Tell Me Why I Need Windlight

I recently found that I was blaming my graphics card, having just upgraded form 128MB to 512MB, for extreme CPU Usage in SL running a dual monitor set up in dual desktop mode. Very useful for DJing BTW to keep SAM on one screen and SL in the other and be able to keep and eye on both, with the 1.19 release my CPU usage saw a significant improvement, and would like to see even more. Should have JIRAed it but I thought is was the card also switched from an ATI to Nvidia to I has some bias there, my ATI had been faithful for MANY years.

And *I* just found out that my graphics card in my laptop (NVDIA Quadro series) isn't supported by LL for SL. It has worked perfectly until Windlight and now I doubt we will get the issue addressed, since it looks like it only happens for those cards. *sigh* Oh well.

If there is not a JIRA for is I am sure it will not be addressed. To many people just don't get that. If it's in BETA! Report bugs before the code is sealed and has to be patched instead of fixed!

I am "refreshing" my windows tonight as I have changed motherboard and graphics cards manufacturers since my last reinstall, so I will see if that helps any, and if not see if there is a JIRA for my issue.

There is a JIRA for it. http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-4601



I agree - people need to document this stuff in a place LL can see it.

Definitely! Also, for those who can attend, WL office hours are in Brampton at 1:00 p.m. SLT today.

Mari

I honestly don't see the support for your video card in the upcoming releases. The majority of laptops were not designed to be 'gaming platforms' unless you specially purchased a gaming laptop. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about laptop purchases. "but it's brand new"

"The NVIDIA Quadro series of AGP and PCI Express graphics-cards comes from the NVIDIA Corporation. Their designers aimed to accelerate CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and DCC (digital content creation), and the cards usually feature in workstations. (Compare the NVIDIA GeForce product-line, which specifically targets computer-gaming.)"

The Quadro series can't squeeze enough juice to support it in their eyes. (or many other games)

I wish you luck in getting on the 'supported list' but don't hold your breath.

Ok, that's all geek to me

The thing is, before Windlight I could get a very acceptable Framerate out of SL with some pretty advanced settings. And I could crank it up to get some good pictures when needed. With Windlight if anything the framerate is even better, and it's more crash-proof, too. So I don't think it's the "umpf" of the card that is the problem (whatever the geek-speak for that is).

It's just this one very annoying issue.

And I have no expectation that the card will get added to the list at all. Not even going to ask nicely for it. My laptop wasn't bought as a "gaming" platform, because I'm not a "gamer" LOL I was impressed it runs SL as well as it does.

QFT! I am praying Nicholaz comes out with a Windlight version before Windlight becomes the only SL client!

My partner uses Windlight and crashes a LOT using it vs any of the Nicholaz he previously used.

The only issue I have with Windlight, is that everyone will now see a different SL. Depending on what sliders and settings you have tweaked, what I'm looking at on my screen could be radically different than what my friend is seeing.

Not sure that I like that, or that it will work out.

I find even between drivers support comes and goes for all Nvidia cards.

Try a new driver (NON BETA ONES) and see if it comes back.

Its always been that way. Messing with any of the detail level sliders will do that. Heck, even depending on your video card settings it might be different.

LOL, I totally know what you mean. I was pretty much just saying you've been lucky to get your laptop to run at a acceptable level with said video card. You may even be able to find some modified drivers/software that would support your card but help run windlight with that extra umpf you need. I'm one of those geeks when it comes to pc's and build, modify and tweak everything to make it run at it's best performance.

I have not used a laptop with that video card, but i'm sure there are tech geeks on the web that have done it, just a matter of finding them.





Umm, that's how it is now. I'm sure in the non-windlight version you and I see something totally different like you explain just based on video cards. When I'm on my office computer it's totally different then when I'm at home. Just because of what one card/pc can or can't do. Not everyone has the same computer and abilities.

According to SL in a nut shell this my operating environment of my laptop, it's about 3 to 5 years old.

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 Northwood Xeon (1794 MHz)
Memory: 1536 MB
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (Build 2195)
Graphics Card Vendor: ATI Technologies Inc.
Graphics Card: MOBILITY RADEON 7500 DDR x86/SSE2
OpenGL Version: 1.3.4276 Win2000 Release
LLMozLib Version: 1.1.0 (Mozilla GRE:1.8.0.12_0000000000)

It should be noted that my graphics card is 32MB dedicated. I run on average between 1.1 and 15 frames a second. For what I have I think that is amazing considering SL says is needs 64MB or higher.

