tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31412450214091151192012-01-14T09:31:24.775-05:00A Second Life® focused blog, this tells the adventures of Storm Thunders as I explore, build, script, and generally entertain myself.Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-13800608740980274822012-01-14T09:31:00.000-05:002012-01-14T09:31:24.783-05:00

Well, the 40% alpha prim didn't do what I hoped. It does appear on the map, but as translucent. It tints the sim map square.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-71990748985432311202012-01-12T10:46:00.000-05:002012-01-12T10:46:44.751-05:00

Sometimes when I'm building a sim, the owner wants things kept hidden from the world map until they're ready to reveal. The map pics the highest objects that are under 400M to display. Taking advantage of the ancient  SL art of skywriting, we can protect an island sim from prying eyes. The easiest covering is a 256x256x1 phantom prim with this script in it. default {     on_rez( integer p )

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-37389059021466363422011-11-27T02:33:00.000-05:002011-11-27T02:33:27.487-05:00

I've spent most of my time running around as a micro lately. The virtual world's a different place when you're only a foot tall. There's sculpted versions available, but I prefer the mesh version - if you've got skin and clothing textures you like you can apply them to the avatar. There's also prim wearables, vehicles, and furniture available for them. I'm still enjoying the papillon

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-63727362336634216802011-11-09T11:56:00.000-05:002011-11-09T11:56:42.493-05:00

To copy toolbar positions from one account to another in Viewer 3.2: Shut down the viewer. Copy the toolbars.xml file from one acct to the other's folder. Restart.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-85167865302528261442011-11-09T08:27:00.001-05:002011-11-18T13:05:48.408-05:00

Only the most recent sensor event is queued.  Previous sensor events are replaced.  So, what does this mean to you? If you're using sensors, and you're sending sensor messages fairly quickly one after another, and the sim starts to lag... Your script appears to stop. Every script has an event queue that holds up to 64 events. Normally these are given to your script in more or less a first come

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-1416429075537827812011-11-08T22:10:00.000-05:002011-11-08T22:10:43.858-05:00

Spotted Rod Humble interviewed in an article about game innovation. Trying out the new release viewer. I like being able to pick and position buttons. I'm still pissed that you can't move things around on the Inventory Recent tab (I really hope that's a bug and not a deliberate change!)

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-61809907156994962011-10-27T23:42:00.000-05:002011-10-27T23:42:18.688-05:00

Remember the mesh clothing deformer project? They're fully funded. I'm buttering that popcorn.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-72328726776544017932011-10-23T10:51:00.002-05:002011-10-23T10:51:37.858-05:00

If you've worked in the software industry or dealt with trying to keep a project on track, read this.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-42857232673976428332011-10-21T14:38:00.000-05:002011-10-21T14:38:51.707-05:00

Want to buy a sim without paying setup fees?  I can't remember the Lab doing this before. I guess it will help answer the question about how much a barrier the setup fees are vs the monthly fees.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-50735796073041209312011-10-18T01:31:00.000-05:002011-10-18T01:31:31.789-05:00

I just finished a bunch of small Avatar Toolbox updates related to avatar masks or mesh along with pruning or replacing dead links. I'm still thinking about how I want to write up deformer AOs and rigged mesh. Well, I'm trying to, but between the soothing movements of those butterflies in the picture last entry and the fact that I'm getting drowsy... zzz

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-43300133324059247012011-10-17T23:05:00.000-05:002011-10-17T23:05:13.187-05:00

Old avatars never die. They just slowly gather moss.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-58445879683446656462011-10-10T21:57:00.001-05:002011-10-10T21:59:45.454-05:00

So, what do you do if you find something wrong with the SL viewer or sim code? This isn't WoW where you hit a button and leave a message for a GM. You enter a bug report into the SL Jira. It's used for bug reports and feature requests, not technical support problems. I personally find using bug tracking software this way to be offensive. It's not designed for customers. Many people have no

