Anne Cloud – Page 3 – Organica & The Wilds

A few lingering thoughts on Animesh

As some of you may be aware, Linden Lab has announced the release of the Animated Mesh Object project, which has been in development for around 18 months. Essentially, it allows any rigged object (Avatars, clothing, accessories, and beyond) to be animated smoothly without being worn.

It’s been interesting to sit in on all of the tweaks along the way and to create test content along the way, even though sometimes doing so made me want to apply head to desk in rapid succession (Such is the case with any extended project of this scale, really).

Now that the project’s out, I have to say I feel a sense of both relief and anxiety – both for built up projects which I can release and projects which are still being held back by technical difficulties, but above and beyond, what the future holds.

In some ways, Animesh means an easy way for folks to repurpose some of their rigged mesh purchases towards innovative NPCs and other interactive objects.

For avatars, at least, it’s possible to rez a copy on the ground, drop in some animations and script potential animated behaviour, allowing that avatar to roam freely.

These same avatars can be repurposed (if additional animations are added to support this) to operate as standalone OR held/worn pets.

But there are a few restrictions and caveats:

Those expecting to simply take a high-poly mesh body, add complex rigged mesh clothing to it, along with footwear, jewellry and other accessories may be disappointed. A polygon limit of 100,000 triangles per linkset remains in place.
Even if a linkset comes in well below this polycount, unoptimized content has the potential to be of significant LI cost.
Some rendering problems persist – particularly when it comes to the rendering of shadows as they are cast from rigged content. Whereas this was less noticeable only on avatars, with Animesh, any animated object stands to unintentionally cast a fairly blocky shadow. This is supposedly being worked on by Graham Linden, but to date I have not seen any positive change on this matter.
There is a per-avatar limit of one animesh linkset (two, if you are a Premium member)

Additionally, time will tell, but I have some concern over the last-minute addition of two linksets being made available. At this week’s Content Creation User Group meeting, Vir recognized it as appearing to be a last-minute addition, claiming any open discussion of the matter just hadn’t been possible. To me, the problem is not so much that the announcement appeared last-minute as the fact that there appeared to have been no real heavy load testing for such circumstances.

Residents have always pushed the limits of what building and appearance tools have been given to them – I don’t see the emergence of Animesh as being any different. Add to that the fact that any worn object does not immediately present an easy to read and recognize performance cost metric and there is significant potential for abuse.

With that said, that there are caveats at all is a good thing – I would seriously be concerned if there had been no limitations – it would make my concern over multiple linksets all the more pressing if the max polycount were higher.

If anything, I do hope most of these limitations encourages folks to seek out content that is dedicated for use with Animesh, rather than simply depending on existing content to fit their needs.

I am honestly pleased that it’s now available to the public and I do think it offers to spark a lot of creativity for existing and newcomer artists. I *do* think it requires a wider skill set – it requires scripting and additional animation over and above modelling, texturing and rigging, if you are a clothing-maker… but perhaps this will be a push towards greater learning or collaboration for those who need it.

How do you feel about Animesh? Has Linden Lab made it clear what it is? What kind of things do you look forward to seeing now that it’s here? Are you going to try your hand at making some?

If you enjoy what I’m doing here or think someone else might also find it of use, please feel free to share this blog with them. If you’d like to keep up to date with posts, the RSS for this blog is here, I can also be found on Twitter and Plurk. The Discord server is here.

If you really like my stuff, perhaps consider donating to my Patreon? Your continued support helps to produce regular content (written, modelled, animated or otherwise) and helps to keep original content creation in Second Life!

Thanks for your support!

Animesh on the Main Grid & Snakes On My Head

It’s been a long while since I first posted about Animesh. Apparently, it’s been a good 18 months since Linden Lab started working on it, and just this week, the new functionality hit the AGNI grid (not just on RC channels) completely. If you have not yet updated your SL viewer to 6.0.0 or higher, you may wish to do so now!

That LL announcement was the final kick in the butt I needed to finalize the look & feel as well as packaging and pricing for my new Medusa Gorgon Hair.

While I would have preferred to have released these prior to Halloween, it just didn’t work out from a scheduling and feasibility point of view. With that said, I am glad LL took their time to ensure all their ducks are in a row moving forward, and look forward to making much more content that takes advantage of the new functionality.

White-snaked Medusa hair made by Wilds of Organica. Snapshot taken at Lost Unicorn. Head: Lightstar Lin Head. Dress: *MC* Empire Maxi Dress

For full details, please be sure to try the demo and to read the documentation fully. There are some caveats relating to Animated Mesh objects which may affect the product’s utility for you.

