Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 5:09 PM PST by: Sidewinder Linden

The Beta Preview has been refreshed with another set of fixes, detailed below. The Havok4 project team is working to replace the physics engine in Second Life with a new version. This build resolves a number of avatar and vehicle behaviors, as well as some performance adjustments.

The beta test grid’s database snapshot is from October 30, 2007. If your account is newer than that date, or your password has changed since that date, you will be unable to access the beta test grid.

Windows 2000/XP/Vista 1.18.3.70780 (33 MB)

Mac OS X 1.18.3.70780 (77 MB)

Linux client alpha 1.18.3.70780 (50 MB)

To see the features and bug fixes that have been added in Second Life 1.18.3.70780, please visit the Beta Test Grid Release Notes page.

To report a Beta Test Grid bug, please use the inworld Tools menu > Report Bug (at the top of the screen) and provide detailed feedback. Fixed bugs will be listed in future Release Notes, and you can learn more about bug reporting. Thanks for your help

Linux Residents: For more news and information, visit the official Linux client alpha page.

The Havok4 Beta Server regions on the Beta Preview have been updated to v1.18.6.77587

The Havok1 reference regions have been updated to v1.18.6.76747 (same version as on the main Second Life system)

More Havok4 project information, including new linkability rules and a listing of regions currently enabled on the Havok4 Beta Preview, is posted here:
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Havok_4_Beta_Home

We are holding regular office hours to review your experiences with the Havok4 Beta Preview. Our office hours are posted here:
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Regular_Havok4_Office_Hours_In-World (Please note the new location!)

Details of the issues resolved in this refresh:

Note: Issues beginning with “DEV-” were internally identified issues, whereas issues beginning with “SVC-” were logged on the public issue tracker.

SVC-1089: Avatar inertia no longer ends abruptly while jumping
SVC-1191: Avatar alignment now corrected with “hugger” attachments
DEV-5210: Kart now drives the same after Havok4 to Havok1 region transition
DEV-5279: C-Tech F2050 Hover Ship no longer goes out of control crossing from Havok4 to Havok1 regions
DEV-5674: Kart rotation rate is now correct
DEV-6996: Camera oscillations removed
DEV-7968: Mouselook steering for vehicles is now working
DEV-8402: Avatar no longer slides after user stops walking
DEV-8436: RCCS adjusted to handle high physics load better
DEV-8465: Avatar mass now matches Havok1
DEV-8578: Dragging physical objects no longer causes avatar and physical objects to fall through platform
DEV-8692: Volume_Detect is only set if phantom is also set
DEV-8875: Objects with reduced level of detail are now restored correctly

Best regards,

Sidewinder Linden
Havok4 Program Manager

http://www.bentha.net/gimp-scripts/SL-GIMP-Scripts.html

Here is the Original Second Life Blog Post

Get it while its still hot and butter -buggy =p

WindLight info-page

Download:

Windows 2000/XP/Vista 1.18.6.76886 (34 MB)

Mac OS X 1.18.6.76886 (71 MB)

Linux client 1.18.6.76886 (51 MB)

Note: I also posted a bunch of updates to the previous posts with new links. As I find things that are better or new plugins or scripts I will post those as well. Im also working on an outline version of this blog that will have a link summary in its simplest form with links to the original posts that should be helpful for quick information. Click on the Post Outline link. Its still in the works so it might have some problems still…

[3:30 PM PST] The updated Windlight viewer is now available for download as well. As mentioned before, these updates are required for anyone using these viewers. -Chiyo

[UPDATE 3:00PM PST] The Release Candidate viewer is once again available for download. The Windlight viewer should be soon to follow. This update will be required for anyone wishing to use these viewers. -Chiyo

If you missed the memo, Windlight client and the Release Candidate clients have been shutdown until further notice (see the Linden Lab blog announcement) as ofSaturday, December 29th, 2007 at 11:56 AM PST. There is however a Windlight Client alternative that works. I have been wanting to try the “Nicholaz Edition” of the Second Life Viewer for a while now, but the constant Linden Versions have kept me pretty busy, (among other things).

