New World Notes

Mesh Generator: Advantages & Caveats for the SL Prim-to-Mesh Converter

Good conversation on the pros and cons of The Mesh Generator from Naonao Watanabe, the tool for converting prim-based builds into mesh in Second Life, from two longtime builders. First some advantages (and tips) from Han Held:

I've been using the Mesh Generator tool for roughly three or four years now. It's been a huge lifesaver for me, and there have been a number of times when I've managed to get significant LI savings by using it... Even though I am playing with Blender and related tools (like Avastar) the scales haven't quite fallen from my eyes yet. Mesh is still a confusing jumble for me.

One thing I'm doing with generated meshes which seems to help some is to import them into Blender and then clean them up there. Using the "mesh" > "clean up" submenu in Edit Mode and then hitting the object with "degenerate dissolve" and "decimate geometry" and re-exporting it.

I only usually end up doing that for OpenSim, which has become more finicky about meshes since the release of 0.9. But occasionally when the LI is through the roof in SL that procedure has helped to bring it down to earth.

That said, there are still a number of times (like 1/4th of the time) where I find out that the LI of the Mesh Generator-created mesh object isn't that much less than just simply prims ...in that case, I just stick to prims.

Some caveats from Chic Aeon, referring to the tutorial video featured in the original NWN post:

High Fidelity Adds New Mesh Compression System to Speed Load Times -- Should Second Life Adopt It Too?

Interesting new update to High Fidelity for speeding up mesh load times:

As part of this [new] release, each High Fidelity server now provides two forms of compression, an open source solution for converting and compressing asset textures to the KTX format, and an implementation of Google’s open source Draco format for mesh compression.

To see what that means in real (virtual) terms, watch the impressive video demo above. Read more about it here.

Of course an obvious question many NWN readers are asking is, "Can Second Life get this too?" I asked Philip Rosedale just that:

SL Mesh Avatar Brands Maitreya & CATWA Dominate, Survey Suggests

Really interesting survey results from the Mesh Body Addicts blog, which as the name suggests, is for fans of mesh-based avatars in Second Life. Asked to name their favorite brands, 1800 respondents (80% female) replied -- a huge sample. Overwhelmingly, two brands dominate:  Maitreya for mesh bodies, Catwa for mesh heads. And I do mean dominate:

What female mesh bodies are most popular?

• Maitreya Lara (68%)
• Belleza Freya (8%)
• Slink Hourglass (8%)
• eBody (7%)
• Slink Physique & Belleza Isis (tied) (4%)

What female mesh heads are most popular?

• Catwa (bento) (45%)
• Lelutka (bento) (16%)
• Catwa (non-bento) (16%)

Read all the results here. Based on survey results, we're talking about a near oligopoly on what's probably Second Life's most popular and lucrative virtual goods market outside of real estate. (Not necessarily a bad thing.) Notably, the only sub-category where no one brand dominates is male mesh avatars, but that could be because the market leaders aren't competing for that market.

SL Tutorial: Painting Textures on Mesh Avatar Bodies

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Says Beev Fallen:

no-mod items do not stop the thief. no-mod items stop creative process.

now let me show you how you can enhance a mesh body with few easy-to-paint textures. the body is by Orange Nova Avatars, it's totally mod and i totally love it.

Another tutorial from Mr. Fallen here, and a strange lovely pic here.

Mesh in Second Life Hasn't Hurt SL's Creative Community - But Creative Elitism Has (Comment of the Day)

SL mesh and animation creator Kate Alderman (who makes cool animations like the one pictured here) makes some interesting points on the ongoing debate, has mesh detracted from Second Life as a creative platform? No, she argues, because creativity takes many forms - not just the prim-based building that Second Life was first famous for:

I think this represents a very narrow view of creation and creativity. Does one really have to rez a native prim to be creative? Torture the thing, texture the thing, link the thing, to be creative?

No.

There are hundreds, nay thousands, of very creative groups in SL. Roleplay and community building are creative in and of themselves. It takes vision and drive to bring people together to work toward a common goal, or even in a common theme.

Decorating, landscaping, terraforming: designing a comfortable vista, or space in which to relax - or get manic - is creation.

"Artiste" types may prefer to think of these things as design, and not art in its truest form, and they are entitled to their opinions. But I see it as art. I can make kick-ass textures, which some folks view as art (I don't, it's more of a science, just like building with native prims in-world). Design, art, whatever, is creative.

There are dozens if not hundreds or thousands of writers and poets who get together in SL and share ideas and use SL as part of their creative process. There's so much inspiration. There are amazing and thought-provoking builds, of course. And those appeal to folks who consider themselves Literary. However, great story-telling requires great characterization, and there are a lot of characters in SL. But better still, there is a lot of dialogue in voice, where a writer can learn how people from other regions and countries speak, and text, where it is often easier to learn how others think. And of course, a lot of the writers groups in SL engage regularly in round-robin story telling. They could do that anywhere, but the ones I know choose SL because they feel more of a connection.