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-18724719535762078852011-10-06T10:19:00.000-05:002011-10-06T10:19:40.748-05:00

I'm making popcorn. There's an independent project trying to get funds to pay the former Qarl Linden (of sculpt map fame) to make mesh clothes fit by modding viewer code. Prim Perfect has the best wrap-up of the mesh clothing situation I've seen.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-62320368844947508032011-10-03T23:57:00.000-05:002011-10-03T23:57:40.031-05:00

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-77303675135132822712011-10-02T16:16:00.001-05:002011-10-02T16:16:56.311-05:00

Articles, blog entries, and tutorials about organizing and cleaning out your avatar's inventory abound. I always find things I never knew I had. Remember to laugh now and again!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-1679438223464261292011-09-25T00:05:00.001-05:002011-09-25T00:06:26.195-05:00

If I'm wearing an avatar mask that makes the entire avatar invisible, I have no shadow. If I wear a mask that covers part of the body, that hidden part appears on my shadow. Notice the pants legs, and the feet.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-90608079821873359722011-09-23T10:49:00.001-05:002011-09-23T10:49:46.828-05:00

Current list of viewers supporting mesh.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-3794942905720323822011-09-23T10:12:00.001-05:002011-09-23T10:15:19.688-05:00

I was very excited today to realize that when I turned shadows on (in the release viewer) I was both seeing shadows and not seeing my alpha textures disappear! Pictures! With both hair and shadows! Squee! But then I saw this... Noooo! What is this strange glitch around my avatar's head? I began experimenting. It didn't appear on all my outfits. So I began taking thing off... No help there.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-47490887837852519422011-09-21T14:23:00.000-05:002011-09-21T14:23:39.289-05:00

HTTP with lsl You can use llHTTPRequest() to get text information from the web. The free landmark HUD I offer uses it. You can also run a http server inside the grid. Note the section about URL lifetime limitations! If you're doing anything beyond light testing you'll want to explore a URL-mapping service so sim reboots don't break your code.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-81206355079437544772011-09-20T09:07:00.000-05:002011-09-20T09:07:15.975-05:00

Greyscale and 'tint' textures A lot of people use greyscale tiling textures and gradients for texturing metal objects, but they're useful for more than that. If you're looking to lessen lag on a sim or other large area, consider experimenting with prim color. If you make greyscale or tint textures (sepia, cool blue, etc) or a greyscale texture with a bit of color in some spots, you can use

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-18083436436417524852011-09-16T16:18:00.000-05:002011-09-16T16:18:03.696-05:00

F is for Friday! Wait a minute... F is for Flexible prims Flexible prims were brand new to the grid when I signed up back in spring 2006. They're used for everything from flags and hair to tentacles and ballgowns. Natalia's is still one of the best tutorial on using flexi prims. If you want to make a more complex shape flex, it's possible to group flexi prims into units that move as one,

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-18243726210340846952011-09-15T15:07:00.001-05:002011-09-15T15:07:51.706-05:00

E is for... I considered Environment (as in windlight) but right now I loathe the interface for it in the release viewer. Whoever came up with that needs to locked up in a room with 20 newbies and not allowed out until they can all make fashionista-quality snapshots. I can't see both shadows and textures with transparency at the same time, and I can't use shadows and antialiasing at the same

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-83512580943229669162011-09-14T14:02:00.001-05:002011-09-14T14:25:06.731-05:00

Dept of Public Works Do you like to travel? If you do, you've probably come across places the Department of Public Works built. Many of the public roads, railways, and seas on the mainland were made by them. Three of my favorite places they've done are the funfair at Pyri Peaks (make sure to explore the Tunnel of Love), Rizal (a great place to go with a friend or three), and the Linden Memorial

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-10355206598523588622011-09-13T11:25:00.000-05:002011-09-13T11:25:30.737-05:00

