Watch: A Second Life Clock That Runs Entirely On Virtual World Physics

What you're looking at above is something quite amazing: In development for over 10 years, it's a virtual world clock that operates entirely on Second Life's internal physics: "I made a functioning weight-driven pendulum-regulated escapement in 2009," creator Emilin Nakamori tells me, "which as far as I know was the first unscripted, self-regulating mechanism ever made in SL using solely physics."

So while it ia a virtual clock, it operates very much like a real one: "[T]here is a weight assembly, which powers the escapement using a rack engaging a gear. The escapement slows the fall of the weight by swinging, with a period of about 7 seconds (which is why there is no seconds dial), and it in turn powers the reduction gears for the minute and hour hands. I had to make some scientific experiments to determine such things as is there inertia in SL physics (there is) and what the acceleration due to gravity is (about the same as in RL, though things reach terminal velocity quickly)."

Creating this clock to function as well as it does in Second Life took two things -- a book from the 19th century, and, well, a more recent physics update from Linden Lab:

"It took me 11 years to make the final clock because there was a period when Linden Lab was altering the Physics Engine and several of my Machines stopped working," as she puts it.  "Most of the progress on the Clock came after this last Christmas, when I was given an 1868 book of Mechanical Movements (thanks, Mom!), from which I redesigned the escapement and in the process extended its working time from about 18 seconds to about 10 minutes. 

"The Clock is not especially accurate," she allows, "due to Lag and time dilation; the last time I timed it it would be accurate to about 5 or 6 minutes a day. 

"But," she adds grinning, "my goal was not accuracy, but more of a why-climb-Mount-Everest goal."

Which is why you can see the clock running in SL -- click here to teleport -- but you can't buy a copy in the Marketplace.

"Since Physical Machines are not very stable, I do not sell them, so I give them away," as Emilin Nakamori puts it. "There will be places where it will be available as a freebie, but those are still in planning.  I do not expect it to be overly popular, as it is 32 meters tall and uses 342 prims." I suspect many SLers will want a clock of her own. In which case, get in touch with her in Second Life, or look for the clock dispenser near the clock: "[It] will give a copy of the Notecard that contains the Clock and explains how to use it, along with some of my earlier Machines."

 

Hat tip: Zenmondo Wormser, because of course.

Comments

[Ephemera Crawford]

... those textures look like ActiveWorlds, many years ago. SL is like a VRML hobby toy now, it's so far behind graphically. I'm a bit sad.

But that's okay - I had many happy years there. And I wait for this generation's version of an open creative world with great interest.

[camilia fid3lis nee Patchouli Woollahra]

The key here is EXPERIMENTATION - nobody seriously expects a one-man designer to churn out a item that both looks good and works good. it's either one or the other unless bits of it are outsourced via the use of imported scripts and mesh from other Residents.

This clock was never intended to look graphically great - you want great graphics, there are a lot of other SL setups that make more sense within the limitations of SL's lower system requirements.

[Pulsar]

That's really an amazing job and an interesting post. Now that SL seems more focused on virtual selfies and appearance, these ingenious wonders are perhaps even less common, but sometimes physical experiments and machines were seen being built on sandboxes too.
They tend to fall apart though, so you have to build them accurately and large enough, because the engine isn't so precise and too small pieces would end up stuck / intersect/ fly away.
This clock is outstanding and if you click on the miniature next to the actual clock, she provides her previous works from the 2008 SL6B (they are inside the notecards). Physics has been changed by LL in the past years, as she said, so expect some malfunctioning, but they are still quite fascinating.

[Fauve]

Really amazing and a lot of fun to um, well blow up! (warning, parts rain everywhere)
Highly recommended for learning and mayhem all in one!
Thank you, Emi!
Hamlet this is the kind of SL article that I like most, makers doing stuff.