Today when I found out that the Windlight Client didn’t work, I went to the website and saw someone in the comments saying that this Nicholaz Edition EC-B which is his experimental Windlight Client, had been released just a few days prior, and it still worked. So I decided to give it a shot and see, since i am quite spoiled now with the great Windlight graphics and enjoy messing with the settings when taking pictures. And I am glad I did, because it was a drag and drop 5 megabyte download and Install, that seems to crash a lot less and respond much better, requiring less of my computers resources. Im going to be testing it for a few days to see what it is like, I will post updates here. Here are the download links that are also embedded in the above text. If you try it tell me how you like it.

If you are new to these, you will most likely want
the latest viewer from the BleedingEdge folder.  Be
sure to carefully read the instructions inside and
also look for the associated release-post on the
blog http://nicholaz-beresford.blogspot.com/

The server also contains source code for my builds
and on the blog you will find links to people who
do Linux/Mac builds.

Windows Direct Download Links & Client Descriptions

READ FIRST!!! (Depending On Date that you read this) 

((Note: Later versions will appear as released by Linden Lab

So it would be wise to check the folder of the client type to make 

sure that a newer client then the direct download link file 

has not been posted)) 

Old-School (Direct Download) (Old School Folder Link Here)

are viewers from the pre-Voice aera and the
versions tagged "OldSchool" or "OS" are based on the
old Linden viewer 1.18.0.

Bleeding-Edge (Direct Download) (or BS) (Bleeding Edge Folder Link Here)

is based on the Linden viewers (versions 1.18.1 to 1.18.4)

and among other fixes reverts the GUI to pre-voice.

Experimental (Direct Download) (Experimental Client Folder)

This patched version is designed to
run with SecondLife 1.18.6.76116 (Windlight FirstLook)

Here is the link to the experimental Folder

Windows Installation Instructions

Copy the nicholaz.exe file from this ZIP archive to the SecondLife
installation folder which matches the version number given above.
Usually it is something like
My Computer, Drive C, Program Files, SecondLife(ReleaseCandidate).

Then do the same with the various xxxx_xxxxx_nicholaz.xml files,
i.e. also put them directly into the SecondLife program folder
(do not copy them to skins/xui).

Right-Click your deskop, select New, Shortcut and pick the
nicholaz.exe file from the second life program folder via
the browse button (My Computer, Drive C, Program Files,
SecondLife(ReleaseCandidate), nicholaz.exe) and finish
the shortcut.

If you want the program to log you in automatically, you can
edit the shortcut and add -autologin to the end like this:
“C:\Program Files\SecondLife\nicholaz.exe” -autologin

There you are, just a double click away from a (hopefully)
better second life.

Here is a direct link to Nicholaz Beresford’s Blog

Nicholaz Edition for Mac (based on Nicholaz Source)

(All Versions) (Read attached link for installation instructions)

The Cool SL Viewer

(All Linux Versions) (Read attached link for installation instructions)

Download Wings 3D

User Manual 1.6.1 (PDF)

System Requirements

• Windows: OpenGL required. From 0.99.00: Windows 2000 or higher required.
• Mac OS X: From 0.98.35: 10.4 (”Tiger”) or higher required. From 0.98.26 (Nov 2004): 10.3 (”Panther”) or higher required. Earlier releases run on 10.2 or higher. There is no Mac OS 9 version.
• Linux: Open GL or Mesa required.
• Other Unix: OpenGL required; you’ll need to build from source.

(Wings 3D seems to be a bit easier to use then blender when creating Sculpted Prims for Second Life, but Blender is far more powerful and is capable of animation.)

Wings 3D Sculpted Prim SL Plugin (From Second Life Wiki)

Download: Wings 3D Sculpty plug-in

Description:

Wings 3D plug-in and templates for sculpties. Sculpties of any shape and topology can be modeled and textured using Wings in conjunction with any 2D paint program. Also, Wings can be used in combination with other sculpty applications. For example, a starting shape can be created using Rokoru, which can then be imported into Wings for further modification and/or texturing. This latest version of the plug-in automatically creates the appropriate UV map when a sculpty is imported, making texturing much easier.

An exporter is a plugin for Wings that creates an SL compatible texture file from the .wings model. In the case of Wings 3D, the exporter plugin is also an importer. This allows Wings 3D to read sculpty files created in specialized sculpty programs like Rokuro, Tokuroten or Sculptypaint. Wings 3D can then be used to add additional details not possible in these simpler programs.