Color. Prim color. The color picker window on the viewer has several slots for you to save custom colors, but what about when you need more? Or what if you're working with a group and want to share colors? Why not make your own palette? Rez a cube. I add a greyscale radial gradient texture to it, but that's up to you. Set it to full-bright. Copy the prim several times to make a row of prims.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-19212978428808014112011-09-12T16:00:00.002-05:002011-09-12T16:00:03.703-05:00

Bounding box How tall is your avatar? If you script, you know that while llGetAgentSize() claims to tell you, it isn't as accurate as getting the avatar's bounding box with llGetBoundingBox(). I am very amused that there's no way via script to guesstimate how thin or fat an avatar is. llGetMass(), llGetAgentSize(), and llGetBoundingBox() all assume default values for an avatar's x and y

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-63467894836484099302011-09-11T18:13:00.002-05:002011-09-11T22:29:31.025-05:00

Animations QAvimator is my favorite tool for making them. There are others though. -The hip is the part that moves and rotates the entire avatar. -The keyframe controls how your animation looks in SL. If the joint doesn't change between the keyframe and the second frame, it won't be moved by your animation in SL. -Priority: 0-4. Don't be afraid of layering animations to get what you want.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-80521925358248658302011-08-23T10:32:00.000-05:002011-08-23T10:32:55.217-05:00

I didn't know we can set a parcel to hide avatars on it. Secret workshops! Private meetings! Whoo-hoo!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-15897774643652867462011-08-18T19:56:00.002-05:002011-08-18T19:57:47.610-05:00

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-69028847281120648362011-08-16T12:40:00.004-05:002011-08-16T12:43:09.964-05:00

Dear Official Release Viewer, You know how sometimes you automatically download a new version of you? And once you've done that, did you know I can't do simple things like COMPILE SCRIPTS until I decide to run the update? And oops, you don't offer any kind of message when I try. Well... DIE IN A FIRE! Love, Me. P.S Learn to leave my graphics options alone!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-37930181302159502362011-08-12T20:20:00.006-05:002011-08-12T20:55:11.541-05:00

I've been building a ferris wheel for a customer. Design-wise it's an interesting puzzle. The wheel turns, but the cars/seats/carriages remain upright with the passengers inside. The only way it was viable in the old days was to make each of the cars an object, and to have the wheel be an object. A seated avatar moves with the object it sits on, so the avatar would move naturally with the car.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-64994471887745496732011-08-08T00:48:00.004-05:002011-08-08T00:55:32.704-05:00

I'd never gotten around to making an Invisible Woman avatar. Until tonight.The original avatars (made years before avatar masks were introduced) had super-hero proportions in order to hide the default avatar inside. She's a good deal slimmer, and has smaller limbs since there's no need to try to hide the default avatar as it moves.She's available at the shop in Kitaro.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-66034759652809025062011-08-01T19:58:00.011-05:002011-08-01T20:33:34.698-05:00

I found a freebie hover-board and a road...I headed south.Saw a lot of the usual stuff...Parks and forests, houses, virtual horse ranches,glowing meeroo hells... This fellow reminds me of my old Easter Island Head Conference.At the end of the road I found an amusement park. Most of the rides worked!I haven't been out on the virtual roads for a while. I was surprised at the number of large plots

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-36687222316641132592011-07-21T00:49:00.003-05:002011-07-21T01:06:09.812-05:00

I've been having the urge to wipe out most of my inventory and start fresh. I've done the alt thing before, but this time I'm considering starting Storm over. Throwing out all those 2006 freebies, getting rid of the out of date clothes, dumping all those contacts I never see, etc. Maybe even starting with a fresh product line or two. What I've got now is a mishmash, over time a lot of it has aged

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-3618996940596710582011-06-29T15:12:00.001-05:002011-06-29T15:14:39.512-05:00

I was doing some blender/sl mesh today. The uploaded physics model doesn't appear to be working on the beta grid today, but I did have fun messing with the LOD feature.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-1668916166415184532011-04-22T09:56:00.002-05:002011-04-22T09:59:52.001-05:00

No more waiting for weeks to be able to purchase that neighboring abandoned plot.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-54600227723278207032011-03-30T21:20:00.003-05:002011-03-30T21:23:34.592-05:00

Changing your cloud texture is making the rounds... I like my sky to be surreal. How do you like yours?