Now available in-store, here!

Thanks for your support!

Themed Wreaths at Tannenbaum!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been in the midst of moving house – only recently getting mostly settled in. This week, I had the opportunity to (finally) sit down and work out the next few offerings from Organica. Starting today, Prism Events’ Tannenbaum event will begin!

Newly available will be these three themed wreaths, which touch on tropical, underground and underwater themes! Pick up the Tropical, Ocean Kingdom, and Cavern Riches Wreaths exclusively at Tannenbaum for the duration of the event – from November 17 thru December 22!

Mod/Copy/No Transfer, with some copy-only scripts, range from 4-9LI.

Wyverns now available at Wilds of Organica!

The TL;DR:

Eight wyverns are now available from Wilds of Organica. For now, available just in-world, so be sure to drop by and pick up a demo, here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Organica/100/185/26 .

Full avatar details here!

For the moment, these are fully animated avatars with some Bento support + eye control. I’ll touch on plans as follows…

Delay

Some of you may recall the wyvern having made an appearance on the original Bento video put together by Linden Lab. By that point, the main model had been completed and rigged with a preliminary Bento rig. At the time, I chose to make use of both hind and wing bones to make this a mount, rather than a full avatar, but it also meant there needed to be a few compromises when it came to any treatment of a human avatar rider.

While I am not sure I couldn’t have made it work, there were a number of factors that spurred me to abandon the mount-as-part-of-existing-rig solution.

First, I was working on a number of projects at the time and various events called for projects that just made more sense to be released first.

Second, both the underlying Bento rig and development tools have changed since I started. We started off with no wings to some wings to potentially being able to ride rigged objects eventually.

Third, the final rig implementation as it stands best accommodates a fully opening and closing webbed wing structure by using most of the hand bones, which is a lot more difficult to do with just the Bento wings.

The added difficulty of dealing with an especially thin webbed membrane and preventing as much clipping as possible has been a major bone of contention for me and I feel like the current setup strikes the best balance.

As it stands now, I hope to keep an eye on the avatar and how folks like it. As always, updates are free, and with the new vendor system, I look forward to being able to just push updates to you automatically.

I will be looking in to tangential implementation as Animesh and hope to, ultimately, also provide a means for use as an Animesh mount… but until then will be catching up on a few items for both shops along with packing up for a major life change coming up in the next month or so.

Moving

I don’t want to bore folks much about it, but I must say I will be moving at the end of October. While I’ve made good memories where I am now, I’m really looking forward to making the new place my home.

Now that the Wyvern is out of the way, I hope to delve a bit more in to upcoming Animesh releases as well as other things I’ve been meaning to work on for a while.

Look for some freaky Halloweeny stuff coming up soon, along with some new household items as well.

I am also moving things around in the Organica shop and hoping to better feature everything that is on offer. Please let me know if you think things are going in a good direction or if you have any other feedback.

Thanks for your support!

2 New Prefab builds!

Two new builds are now available at Organica – but before I get to that let me take care of a few housekeeping items.

Housekeeping

A limited number of prefab buildings have also been put back out on display. Following the initial store rebuild at ground level, some prefabs were moved to a rezzer, while others were not put back out on display for various reasons (mostly because the rezzer vendor does not handle multiple-part builds very well. While not all previous builds are on display quite yet, those of you who are looking for modern style builds suitable for both skybox and ground use can view them once again in-store.

I’m still considering a setup that would allow all of the bigger builds to also be shown, but there are considerations to be made on my part with respect to visibility at ground level.

New Stuff

With that said, I’m pleased to announce this new two-story craftsman-style home! Features 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, kitchen & laundry area, front/living room, dining room and Includes extra room in the basement that would make for an excellent family room. Best viewed with advanced lighting model enabled. 58LI at packaged size, which is 15x20m. 3.5m ceilings. Mod, copy, no transfer.

Built to fit a common 512sqm alottment, this is a detailed house waiting for you to make it a home. Comes unfurnished, all room walls can be individually edited and will take any texture that is horizontally seamless by default.

Additionally, this next release was originally built to house items at Home & Garden Expo, but I wasn’t prepared to offer it for sale at the time as it was undergoing some final refinements. Today I’m pleased to say it’s available!

This shop space stands 12m wide by 18m deep by 13m tall and includes a detailed facade & back roof area. It’s great for smaller shops seeking a look that’s got character. Also best viewed using the Advanced Lighting Model.

Come see both of these in-store (180 Hamilton here and Kensington here) or check them out on the Marketplace (180 Hamilton here and Kensington here)!

Thanks for your support!