I downloaded Windlight for the first time last night, and honestly didn't think it would work well on my 5-yr old Dell 8250. At first, I couldn't log in at all and thought it was the Windlight. But after coming to the forums, I realized it was a database problem at LL. So, tried the windlight view out this morning, and I really liked it. I had my settings set at medium, and customized some, and it performed much better than I thought it would with my 512 mbs. and ATI 9500 Pro/9700 something-or-other graphics card.

I was only on it for about 1/2 hour, but thought it performed pretty well. I can't wait to see what it's like after I get my new computer in a month or few.

Need it? Why do you need it? Well, if you don't care what things look like, especially when demonstrating SL to onlookers, you don't. OTOH, if you'd like things to look like:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnewu/sets/72157603775233887/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnewu/sets/72157603818743556/

...then you need it. You know you do.

Those screen shots are unretouched in any way, other than being much lower quality and resolution than the actual images at which I was looking.

CoyoteAngel, those are some icredible pics of SteamSky City! Another feature of Windlight is the avatar imposter. It makes it so that you're compy isn't having to render all the details of avatars that aren't right near you, cutting down on client side lag

ty!

When Windlight first came out, I was disappointed in it. I have to say, however, that the Windlight team LISTENED to the residents of Second Life and changed it accordingly.

It may be slightly more prone to crashing, but it IS still in the testing stage and really, it is quite stable most of the time. It is also quite addicting. Once you see the world in Windlight, you won't want to go back. I sometimes have a hard time concentrating on building and am tempted just to gawk at how the light plays its different moods across the world.

Addicting is right. I've found myself going "How does it look... over here!" in some sort of Windlight version of the "can you hear me now" guy.

Mari

Earlier I recomended WindLight, but since the lastest version of a week or so ago I've had 3 changes in it I have now come to hate.
So last night I went back to normal SL, these faults are not there.
I refer to the camera/movement contols not being fixed in place after I dragged them out of the middle of my screen.
The lack of flashing IM received.
Music stopping when I TP to another place.
It makes me wonder if the people writting WindLight only work 9 'till 5 and do not use SL in thier evenings at home!
Love
June

I can only imagine how absolutely AMAZING your sims look, Julia! I need to get off my skyplat and visit again. Windlight has really changed the look of a lot of mediocre builds to not good, and fantastic builds to even better. It's one interesting change.

I just started running Windlight again and find myself doing the same thing. I want to go back to all the places I've been and see what they look like now.

When Windlight first came out I was not impressed, the sky looked like a nightmare from my skybox, but now I find it makes so many things so beautiful that I am really starting to love it.

Windlight is part of a plan to completely redo and update the rendering and shader systems to make them more efficient (SL runs faster and crashes less) WHILE adding new features. In my experience I crash much less (it is far more common to logoff because of failed TP or sim crash).

Then of course there's Havoc 4 (makes a sim virtually uncrashable with physics) and Mono (incredibly reduces script-induced server load) for stability-enhancing things, both already in beta.

So right now, we have three major overhauls of antiquated and problem-solving major systems. How is LL not trying to enhance stability again?

Okay so I tried windlight this evening.

I crashed trying to click to my second group notice. SO basically 30 seconds in.

After relogging ..

The whole light seemed a bit surreal - but that could just be familarity with the old days.

The lighting is quite a bit different, the pain on my walls noticbly had seems i couldnt see before.

This is minor I guess.

However it does make certain avatar mesh issues more pronounced.

The GAP between the breasts issue is much worse in windlight, as are the problems with the corners of the nose.

--------------------------


A questions -

Does local lighting need to be brighter? OR do I have to redo my local lighting entirely?

I guess ill experiment with it.




------------------------
Edit

Okay - wow , I figured out on the "low" video setting which it had defaulted to, Local lighting is shut off in windlight.

Which explains that.

Wonder how were supposed to intuitively know that.

I think the camera issue an the flashing IM were "inherited" from the release client build. The music might have been too. I believe I've seen 'em on the JIRA, too.



Oh ya. I also expect sailing to become a bit more popular. The water is just so beautiful!



Could be how SL was running tonight, too :-/



Ya, this is a big issue I've noticed as well. Maybe it will cause future improvements in our avatars. Please oh please!

Mari