Whats Your Favorite Viewer??

[kinda Fallen]

I would like to start a discussion on what is your favorite viewer and why?? Please only approved LL viewers SEE: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Third_Party_Viewer_Directory, , also it might be insteresting to see what problems you have with the ones you don't like as well..thanks everyone !

[Penny Patton]

Currently my favourite viewer is LL's own official 3.x viewer. The more recent couple of releases fixed all my performance issues, even surpassing Firestorm. I also love the 3.x UI and the sheer amount of customization it offers. I'm now able to customize it into an extremely streamlined UI that leaves way more screen space clear to show me the world.

 I'd like to see them adopt some options similar to what Firestorm provides, such as the improved avatar radar, the ability to remove the location bar entirely and have that information moved to the topmost menu bar like it used to be displayed in, a client side AO, the improved building tools like the fixed Linden grass tool and the prim alignment tool...but just for usability and performance, the current LL viewer is my viewer of choice.

[Suki Hirano]

I would use vanilla LL viewer if it:

- Has proper building precision (3 decimals is a joke when building small objects when sculpties are unnecessary)

- Proper transparency

- Double click teleport

- Area search

- Show viewing target (fun feature to know who's spying on you)

- Preview animations when uploading (no idea why this was omitted)

Last time I checked viewer 2, it didn't have those. I'm not sure which features were implemented by the newest vanilla viewer. Pretty satisfied with Phoenix and hovering between v1.5.x and v1.6.0 since 1.6 supports mesh but crashes a ton more often.

 

[Ceka Cianci]

i agree ..i love the LL viewers now..i think this is the longest i have ever been in one of them before..

i was using firestorm since pre-alpha days..but when they went with their first mesh viewer i stopped updating and wanted to wait for the one they wanted to release rather than update to their rushed mesh version..

so when v3 came out i tried it and right away it just felt like the room got bigger..that kept me interested..then i just started liking a lot of things about it..

then when firestorm finally released the mesh viewer they were working on it was too late..i had fell in love with another..

V3..

i do hope tpvs will be showing up with the V3 viewer..i think that would really be nice..i would love to see what they can do with this version  =)

[Pussycat Catnap]

---

Penny Patton wrote:

Currently my favourite viewer is LL's own official 3.x viewer. The more recent couple of releases fixed all my performance issues, even surpassing Firestorm. I also love the 3.x UI and the sheer amount of customization it offers. I'm now able to customize it into an extremely streamlined UI that leaves way more screen space clear to show me the world.

---

Me too. Its just so much better than past versions, and I'm getting 20-38 FPS inside of mesh buildings, sometimes spiking up to 50 FPS... which is just absurdly good.

 I doulbe click to TP all the time and have no issues with transparency. But no area search is something I'll concede is lacking. The built in LL radar is functional, but not good for being a perv / spy / snoop, and its actually kind of distracting to keep fussing over who's perving me.

 

HERE'S A SCREENSHOT of V3.2 INSIDE MESH BUILDING, 37.4 FPS:

https://my.secondlife.com/pussycat.catnap/snapshots/4efbdff09756d35dd9000001

 

[Porky Gorky]

Firestorm. I like tike viewer 3 allot but I can't live without free texture uploads and the other enhanced building tools that Firestorm offers.

[Kristen Giano]

My favorite viewer is still SL 1.23, I'm just used to the GUI and don't really want to change. I don't like the group limits on old viewer or how prim size limits are still at 10m (don't really mind not having mesh) but still like the GUI too much to change. Someone said v3 though was customizable, are you able to customize it to look just like viewer 1.23? Because I would definitely switch over if that was the case.

[Canoro Philipp]

for my personal use, i use only LL Viewers, the current version, because it has all the features that i need to experience the world in a satisfying way.

sometimes i use other viewers, like the Beta or Development to get a glimpse of the features that are coming, and other third party viewers just for a moment to help someone with a problem.

i dont need the options that third party viewers offer, thats why im not attracted to use them.

[Lynda Baran]

Phoenix Viewer 1.6.0.1600 is my current favored viewer, though I sometime swap in and out of Firestorm.   Obviously I'll switch to Firestorm once the V1 based viewers are made obsolete.    But I've tried the LL V2+ versions and just don't like them one bit.   The little extras the Phoenix/Firestorm team puts into theirs give me a few little options that I like much more.

[Persephone Emerald]

I also like the latest Phoenix viewer, with mesh. The main reason I'm sure is that I hate having to look for my cheese in new places when I was perfectly happy with where it was before. Phoenix looks alot like the old Viewer 1, but has all the extra options I want. This version is a little crashier than the non-mesh version, but it's nice to see mesh objects the way they're supposed to be seen instead of as big blobs & cubes.

