Medhue Simoni

I second Suella's suggestion about groups on the web. Avatars United gave us a small look at how some of this can work together, but we needed it in the viewer. Plus, If you move all the sidebar functions to web windows, then we don't need the sidebar there at all. Oh, and I'd love to see a blog feature for all of us, either in the profile or eventual group page. Maybe similar to the FB kinda thing, tho I think groups work better for SL than it does for FB.

Actually, there are tons more. every menu is undockable (I like undocking the upload options when uploading animations) can choose which utilities you want to show in the top and bottom bars (too bad we don't have the same options with the sidebar) copy/paste feature (even tho, now, it is almost impossible to find a place you can highlight and copy some1's name, don't ask me why) browser features (I hated them at first, but I find them quite handy now) sorting options and extra inventory window (OMG, these I love to use) There are many other little things that make V2 nice to use. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are still things that bother me. As each new viewer build comes out, that sidebar keeps proving itself to be a useless concept, yet LL keeps holding onto it. Now, profiles are moved to a webpage window, so what is the point of the profile tab in the sidebar now? I still have no idea where to put my IM window tho. It's constantly in the way. Just wish it worked like V1.

Nice! Torley, could not the user just type the attachment point's name into search inventory? Say like "right hand". I'm working on a project, so i can't log in to check.

Did LL get taken over by EA? Good luck Rod! I can't wait to see your avatar. Funny, I remember playing with a feature in Sims that put a real face on your sims avatar. That was kinda neat for it's time.

While this is a cool feature, it is impossible to build with it. LL needs to add an off option somewhere. Going to debug setting is not a supported feature and if this is going to go into the main viewer, there need to be an off option and be set to off by default. Again, I want to say that I love this feature when I'm just hanging out. If you are shopping or building, this feature is a nighmare.

If you ask me, this viewer is 1 of the closest to functioning like v1.23. It has been awhile since I've used the old viewer, except in other worlds. Plus, V2.4 just has so much more than any v1.23. Yeah, I still hate the sidebar, but with a little more work on it, I really think I can live with it. Hey, I hated the original v2, but since all the changes, I'm really starting to like it. Alot of things have much more functionality than v1.23 ever will, no matter what work is done to it. I regularly break off the uploading menu when I need to upload multiple animations or textures. I really think all those v2 haters need to give it another really good try. The ability to customize the transparency of windows, really rocks! Not all the windows are affected tho. The minimap and camera controls need to be included. I set my active windows to .93 and my inactive windows to .35. What are your settings? The only bad part is that I've been without voice for most of the last few versions. Of course, I've had sound issues ever since I got my new pc, and have yet to investigate it any further. There have been versions that voice and sound worked fine tho.

Well, this is kinda sad. Come on, Jack, 1 more office hour meeting. I'm sure I can find something else to complain about, lol. Cya, Jack Linden. Welcome, just Jack!

1) My biggest complaint is that I cannot view multiple/tabbed "Properties" windows in order to change multiple permissions of animations, scripts, or notecards from within my inventory or from within objects. I understand that disabling this feature for Objects might be a good idea, since perms of objects you can REZ don't change until they are rezzed and often contain items inside whose permissions don't get changed. However, for Scripts, Animations, Notecards, and other non-rezzable items, the current choices are not sufficient: a)change perms manually in inventory by opening the properties window for each, one by one (try doing that for 100 animations you just bought! or b) rez the items into a box and change them with bulk permissions, then rez back to inventory. These are okay for workarounds, but I believe the 'multiple tabbed properties windows' functionality is needed again because the "bulk permissions" feature just doesn't cut it for all things... If you care about content creators, especially those selling animations or scripts with full or copy/trans permissions, this functionality should be seriously considered for V2. The "Bulk Permission" feature just doesn't work for every instance where a user wants to change permissions of several items in on sitting (I would much rather be able to select a range of items from within inventory, before ever putting them into an object inworld, and go through the tabbed properties window, and check each one manually. I would like to be able to double check permissions on things already in the contents of a box without having to view each property window separately (I do this kind of thing constantly and I'm sure other creators of builds with scripts and animations from 3rd parties do the same!) This is just kinda impossible in V2, so it seems, without a bunch of extra work. PLEASE allow me to have those multiple/tabbed property windows open from Inventory and from within Contents of items, so I can keep double and triple checking my permissions like I always have, to avoid releasing items with improper permissions. Here is a Jira I just created with some ideas for multiple permissions editing within inventory. https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-24115