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-41866941545002931072011-01-12T10:47:00.002-05:002011-01-12T10:51:13.070-05:00

What I learned the other day:If your particles ( llParticleSystem ) are being cut off by distance, make the prim they originate from larger.Small prims get trimmed from your view first, and it seems their particle effects go with them.... now I'm wondering if that's true for sound as well? Experiment time.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-48580482510336212502011-01-07T11:09:00.001-05:002011-01-07T11:10:41.944-05:00

Sometimes, this is so true. Even when it's entirely your own project.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-79232911859902134462010-12-19T09:07:00.003-05:002010-12-19T09:11:27.732-05:00

I've been participating in the 52 weeks of color challenge and using mostly mermaid themes since I have a ton of mermaid sets. Pics.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-51350688267702994012010-11-29T11:58:00.002-05:002010-11-29T12:01:37.251-05:00

Added the Masks page and its links. Made a change to the site so it will be easier to update in the future.TODO:animation - deformersanimation - low level constant anim trick for mission critical AOs

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-13328667067316718482010-11-11T16:42:00.002-05:002010-11-11T16:46:04.175-05:00

Updated the skins page on Avatar Toolbox. New pictures, some new text, some reorganizing.TODO:avatar masksanimation - deformersanimation - low level constant anim trick for mission critical AOs

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-38083169243157561002010-11-01T18:16:00.005-05:002010-11-01T18:35:01.976-05:00

My friend Alix posted about her experience finding some virtual land on which to place a skybox. This is her first foray into virtual land ownership.It was enlightening to try explaining tier pricing, membership, group deeding and that 10% bonus, and the differences between mainland and island plot ownership. (She wanted to own, so we didn't have to discuss rental situations.) The whole process

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-9058204781147724142010-10-22T00:34:00.004-05:002010-10-22T00:42:05.568-05:00

Wandered around Burning Man 2 with some friends and saw the sights. Lag was bad (as expected) but we still had a good time.Inspiration for my next sky platform.And of course we had to play in the cardboard box fortress and use the transmogrifier!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-53104956374908830352010-10-06T12:21:00.002-05:002010-10-06T12:27:10.124-05:00

One of the players on my favorite Minecraft server is Psyra Extraordinaire in SL, maker of the really sweet bird based avatars.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-13571386479449151412010-09-24T22:28:00.000-05:002010-09-24T22:29:31.685-05:00

Goodbye, Avatars United!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-48485470950984331922010-09-01T18:22:00.002-05:002010-09-01T18:24:19.461-05:00

The debug setting "Inventory.SystemFoldersToTop" When set to false, it allows your inventory to sort without the default folders going to the top.This has been driving me nuts with the 2.x viewers.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-17257789090575588282010-08-31T19:58:00.000-05:002010-08-31T19:59:00.327-05:00

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-58440581752412922972010-08-15T12:12:00.004-05:002010-08-15T12:50:32.870-05:00

Lots of news rolling in from SLCC 2010.*Teen grid to be gone in Dec this year, and the main grid to become 16 and up. Costs sited. I guess the younger kids will go to opensim?*Open source Client development to get a boost. Philip does love him some open source movements.*Mesh is supposed to be open beta by the end of this year.*Some kind of avatar name changes or new options for naming, not sure

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-17084752165665300282010-07-30T13:57:00.003-05:002010-07-30T14:00:49.208-05:00

I just listened to Philip's talk, and I was so inspired that I......made this available free on Xstreet.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-31393530318402473942010-07-08T22:37:00.005-05:002010-07-08T22:40:48.439-05:00

