Last week's experimental Eye Candy worked well, so I am also calling it good. The change log has a bunch of changes since the previous EC-e version, which should make the upgrade worthwhile. Mainly the separation of settings files between Bleeding Edge and Eye Candy, the fact that the New IM tab is now gone from the communication window. There are a bunch of fixes/changes by other contributors as well: Aimee Trescothick, Gigs Taggart, Henri Beauchamp, Squirrel Wood and Teardrops Fall (again see the change log for details and JIRA numbers).
I also added (quite literally) a last minute patch. Yesterday Able Whitman posted a patch on the sldev mailing list about the creation of megaprims (see discussion on sldev near the bottom and also check this forum thread). After some mulling over the pros and cons and after a bit of testing on the beta grid, I decided to give it a go and implemented that feature (it's just done in a slightly different way, i.e. via Ctrl+Alt+S debug settings rather than patching the official dialogs, see comments to this post for details).
Reason for the implementation is that there are already ways to achieve this via legacy megaprims and via libsl and slproxy. Also, I found that the Haovk4 sims do limit the size of prims on the low side (H4 still does not allow true microprims, i.e. no scales under 0.01m) and with that and with the megaprim discussion a while back and even H4-megaprim fixes, I seriously doubt that this is an actual server side bug. To me this "bug" looks more like something which is tolerated but not actively supported. My implementation however limits the creation to max. 100m, which should cover most legit uses for megaprims and which is well within the bounds of which the Linden™s say that they are safe.
Source code is also on the server (see the notes inside the archive). If you want to do builds based on this source (or if you do your own homebrews), feel free to post them here in the comments and I will let people know. (Update: Barney, fast as lightning, already offers a Mac OS X build of the EC-f viewer).
After this short intro, we return you to the usual release blurp :-)
Disclaimer: This viewer is unofficial and although I am doing my best to make it better than the release viewer, it may contain extra bugs and you will have to trust me that there is no malicious code in it. Please also understand that it runs on the main grid with your real SecondLife account and inventory. Also read the disclaimer/header in the Install.txt in my archive.
First make sure that you have the Linden™ 1.19.1.4 viewer available or download and install it here.
Then download nicholaz-EC-f.zip from my server (or from this alternate temporary download link) and while the download runs, have a look at the installation instructions and the change log.
After the download completes, follow the instructions and make sure the files go into the right folder and don't hesitate to buy me a beer if you like this viewer!
Enjoy ...
Nick
PS: There is an in-world group for announcements of my releases: Search, Groups, "Nicholaz". Also, at the top right of this blog you will find a link to a forum thread where I am sure that people will be able to help you if you have problems.
Monday, May 12, 2008
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47 comments:
Hmm. Prim addict that I am, I *had* to try the megaprim patch, so I installed EF-f and hurried inworld.
The client does indeed allow a prim to be stretched to 100m (would it be too much to please allow it to be 128m? pretty please?). However, as soon as the focus is lost, the prim snaps back to 10m.
Am I missing something?
Rej: Yes :-)
The stretching only works for OpenSim. The creation feature is done via Ctrl+Alt+S (set the option for new prim size) and then rezzing a new prim.
Just in an attempt to save people the trouble of figuring this out themselves, you have to know the exact size of the prim you wish to have, since you are still unable to edit prims that have an axis in excess of 10m. But still, while you have to take the time to find out exactly how big of a prim you need in the first place, this is still a far improvement over having just the old "stock" megaprims.
Aha! It's wonderful! Thanks so much!
thank you so much nicholaz for your work i love it i now can create any size this will be very helpful
Howdy, Nick! I'm thrilled to see my megaprim creation patch in the wild.
If you get and feedback or hear about any problems with the megaprim hack, please let me know :)
Thanks Nich and thank you Able. ;-)
OMG you have made my - and my hubby's - entire WEEK with the megaprim patch. Thank you!!!!
(don't suppose that particular patch can make it into BE-w, can it? please? pretty please? *grins*)
To clarify process:
Bring up Debug Settings via Ctrl+Alt+S (or bring up Advanced Menu via Ctrl+Alt+Shift+D and select Debug Settings.)
You see a drop-down choice field here.
Select the first choice at the very top of the drop-down list:
_Nicholaz.Build_DefaultNewRezzedObjectScale
Set the dimensions you wish in the field that will appear below. Stick with format in example provided, e.g. (27.5; 27.5;.5)
Close the window, create your object.