The Wings 3D plugin is written by Omei Turnbull. You can get the most recent release of the plugin from

• SL Building Tips forum: Links to plug-in and templates, plus tons of information.
• PK Pounceworks: Importer/exporter plug-in and .wings templates.
• Non-sphere Templates: cylinder, torus, and plane

Initial templates

To create a model, start by opening one of the .wings template files from the plugin zip file. These templates are named according to the number of segments and slices, and whether faces are represented by triangles or quadrilaterals.

For most models, 32×31tri.wings is a good choice. There is very little advantage to modeling with a 64×63 mesh, and there are significant disadvantages. Of the almost 3000 additional vertices in a 64×63 mesh, only 32 of them will actually have any effect on the sculpty in SL. Unless you know exactly which 32 vertices these are, you just risk being disapppointed because the details of your model rely on some of those 2950+ vertices that are going to be ignored once they get into SL. As for triangular vs. quadrilateral faces, the triangular faces allow Wings to better match the way SL will render your model. The only disadvantage of triangular faces is that it makes the model look a little “busier”.

The big benefit of starting with one of the templates, rather than creating a sphere with the Wings command, is that the templates contain UV maps (provided by Hypatia Callisto — thanks again, Hypatia) that allow you to create and preview sculpty textures using just Wings and any 2D paint program. (For more details, see below.)

Other topologies

In the original release of sculpties, SL only supported sculpties with a “spherical” topology. (That is, the surface has no breaks and the solid has no holes.) As of this writing, SL has incomplete support for the planar (one surface break), cylinder (two surface breaks) and torus (no surface breaks but one hole in the solid) topologies. The Wings 3D plugin fully supports all four topologies.

Go to Second Life Wings 3D Wiki page

Video Tutorials Using Wings for SL creation

[display_podcast]

Sabulella 8,212, 24

u=c421517cb148477cafc119c7e02ae958

SL Blender Group Profile

GIMP artists of SL Group Profile

Quicktime & Codecs (PC ONLY for this Section)

When installing any new codecs always remove all and any previous codec packs. Also close all programs or windows. (if you don’t do this, Quicktime will sometimes not work in web browsers and programs, like second life, that were open during install. Trust me, I learned this the hard way and reinstalling and rebooting is never fun.)

Quicktime has a major security flaw that allows for serious problems with the SL client (Click HERE to read more), so make sure you have the latest Quicktime installed and delete any old versions as well. I use the codecs at this link. KLM Mega Pack, for everything else and then Quicktime Alternative for Quicktime. I have a extreme distaste for Apple software, but its a matter of preference. I don’t use ITunes and I hate how annoying Apple’s upgrades are on the PC. I wont get into OSX..all I have to say is Sad Mac =]

(yes..I made 4 links to Quicktime Alternative..

its that important for Second Life performance,

and security in windows as well..

and tutorials bore me so..heh =]..trying to keep it light..

Quicktime Update/install (Mac/Linux)

Apple Quicktime Security Update (I hate to do this but for the Mac users there is no other choice, as far as I know)

Second Life Video in Linux (article) recently streaming video was made available in Linux. Make sure that you have all the latest Gstreamer packages installed in your distribution. I have tried this it does work. (I will post more information on this soon)

Graphics and Performance

Make sure you have the latest Graphics card release update, and make sure you know which card you have exactly before you install it..(if you don’t install the right one, you could cause yourself a lot of trouble, and have to fix it in safe mode which is never fun..you cant say i didn’t warn you =])

There are many graphics card manufacturers but most cards (that work with Second Life) use either one of two chip sets made by either Nvidia (which seems to have the best drivers out as of late) and ATI (decent drivers but more problems especially using Linux)

(PC ONLY for this Section)

Another thing that will help overall system performance as well as the Second Life viewer and also web site browsing, is downloading CCleaner (which is the more politically correct name for a program called CrapCleaner) Basically it cleans out all the crap that gets downloaded onto your machine, and also the second tab on it, cleans out your registry which also helps for performance.

Second Life Client Update & Alternatives

There are a few different choices for Second Life Viewers/ Clients (what you use to view SL, but regardless of which one you use, always make sure you are running the latest version of your particular version. This is very important for performance as well.