[Amethyst Jetaime]

I'm mainly using Firestorm mesh now.  I liked the old UI of SL 1.23 and Pheonix but even though they managed to get Phoenix to see mesh, the developers themselves say that Phoenix won't last much longer as a viable viewer.  So i took the plunge and went with Firestorm.  I have grown used to it now.  T

I haven't tried SLV3 yet, because i like the extra features Firestorm has that SL3 doesn't, especially for content creation, which i do a lot. 

[161488303349]

i like the linden v3

dont use any of the extra features in tpvs enough to change permanent

if ll made the v3 so i could have docking windows and draggable windows outside main window then would be pretty much perfect for me

oh! and able to dock the now floating only nearby chat window on the bottom bar

top button bar like in niran be good as well

[RoderickVaughn]

I use the beta version of the official viewer. I have tried Firestorm but it lacks the profile feed feature which I use regularly. I like to be able to send snapshots to it and the official beta is the only viewer that will do this.

[Pussycat Catnap]

---

RoderickVaughn wrote:

I use the beta version of the official viewer. I have tried Firestorm but it lacks the profile feed feature which I use regularly. I like to be able to send snapshots to it and the official beta is the only viewer that will do this.

---

The regular official release viewer also does snapshots and has now for a few weeks.

For me the Beta gets low fps, but on the release I get very high fps. Try release and see how it does for you.

 

[Rin Tae]

It is Firestorm for me. I started using it way back when it was the second or third beta version and have contineud to use it since then. It works fine, has a better UI then the old v.1 viewers, all needed features are in and it is mesh capable. And that is very important to me (mesh is just awsome ^^ and once the clothing will be made fitting to any shape it will be even more great as I wont have to only buy those thigns that fit). I prefere it over the normal LL viewer but have not yet tested any of the upcoming new viewers like 'Milkshake'. And since I am happy with Firestorm I have no reason to test them and will stick with my choice for the time being.

[Innula Zenovka]

I'm afraid I'm disqualified from this by the requirement the viewers should be on the TPV list.   There are several excellent viewers based on the latest V3.2 code whose developers haven't bothered, as yet, with the TPV list -- Niran's, NaCl and Catznip, for example -- that I use all the time, and far prefer to Firestorm.    

Having said that,  I would much rather use the current official V3 (and anything based on its code) than older viewers like Firestorm.    I like the FUI, find them generally faster and more stable,  and Niran's (which takes over where KirstenLee left off) is great for high quality graphics.   If forced to choose, I'd go for Marine's RLV or Dolphin, when they introduce the latest OpenGL fixes.  If I didn't use RLV so much, and make toys that use it, I'd be perfectly content to use the latest official viewer with the Starlight skins.

It's maybe worth remembering that inclusion the TPV directory is no particular guarantee of anything;  Emerald, after all, was in the TPV directory until shortly before LL banned it.    It's all a matter of trust, and I trust the devs of the viewers I use because I either know them, or know their reputation.

[sodasullivan]

I really like the V3 Viewer. The UI with all the custom options if provides the user is head and shoulders above anything else out there. I tried the recent release of FIrestorm after hearing some rave reviews. True, it offers a few toys the official viewer does not and why LL simply does not incorporate these things is beyond me, but for the most part i found it hard to use. The graphics simply are not as clear ... and no one can seem to explain why to me. Plus, there are way to many things popping up all the time and cluttering up the screen. I prefer the nice clean look of V3.

Having been a huge fan of Kirstins viewer (RIP) I am keeping my eye on the Niran's Viewer. Still looks way to buggy to try, but they are on the right track.

[Innula Zenovka]

Niran's isn't buggy that I've noticed, and I use it most of the time... certainly worth a try.

[LoveAngeL Lyre]

I like the official Viewer 3 (always i use the last version). Although my system is old enough with middle specs i had never problems with teleporting, crashes, appearance and other we read daily here. My feeling is that i do everything more quickly in V3 than in other Third-Party Viewers like Phoenix for example.

[Claireschen Hesten]

for me my favourite viewer is Firestorm i switched to it permanently just before Phoenix with mesh was released knowing phoe is comming to the end of it's life Phoenix pre mesh was always my fave viewer and i still find myself going to use keyboard shortcuts that worked in phoe even though they don't work in FS 

i don't use the LL viewers anymore i haven't touched V2 or 1.23 since late 2010 some how i don't see my self wanting to try V3 after knowing how rubbish V2 was

[Innula Zenovka]

 I tried V2 when it first came out, and hated it, partly because it was unfamiliar but mostly because it had a load of things wrong with it.

I eventually gave it another try, around 2.4, because I decided I had to be familiar with it in order to support our products for new users, at least, and found it a lot that was wrong with it had been fixed, particularly if I used the Starlight Skins or if I used Kitty Barnett's Catznip.   And within a week,  I was hooked on the sheer convenience of multiple layers (even more useful than multiple attachment points).