Repeat for each differently sized megaprim you wish to create.
When done, prolly wise to set it back to a reasonable size.
After that, the megaprim behaves as usual: can be shaped, but not be sized, and can be textured, but usual texture frustration on megaprims can occur.
Ok, mac version of the patched client uploaded and available for download:
http://radio-boomslang.shacknet.nu/~bb/archives/2008/05/12/#e2008-05-12T20_16_46.txt
Chaz: Thanks for the instructions, I'm sure people will appreciate them. (Small clarification to the clarification. The debug settings window can remain open, it's just necessary to press Enter after the data was entered.)
Barney: Wow, that was quick! Kudos and thanks :-)
Alex: Will be no problem, will put it up as an experimental without much ado ... just check the experimental folder tomorrow or so.
Able: Great to see you back. Your other patch also looks good, it was just a bit too close to release date (we have a holiday here today). Great work and great to have you back.
The 1.19.x.x is nice, but the snapshot window is totally unusable and bugged... maybe you have a look at that one any maybe backport the fixed from the 1.20.x.x? :D
For taking photos during a fashion show I always have to switch back to the BE-v (now -w) version, because this is the only one that has no bad light and isn't crashing... I can stay there with maximum graphics settings and take all the photos needed. Not possible with the 1.19.x.x or newer, because of the memory holes and/or the broken snapshot window.
Tillie
So it sounds like, based on Tillie's photo report, I'm switching away from Eye Candy to Bleeding Edge for a while...but I'm concerned about the microprim issue?
As in, Havok4 no longer supports microprim work at all, in any fashion?
Regarding jewelry and other small-needs builds, this would be very bad.
Emily: I'm pretty sure existing microprim tricks still work.
I was just testing, since they eased the upper 10m limit, if it was possible to create prims below the current lower 0.01m limit too. But there appears to be no change on the small side of the spectrum.
So nothing smaller than what we can already do. That's no problem, then.
How'ver--and I'm sure it's my Frankensystem, and not your build--I had to switch back to Eye Candy from Bleeding Edge, because of multicolored r/b/g flickers across surfaces of builds in-world.
Examples:
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w142/emillyorr/primflash1.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w142/emillyorr/primflash2.jpg
Still, prior to this latest rebuild of EC, I've had zero difficulty taking high-rez images at maximum capture. So with any luck, if I need to step down, I'll just step down to the last version of EC.
Great work :D
Is there a difference between Nicholaz and the regular with regards to Flexi? I have a roof made of flexi-prims and its tuned to hang in a specific way with gravity. I just tried Nicholaz again after a while and the roof hangs a lot lower than it does on the regular.
Emily: Let me know if EC-e works (in that case I could have a candidate patch which could be related).
Tillie: What exactly is wrong with the snapshot window? (Is that borked in EC-e too?)
Keaton: No flexi difference that I'd be aware of, the patches afaik don't touch that area of the program (it may be possible through some wild side effects, but that would be very hard to track down).
just had a chat with Spike Linden, he said mega creation is going away again real soon. I kept the transcript and he said I could repeat it if anyone is interested.
nectere: Ouch!
Although I still wonder. They do check the lower limit (and force them to equal or more than 0.01m), so it is beyond me why they didn't properly check the upper limits. (It's not that this is a first time event, like back then when Plastic Duck made the first megaprims when nobody had a third party viewer ... )
But probably it's more a political issue than anything else.
gonna post here what I posted on Massively to increase the odds of getting a helpful reply
5-13-2008 @ 2:16PM
TigroSpottystripes Katsu said...
two questions
why the 100 meters limit?
and
how do I start new group IMs? (and since we're in this topic, can I have the gui back to "normal"? I fail to see why people dislike it so much, in most aspects I much ratter the official gui...)
5-13-2008 @ 2:17PM
TigroSpottystripes Katsu said...
btw, it would be nice if one could create prims already phantom
I believe they closed off the creation of mega prims already. Or its not working for me at the moment where a hour ago it was working just fine.
I stand corrected apperantly I had a duh moment and forgot the ( from in front of the numbers
Well as i talked with Sidewinder the 256x256x1 huge can still be used and i have that on my sim, sotosay second sim up in the sky. Would be nice do try that too, or make a hole in it if that ever works (to walk through it :P). But nevertheless again nice work.
TigroSpottystripes: I think group IMs can be started from the Linden contact page (as in the official viewer).