The opensim grid was updated to 0.6.9 yesterday or today. I've been running a pool of carnivores for 12 hours and I'm seeing no signs of memory leaks! If things continue to look good it might be time for setting things up to add more species.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-50306614381781463942010-06-25T09:48:00.002-05:002010-11-01T18:38:46.607-05:00

A few things changed yesterday. Philip's back in the driver's seat, M's out.Among the things I'm most curious about are the layoffs. Did Philip let M break the bad news to his friends so he wouldn't have to, or are some of the old timers getting job offer letters?EDIT: And on October 19th, he's off again.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-81438386881615030922010-06-18T14:24:00.003-05:002010-06-18T15:16:16.437-05:00

My first vid evar! This is the Dots avatar I made a couple weeks ago.There's no sound yet, I haven't gotten that far yet! Mix of WeGame (for capture) and VirtualDub (for crop and polish.) And the second vid! Here's the Pink Invisible Unicorn running about.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-30912754699192607832010-06-18T10:49:00.002-05:002010-06-18T10:53:39.476-05:00

Today's Topic: If this is your first BBBC... What did you get out of your experience? Do you think it will change the way you blog in the future?It was a good opportunity to check out a lot of bloggers who weren't on my reader. I don't usually blog general interest topics anymore, so that was kind of retro. (grin) And something I read led me to experimenting a bit last night with making SL video,

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-30072765863079818742010-06-17T11:03:00.003-05:002010-06-17T11:12:35.076-05:00

Today's Topic: Blogger's choice! Write about anything that's on your mind!Watched the Lindex drama yesterday. Sad that the CEO felt the need to say something when the value bobbled. Not the best time to sell, great time to buy.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-8846917990795069492010-06-16T14:54:00.002-05:002010-06-16T14:55:08.846-05:00

Viewer2 v2.02 just made me laugh."Darn. You have been logged out of Second Life"Almost as good as hippos. ;)

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-50771938917204503742010-06-16T11:55:00.003-05:002010-06-16T12:02:15.846-05:00

Today's Topic: Is your avatar more or less your current biological age? Do you portray a younger avatar, or older? Why is this?This one's a poor fit for someone who's constantly changing their avatar. I'm one of those people who flips appearances regularly, and several of those looks aren't remotely human. When I'm looking human I tend to look younger, but that's because it's a challenge to find

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-36829148809049113742010-06-15T12:06:00.003-05:002010-06-16T11:56:33.198-05:00

Today's Topic: How hard do you think it is to find a relationship in SL? If you have an SL relationship, have you met in the physical world? Would you meet them? Do you think it would change your SL relationship if you met?I see lots of people in a wide variety of relationships in SL, so if you're looking I imagine it's not too hard to find something. I'm happy when I find an acquaintanceship is

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-24553987219728908722010-06-14T12:41:00.004-05:002010-06-16T11:56:16.977-05:00

Today's Topic: Write about three positive things going on in your Second Life.* Whether they're a delight to build with, try out the latest toys, or just sit around a virtual beach and chat about the simple and serious things in life, I know some great people.* The new viewer 2 version now has an option that allows the sidebar to go over the window instead of squeezing it!* I'm getting better at

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-12140136415772694382010-06-13T09:05:00.004-05:002010-06-16T11:56:03.440-05:00

Today's Topic: Why did you become a blogger? How has it enriched your life?I'll have to get in the time machine and head back to 2006. (Insert Dr Who music here) I joined SL in May that year, didn't start the blog until September. No intro post. I'd just gotten my First Land. I think the main reason was to have a record of ideas, doings, reference sites, SL locations, pictures... A journal.The

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-77223617145020342052010-06-13T09:00:00.003-05:002010-06-13T09:05:24.617-05:00

Somehow I talked myself into joining one of those "we all blog the same topics" memes. Post every day for a week, shared topics offered. Big Bad Blogger Challenge 2010

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-79526802232369771942010-06-09T06:50:00.004-05:002010-06-09T06:56:07.554-05:00