SL Standard Client (Direct Download (Win, Mac, Linux [alpha])

Most people use this it is said to be the most stable and most tested,but this is not always the case. Test software could run much better on your system,but you need to try it to find out.I recommend this client for people who just want to get SL running fast and not mess with performance and graphics enhancements and tweaking.

SL RC Client (Direct Download (Win, Mac, Linux [alpha])

This is a client that is best for most people to use when available, Release Candidate Clients have the most up to date bug fixes, and these clients are usually released as the main client once the bugs are worked out on the main grid. Good for most SL users.

SL First Look Client (Direct Download (Win, Mac, Linux [alpha])

First Look Client (currently Windlight) is kinda like a step between the Beta Grid and the Release Canidate. Good for users who want a bit more of a cutting edge experience when it comes to graphics and performance. (I use this client, the graphic enhancements are great but can be straining on older graphics cards.)

SL Beta Test Client (Direct Download (Win, Mac, Linux [alpha])

***This client does not run on the main Grid so that means its not live, its strictly a testing environment but, this one will let you see how future projects live the Havoc 4 physic engine will affect your machine, and also help the testers as well.

——————————-

3rd Party Alternate Clients Click this link to try a client created by Nicholaz Beresford that I have been told by many crashes about 20 % less then the main client. Many people swear by it, I haven’t tried it yet, tell me how it is with a comment if you do try it.

Electric Sheep Company Alternative Client (Article)

Performance Settings (in game under Edit >> Preferences >> Graphics Tab or Ctrl P)

If your using Windlight you can use the recommended graphics setting, that usually works the best. If your using an older client here is a place that you can change the settings around to best fit your machine.

Network Tab (in game under Edit >> Preferences >> Network or Ctrl P)

This tab lets you configure network settings, for most people setting Maximum Bandwidth to 1500 kbps (slider bar all the way to the right), works the best. And for Disk Cache size I have found recently (thanks to Veyron Supercharge) that setting this to about 500 megabytes for most people is good. If this is too high you will have lagg and performance issues, because SL tends to use more memory with this at 1000 megabytes. Its also good to clear your cache from time to time as well.

(I will post more tweaks and performance/ graphics tips as I come across them, if you have any post them in a comment and I will add them to this post, also let me know if you find any errors or broken links and I will fix them as soon as i can.)

12.24.07 UPDATE: SL Performance Video (Torley Linden)

[display_podcast]

Hope this helps..leave a comment and tell me how it works for you by clicking here

SculptyPaint v.091 alpha release
SculptyPaint was written for creating 3D sculpt models for SecondLife. But currently it can also export to .dxf files that can be read in Blender, google sketchup etc. It’s a personal experiment that I started june 2007, and somehow got out of hand.

Sculpt previewer Drag and rotate the 3Dmodel.
Edit RGB Layers Manipulate and analyze the RGB layers.
Drawing tool (added v.02) Manipulate the width, height.
Flower Tool (added v.03) 1-prim flower tool. (Spinplant **)
Stone Tool (added v.04) All kind of modifying options.
Stairs Tool (new in v.06) Create 1-prim sculpted Stairs.
Arch Tool (new in v.08) Rotation, scaling and translation of rings.
Point Tool (new in v.09) Manipulate multiply of points
Texture Sketch (new in v.091) Texture sketch/drawing, seamless textures
Morph Tool (new in v.091) Morph 3D models, lock and modify 3D points

Download for
- Windows
- Linux
- MacOSX (Mac users read the readme.txt to get it working!)
- Pdf explaining how to chmod sculptypaint on MacOSX written by Pantano Boa.
- Processing files To run sculptypaint from Processing

Requires: Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher installed on your system?! In case it aint working. Make sure you unpack the zipfile with the correct folders intact.

In case you installed the above correct and still getting errors like ‘Could not find the main class’ I got this tip from Mogon.
Mogon : seems like the java update routine, doesnt clean up with the old versions very well. verifying on the java site runs great, but there are some odd “remains” of the older installation.
Mogon : uninstalled all, cleaned up the registry, downloaded the update and it works. maybe you want to add this helpfull link to your website for that “class error” Error: can not find main class or can not find jvm.dll

Some user feedback:
- ‘Didn’t have so much fun with a creation-tool since I discovered photoshop’
- Played with sculptypaint all night, and came late for work 3+ hours.

Tutorials & Links and Info:
- SculptyPaint Tutorials