Second Life Forums Archive - Slider Alpha Issue

Namssor Daguerre

Imitates life

Join date: 18 Feb 2004

Posts: 1,423

10-20-2004 09:12

I have been considering for a long time creating new slider alphas for the makeup and other features that appear on the face and other surfaces of avatars. Actually I have done this to a lesser degree already with the "Subdermals" that I package with my skins.

The problem I have found is when more and more of the alpha layers are changed to custom layers my system becomes unstable and crashes when logging into SL. The problem manifested it's self when some of my customers reported crashing when installing my skins. I soon discovered that removing the optional "Subdermal" layers solved thier problems. My system, and 90% of my customers systems are able to handle 3-4 of the custom 8 bit alphas in addition to the custom color layers (the 32 bit skin layers). It is strange that the files that crash the system carry far less information than the files that don't. For example, the original color layers provided by the Lindens are about 23k-70k in size. My custom skin files are around 900k. This is a huge difference! Everyones system I have encountered is able to handle this change. However, introduce a relatively small 8 bit file, like skin grain, where my file and the original Linden file come in at exactly the same size (257k), systems start to crash!?

So . . . the qustions I'm hoping to have answered are:

1. Is this problem solvable from my end, or is this just a software limitation?

2. What exactly is going on to cause the crashes? (my theory is that the information transfer from home PC to LL Server in a SIM with multiple users reaches a critical load, and the PC grahips card, or the connection speed is the cause of the crash)

Note: Some crashes are hard crashes (reboot neccesary), and others are soft crashes (relog into SL).

I hope someone out there, be they a pixel pusher, or a number pusher, can shed some light on this.

Thx,
NAM

_____________________

Roseann Flora

/wrist

Join date: 7 Feb 2004

Posts: 1,058

10-24-2004 01:44

I hope you get some answers to your questions soon. I am sure there is someone that knows what the problems are.

_____________________

Govindira Galatea

Just ghosting...

Join date: 6 Mar 2004

Posts: 416

Sartor resartus

11-04-2004 09:18

File size seems so obvious and you've already pointed to that as a possibility. Things that fail intermittently like that are incredibly frustrating. Can you duplicate your customers' problem by making your skin file sizes even larger, as a test? To investigate the problem, you have to be able to make it happen repeatedly, if at all possible, as I am sure you know.

One lesson for me: If I ever decide to go the character folder route on skins, it will be with even more caution than I already feel. Even with the textures that I use, which are strictly those at the tattoo/skin level, I sometimes feel like a doctor on 24 hour call. I admire your art, creativity, courage, and energy! Your art is wonderful!

~Govi~

_____________________

From: Caron Warner Lieber, woolgatherer

"A person who talks fast often says things she hasn't thought of yet."

From: Amosis Leontopolis Thomas

"The Creator has a Master Plan: Peace and Happiness through all the Land."

Namssor Daguerre

Imitates life

Join date: 18 Feb 2004

Posts: 1,423

11-04-2004 09:43

Thx Govi,

Should you decide to go the color layer rout, I'd be happy to share all the benefits and pitfalls that I have encountered along the way by doing this. I truely believe that this is the best way to integrate skins into SL. After all, this is the way the Lindens do it.

NAM

_____________________

Slider Alpha Issue
Namssor Daguerre Imitates life Join date: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 1,423	10-20-2004 09:12 I have been considering for a long time creating new slider alphas for the makeup and other features that appear on the face and other surfaces of avatars. Actually I have done this to a lesser degree already with the "Subdermals" that I package with my skins. The problem I have found is when more and more of the alpha layers are changed to custom layers my system becomes unstable and crashes when logging into SL. The problem manifested it's self when some of my customers reported crashing when installing my skins. I soon discovered that removing the optional "Subdermal" layers solved thier problems. My system, and 90% of my customers systems are able to handle 3-4 of the custom 8 bit alphas in addition to the custom color layers (the 32 bit skin layers). It is strange that the files that crash the system carry far less information than the files that don't. For example, the original color layers provided by the Lindens are about 23k-70k in size. My custom skin files are around 900k. This is a huge difference! Everyones system I have encountered is able to handle this change. However, introduce a relatively small 8 bit file, like skin grain, where my file and the original Linden file come in at exactly the same size (257k), systems start to crash!? So . . . the qustions I'm hoping to have answered are: 1. Is this problem solvable from my end, or is this just a software limitation? 2. What exactly is going on to cause the crashes? (my theory is that the information transfer from home PC to LL Server in a SIM with multiple users reaches a critical load, and the PC grahips card, or the connection speed is the cause of the crash) Note: Some crashes are hard crashes (reboot neccesary), and others are soft crashes (relog into SL). I hope someone out there, be they a pixel pusher, or a number pusher, can shed some light on this. Thx, NAM _____________________
Roseann Flora /wrist Join date: 7 Feb 2004 Posts: 1,058	10-24-2004 01:44 I hope you get some answers to your questions soon. I am sure there is someone that knows what the problems are. _____________________
Govindira Galatea Just ghosting... Join date: 6 Mar 2004 Posts: 416	Sartor resartus 11-04-2004 09:18 File size seems so obvious and you've already pointed to that as a possibility. Things that fail intermittently like that are incredibly frustrating. Can you duplicate your customers' problem by making your skin file sizes even larger, as a test? To investigate the problem, you have to be able to make it happen repeatedly, if at all possible, as I am sure you know. One lesson for me: If I ever decide to go the character folder route on skins, it will be with even more caution than I already feel. Even with the textures that I use, which are strictly those at the tattoo/skin level, I sometimes feel like a doctor on 24 hour call. I admire your art, creativity, courage, and energy! Your art is wonderful! ~Govi~ _____________________ From: Caron Warner Lieber, woolgatherer "A person who talks fast often says things she hasn't thought of yet." From: Amosis Leontopolis Thomas "The Creator has a Master Plan: Peace and Happiness through all the Land."
Namssor Daguerre Imitates life Join date: 18 Feb 2004 Posts: 1,423	11-04-2004 09:43 Thx Govi, Should you decide to go the color layer rout, I'd be happy to share all the benefits and pitfalls that I have encountered along the way by doing this. I truely believe that this is the best way to integrate skins into SL. After all, this is the way the Lindens do it. NAM _____________________

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Slider Alpha Issue