The Second Life Viewer 2 era is over: Second Life Beta Viewer 3.0 is not only here, but it's available as a mandatory download [for users of the SL mesh beta viewer] when you launch the current viewer. You can read the release notes here, but really, the only major feature is integration of mesh. As the notes say:
Mesh is a new capability that allows polygonal models (meshes) that were created in external applications to be imported into Second Life. Mesh models are in COLLADA (.dae) format, similar to those used to create models for video games, films, and animation.
In other words, 10 years to the month after Second Life launched as a prim-based creation platform, SL has joined 3D's modern era of mesh. I get the feeling Linden CEO Rod Humble's SLCC talk tomorrow will be pretty interesting, don't you?
Thanks to reader Nyoko Salome for the catch!
UPDATE, 8/13: Corrected "mandatory" clause - it's only mandatory for current users of the SL mesh beta viewer.
This is some new meaning of the word "beta" with which I am not familiar.
People, if it's mandatory, it's not beta. It may be of poor quality, but it's not beta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle#Beta
Posted by: Maggie Darwin (@MaggieL) | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 06:03 PM
Finally! Now I get to show off my mesh collection. ;)
Posted by: Jay Kaufmat | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 06:10 PM
Excellent!
Posted by: Damien Fate | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 06:25 PM
i bet it crashes within 2 minutes
Posted by: Jjccc | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 06:35 PM
The 3.0.0 Beta Candidate was released on the 10th August. It moved to "full" Beta (as an alternative download) on the 12th, as reported by Opensource Obscure.
I'm currently running 2.8.1.237758, which is also showing as the current release on the Download page.
*NO* mandatory update is forced on me when launching 2.8.1.237758 (tested at 19:00 PST 12 August).
AFAIK, Mesh is still only available across 30% of the main grid (comprising the Le Tigre, Magnum & mesh RC channela), with the BlueSteel RC channel and the rest of the main release channel still to be updated.
While mesh is coming / almost here, methinks this article may just be a tad premature. Perhaps after the mesh announcements have been made at SLCC 2011?
Posted by: Inara Pey | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 07:17 PM
installed it and crashed i bloody told them over and over dont bloody release it yet untill you fix the runtime crashes. so now your going to have a lot of mad people to deal with
Posted by: Jjccc | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 07:23 PM
It's only a mandatory update if you're already running the beta versions.
Posted by: Tateru Nino | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 09:29 PM
Wow. Tried it out and saw occlusion problems with clothing, until I went into preferences and went back to Ultra and turned shadows back on. Then everything went to blinding white. Not very useful.
Posted by: Melissa Yeuxdoux | Friday, August 12, 2011 at 10:18 PM
Hamlet - this is no different from any other Beta update i.e. the change from Beta Viewer 2.8.1 to 2.8.3. Updates are not 'mandatory' unless you have your 'software updates' preference to make them that way (that is the default but is easily changed) - could you please change your post to reflect this as it implies that people would not be able to use 2.8 beta or, in fact, full release versions when they still can - and may make them reluctant to continue using Viewer 2.
Posted by: Hitomi Tiponi | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 03:44 AM
The v3 viewer is not crashing in 60 seconds in busy venues. So far. I watched memory use and it is significantly lower than before and memory use stops rising after a while which is a very good sign of significant improvements. The old old viewers would keep using more memory until it hit around 1.5gb and then the viewer would crash like clockwork.
Hopefully the "UI freezes wen you touch the side bar" fix will go in very soon.
If you are one of the people that usually uses beta viewers then you should be trying this one because using a 2.x beta is not providing LL the data they need for 3.x viewer performance analysis.
As for version number soup? Firefox is already discussing version 8 features soon to come out while everyone is on v5. Who cares about version numbers? Care about the defects instead. More beta testers there are the more defects found and squashed.
Posted by: Ann Otoole InSL | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 06:51 AM
Good to know Mesh is forced (it would flop if people couldn't see it), but 3.0.1 contains awful inventory freezing.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 07:44 AM
There's a boost for prims too as part of this mesh project, we can now create 64 x 64 prims! So those who find mesh a pain to create (and it is, but there's heaps of potential for the patient) will have something new they can play with too.
Posted by: Ciaran Laval | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 01:34 PM
Hamlet - you need to update this story to fix the bit about "mandatory". viewer 3 is not mandatory - everyone is still allowed to use viewer 2.
Posted by: qarl | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 02:53 PM
I have phonenix latest, running on beta mesh homestead and doing great with the 64x64x64 new prim measures.
Posted by: ZZBottom | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 03:34 PM
Done, qarl, thanks!
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 05:36 PM
Hey - why don't you trust the rest of us when we tell you about it. :)
Posted by: Hitomi Tiponi | Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 05:57 PM