The sidebar remains a design failure because it blocks HUDS, maps etc when it slides onto the screen (making it detachable does not really help). Also, the microscopic media control buttons remain squeezed into the top right corner instead of on the bottom bar where they belong. Sigh. These are basic design mistakes. In my opinion, V2 is, was and will ever be a kludge. I'm sticking with Phoenix. I don't think V2 is as bad as that, but I would agree that both the sidebar and media control need more design work. Undocking the sidebar was an awesome step in the right direction. The problem I have with it's current state, is that undocking adds more clicks and you have to go thru those extra clicks everytime you want to use the sidebar. Basically, I don't ever want the sidebar to dock. I want to click the inventory tab and it just opens where I want it to open, and when I close it, the tab appears back on the side, no docking and undocking involved. Sure, docking can still exist, but not be essential to opening and closing the window. I'd also love if it went transparent when not in focus. These changes would affectively make V2 alot more like using V1. Overall, I really like this release, but I've not tested it much. The keyboard triggering local chat instead of movement was really big for me, and more transparent windows was something I've been begging for since V2 was first released. Of course, I'd love to see even more transparent windows, like the minimap. IMHO, the minimap is used for a specific few purposes, and most that use it, have it open all the time, and do not ever need it to be opaque. I already mentioned the sidebar panels needing to go transparent when not in focus, but the most important window that I think needs to go transparent is the Search window. That window is by far the largest window that we have and it requires alot of space. It only makes sense to me, that if you are using search and are going to be shopping or tping to alot of different places, having an opaque window hindering your view of the place you tped to is not the best way for the search window work. I'm just saying, the window covers your whole screen. Only other thing that bothers me a bit, is shadows. I've spent ridiculous money upgrading all my pcs and programs and other things, but I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for shadows to be in the official viewer. Why is this a big deal? I love the look of shadows, especially as an animator. As great as Kirsten's viewer is, I still can't upload animation in it, or I'd use it all the time. Kirsten's viewer always has the latest updates and I don't have to download 4 different viewers to try them all out. Again tho, overall I think this is probably 1 of the best viewer releases for V2 that I've seen. Kudos to LL! You get a hard slap on the arse from me.

Hey, more security is great, but I don't see that as the problem. All LL has to do is verify that you are a merchant that exchanges money and check your account transactions, then you are free to exchange money. Then, LL can do random checks of those accounts without delaying any payments at all. This situation seems similar to the air plane screening BS. Don't most of the people that fly, fly on a regular basis or probably flying for a corporate reason. Are they terrorists? I think not, hense they should not have to be screened everytime or possibly at all. If I have a long track record that LL can look up at anytime they want, why would a need for a delay exist at all?

Well, thanks LL for giving me a viewer that I can't log in with. As a matter of fact, I can't log in using any official viewer2 from LL. Kirsten's viewer is the only V2 viewer that will actually log in for me, and I can't upload animations in Kirsten's. That's what I do, upload animations. I just want to use SL. After a couple hours of trying different things, mainly video card driver updates, I finally found an update that allowed the official viewer to work. I had to go directly to Nvidia and download the driver from their site. I have a GTS 450 video card with window 7, 64 bit. No other ways of updating the driver resulted in favourable results with the official SL viewer. It does seem strange that Kirsten's viewer worked everytime.

Well, I been trying to use the Development Viewer, mostly because of the transparent windows. Not all the windows but alot more than we had. It is just way more relaxing. Seems the more opaque windows that are on my screen the higher my stress level gets. You can imagine if I get an IM while I'm editing an object, I'm instantly stressed about answering it and where I'm going to put that IM window, lol. Sadly, tho, the Dev Viewer has a similar voice issue that plagued other viewers. My voice jumps in and out, about every minute or 2. So, I can't use it. Overall, I like most of the improvements that have gone into V2, and working in the Dev Viewer gave me the first sense of slipping on an old comfortable glove. I just really wish that when I opened any of the sidebar windows, they just undocked automatically to where I want them, and then just disappear when I don't want them. The docking and undocking stuff can just be skipped. I don't mind the option to dock it, I just don't want to have to go thru the process everytime. It is not a fluid process.

