New World Notes

Equimake Adds Embed Codes & Social Sharing to Its 3D Web-Based Creation Platform -- Check it Out Here!

There's a huge raft of new features/options to Equimake (a proud NWN partner!), the web-based, multi-user 3D creation platform for learners and creators:

• Embed Equimake worlds on the web. Compatible with WordPress, Wix, and most blog services, including New World Notes. (Click above to demo!)
• Social sharing. Instantly share a world link to X/Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, etc.
• Massive world storage. Get 2 gigs of free space with the free Starter account, and 50 gigs with a $6.99/month Maker subscription account. (By comparison, Sketchfab, which has similar features to Equimake, charges $15/month but for just 5 gigs of space limited to 50 uploads/mo.) 

You can start creating your own worlds here. Since launching, Equimake has attracted some 1600 users, pretty impressive for a small startup (in my highly biased opinion). One option readers have discussed is using Equimake to prototype virtual world designs -- see the fashion display below for an example: 

Second Life Creator Feedback Wanted: Could You Use This Web-Based, Multi-User 3D Creation Platform in Your Creative Process?

Equimake (a proud NWN partner!) is a web-based, multi-user 3D creation platform that was partly inspired by Making a Metaverse That Matters and designed to be a tool for creators in worlds like Second Life. I've recently been discussing ways Equimake might best work for Second Life creators with founder/lead developer Alex, and we landed on these potential applications:

• Prototype SL sim design / layout on a free multi-user platform -- up to five spaces (5KM in size) for free starter users
• For SL brands: Showcase your 3D mesh content on the web in an interactive setting (see below)
• For SL game creators: Export web-based versions of your SL games to Equimake (Javascript support coming Aug/Sep)

Click here to visit this space

But we should put the question to SL creators: Would Equimake help with your creative pipeline? Or what changes/updates would you first want to see?

Check it out for free here, and if you have questions/feedback, please post in Comments below!

Virtual Worlds Museum's Directory of XR Programs at Universities

Here's a valuable directory of XR programs offered by universities and colleges being compiled by the Virtual Worlds Museum (a proud sponsoring media partner to this blog). Definitely worth sharing for people planning to study the topic in school, and for finding out about programs near you:

Our goal is to provide a valuable resource for prospective students, educators, researchers, and XR enthusiasts who are eager to explore academic opportunities in immersive technologies. This initiative is part of our commitment to fostering the growth of the XR community and supporting the next generation of innovators in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.

Peruse the directory here. It's very much a work in progress, so if there's any programs aren't yet listed that should be included, post info in comments or contact VWM directly here.

Watch Us Live Build in Equimake, The Platform For Real-Time, Multi-User World Creation On The Web

Here's a new demo video of Equimake, the new indie platform which enables live, multi-user collaborative 3D building on the web (and a proud sponsoring NWN partner). Lead developer Alex and I do some real-time building and editing together while going over the platform's features. Like I say in the video, it kinda evokes the fun, classic sandbox experience of live building with other people, riffing off each other's work.  

Since launching about 60 days ago, the platform already has 800 users who've created over 200 worlds. Alex tells me he's adding a Javascript scripting system to Equimake as early as next month to enable building games and other interactive coolness.

Another feature worth noting: There's now a GLTF export feature enabling you to export your Equimake world to Blender and other platforms -- even into Second Life (though that may require some additional file conversion).

These Incredibly Moody & Realistic Apartment Photos Are Actually from a Second Life Skybox Using Custom EEP Settings

Update: Marketplace listing and description for EEP settings has been updated below!

Elie recently posted gorgeously grungy photos like these to his Twitter and the lighting was so moodily perfect, I first thought they might be photos from his real life apartment.

But no, this is his skybox in Second Life, shot with Firestorm and some of his custom-made EEP and WindLights:

New Website Tracks Genuine Second Life Activity, Filtering Out AFK Users & Traffic Bots

Most active sims in Second Life as of 1:30pm PT

BonnieBots is a new website tracking genuine Second Life activity, and the homepage is an incredibly useful guide for finding SL sims with real, active users -- as opposed to traffic bots used by many sim owners to artificially appear popular.

"The biggest complaint we hear is, 'I logged in and couldn't find anyone else,' or some variation of, 'Seemed abandoned'," as site owner Bonnie Belle explains. "The Destination Guide is worthless. Official traffic numbers just take you to 'AFK" places or worse'."

"We wanted to do better."

A developer in real life, Bonnie's solution is elegant: Create better bots. Hence the site's name.

Here's how:

Fun Web Tool Turns Virtual World Screenshots Into Classic Paintings, Including Frame & Visible Brushstrokes

わー。これは、楽しい(*´▽｀*)#SecondLife #sljp #Dinkieチャレンジ https://t.co/PwysGxa5nG pic.twitter.com/D3uDiAlA33

— Sanny Yoshikawa🌻🌻🌻 (@sannysquirrel) May 10, 2022

Classic Frame is a fun image converter that our Japanese correspondent Sanny Yoshikawa was playing with recently (above), and while it was designed to turn real life photos into classic paintings (frame and all), yep, it also works just as well with virtual world images, even turning pixels into paint swathes and blotches and brush strokes.

Here's one from another Japanese SLer on Twitter:

Reddit's /SecondLife Gains 10,000 Subscribers; Great Community & Resource

/SecondLife, the largest SL-related subreddit, recently grew past 10,000 subscribers. Over the years (it had only 2,000 subscribers back in 2015), it's evolved into a solid go-to hug for interesting and informative SL/virtual world-related content and conversation. Since it's on Reddit, the participants tend to skews towards SL veterans, especially developers and scripters, and unlike most (all?) social media hangouts for SLers, isn't an unceasing cascade of fashion pics and shopping announcements. (Though there's still a lot of that!)

Some recent stand-out threads:

• Robin (Sojourner) Wood has passed away, after an extended struggle with cancer (phyllodes tumors)
• Through fire, Iron becomes Legend
• Has Second Life improved? 2008/2009 - 2020/2021
• Metaverse - Our Existence, Our Reality, a Second Life Existential Machinima
• Explore 10 tranquil and artistic Second Life destinations!

Much more here. And thanks to u/TrinityDejavu, u/zebragrrl, and u/0xc0ffea for their moderating skills!

How to Deep Fake Your SL Avatar Into an Expressive Popstar With Wombo AI

Well this is the most expressive I've ever seen my avatar or for that many any other avatar in the virtual world (don't hurt me, don't hurt me):

This thanks to Wombo.AI, a new smartphone app that's designed to convert a RL selfie photo into a lip-syncing popstar via some pretty impressive deep fake machine learning algorithms. But my first thought when seeing it, of course, was: What will it do to my avatar? (And frankly I might not recommend using this on photos of real life people, for security reasons.) 

After fiddling around with it last night and getting some bizarre results, this video above is my best version so far.

Tips to getting your own avatar properly Wombo-fied? So far, I'd suggest these:

Turn an Avatar Image Into a "Photo" of Their RL Twin Via AI-Driven ArtBreeder

The dapper AF avatar on your left belongs to TheVirtualGent on Reddit; the "photo" on your right is what he might look like in real life -- a process made possible via Artbreeder, which uses Generative Adversarial Networks to create "children" of an original image along user-selected parameters.

This particular "photo" was created by a Redditor called Ugleh, who gave me the basic how-to of how they made it: