External Model building tool?

Will there ever be a tool that will allow you to create models and then importing them into second life? It would be nice to create a model on a machine that does not have second life installed.

You'll have to excuse my vagueness, as I don't know if I'm allowed to share what I know about this. Suffice it to say, the answer would have to be "wait and see".

ehhhh, YES! OH GOD YES!

Is it possible to orgasim off of a few words? The answer, yes.

Or at the very least, the ability to model in the SL client without being connected to the server.

Patience is a virtue.

I'll keep you all informed.

We don't necessarily need LL to implement this. Someone could write a modeler which creates text for import to SL.

Dump that text into one or more notecards (or transmit via RPC). That text can then contain commands to feed a script that rezzes prims and calls llSetPrimitiveParams() in each rezzed prim to get them in the shape, rotation, and position they need to be in.

Ok, Simply because 1.5 has resulted in a release delay, I decided to post a teaser screenshot. I have to rewrite a very good portion of the primitive rendering code (basicly, all of it), so I guess this should be enough to get people interested.

Expect a release in approximately a month, unless I find some major problems with the source.

Please do not flood this thread with feature requests, I can assure you that the modeler will be very functional by the time I get the beta out.

Please do not ask to be added to the beta list, I already have a list of testers.

The program is written 100% system inspecific, it's just a matter of locating someone with a copy of codewarrior for MacOS. Thank you and drive through.

I wonder if we could integrate some of your project with OSMP. That way, we could both solve our rampant UI ugliness problem and effectively build a bridge between both worlds, allowing you to build something in OSMP and SL simultaneously. Which would be cool.

That's actually extremely possible. The modeler s platform inspecific, so long as your primitive system is similar, it would be simple enough to implement a custom loader.

ok, somebody better get their pen ready for the history books!

congrats on such an awesome program! i'm still trying to take it in, this would be a major development.. i can't count how many times i've seen people asking for it from LL, now one of us is bringing it to fruition. too cool.

you ARE going to sell this program, right? it would be crazy not to

I've been debating on the deployment system for the program for some time. I thought about making it so the program itself is free, but the uploading engine is disabled unless you pay (sorta a trial period) and other such things.

To say the least, there will be a minor cost associated with the program. I was thinking around $1000L - $2000L (which is reasonable, since it's a one-time fee) per user.

Oh well, I'll get it figured out. It's still too early to really go say.

Just be patient, the prims are causing me headaches right now.

Figured I would give you all an update:

Prims are almost complete, the new extruder is almost done.

It handles everything SL does right now quite nicely, and I made this version expandable. The only thing it doesn't do right now is generate some caps when using advanced cuts and the ends on box style prims.

I can't say when prims are going to be finished again, but I should have it done by next tuesday.

After that, everything should be back on track.

If anyone has any special ideas on pricing models, feel free to recommend some, I would like to make some $L to help finance my next project.

1k -> 2k is reasonable. I can't wait to use it. Does it include a script editor?

(currently in the works is a new version of my SetPrimitiveParamsAdv() but it won't be done for a while; new flag is a bit tedious)

If wanted i'll make a stripped down version of it that will be more conducive to what this project calls for. Or have you already made the SL patch over?

The secondlife 1.5 uploading engine has been finished for awhile.

As far as a client side script editor, no.

I have a few reasons for this, a few being:
1) Havoc is EXPENCIVE (and a great deal of the scripting engine uses it)
2) There is no way for a script to access script storage
3) That would add a great deal of development time to the system.

I may add a simulation later, but it won't be for some time.

most of the scripts i would be developing wouldn't require physics.

Script memory *is* possible. I know, I've made such a thing. I have a system in place (that I'd have to expand on) that could theroetically store the description of an entire Sims-worth of objects. Its a pain (for me, I'm not a 'pro' like some here) to do, but it is entirely possible.

If I get off my butt and get things out there, it wouldn't be for 1k, 2k to back up objects, I was thinking around 1L a prim, with a scale that boosts the rate over 100+ or so, depending.

Just wanted to dispel the myth that it is inordinately difficult. If *I* can do it, I'm pretty damn sure some of you pros have done it, and in a vastly more efficient fashion.

Ok kids, I know it's kinda short notice, but I'm going to be working on the project less for the next month or so. I got offered a job doing some out-source programming for a local company for a few weeks, so the development will be pushed back. Everything is going well, it's just that I'm not exactly financially independant, and this will be a good oppertunity to get my foot in the door as a full time programmer.

I'm not completely halting development, just not going to be working on it full force like I have been.

I value your interest in this project, and I will not take all your praise for granted.

Why dont you open source it, or at least put up an alpha version somewhere.

yes please do; we want to beat on it with plastic childrens hammers (that sqeak on impact i should add) and report all the bugs you already know about but don't want to fix

Ah too bad, I was looking forward to integrating it with my system. Good luck on your outsource effort.

Here is the list of reason It is not (yet) open source

1) It would be very easy for someone else to just circumvent my 'I need to make moneys off this' concept
2) The code is very messy in places, and uncommented 95% of the time (I'm doxygen-izing the source in parallel with development, but lots it out of date due to patches and class changes)
3) Most of the editing functionality is left incomplete.

Once I get the project up and running, and I've made at least a reasonable ammount of lindens off it (My ultimate goal is to finance a SL project), I will definately be releasing the source to the public. Until these criteria are met, or I just ultimately get tired of dealing with it, the source will be released to the public.

As far as an alpha version, the prim code is in horrible disarray, and I want to get the code stable before I release it. The cap triangulation code is horrendous and hackish for the time being, and I've had some known problems with ATI cards that I'm still hashing out. WHen I feel that it is going to be usable, I will release a teaser.

I'll keep you posted, do not fret!

Why not have an optional, special location in SL that only you can go to for modeling? Kind of like a holodeck but for one? If you want someone to help you create something you could invite them into the environment. Essentially, make a place in SL that is more like a modeler, instead of making a modeler that renders like SL.

The environment could be configured in a way that is more conducive to building things than the normal open building areas, with a flat black ground, a configurable grid, etc. Even more interesting would be to allow users to create their own object "tools" that can be scripted to automate creation tasks, such as cloning objects, displaying textures, rotating views, etc.

Obvious problems with creating an external editor would be building something that is too big for your land and lack of scale to compare your creations to pre-existing objects in the SL. Since SL knows how much land you have, it could limit the environment to the space you have avaliable.

Another idea would be to impose a "View" over normal SL space that would be only 20% transparent with the same features above. This would help you compare your creations with pre-existing objects in SL yet have a controlled environment. You could think of it as a Heads-up display that is only visible to your Aviator, similar to the grid option currently available. I would still want some type of flat workspace to be present, which would have to be present in normal SL space.

Working directly in SL also allows you to test the physics of your objects without having to upload them in SL after making changes..