Speaking of which, she points out that most (or at least many) SL creators tend to be solitary people, and on a related point, argues that creative elitism is hurting Second Life community growth as a whole:

Second Life Fashion Bloggers Are Scrambling to Show off LeLutka's Upcoming Release (and I Can See Why)

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Over the past few days Second Life fashion bloggers have been scrambling to show off the new line of mesh heads that LeLutka will be releasing on April first. Aria, Ever and Leda (as the three available faces are called) have a high fashion look with fairly compressed features and expressions ranging from soft to stern. Apparently these mesh heads are all designed to work only in tandem with mesh bodies, which means that for a lot of us they'll be off the table for now. For others they're all the more appealing, seeming to guarantee an even more seamlessly augmented avatar.

So far no blogger has captured the expressions and elegance of each of these upcoming faces quite as well as Nana Minuet, who put together a post highlighting the upcoming release yesterday. Her shot of Aria, shown above, is easily my favorite of the lot. It's so bright and clean that you could almost expect to find it in a magazine with a perfume sample or some ad copy streaming down the side, rambling about jojoba or CC creams. And that's not a slight against her work. Her pics are vivid and polished, and easily picked out from a crowd.

You can visit Nana's blog to check out the rest in the set, though she doesn't have much to say about any of the heads in question. For that Strawberry Singh's blog post about Aria, Ever and Leda should be your next stop. As for reviews, well, so far most of the bloggers are sticking to the technical details. Expect stronger opinions to emerge after release.

Learn from the Masters by Tuning in to These Second Life Content Creators Who Livestream Their Work

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Earlier today, Second Life designer and artist Nylon Pinkney livestreamed her process as she worked on one of her gorgeous avatar portraits, just like the one shown on the left. Nylon does these streams pretty regularly, but unless you follow her on Twitch.tv there's a good chance you'll miss them.

Nylon's not the only Second Life creator streaming their work, for that matter. There are quite a few others taking advantage of the various streaming services to broadcast their process. Some like Nylon spend their streams painting or drawing, others edit snapshots, and still others work on 3D models and textures that will be brought into SL once they're complete. Watching these talented folks work can be a great learning experience, but since not all of these streamers store their archives it's crucial to catch them live.

With the help of folks on Plurk (the Second Life community's social network of choice) I've compiled a list of Second Life artists and designers that stream, so you can follow your favorites and be alerted whenever they go live. Take a look:

Want More Clothing Support for Your Favorite Second Life Mesh Bodies? Fill Out This Survey!

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Mesh bodies and avatar enhancements have been a huge step forward in terms of the way Second Life avatars look, but that advancement hasn't come without a cost. Developing products fitted to all these different add-ons is a time-consuming process for designers, since each individual system will have its own requirements and quirks. And that's not to mention the fact that picking what bodies/enhancements to support involves a fair amount of guess work about their respective popularity. 

That's where SL designer Iki Akiri's survey comes in. Iki currently has a survey open to gauge the level of interest in various mesh bodies so that she can better tailor her releases to them. In her own words:

Second Life Mesh Heads: Too Much Mouth-Breathing & RBF?

SL mesh heads are here and they look great (as Iris often reports), but a fascinating-if-super snarky Tweet just passed through my stream, and wanted to share here:

#secondlife seems2b sooo many resting-bitch-face and mouth-breather av faces. is it just me? or #mesh ? pic.twitter.com/OssM2gedJE

— Jane (@cyberfrontier) February 4, 2015

Opinions?

Iris Wants to Know: How Do You Wear Your SL Hair?

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

I'm a little bit in love with the sweeping waves and swirly curls in the latest release from Second Life hair brand Magika. It's romantic but flawless, in just the right amount of disarray to look 'natural' without looking... Well, too natural. This is exactly what I want from the mesh haistyles topping off my avatar on a daily basis, but that's not the case for everyone.

My mother's a big fan of L fashion too, and our tastes in virtual hair tend to clash. For her, if a style doesn't have any flow or movement to it, it's pretty much off the table. That's not to say that's she's living in the pre-mesh past with her pixel perms, but she still certainly appreciates a dash of flexi here and there under all that mesh. A feature that's a dealbreaker for her is something I don't think I've ever even noticed among all the styles I own.

There's even more variation than that, though. I have friends who loathe chunky, "piecy" styles and others who wear them constantly. Some won't consider buying from a designer if they don't have a full range of dip-dyed texture options, while others never stray from their signature color. Even the least fashion-frenzied among us seem to be pretty picky about our avatar hair.

That's why today I want to know how you like to wear your Second Life hair? Are there features you can't live without/won't touch with a 10-foot prim pole, or are you pretty easygoing as long as you can find that perfect shade of auburn? Share your thoughts in the comments below!