I tried it. It hangs up at Loading World for like a full min or 2, just like the last official viewer. No shadows yet. Why? I have no idea. Also, why does the viewer not just use the settings from my last settings? LL, do you realize that I have to go thru every setting and change them for every single viewer. Gosh, this is like a bi-weekly exercise. Thank god many of the default setting are now more similar to how I set them. Boy, I can't wait for this whole process to change. I have like 4 official LL viewers, 2 tpv, and 2 other world viewers, and all of them are used regularly. I bet I spend over an hour a week just redoing settings. What is the fricken deal with shadows? Why are they not a priority? Is there some way to have them that I don't know about? Right now the only viewer2s that I know of that have them are Kirsten's viewer and the mesh viewer. Shadows are way cooler than display names. This viewer, to me, is a wasted release. Something I did not even need to download. None of the things I want are in this release. I downloaded the Development Viewer, and that does have some good features, especially the type in chat instead of WASD. Again tho, no shadows. Oh, and what is the deal with removing the create Duplicate option in the Build menu? So, right now, the only way to duplicate an object is to use the shortcut key or use a take option. Who ever heard of a function that is only accessible thru a shortcut key? Why did you spend time removing something that needs to be there? I'm dumbfounded. Maybe, I'm missing something.

I don't have a problem with them at all, but stating that they are somehow better than AO scripts created by residents is just completely wrong. The Phoenix clientside AO does not overide all the possible default animations, as it is the same overider that was used in the Emerald viewer. That system uses the zhao II format, which also has it's limitations. What do I do if I want to change my jump in mid air? Plus, If I want to change how something works or the options a customer has, I can't. If there is a problem, I'm stuck waiting for LL to deal with it. Basically, from an animators stand point, I'm given a box from which my product needs to fit in. In the end, it does not matter at all to me whether some1 uses a clientside AO or not. My goal is to give the best product that I can make for my customer, and that will not be affected at all by a clientside AO, because the customer will ultimately decide. I actually make more profits if customers buy animations individually, but that is not the best shopping experience for the average user. The average user wants to find a character that fits them, and just wear it and go. As I stated, 20% is by my estimates. I talk to dozens of animation customers every single day, and the only place I ever hear anything about clientside AOs is here in these forums. Polls have been done in the past in various places, and they never got much attention. If you would like to start your own thread about clientside AOs, I'd be very happy to talk more about it. This blog though, I don't think was created for clientside AO discussions.

For 1, you are making a totally broad statement that has exactly no basis in fact. Anything that is badly coded will cause lag. A well made AO script uses less resources than almost any gadget or particle hud. Claims of AOs causing lag are way over blown. Right now, I could fill my whole sim with people and give every1 my most resource intense AO, and it would still run like butter. My scriptor also has his main store on the sim. Can you imagine how many scripts he has on the sim? The sim will run fine as long as no1 is wearing some screwed up script from somewhere else. All it takes it 1 bad script to crash the whole sim. My sim will run fine because I don't have any bad scripts on it and I sure as heck don't have sculpties rezzed all over the place. This is not the same with people who do not write their own scripts and instead, buy everything they need. Some people just like to have a scapegoat. Of course, I animate, so I'm sure that any1 can imagine that I'm not going to like a builtin AO. It is bad enough that I have to wait years and years to get crucial animation bugs fixed, and now you want me to animate using some limited creation that is not designed by an animator. I'm sorry, I kinda do this for a living and having a bunch of people who haven't thought twice about it make the system from which I have to animate from is not very appealing. Yes, I know LL is the 1 who created this awesome animation system, but I yet to see LL do anything to it in the last 3 years and I doubt the original creators are still around. Plus, an AO is a character. Each character does alot more than just walk, run, stand, sit, and so on. There is so much more that animators can do to make each character as immersive as possible. Most of the builtin AO systems, that I have seen, don't even overide all the possible default animations. Right now, customers have an almost unlimited array of options. You are asking the lindens to create something that by my estimates, only 20% of the community even wants, and every1 else is still going to wear their AO, because they love it.

Maybe you did not notice, but the walk and a number of other default animations were changed when Viewer 2 was released. This also created priority problems with walks, turns, and a number of other default animations that to this day have still not been fixed. If you can't carry your newbie torch and use your AO, then blame LL, not the animators.

