CameraOffsetDefault & FocusOffsetDefault, For A New View

I was reading through my file of strings extracted from secondlife.exe today in an apparently quixotic search for a way to replace the despicable gray loading texture with something less intensely annoying when I came across CameraOffsetDefault.

Figuring that it might take as parameters three value for a position vector, I stuck in some values and succeeded in altering the default camera position.

This was nice, but while the camera was in a different default position, it was still pointed at the same place.

A search for offset in the file of extracted strings produced FocusOffsetDefault.

Popping FocusOffsetDefault plus some position offset values along with CameraOffsetDefault into the settings.ini file enabled me to set the default camera position in several different ways.

I can make the default camera be such that my avatar is slightly higher in the screen, thus allowing me to see my feet, by default, something that I have wanted since I started using the program.

I can set the camera to be in front of me, looking toward me, so I can see what my face is doing, at least on my screen.

I can set the camera to be slightly in front of me, looking forward normally, such that I can't see my avatar. This should be useful for taking pictures and might be useful for builders. It's also nice to just not see your av without having to enter mouselook.

I also tried setting the camera a hundred meters in front of me, focused 200 meters in front. It worked, but was kind of odd and didn't seem too useful.

I also had the default camera off to my side, looking at my av.

It figures that I would find out how to do this just shortly after they introduced scripted camera controls that might be able to produce much the same effect only maybe cooler and adjustable without exiting the program and editing the settings.ini file. But still, I will finally be able to move my av up in the screen a bit and see my feet by default.

Now if only I could find that gray loading texture and make it go away, or change it to a mostly transparent wireframe.

To put the camera in front of you, pointing back at you, try:
CameraOffsetDefault 10 0 -0.5
FocusOffsetDefault 0 0 -0.4

To put the camera in front you, looking forward, so you can't see your av, somewhat like mouselook but not in mouselook mode, assuming a normal sized avatar, try:

CameraOffsetDefault 0.4 0 0
FocusOffsetDefault 10 0 0


I'm sure someone will tell me this has been common knowledge since beta.

Cool! Well, that makes not having to deal with the dorky new camera functions at least. Now to just get the mouse to rotate the camera without having to go into mouselook mode! Thanks, Sue!

Now, this being one of the things done with setting.ini, you have to set them while not running SL, start it up and see if it works ok, exit sl, change it, etc.

One would want to make secure copies of any good settings. I have a folder off the root of the C: drive called CustomizeSL to keep these in.

You can keep a file of your standard customizations such as perhaps font size and this camera setting in one text file, and just paste them at the end of the settins.ini file. The secondlife.exe file will sort them into their normal alphabetascinumerical order, apparently, and doesn't complain about duplicates. I think it even uses the last one in the event of a duplicate.

I haven't played with the new camera functions yet, maybe I should try to get around to that.

I'm trying to get the camera to zoom out from the av like it does with the normal cam position/offset but it doesn't work. I've tried to get the camera zoom to work correctly (mousewheel down = cam zooms cam and vice versa) but no matter what I try it doesn't work. Any ideas?

This setting disables mousewheel zoom (though camera controls zoom still works):

CameraOffsetDefault	0	0	0

SuezanneC, I dig your determination and your mad STRING skillz! I'm down with your loathing for that grey texture. But ya might wanna keep your explorations on the downlow. Vis:

TOS section 4: "...you may not modify, adapt, reverse engineer (except as otherwise permitted by applicable law), decompile or attempt to discover the source code of the Linden Software..."

I'm just sayin.

This isn't source code but, simply, settings.ini parameters.

Matters such as this have been discussed for ages in the forums. One of the folks selected as a forum resident monitor, Strife Onizuka, is perhaps the person who has done more than any other to publicize the customization options made possible by additions to the settings.ini file which are found only by examining the secondlife.exe file.




Given that forum res mods have to have a completely perfect rap sheet, never even a warning, and that one has discussed this sort of thing in the second life forums, I am completely confident that I have nothing at all to worry about in regards to legal trouble for trying to help people adjust the size of the font in the scripting editor or make it where they can see their feet.

I didn't extract these strings myself, actually, although I could have and in fact have. I can't remember if I kept the file I extracted or what the name was, and I knew there was a link to a now somewhat outdated file of strings extracted from secondlife.com in the forums, so I used one someone else made.

I used a file obtained through a link on these forums that has been there December of 2005,
Second Life Settings File . The file is Strings Extracted from Secondlife.exe

Torley Linden participated in a thread on the subject of changes to the settings.ini file such as the ones I am discussing in this thread, changes made possible by fiddling with strings extracted from the secondlife.exe file, changes to fonts and font sizes.

He said:


and further on in the thread about how to change font sizes using strings found through examining the secondlife.exe Torley Linden said




I do appreciate your concern.

To cut to the chase, this matter needs attention from someone other than me.

When I put the camera in front of me, looking forward, the scrollwheel works to move the camera back to where I enter mouselook, like the reverse of an unaltered camera.
That was with a focus offset value also.

With just the camera setting like you mentioned, and no focus setting, I also have no scrollwheel function.

With these settings:

CameraOffsetDefault -0.1 0 -0.5
FocusOffsetDefault 20 0 -0.5
the scrollwheel is moving the camera up and down instead of front and back.

This has enable me to get the camera to rest inside my head, so that I see my hair, my eyelashes, my nose wrikles, and my mouth and tongue from the inside looking forward.

Not perhaps the most useful setting possible, except perhaps in reducing vanity.

Putting in 0 0 0 for both camera and focus put the camera directly overhead looking down at the top of your head, which takes up the bulk of the screen. Rather silly.


By the way, the scroll wheel seems to be confused by these settings, but the alt-front arrow and alt back arrow seem to work ok.

Just now, after using the alt arrow keys with the stupid overhead looking down position I just described, the scroll wheel started working like normal, given the directly down direction of focus I have at. Now to try for something more normal.

Putting in

restores some scroll wheel action.

Putting in

restores the scroll wheel action to approximately normal.

What is it you are trying to do?


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I now see some more things to play with, namely

Too late to start with those though.

Extremely cool and potentially very useful. Great find Suez!



This part intrigued me because I know the Lindens have been very conscientious about reigning the camera in for residents. Even the new script functions enforce a maximum distance of ~ 50 meters from the avatar. I believe this restriction is either higher or completely lifted for Lindens (with the latter being dependant upon their draw distance I assume).

I tested this with a setting of -200 on the x and found that it did in fact gain me an extra 10 meters more distance from the avatar, but I could not get it any further than a maximum of 60 meters away with any combination of settings.

When I do the alt+arrows, the cam flips and looks at my av instead of staying in place.

I want the cam to be between my av's eyes, pivot from that point (well, with the head anyway), and zoom out behind my av when I move the mousewheel down (and vice versa but I'll just take scrolling back to my av when zoomed out fully behind it, for now).

The pitch one didn't seem to do anything for me but it only accepts 1 value, from what I can tell, cuz it got reduced from 0 0 0 to just 0 when I added it. Then I put in 1 but still no difference. Will try the other one soon.

SuezanneC:

Welcome. Yer so FIC.

Thanks for the clue. I love findin out stuff I didn't know. If you ever find out how to replace the horrid grey loading texture, shout it from the rooftops!