[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

By reducing high end SL standard authoring to a chosen few who have the skills to handle a "standard 3D application", Linden Lab is DEADLY WRONG. They change direction, they give away what made them successful, they truly "ELITISE" object and content creation, AND FOR WHAT????

Nothing gets reduced. Mesh is an enhancement. There are about 800 known Blender users in Second Life, and trust me, all of them are very happy about Linden Lab eliminating the constraints of sculpted prims. Here's my suggestion to you, Vivienne: Create a group, call it "Mesh Haters" or something like that, and then ask people to join. If you get anywhere near 800 members, maybe Linden Lab will listen to you.

[Next Steps for Mesh Import]

The blank assertion that there could never be an in-world mesh editor because it's too difficult for LL to program is simply silly.

That's true.

But if you give people an in-world mesh editor, they will ask for an in-world texture editor. And then for an in-world animation editor. And then for an in-world sound editor. Because textures and animations and sounds are in-world assets just like meshes. Linden Lab could build all that into the viewer, but then they wouldn't have time to do anything else. And the viewer would probably turn into a massive 300 MB application, more complex than an operating system.

SL currently has in-world editors for anything that is specific to SL: avatar shapes and outfits, gestures, LSL scripts, parametric prims. It depends on external editors and standard import formats wherever possible. So does any other virtual world, including Blue Mars. This isn't going to change any time soon.

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No, Masami.

In SL we are not consumers. We are prosumers because we co-create. The world is taking a step backward and making us passive consumers again. It's not about this artificial "choice" you substitute for the real choice of accessibility of tools.

It's Soviet-style communism to pretend that Mesh, which is highly complicated, with expensive tools, or wonky and obfuscated opensource tools forcing you to buy the manual. That's not capitalism; it's extortion.

Smart people accessed prims and even sculpties, go know. Mesh removes that freedom.

You talk about mesh as if you knew what it's all about. But in fact you don't know anything.

Meshes are sculpted prims without topology limitations. That's all. Anyone who can make sculpted prims can make meshes as well. Because it's easier.

Which means that your entire rant is three years late. The first step was made in 2007, and if you had attended Qarl Linden's office hours back then, you would know that mesh import was his original idea. It was just too complex to integrate at the time, so he came up with a subset: a mesh whose 3D coordinates are encoded as a texture.

Back in 2007, just like today, there were people predicting that sculpted prims would kill the ordinary prim craftsmen. None of this happened. What happened was that SL became more visually attractive, more pleasing to the eye. Go and count avatars that don't wear at least one sculpted attachment.

Mesh support will take SL one step further. For the very first time, builders will be able to create convincing underground structures such as caves. They will be able to model a solid object such as a mountain that covers the entire sim, and then just cut the caves right into it. You can't do that with classic or sculpted prims, not even megaprims.

Linden Lab is giving us powerful new tools to express ourselves and shape the world, and all you can do is whine and nag about it. You're not a creator, you have no vision. Why are you even here?

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Please remember that Blender has always been free. Only at one time they used to sell the manual separate. Hence why Blender is confusing as all hell. It was designed to be so you would buy the damn manual. Blender company dies because the product is junk and no one buys the manual. Open source people get it and now its the greatest 3D application since sliced bread because the license comes with a free tree. PLEASE.

Blender was a mess 10 years ago and its the same mess today. Just made with lentils. The problem with Blender is the same as it always has been. ITS BLENDER !!

The original Blender wasn't free; in fact it wasn't even meant to be published.

What you use for 3D modeling is entirely up to you. I was merely suggesting two free options. Blender's capability has been

. If you think a high-end commercial application will improve the quality of your work for Second Life, you're in for a big surprise. We are talking about game assets here, not the next Hollywood CG blockbuster.

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That's like the sort of "choice" the Soviet government gives you.

You've got it backwards, Prokofy.

In free market capitalism, the consumer has all the choices. He can buy classic prim products, sculpted prim products, or mesh prim products. You want to reduce his choices. You want to tell him that the old crap is good enough and better quality is not needed. That is what Soviet-style communism was all about.

Even worse, you are promoting laziness. You think that the dumb and lazy need to be protected from the smart and productive. You are preaching socialism.

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It seems you are unfamiliar with the basic principles of solidarity and decency, Masami.

Not at all, Prokofy. That's why I am co-owner of the in-world group "Blender Users". Our goal is to provide support for all those content creators who use Blender. The group currently has 793 members.

Anyone who has been using Blender to make sculpted prims or baked avatar textures is perfectly prepared for the upcoming mesh feature. In fact meshes will make things a lot easier.

Mesh support was announced pretty much exactly one year ago. Plenty of time to choose a 3D modeling application and get familiar with it. At least two of those applications have been available free of charge: Blender and Wings 3D. Maybe they slipped below your radar because they are made by those open-source hippies that you so despise.

Anyway, there is no excuse for creators who chose to twiddle their thumbs for the past 12 months. You either want to make money or you don't.

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It means these people -- and some professional 3-D content creators outside of SL currently -- can come in and step on the old prim craftsmen.

Thousands of people, some of whom even make a living selling prim furniture and other prim-based items.

It seems you are still unfamiliar with the basic principles of capitalism, Prokofy.

What are you going to do? Establish a Prim Labor Union?