04 September, 2011

no one left to watch your back now, no one standing at your door

So remember yesterday when I mentioned I got a mesh plant stand on Marketplace? I was all set to take pictures and play with it, and that was going to be the next entry.

Things did not work out as planned.

(from the new meshalbum)

So at first, I was upset. (See? That's my upset face.) Beauchamp told everyone that the new version of CoolVL could see mesh. This is me not seeing mesh. Mesh--anything mesh--appears as a torus that will never resolve, or as a spike, or as a prism; anything but what it's supposed to be...which in this case, happens to be a wooden plant stand.

(from the new meshalbum)

Of course, there are (minimal) compensations to not seeing it accurately at first go--namely, that creators can now copyright-mark their creations. I'm sure mesh objects can still be lifted, but at least this way, if you're getting it from AAA Creations, and it's marked AAA Creations, then it's going to be a real item from that creator.

HOWEVER, it turns out that I was using 1.26.0, and the new build is 1.26.1.3...which I couldn't see until I cleared visual cache, closed the window, and restarted everything up again.

Argh.

But then, I could see mesh! Look!

(from the new meshalbum)

The plant stand! Looking like a plant stand! Joy!

Okay, so now to the main issue--how does a one-prim sculpted object (even if it's a mesh object) become a multi-prim object? Since the plant stand is modifiable (but no copy, so do not necessarily try this at home unless you buy two copies of the stand), I wanted to find out.

Above is the stand on simple rezzing out.

(from the new meshalbum)

This is a screen capture after stretching to 6 meters high. The prim count now says it's 2 (6). I can only assume that means it counts as two physical prims, but the sim somehow counts it as six prims.

(from the new meshalbum)

Stretching it back down does not reduce it back down to one prim, how'ver. As can be seen in this screencap, it still reads as 2 (4).

(from the new meshalbum)

And, as this last screencap will verify, stretching it to maximum dimensions will bring it to 2 (38).

So...end result, the mesh retains its structural integrity, and does not shift shape or distort with expansion. HOWEVER, if it starts off at one prim, and you mess with it, you will then have at least a two-prim object, and it will never stop being at least a two-prim object, if not more. (That's covered more in-depth by Maxwell Graf on the Seraphim SL blog.)

This is somewhat distressing, especially as it still looks like one solid piece.

[Insert from the Editrix: as was pointed out to me a few days later, this was not a one-prim piece to start with, it was always plant stand + shadow = two prims. Even so, the prim equivalent rating does alter, and significantly. Even more significant, it seems like the prim equivalent system has been adopted grid-wide, which means that if I, now, rez out a single, unsculpted, megaprim cube, it will start out--as one solid, unaltered box--at a larger prim count than a single prim cube at 'standard' dimensions. Is that how that system is supposed to work?]

How'ver, there's something more disturbing in the works. The new build of the CoolVL viewer--which can see mesh--can't make sculpts.

Totally not kidding. It can't. Now, there appears to be a workaround...but the problem is, the workaround doesn't work for me:

(from the new meshalbum)

The workaround as posted seems to be this:
  • Make sculpted prim.
  • Pick texture for sculpted prim. Get told it's a mesh sculpt.
  • Change the stitching type--to anything, doesn't matter.
  • Get told that that texture can't be used on that prim. Retexture prim.
  • Problem solved.
Unfortunately, as I said, this doesn't work for me, and the above screencap shows why: once it switches to 'mesh' as the object type, everything greys out. I can't change the stitching type. I can't change the object type.

So unless I want to make an apple tree--out of actual apples...

(from the new meshalbum)

I'm screwed.

I'll likely be switching back to the earlier viewer, because given the choice between making sculpts, and not seeing mesh, and seeing mesh, and not being able to make sculpts? Making sculpts wins.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The lack of sculpt-making was a bug... it's just been fixed in 1.26.1.4.

Vixen Thibedeau said...

Thanks for the link-back, Emilly!

Emilly Orr said...

Miss Poindexter,

I got this comment, went off to download the new version, and never got back to this comment.

But yes! The issue is addressed!

And, of this writing, there are now three clients--four if you count Kirsten's, which only runs on higher-end machines--that can see mesh: CoolVL, Firestorm, and the official viewer 3.

Emilly Orr said...

Miss Thibedeau,

You're more than welcome! I still don't entirely understand how prim equivalency works, but it was a fascinating interview, and Graf is a very talented designer.

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...