New Bougainvillea Pergolas now available!

It’s been a while since I worked on some bougainvilleas – recently I had the opportunity to buy one of my own and to see the extent to which they can grow (they are not native to Canada, where I live) and this prompted me to see what I could come up with.

These pergolas are 9LI each at packaged size, which is 7.4 by 6.9 by 5.5m. They’re the perfect shape and size for covered walkways, a patio, or that perfect hidden nook at the back of your garden!

Check them out in-world here or on the Marketplace, here!

Thanks for your support!

New Mesh Plants and Hedges!

New this week are a couple of great additions to your garden!

Flowers aren’t always necessary to introduce colour to your garden – Begonias come in a wide range of looks and here are a handful of them to start with. Included are both the individual plants as well as a version of them potted in a wooden planter. Each has a unique set of materials, featuring detailed bump maps and hand-painted diffuse textures, so please do be sure to enjoy these with Advanced Lighting Model turned on in your viewer.

Available as singles or in a fatpack, mod, copy, no transfer, both on Marketplace as well as in-store.

Additionally, here’s a new set of hedge pieces made for carefully groomed gardens! Mingi Mingi are dense bushes from New Zealand that feature small leaves and small berries. Pieces range from 1-3 LI ea, materials optimized, and are mod, copy, no transfer. Available both on Marketplace as well as in-store.

Additionally, both the calathea plants as well as the new Altadore bedroom set are now available on Marketplace as well!

Organica region now reopened, plus new releases for Home & Garden Expo!

Hi Folks,
I’ll start off with some housekeeping – It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, moving the shop, setting up a whole new vendor system, making new content for the build as well as upcoming events…

So it’s it’s with some satisfaction that I can say Organica region is once again open. I’ve opted to stick with open and organized for the moment, some areas are still undergoing refinement, and a new store directory is in the works, but all vendors are now functioning.

I was able to port over all existing store credit from E2V to Caspervend, so you should be able to spend your remaining store credit at your leisure. There HAVE been some significant changes as the result of the vendor service swap, however:

– Gift cards are now available in L$250, L$500, L$1000 and L$2000 denominations. For other denominations, please contact me directly.
– Redeliveries are now available by clicking on any vendor and clicking on ‘Redelivery’. Please note: ALL gacha items still reside on the original gacha vendor service, which is seperate from Caspervend offerings. Fresh, updated, mod/copy gacha items are still available by rezzing your item in the exchanger circle.
– Store credit can be increased through the use of gift cards. It will no longer accrue by the purchase.
– A permanent 5% discount WILL be applied to your account (and credited back at time of purchase) after a minimum of L$5000 in purchases has been accrued. Additional discount tiers may or may not exist 😉 ( Customer Rewards Program )
– Because they do not share the same vendor service, all gacha items are exempt from the customer rewards program.

Organica is now set up at Home & Garden Expo (a day early even… woot!) with a few new releases!

The Altadore Bedroom set includes bed, nightstand, drapes, lamp, rug and chest of drawers. The bed includes single and couple animations, the nightstand and chest have drawers which open/close, the lamp turns on/off on click. Pick up the classy and conservative Charcoal edition or the sassy and creative RFL edition! 1-8 LI, Mod, copy, no transfer, with some copy-only scripts.

These new raised grow boxes have been serving me well in terms of display and they would work well in anyone’s back yard, whether you intend to use them for vegetables or any other sort of plant material. 1 LI ea, mod, copy, no transfer.

Calatheas are stunning tropical plants with a great degree of variety. I’ve chosen a small sampling for this first pack – please let me know if there are particular calatheas you’d also like to see. I tried to keep this initial pack small just to start, but may be open to offering more.

Each of these mesh plants are 1 LI each and they are mod, copy, no transfer.

These two RFL exclusives are also available – ONLY for Relay for Life events, so do be sure to pick them up while you can!

These new items are available at Home Expo for the duration of the event, then most will make their way back to the main store and Marketplace!

Organica may be found at Home Expo 3 region this year. Home & Garden Expo runs May 19 from 8AM SLT thru June 2 at 12AM, SLT. Do drop by and say hi!

The Sale is On!

As I touched on last week, Organica, Wilds of Organica and Akimeta stores on Organica region are now participating in a 25%-off sale across the board (with the exception of gacha machines)!

The sale will proceed until May 5, after which the region will be temporarily closed in order to facilitate a vendor system switch-over and to reassess existing offerings.

Just a reminder – Some older items will be retired from active display (to be made available only on the SL Marketplace) and other items will be removed from the Marketplace entirely.

