Linden Lab discuss server side baking and the materials project on Designing Worlds

Now available on the web – our latest episode, as we are joined by Oz, Brooke, Troy and Nyx Linden to discuss the issues of Server Side Baking and materials.

This was a really fascinating show as not only did our guests from Linden Lab explain what these major changes to Second Life would entail, but we also went to Hippotopolis for a fascinating demonstration.

Join us as we explore the effects of specular mapping

You can go there and check this out for yourselves but if you want to see the items properly displayed, you’ll need to download the special Materials Viewer (it doesn’t overwrite the main Linden Lab viewer).

Nyx, Troy, Oz and Brooke Linden explain the changes coming

If you’re wondering what server side baking and specular materials are and how they might affect your Second Life, this show should explain it.

In addition, Inara Pey has published a transcript of the first half of the discussion on her blog, which you may find useful too!

Read Full Post »

News of hunts and exciting events in this week’s Happy Hunting!

Cinders and Rosamoo discuss some great Hunt prizes!

Join us in the treet.tv studios in Garden of Dreams at 3pm, Friday 17th May, with our host Cinders Vale and hunt reporter Rosamoo Mendelsohn of Hunt SL for another great show – featuring not one but TWO interviews with hunt organisers (and details of some wonderful new hunt goodies you can grab!).

Big Day Hunt logo

Cinders will be talking to Nomiki Tremmor of The Big Day Hunt who will be telling us all about her her special wedding day themed hunt – and it’s not just for brides and grooms either, but offers a selection of things for participants and guests too!

Then Heavenly Villa will be telling Cinders all about plans for the Home and Garden Expo which will be featuring a Hunt created by those wonderful people at Whiz. Our next show will be coming from the event, but here’s a taster here right now!

Plus there will be news from Rosamoo of exciting hunts that lie ahead!

So join us at 3pm today in the studio for the broadcast. Bring along your hunter friends too. We will be glad to have you all join us for the show.

Cinders talks to Heavenly Villa

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 3pm SLT on Friday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live or on the Vimeo channel – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/happy-hunting.

Read Full Post »

Join Designing Worlds for a special recording!

Designing Worlds studio

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Tuesday 14th May, for a special live recording of Designing Worlds at our studio in Garden of Dreams, as we are joined by Chantal Harvey, the weel-know machinamatographer and Tony Dyson, the designer who created R2D2, who will be joining us to talk about their fascinating new project – the Bobbekins – which utilises Second Life as a part of a wider project to create interactive electronic materials for children.

Bobbekins eBook

Chantal and Tony will be talking not only about their project (currently online as an Indiegogo project), but also about their work and careers.

And there will be the opportunity for our audience to ask them questions too!

As this is a recording of a show to be shown at a later date, we will be starting the filming at 1pm, and you will not be able to see all the inserts we will be discussing (although we will supply web addresses so the audience can take a look!). But it will be a chance to find out more about Tony, Chantal and their fascinating project!

So do come and join in the recording at 1pm!

Read Full Post »

Designing Worlds finds out about changes and exciting additions to Second Life from Linden Lab

Talking about Server Side Baking and Materials

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Monday 13th May, for the new episode of Designing Worlds at our studio in Garden of Dreams, as we are joined by Oz, Brooke, Troy and Nyx Linden to discuss the issues of Server Side Baking and materials.

If you’re wondering what these are and how they might affect your Second Life, this show should explain it.

But – as server side baking means earlier viewers will no longer work properly, it is essential that every user of Second Life should be prepared for the changes.

Nyx, Troy, Oz and Brooke Linden explain the changes coming

Server side baking is a whole new way of solving the problem of avatars (and system clothing) that fails to load properly, by moving this from the viewer side client to the server side. It will need significant changes to the client viewers (like Linden Lab’s own viewer, and also third party viewers like Firestorm and Exodus). Nyx and Troy Linden will be talking about this and explaining what Second Life users should expect.

Katana, created by June Dion of Bare Rose, demonstrating materials

Then Oz and Brooke Linden will be explaining about materials, normal and specular maps, what this is and what it will mean for our Second Life experience. And there will be samples to see too – when Oz and Brooke took us to see the work in progress at Hippotopolis. You can go there and check this out for yourselves but if you want to see the items properly displayed, you’ll need to download the special Materials Viewer (it doesn’t overwrite the main Linden Lab viewer).

A simple cube takes on depth and texture under changing light

Materials are going to mean a richer Second Life experience, and creators are going to be very excited about the possibilities, we suspect! But don’t take our word for it – come and watch the show at 2pm!

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds – our very own version of the iPlayer!

Join us as we explore the effects of specular mapping

Read Full Post »

Another look at Fantasy Faire 2013 with Designing Worlds

Now available on the web – our latest episode, the second of our two visits to the amazing Fantasy Faire.

Saffia talked to designers Kayle Matzerath and Marcus Inkpen about the regions that they created, while Elrik learned about the amazing Fantasy Faire radio (and its rather unusual studio) from Zander Greene, and then had an escorted tour of the famed (notorious?) Explorers’ Club (Oriental Branch) by Martini Discovalante.

Lotus Valley Dream, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

And then there are more regions to explore before we said farewell to Fantasy Faire … for this year.