A cannibal pool at 11 hours.I'm an impatient sort, so I've been doing experiments on using listeners and llDie() in an attempt to find out what was causing the leak(s) so I can continue. Moving the llDie() call to a state without an active listener has helped. If you're interested in what I did, click on the pictures below.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-12595812260272200922010-06-07T12:07:00.002-05:002010-06-07T12:21:42.169-05:00

I noticed some of the seeds were floating... Did some followup and I think I will wait on this. We're due to have a server software upgrade in the next week or two, and some of the fixes in that may help. (click on the pics if you're interested, there's more info on the Flickr pages.)The other issue has been with the cannibalistic life. It uses chat to negotiate energy transfers, and that's been

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-52345034904323141222010-06-06T10:31:00.003-05:002010-06-06T10:38:21.922-05:00

It's been interesting to watch the colors develop.We're talking about making an ecology so I'm modding the scripts so they can eat one another. The first cannibalistic run caused the regions exe to run out of memory, so I'm experimenting with closing the listeners manually instead of letting state change handle it to see if that helps.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-16051826472286799292010-06-03T22:14:00.001-05:002010-06-03T22:16:55.170-05:00

Grow, my children, grow! (insert mad laughter here)I wonder what they'll look like after a couple days?

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-65644115610506914492010-06-03T08:28:00.003-05:002010-06-03T10:03:27.730-05:00

I'm sharing a play-area grid of 4 linked up opensims with a couple friends. Yesterday we decided to explore artificial life. We're starting with a "simple" sessile form and plan to build up as we learn.Got the basics working. I've also managed to bring the grid to a grinding halt. Now I'm looking for the best way to set things up so we can both keep the experiments contained and clean up the

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-79913374872219009022010-05-27T10:42:00.001-05:002010-05-27T11:02:08.532-05:00

Avatar Toolbox has a new home!I have a lot of updating to do. Found some dead links, and there's all the viewer2 changes to add... Busy day!And hey! Four years on the grid!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-27017208979015079602010-05-21T15:14:00.004-05:002010-05-21T15:16:47.730-05:00

What I learned today:When making something that needs to be able to be deeded to group, Transfer is the required permission.It seems rumors abound about what is or isn't required, so a friend and I experimented to find out.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-53390811630260552722010-05-13T10:22:00.001-05:002010-05-13T10:24:23.842-05:00

If you want to see what Havok 7 has in store, check out this video.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-7393856164055202602010-04-22T13:05:00.001-05:002010-04-22T13:06:57.752-05:00

Having trouble adapting to the new viewer?Tweaks here.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-86636879363413883042010-04-21T11:13:00.000-05:002010-04-21T11:14:31.610-05:00

Google's done something strange to Avatar Toolbox, it might be a few days before I have it back up and running.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-39509027968233200012010-04-12T14:26:00.004-05:002010-04-12T14:34:02.550-05:00

One of the projects I've been working on is with ReactionGrid using the physics engine. We'd been having a problem where sometimes llPushObject() was being applied to an object but dampened. It wasn't every time, but often enough to be a problem.This only seemed to happen on the first time it was tried after a break of at least a few minutes. Do it several times in a row and only the first one

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-10310909019185616362010-04-01T10:07:00.002-05:002010-04-01T10:09:25.847-05:00

Links to pictures of one of the projects I was working on last fall.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-35619456080655490022010-03-31T11:21:00.003-05:002010-04-22T13:07:22.729-05:00

Viewer 2 is officially live today. Time to start the updates to Avatar Toolbox.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-6185526107155640952010-02-25T17:44:00.002-05:002010-02-25T17:51:21.727-05:00

Thinking about the changes I'll be doing if the features in the current Beta Viewer reach the main release. The ones I know of are avatar masks, more avatar texture layers, and possibly more options for basic avatar height. The first two are already working in the beta.Just updated the Invisiprims page on Avatar Toolbox to include that glow is occluded by them while shine and bumpiness no

