone deafness that we are really not used to from Linden Lab on matters like this.

[Nimil Blackflag]

Just now, Rachelle Kiyori said:

Another alarming thing is all of these concerns were brought up on SL's official Discord - which while it's not public yet, a ton of creators are there, and even a few fairly well known ones. And we have all been completely ignored, there. This is a tone deafness that we are really not used to from Linden Lab on matters like this.

heck i didn't even know we HAD an official discord... that makes this even more disappointing, because if there are creators in there, having their concerns ignored, the disconnect is deliberate...

[Perrie Juran]

3 minutes ago, Nimil Blackflag said:

heck i didn't even know we HAD an official discord

I believe that their Discord is by invitation only.  And probably for the same reason that they do not have an In World Viewer Support group. It would probably quickly turn into a zoo.

[Nimil Blackflag]

2 minutes ago, Perrie Juran said:

I believe that their Discord is by invitation only.  And probably for the same reason that they do not have an In World Viewer Support group. It would probably quickly turn into a zoo.

aye i figured, but even still, that means they had some sort of way to communicate with their user base, even if it was a small swath of them, and ignored the concerns brought up. its just as bad as when they brought out mesh to begin with and then were shocked when we wanted to make mesh wearables instead of just objects... even though it was communicated to them countless times before release...

[steeljane42]

29 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

What are they thinking.

Given how those new bodies/heads look like, general idea and presentation of them by LL (and Patch) they are very likely thinking it's just a body/head most new (actual new) users will swap for "something better" the moment those people will decide to buy some L$.

In a way it reminds me of some F2P mmos, especially mobile ones. Give a new user something not truly awful (like the current starting bodies). Gear/characters etc. Just enough so they'd stick around for a bit, then gently (or not so gently in case of those predatory mobile gacha games) nudge them towards the shop with "way better stuff".

And since LL doesn't sell any actual content in SL's case this nudge will be towards the currently popular bodies and heads, which not only do look better, but also will have pretty much unlimited choice of clothing/accessories available to them compared to a very limited and curated pool of releases approved by LL for the Senra.

Thus making a new user a part of the ecosystem/SL's economy, or shopping part of it anyway. In a similar way I'm sure those tiny LL homes are also were meant as a starting step giving new land owners a bit of taste in decoration and having a land in general. Except many people are actually totally fine with something as small, so they never got anything else.

Edited July 28, 2023 by steeljane42

[Perrie Juran]

Will this be made available to all the Residents?

What has become of the idea of "Your World, Your Imagination." It no longer is when you begin to restrict creation of any content in Second Life to a select elite group of users.

This is not the Tao of Second Life that I have known for over 16 years now. Not once has my right to create ever been restricted before.

[Dolly Waifu]

 

2 hours ago, Jenna Huntsman said:

Might I draw your attention to:

SDK License:

Technical Info:

Yeah, this is pretty DOA.

I've said this on twitter, but i'll repeat it here:
I get why they're doing it this way, even if it ruffles some feathers.

In having these very specific requirements, they’re attempting to ensure the Senra system stays straightforward and easy to use throughout its life. Unfortunately, they’re ruffling content creators’ feathers along the way, because it’s very different to how things are currently done.

They likely want to review items before release to make sure they’re quality, with no troubleshooting required on the user’s end, and to make sure you’re following the guidelines they’ve laid out. They want only Senra items to be unpacked by the Senra HUD so that users can just unpack and wear items that they know will fit them, without having to sift through and figure out which is the right size. It keeps things straightforward and easy to use. Same with the naming convention they require. If the info is formatted the exact same every time, users can easily figure out exactly what they need to know about an item.

The Senra system seems to be intentionally unlike the current system, which new users find to be extremely confusing and difficult to learn to use. And if they don't have strict rules about it, it will become just another body option, and very unapproachable just like the rest.

Not everyone will want to abide such strict rules just to make content for these bodies, and that's fine. Those that will, will be able to profit from it. The rest will still have their own market share.

Edit: To clarify, when I talk about "the current system", I'm speaking of the way that avatars are currently customized, how products are marketed and sold, and the mesh body market as a whole.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Reyetta Claven

[Coffee Pancake]

Just now, Reyetta Claven said:

In having these very specific requirements, they’re attempting to ensure the Senra system stays straightforward and easy to use throughout its life. Unfortunately, they’re ruffling content creators’ feathers along the way, because it’s very different to how things are currently done.

It's not just that.

This creates a situation where the best (and most ethical) advice for new players is "don't buy stuff for your Senra avatar, save your money till you get a real mesh body".

 

[Dolly Waifu]

Just now, Coffee Pancake said:

It's not just that.

This creates a situation where the best (and most ethical) advice for new players is "don't buy stuff for your Senra avatar, save your money till you get a real mesh body".

 

From a business point of view, ideally the new user will buy a few things for their Senra av to learn how to shop and customize using third party content, then move on to a more full-featured, premium body and head. There's a reason the new avatars are visually very clearly not attempting to compete with Reborn, Maitreya, Legacy, and Lelutka.

I see nothing wrong with new users buying content for the avatar that comes with their account. Plenty of people use Ruth and have a full, enjoyable SL experience, despite the fact that it is not a premium mesh body.

[Coffee Pancake]

Just now, Reyetta Claven said:

I see nothing wrong with new users buying content for the avatar that comes with their account.

That's an expensive way to learn "clothes bought for one body don't work on another".

[Dolly Waifu]

Just now, Coffee Pancake said:

That's an expensive way to learn "clothes bought for one body don't work on another".

We all do it. New users now do it. It's part of the growing pains of learning the system. I would bet that very few new users are jumping straight into buying a L$2000+ mesh body and L$5000+ mesh head without spending some money customizing Ruth first.

[Coffee Pancake]

1 minute ago, Reyetta Claven said:

without spending some money customizing Ruth first.

They don't get Ruth .. they get dog bag lady and disco stu, and then immediately discover they can't dress it and need to spend money on a socially viable avatar.

No one is digging Ruth up and giving her corpse a spin just in case.

[AzureWaves]

1 hour ago, Vincent Nacon said:

There are some fixable problems with the mesh, but Lindens are ignoring all the issues we raised on Discord, they're not even responding to anything related to the new mesh avatars.

They're not listening.

DOA.

What Discord? Does Second Life have a secret Discord that only some people are invited to?

[Dolly Waifu]

1 minute ago, Coffee Pancake said:

They don't get Ruth .. they get dog bag lady and disco stu, and then immediately discover they can't dress it and need to spend money on a socially viable avatar.

No one is digging Ruth up and giving her corpse a spin just in case.

Even then, your argument assumes no one will make free or cheap content for these bodies. They will. Store gifts and freebies have been a thing as long as SL has. Also, nothing in the terms says your package can only contain Senra items. Just that the Senra Unpacker HUD itself must only contain Senra Items. You don't even need to use the Senra Unpacker. The tips page says you can use it. So the multi-body fatpacks that currently exist can grow to include Senra items as well, if creators so desire.