libsecondlife: 3D makes us happy!
In the case that you don't check libsecondlife.org very often, and you actually read MY blog, check out the latest news I just posted.
Have you ever wondered what Second Life would look like rendered through an open source third party application?
I have, and now, thanks to libsecondlife developer John Hurliman, I know without a doubt that Second Life is a world of boxes flat shaded with random pastel colors! This renderer created for debug purposes is rendering a house using only a box primitive. Future updates will hopefully support more primitive types.
It's just the tip of the iceberg for 3D with libsecondlife. Also in the early stages of development is a 3D engine created by Adam Zaius that will be part of the first fully functional client using libsecondlife, codenamed Slight. Check out the Slight Roadmap to see what is planned for Slight and contribute your thoughts.
Strawberry Frosting
Strawberry Frosting, originally uploaded by baba sucks.
Oh, Vivox? Doesn’t that give you cancer?
Vivox recently launched their VOIP service in Second Life. It's got a couple standard features..You got the buddy list, you got the chat window and you got…. well that's it!
Ok, so it does conferences but we can't figure out how to invite someone to one once you start a 1 on 1. You can all get together around a public microphone in Second Life and it will add you to a conference, but that's a hassle. Documentation is almost nil. What good is it to me when I am not able to hear chat after 5 minutes and trying to restart the client it tells me the server is non-responsive? So basically it sucks!!
After half an hour of messing with Vivox and nothing working, moo Money, Mark Barrett and I decided we would just use Skype, and that's what happened.. The complaints about Vivox spread through our social network and soon our conversation was 6 strong hosting Talila Liu, Eric Rice and Oz Spade as well. Then it was 10 and finally topping out at 17 people connected through SkypeCast, including terrorist linkers and "known griefers".
Eric Rice said, "It's like Second Life in my ears."
We don't need no fancy schmancy bullhookie from Vivox..Back to Skype everyone! It may not be integrated into Second Life, but at least it works.
Now, if it was a part of the client that would be a different story, nobody would expect it to work…
People Should Smile More
Puzzle Pirates In SL, originally uploaded by baba sucks.
Check out OddWadd
Pierce P. recently launched the site for OddWadd Machnima Studios. OddWadd is responsible for the spectacular machinima short "Game Over" and hopefully many more in the future.
You can check out Pierce's blog Pierce P. Machinima Guru or watch more of his videos on YouTube.
Game Over
"Game Over" is the first true OddWadd short film. It is dedicated to Jerry Paffendorf, Eric Gruber, and Jodie Niss who all helped inspire its creation.At 24 FPS, it is a tale of full laughter, love and loss all told in a rather odd way.The film has been entered into the 2006 Machinima Film Festival taking place in Astoria, NY on the Nov. 5 and 6. After three years of creating films in Second Life, this piece really shows off all the techniques which make this virtual world such an exciting medium in which to create machinima. I hope you enjoy the film.
About OddWadd
The purpose of OddWadd is to create and distribute machinima filmed inside of the virtual world known as Second Life. Its goal is to present people with an affordable and reliable means of visually recording their “Second Life”. Also, OddWadd exists to provide machinima entertainment for the residents of Second Life by using the space and the freedom it grants as a means of pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling. Finally, OddWadd sells its synthespians as unique avatars for residents of Second Life who are a little odd and at the same time demonstrate their continued support of OddWadd Machinima.
Tech Conference Show Interviews Babbage Linden
Babbage Linden recently attended the European Open Source Convention in Brussels. The Tech Conference Show caught up with him for an interview about open source in Second Life.
He talks about the mono implementation and also mentions Linden Lab's future goal to open source all of Second Life. Licences and legal issues still stand in the way. Also, Second Life is not just a tool. It is a platform which people rely on.
Babbage Linden's Interview at EuroOSCON
Alt-Zoom Annouces Take 5 Winners
You can find all the videos over at Alt-Zoom.
gameOver - by Pierce Portocarrero, Winner Best Movie
Submarine - by Torley Linden, Winner Best Editing
Dream - By Silver and Goldie Goodman, Winner Best Story
Skoopf Skates - by Nylon Pinkly, Winner Best Cinematography
Cyber One - by Ansible Berkman and Tao Takashi, Winner Technical Accomplishment
Check out the winner of best movie…
This snapshot gives me a taste of strawberry frosting in my mouth..
Super sweet and not quite strawberry, but tart and pleasing none the less.