Re the GUI: it's almost the official gui now anyway, besides the extra friends button. I'm just trying to find a balance (and different people like different things, so it's going to be some compromise either way).
The 100m was just a value to put a limit on it which does keep it clear of being accused of being a griefer tool or creating larger than draw distance etc.. For larger prims, the other ways still work (either prim collections, or slproxy, etc.)
Ken: That happens :-)
Sascha: We'll just wait and see what the Lindens do with the feature ... at least with up to 100m I don't think they have much to complain.
actually Spike pretty much said no new megas will be supported (creation wise, period), however existing ones will remain so as not to break content. Now, I do not know if the megastash I have now horded in anticipation will no longer be able to be rezzed or not....
If I knew you inworld name I would drop the transcript on you for you to determine for yourself.
Nectere: Thank for rasing this issue early here and on massively, it sure gave people a good chance to create upfront what they need (... I saw the full transcript already but btw, the name is Nicholaz Beresford.)
Nicholaz: try making a snapshot of 512x512 to disk. On different 1.19 versions you have different bugs with it. Either you get a ditorted snapshot of the whole screen except a 512x512 centered box as before, or you get something like a screen sized black capture with a 512x512 part of the left lower corner.
And there are other weirdnesses with the sizes and buttons in there too.
Another thing that is in all current clients: select a multi-prim item like a skirt, and then click the transparence or glow button several times to raise the value there. the shown numbers are racing up and down for some time... and you have a hard time to get all parts back to non-glowing again, too.
"instead" i meant, not "except"
Hi, When i create a prim any dimension over 10 metres is rezzed at 10 metres, so a prim 20x8x0.1 is rezzed at 10x8x0.1.
If all dimensions are larger than 10 metres then i get a 10 metre square box.
Any ideas on whats wrong?
THANKYOU Nicholaz, This viewer even works on my older computer.
Also thanks for the brigprim creation trick.
Thanks Chaz for the clear explain.
Thanks again, Nicholaz! While I had the chance, I made the 20x5x.01 prims I've always wanted.
holy cow - this is REALLY great !!
instead of blabbing on and on about my previous windlight troubles(before finding your viewer), i'll just say:
aaaa i'm so happy :)!
Unfortunattely I had to switch back to BE again :(
probebly not may people need it daily but I do like 10 times per day. The subdivide/join tool (land editing) is borky working in Eye Candy. Specially the "join" function. Also the refreshing of About land sometimes does not work.
I am not sure if it is viewer related but with BE it seems to work ok.
EC XF2 had the delayed teleport/crash on teleport bug common to the official LL WindLight viewers, while previous Nicholaz EC viewers have NOT exhibited this bug for me.
I will try the "non experimental" EC-f and report on its teleport behavior.
I'm having a problem here. I set it up in debug to rez prims at 27.5 like suggested. However they only rez at 10.00 if i stretch them it snaps back to 10 a few seconds later. Any idea what's going on with this?
Many thanks
Yes that's exactly what i did but the prim rezzes at the default size any way =-/
christopher: The big prim feature is dead (hole stuffed server side by the Lindens). Only way these days is to get a big prim collection (see the megaprim thread linked from this blog post).
I like this client a whole lot! It reduces crashes to almost none, I was so sick of crashing during business conversations as i often run MS Word, Photoshop and a web browser at the same time. The only problem is I must use the refresh button to save photos to disk as the key combination does only open the photo dialog box.
I love Nicholaz but I am really lookin' for a version 1.19.14 without windlight. I do really need it badly, I am very anti windlight. :)
Thanks.
@Anti-WL: Well just use my Bleeding Edge viewer (search the blog for that term or for "BE-w").
Nick
No matter what I do I can't seem to get sculpties to show up when I select the texture onto the prim. A pre-made sculpty from my inventory rezzes just fine. I've tried two different versions of the regular you-know-what and now the eye candy one. I've cleared my cache a billion times. I know this is a known bug in the newest you-know-what (or so I'm told it is). Do you or anyone else have any suggestions?
hey Nicholaz...how does one turn off the UI on your 1.19...when I go CTRL-ALT-F1 it doesnt turn it off and I have tried many times...am I missing something....any suggestions?
ok...figured the UI thing out...and great work on these viewers btw...many hours today inworld and no crashes.
Can megaprims still be created using a patch or has it been disabled again by the Lindens ?me
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