Read Full Post »

What’s your favourite Designing Worlds show? Let us know what you’d like to see again!

Arcachon Harbour – would you like to see it again?

Do you have a favourite Designing Worlds show? Or even a favourite moment on one of our shows?

As we come up to our 200 episode (yes – that’s coming up very shortly!) we are planning a show of clips from our favourite shows … but what was YOUR favourite moment?

Will the dark secrets of Venexia be your choice?

Maybe it’s a moment from one of our Babbage shows …. maybe from one of the Fantasy Faires. Maybe its one of our encounters with the future in Insilico or Araxes. Perhaps its one of our visits to an educational project – for example, the medical centre at Imperial College London, or the Mayo Clinic.

Do you want to see the brave Flying Tigers in the air? Photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Perhaps it’s a historical reconstruction like 1920s Berlin or The Coeurs. Or it could be a visit to a different grid like Inworldz, Heritage Key or Cloud Party. Or maybe just somewhere that is very lovely like Calas Galadhon or The Looking Glass.

Let us know by sending an email to designingworlds@gmail.com by Sunday 11th May, and let us know what YOU would like to see again. Or add your thoughts in the comments here instead!

Perhaps you want to see the Terracotta Warriors in the Museum on Heritage Key!

Read Full Post »

Designing Worlds at the Fantasy Faire Part II

Entertainment in Lumeneria, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Monday 6th May, for the new episode of Designing Worlds at our studio in Garden of Dreams, as we pay a second visit to the Fantasy Faire regions (now sadly closed).

Lotus Valley Dream, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

While Saffia talks to designers Kayle Matzerath and Marcus Inkpen about the regions that they created, Elrik will be learning about the amazing Fantasy Faire radio (and its rather unusual studio) from Zander Greene, and then will be given an escorted tour of the famed (notorious?) Explorers’ Club (Oriental Branch) by Martini Discovalante.

Fantasy Faire Radio, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

And then there are more regions to explore before we say farewell to Fantasy Faire … for this year.

And – by the way – the total now raised by Fantasy Faire stands at over US$36,000 – in Lindens, that’s over 9,500,000.

So – come and join us at 2pm.

Crimson Fields, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds – our very own version of the iPlayer!

There’s also a special short story competition sponsored by Prim Perfect and the Fantasy Faire team – you can find out all the details here.

Evensong Woods, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at Fantasy Faire: Sunset over Lotus Valley Dream

Lotus Valley Dream

It’s not just that it’s hard to let go of the wonderful Fantasy Faire this year (although that, too!).  Taking another jigsaw from there is a way of giving you a nudge (is that just a Brit thing? It’s like a firm hint!) that tonight will see the second of our two shows from Fantasy Faire on Designing Worlds – and more about that will follow later.

And that show will include a visit to the subject of today’s jigsaw – Lotus Valley Dream.  Sunset here was not a problem – the windlight setting was a permanent and beautiful sunset (a modified version of one of Bryn Oh’s settings, one of the creators, Marcus Inkpen, told me). The Explorers Club had a beautiful location – as you strolled out, you looked straight out over the road leading down to the setting sun, the beautiful buildings ahead, the lake (with its lotus and its dragon) glinting off to the right …

Is it possible to be nostalgic for something that’s only been gone a week? I think so.

Over 9,500,000 raised for Relay for Life …

Let’s do a jigsaw.

Sunset over Lotus Valley Dream, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »

Springtime Hunts on Happy Hunting! – now on the web!

Happy Hunting has another great show – with a review of some of the amazing gifts available at Mad Pea’s latest Hunt – Lost Treasure of the Inca Warrior.

Rosamoo, of Hunt SL, has found six more amazing hunts and items this week – including the wonderful gifts that are your reward for completing Mad Pea’s latest Hunt – Lost Treasure of the Inca Warrior! And you can find the details of all the hunts discussed right here.

Some of the amazing things you can hunt for at the moment!

And after that, instead of an interview, there’s some special hunt tips as we take a light-hearted look at how NOT to dress to go hunting – and how to do it properly!

Plus there’s news from Rosamoo of exciting hunts that lie ahead!

Read Full Post »

Prim Perfect Jigsaw at the Fantasy Faire: Lumenaria – and Part 2 of the Hunt

The Streets of Lumenaria

I have a few last lovely pictures of the Fantasy Faire to post – like this view of Lumenaria. We saw a dragon boat flying over it yesterday … today we have a view from the ground.

Although most of those beautiful regions have gone now, swept away by the sand of time (and Linden Lab), one remains – and that is the Valley of Ish’nar where the Hunt is taking place!

If you were able to complete Part 1, wear the Hud you used then. The treasure chest icon on your Part 1 HUD must be open to get a free Part 2 HUD.

If you missed Part 1, you can purchase a Part 2 HUD with a donation to RFL of at least 150L  And the organisers are stressing that you should please READ your local chat when you attach the Part 2 HUD for instructions to activate it.

The Hunt was designed by Mad Pea, the story written by David Abbot, and the region itself was designed by Ryn Verwood – all three huge recommendations!

But first, let’s do a jigsaw!

The Strreets of Lumenaria, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

Read Full Post »