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-67652351950093058962010-02-12T20:35:00.000-05:002010-02-12T20:37:07.776-05:00

The listings policy change on xstreet has been delayed.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-36929625965002965612010-01-26T20:24:00.000-05:002010-01-26T20:25:06.603-05:00

http://megaprim.sl/

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-20650134918468759542009-12-18T10:45:00.001-05:002009-12-18T10:48:05.477-05:00

You know how quads and tinies and other "folded" avatars sometimes pop out of shape to the default stand now and then? Here's a comment from Ziggy Puff about what can be done to the animation overrider to make that stop.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-80706291868662606582009-12-17T11:36:00.005-05:002009-12-17T11:40:55.729-05:00

I'm wondering if the Lab is using a bot to take the pictures for the login screen... Waterproof scooters at sunset anyone?

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-29841536752635655542009-11-18T20:13:00.002-05:002009-11-18T20:19:08.102-05:00

Say bye to the freebies!I'm trying to decide if I want to unlist them, merge them into a single package, or just keep the popular ones and list those at 10L. Most months I move over 100 sound prim packs on xstreet, and if I move a pair at that price it'll cover their fees. I can always dump the profits from it onto NCI or an SL education group.There's also a monthly listing of 10L per item for

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-39669082769715212572009-11-13T15:58:00.003-05:002009-11-13T23:10:50.235-05:00

Should be back to normal in the next day or so.EDIT: Move's done!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-41890851856249674772009-10-29T22:28:00.002-05:002009-10-29T22:31:39.820-05:00

Want to know how those perms will be set for the next owner? Torley pointed out a debug view of object permissions.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-58450769540695963202009-10-26T18:51:00.002-05:002009-10-26T18:54:50.427-05:00

I think I understand it now. Sometimes, people stay around SL but stop blogging. They're still running their shops, hanging out with friends, catching shows, building, maybe consulting.At first it was the NDAs for me. I was building and learning new things, but I couldn't talk about the specifics. And the times when everything I was doing in SL was under NDA, well, what's there to say about

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-65652794320745462402009-09-20T08:32:00.005-05:002009-09-20T08:56:04.287-05:00

I've been fighting with my machine's hardware, and getting my new system into working order. I got hardware that wasn't working out of the box from NewEgg.com, and getting them to fix things has taken weeks and a ridiculous number of "oh yes, we've taken care of it" phone calls. BOO HISS NEWEGG.COM! Insert long rant about incompetence and lies here. But now I've got most of my software running

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-14314500900694473072009-08-11T08:36:00.004-05:002009-08-11T08:39:29.485-05:00

If you like designing logos, there's a contest with a cash prize for designing the logo for the Snowglobe version of the viewer.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-41839182711891906132009-08-07T13:26:00.002-05:002009-08-07T13:42:23.045-05:00

I spent the last several hours learning how twisted the animation bvh format is. *rubs head* Blender does have the ability to flip a pose, but there currently doesn't seem to be a way to import one in a way it can be used in SL. Blender can now import bvh files by default, and there's a method to take blender animations and export them, but the glue in between isn't there.This takes other bvh

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-29213183594933218762009-07-29T15:49:00.000-05:002009-07-29T15:50:14.937-05:00

The ultimate guide to prim torture.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-24592582569245009152009-07-16T14:21:00.003-05:002009-07-16T14:33:26.760-05:00

So the first pass at the sitting writeup is done, except for pics. I also did a first pass at a writeup about underwater sims for a contract, although I expect that one won't ever go outside their people.I'm getting together with some friends and we're building an underwater area. We've got a space and a general theme, but still need to work out the details. I'm excited!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-66459869707865380492009-07-10T14:01:00.002-05:002009-07-10T14:03:57.997-05:00

After several years in SL, I'm happy to report that I can still look at something and wonder. Side-splitting Zindra jokes left as an exercise for the reader. ;)(definitely not PG)