Drop by today to take advantage of the discount and be sure to check the credit terminal (indicated below) to see how much credit you can apply to your purchases.

You can use your credit on any non-gacha purchase from Organica or Wilds of Organica by left-clicking the vendor and clicking ‘Use Credit’. You will be asked how much credit you want to use and any remaining balance will need to be paid before the vendor will dispense the item.

Click here for a direct SLURL to Organica Region!

On an unrelated note outside of the sale, Organica will be appearing at the SL Home and Garden Expo, beginning May 19th. Please keep an eye on this blog for new releases, which will make their debut there!

In the mean time, I’ll continue to document my process and development here on the blog on a weekly basis.

If you really like my stuff, perhaps consider donating to my Patreon? Your continued support helps to produce weekly content (written, modelled, animated or otherwise) and helps to keep original content creation in Second Life!

Thanks for your support!

New releases from Wilds of Organica at Fantasy Faire 2018!

Fantasy Faire is probably one of the most long-standing events still held yearly within Second Life. It’s moved in lockstep with the Relay for Life movement since at least 2009 and I can count myself fortunate to be a part of it for many many years.

There are relatively few events which are offered at the same scale for the wide spectrum of fantasy and scifi genres and I’m happy to say that, for the most part, I’ve had positive experiences – at least enough which keep me coming back year after year.

This year, I’ve chosen to release Corgi avatars on the virtual world! More details are available here, but I’ll just say that five coats are available to start, including a special RFL Pearl Lavender exclusive.

Additionally, I have decided to release a new line of coats for the kittens – Point furs! These are coats where the majority of the coat is a pale, creamy colour and the snout, ears, paws and tail gradiate towards a darker colour. There is also a brand new Point-themed RFL purple coat, PLUS the old Cheshire RFL coat has finally been updated to bento as well (if you already have one of these previous to update, please contact me directly for a free update)!

These new coated kitties have been released with the updated bento kitten avatar (1.2) so you can expect to see tail and facial movement in response to Bento animations, just like the update that was applied to all of the other kitties earlier this year.

Both of these new items can now be found at my booth at Fantasy Faire for the duration of the event (thru April 29) along with many other WoO items. If you missed the chance at picking up the two free Fisheye avatars last year, this is your chance! Additionally, this is a great opportunity to pick up various editions of wings, ears & tails, and masks – in the process helping to end the fight against cancer. All items in official RFL vendors will donate 100% of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

It’s been a bit of a week for me – April is typically busy for me because it’s the convergence of multiple events. At the very least, Fantasy Faire and planning for Home & Garden Expo. This year, Bloom has also been a factor, and in previous years I also had the privilege of being a part of The Arcade.

Adding to that the fact that most of my WoO releases are full avatars requiring a lot of out-of-the-ordinary setups and this is a recipe for a lot of stress!

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t be doing any of it if it wasn’t stimulating to me and I didn’t learn anything from it.

Athenaeum Arcana is a vast library, shattered by a gargantuan presence, put together by Elizabeth Jarvinen (polysail). Elizabeth has made an immersive space, making use of repeated assets to minimize load times and seamless Materials (diffuse, bump and shiny maps) to help give the region subtle but important and immersive detail that draws a visitor in.

Setting up at Fantasy Faire this year went off with minimal issue. Thanks to having been given a mock-up of my store space beforehand, I was able to roughly figure what I wanted where, although by the end of setting up, this had changed a moderate degree.

I did take a fair amount of time to juggle and rearrange, mostly because it’s not always easy to have a shop space fit just right at first try, even if a mock-up has been offered. Environment, eye-lines, figuring out what kind of eye-catches are available on-site – these are things that aren’t always present in a mock-up and may not even be ready at such time that they are delivered.

In addition to this, I spent a fair amount of time setting up RFL vendors, although I must express immense gratitude to whomever revamped the vendor situation this year.

In previous years, vendors connected to a website and required multiple variables to be set web-side before functioning in-world. This year, it seems all the team authentication got handled up-front, and they seem to have done away with any sort of web-side editing. Instead, the system is as easy as dropping the reward item in, clicking to add a price, then dragging the vendor texture to the appropriate prim.

I’ve only had a chance to skim through the other Fantasy Faire regions so far, but certainly intend to explore in greater detail when I get a chance later. Perhaps I’ll see you around?

Fantasy Faire runs from April 16 thru 29! Visit Wilds of Organica on Athenaeum Arcana region!

Looking forward, keep your eyes forward to April 25, when all Organica, Wilds of Organica and Akimeta products on Organica region will be marked down 25%!

Full details to follow.

Thanks for your support!