It is also a good idea to get a free or basic AO that is modifiable. AOs can need alot of animation and getting a packaged AO, as your base, and building on top of that base, can save you alot of time.

Great tut, Torley!!!

Well, I gotta say, overall, I'm pretty happy. I just did this m4 model last night, finished it off this afternoon, and uploaded it. Somewhat more complex than my first gun, but the model looks almost exactly as it does in Max. It is less than 3000 triangles and the prim cost said 4 at it's proper size. Please correct me if I'm wrong here but that is actually better than if you made it with prims? I mean rendering costs. I did not make the texture for it yet and the pose was just something I grabbed from my inventory, not made for that weapon. Other than the mass confusion that started this open beta, I'm kinda impressed by the tools, even tho there are some bugs. I like to build in SL, but found it somewhat tedious, but I'm finding mesh creation quite exciting. Plus, by allowing us to optimize builds using mesh, SL as a whole can get better looking objects and better made with less rendering costs. If you ask me, Mesh rockS!!! What to make now?

Seems that LL forgot to open the rest of the different mesh resources up to the public, like the .dae rig and jiras. Come on LL, you knew we'd be anxious to try it all.

I just created a low poly mesh and rigged it using the max biped. When I uploaded it, it worked just as it should have and whatever animation that my AO was playing was also playing on the skeleton in the upload window. After I uploaded it, I tried to rez it on the ground but I got an error saying that the object was invalid. This could be the rig's fault but I also had regular non rigged meshes give me the same error. When it would not rez, I simply wore it. As soon as I wore it, my body shape got a little morphed, but the animations played perfectly. After detaching it, my body shape totally got messed up, so something was going on. So, that was my big test for the evening and I guess I won't know more until I can rez it or I figure out why I can't. Don't forget that the biped probably does need to have the same amount of bones as the SL skeleton, which I think just has 1 less spline bone and only 1 finger, but that those are the only changes from a standard max biped. I think. Oh, and as I stated earlier, LL or some1 should release a rigged mesh collada file. That file can be used in almost any program that can export collada. If my low poly rigged mesh actually does really work, I will just release the collada file, as even tho it started as a max biped, when it gets converted to a collada, I think the biped ends up converting into a standard skeleton. At least that is how it looks when I import that collada file back into 3ds max. @Ann, I'm using 3ds Max 8, and I know some1 else that is using 8 and some1 else that is using 9. Here is my only successful upload. I spent hours trying to line the texture up, It did not upload with the collada, and I had to upload the texture map and just line it up manually. Not perfect but not terrible.

It seems as tho rigging a mesh with the max biped will work. It worked for me, but the mesh that I just used will not rez. In the preview window tho, everything was working. I'm going to rig a low poly mesh and see how that works out. That .dae file I posted should work, but for whatever reason, the link says I don't have permission to download the file. Personally, I don't need it, but other people will, who do not like to rig meshes. A .dae file should be the easiest way to distribute a rigged mesh because just about every1 should be able to import it into whatever program they are using to export collada with.

Ashasekavi, some1 needs to turn that into a collada file and then make the collada file available for those of us that do not use blender. I have rigged a few things in 3ds Max, but I have yet to try them. Actually, I just tried uploadind a rigged mesh and in the preview window it used the animation my avatar was playing and played it on a bone rig in the window, but It never uploaded all the way. If my 3ds Max rig works, I will make it available but be warned that there are problems with using newer max files in old 3dsmax version, and maybe vice versa. Importing a collada file with a rigged mesh would probably be a better choice. The default max biped is great for using with animation, but for this, it is not needed. The only problem I'm having now is my UVW map. It does not get packed in the mesh file. Probably my fault tho, so I gotta figure that part out. Oh, look what I found. http://jira.secondlife.com/secure/attachment/38659/simplebot.dae http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Mesh_Walkthrough:_Rigged_Mesh_Upload'>

Yep, I did that, and poof, it uploaded, but I was told by a linden that the sim I was on would work. I just now crashed again trying to adjust a texture on the new mesh.

Well, I'm now officially frustrated. Does not matter what mesh I try, they show in the upload window and nothing happens with I click upload. I even tried waiting for half an hours, hoping that it just takes a long time. I'll try a couple more things but I'm not going to waste my whole evening.