It's improved ever since, and the new 3.2, with the FUI (no sidebar to slide out, position the buttons where you want), is a completely different beast from the V2.1 or so that people tried, hated and gave up on.

Like many things in SL, it's changed rather a lot over the last year and a bit.. give it another go, I would, and see what you think.   If you don't, you really are missing a lot of basic stuff now, like things rezzing fast and your inventory loading quickly.

[Rene Erlanger]

What is the best Viewer for a low-to medium end PC ? One that does not kill my CPU with overusage and can render my Avatar in-world?.

I tried Niran's viewer.....i was mighty impressed, but this Viewer is designed for Photography & Machinma i.e high end PC's......so my avatar remained permanently as a cloud.

I really hated all the LL V2's viewers (because of sidebars).....but i'm prepared to try Viewer 3. I'm really looking for a Viewer that provides reasonable-good FPS and not a drain on CPU (I have 4 Gb)

I'm still using a 1.23 because of familiarity, ease of use and i rarely crash with it.....but i'm missing out on things.....like seeing Mesh, additional parcel and building controls.

Any suggestions are welcome.

I have on my desktop - Pheonix, Firestorm (mesh), Niran, Imprudence, Hippo, Rainbow, Snowglobe Viewers plus a V2 I think. Some of the above Viewers I haven't used in a long while (I was away from SL for most of 2011). I read somewhere that the CoolViewer is pretty good and can view Mesh......but i can't find the download page for it.

 

 

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Cool VL download page.

[Ceka Cianci]

---

Innula Zenovka wrote:

 I tried V2 when it first came out, and hated it, partly because it was unfamiliar but mostly because it had a load of things wrong with it.

I eventually gave it another try, around 2.4, because I decided I had to be familiar with it in order to support our products for new users, at least, and found it a lot that was wrong with it had been fixed, particularly if I used the Starlight Skins or if I used Kitty Barnett's Catznip.   And within a week,  I was hooked on the sheer convenience of multiple layers (even more useful than multiple attachment points).

It's improved ever since, and the new 3.2, with the FUI (no sidebar to slide out, position the buttons where you want), is a completely different beast from the V2.1 or so that people tried, hated and gave up on.

Like many things in SL, it's changed rather a lot over the last year and a bit.. give it another go, I would, and see what you think.   If you don't, you really are missing a lot of basic stuff now, like things rezzing fast and your inventory loading quickly.

---

i remember the first release of the V2..it was a disaster..i feel like that is what really set the tone for the side bar hate..

i mean it wasn't a side bar really..

if you clicked it..everything on your screen shifted to the left..if you had huds sitting on the edge of the left side of your screen..they were gone out of view..

it was terrible then..that and having those stupid camera settings..i used the camera buttons on my screen rather than hot key them..

it really messed up looking around because you had to click the button to go to the revolution buttons ..then click again if you wanted to use the up down left and right and the jump was like..where the hell is the jump button lol

once those were fixed i was fine with it and decided  i better get ready for the changes to come in the future..

TPV's really made it much easier..

V3 to me was right as rain right out of the gate as far as feel good viewer..and right now it's even better..

it just felt like i gained a bit more view than i had in the past..it felt as roomy as that browser version LL was trying out a little while back..

i remembered going into that one time on accident and saying to myself..wow what the heck did i click to make things this roomy..then i realized i was on basic lol

 

[Rin Tae]

Ohhh... viewer 2 was bad. And even worse was the communication policy f LL around it that has in my opinion increased the hate towards the viewer. And while I have not tried out all the versions, the improvements started to appear rather quickly and over time the viewer has obviously overcome msot of the problem .. however by this time it's reputation has been hopelessly ruined.

The good thing is that with v.3 so much has improved that people are now willingly admiting to use a LL viewer ;D .. and those things are also used in the TPVs. Like I have always sued the v.3 look set up of firestorm since it came with this function a few versions back. More will be added by both LL and TPV devs and there are other viewers coming and going .. sadly Kirstens went away (what might be a big loss of talent for grafic improvements but it seems like another dev has picked up where Kirsten had to leave it) .. Imprudence, after all one of the more prominent viewers after the emerald implosion, seem to have vanished too and most likely completly went to opensim. I have not seen any singularity viewer in soe time also. And this one has been the choice of people who looked for stable and good viewers that would be less resource hungry then the feature filled 'heavy weights' like Phoenix or later Firestorm .. or the more advanced LL viewers.

On the other hand there is the Cool Viewer dev who brought mesh to v.1 viewers and who will most likely continue to prolong their life beyond what has been anticipated by most people. It wont ensure their long term survival I guess, but they will stay with us for the time being.

Phoenix become more and more rare from what I can tell while the new viewers have not yet reached the critical mass of being visible everywhere.

So there are viewers for everyone outthre. And more are being made and since all are open source, each improvement one viewer makes will also influence all the other. Each taste will be met and each computer will get the viewer it will run best on it.