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-40761570145008230102009-07-08T09:15:00.001-05:002009-07-08T09:17:13.375-05:00

Having VWR-6226 fixed makes me so very happy!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-53285543156199769142009-06-23T13:56:00.004-05:002009-06-23T14:00:15.356-05:00

I'm slowly working on a long writeup about sitting in SL. Didn't realize how complex a topic it is until I was explaining parts of it.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-78434188219038328312009-06-10T18:45:00.004-05:002009-06-10T21:06:10.353-05:00

Busy today. I got several mer avatars done and boxed today, I'm happy with the AO, and I finished the hair I wanted to do. The scripting's done for the second set, but I still have to do the texture and prim work.Did a lot of talking too. :)

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-68405005051963042222009-05-31T11:42:00.003-05:002009-05-31T11:49:29.506-05:00

I've signed up as a vendor in the Fantasy Faire 2009 being held by the RFL and FFC. Looks like there will be all kinds of awesome avatars there!I've got several avatars and parts that I've made for myself or friends that I haven't boxed up. This gives me a deadline to make it happen. It'll be a busy two weeks!

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-36441119773322756762009-05-28T21:05:00.000-05:002009-05-28T21:06:47.699-05:00

A SL sketch pad.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-58512092604356782712009-05-22T19:40:00.005-05:002009-05-22T21:23:55.955-05:00

My 3rd rez day is next week. Not sure if I want to be social or find a quiet build and be mellow.I've been making a lot of things, but I've taken almost none of them to where they're products. I'm not sure why. My contract work, I've been completing that without any reluctance. I've made things for me to wear, and I've made several freebies for friends.The Brass Needle's in good shape. I

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-26238311082327782332009-05-04T12:00:00.004-05:002009-05-12T15:37:58.982-05:00

Got an IM from a customer about an item of clothing in one of the sets I sell giving her an error. Turns out I've been hit with an inventory bug. All instances of it in my inventory and items have the same failure. When worn, they fail to show up on the avatar and show a blue box with "Failed to find clothing named Amelia Lace Undershirt - Red in database." I've got a ticket in for it, but /

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-391455475287935372009-05-01T09:33:00.003-05:002009-05-01T09:37:01.881-05:00

Here. I'm wondering if it is a demo piece - size it up and add a music stream reading verses aloud and it'd be a wowser.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-32492235629571113262009-04-30T00:32:00.002-05:002009-04-30T00:35:14.658-05:00

Turns out you can hide the basic avatar by wearing a huge megaprim (the 65K one) as an attachment. This is being used as an alternative to invisiprims that doesn't interfere with the display of alpha textures (or linden trees or water.)The wise script it to die if it finds itself unattached. ;)A couple Lindens have said they consider this to be a bug and to not count on it to work in the future.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-45202934262198135722009-04-28T12:43:00.001-05:002009-04-28T12:44:23.122-05:00

If you're an XStreet merchant, it's time to update your magic box again.

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-82106171388224096932009-04-23T15:24:00.006-05:002009-04-23T15:53:28.839-05:00

I went and checked out the new Linden Memorial Park. (LL blog entries 1 2 ) It's a cluster of twelve sims. The place reminded me of national parks. Trails, woods, clear areas, rivers and waterfalls, bridges, a lake, a couple formal gardens, even some picnic tables. I noticed several of the large rocks have sit poses set in them. There's also a place with floating candles you can use on the

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3141245021409115119.post-39267554315431899562009-04-23T09:33:00.004-05:002009-04-23T09:48:14.912-05:00

Got my New Babbage shop land updated. I was dancing between selling the land or getting someone to share the rent with me, and two friends turned out to be interested in sharing it. Now it's got a new land picture, a pair of new shops, and a modified description.I lowered the prices on some of my earlier avatar sets, and they're generating more money than before. Maybe the people at Grendel's

Storm Thundersnoreply@blogger.com0