Shape import

Would like to use GMax (a free PC game modeling tool from Discreet based on 3D Studio Max) to import shapes to the Second Life world.

Yes, wouldn't we all. Sorry but that ain't gonna happen. The way SL represents data is incompatible with any sort of mesh-based proggy. The server just sends you the type of object, position, rotation and those settings you can see on the building interface.
We need a FAQ for this group, detailing the suggestions you shouldnt bother to make. This gets posted soo many times
Maybe the wiki guys would like to work on it?

Excuse me, but I've seen meshes take up a very small amount of space, and your argument bears little or no weight considering we already have "sound meshes" of audio files taking up a lot of bandwidth, and as for "what kind of suggestions to post", you have a lot of nerve telling me what I can and cannot suggest. If the suggestion is made often, let it get made even more!! If Linden isn't listening, maybe we should flood the list. (I'm exaggerating, and no, I don't believe in spam.)

It's doable. They're just not prioritizing it. I do understand how the engine works, and I understand it would require tweaking of the engine. I understood it when I posted the suggestion. I don't care. I'm still suggesting it.

True, but allowing any kind of mesh to be uploaded nullifys that argument. Sure, some meshes you've seen take up a very small amount of space, but not all meshes exported out of GMax are small.

How small are you talking about anyway? To compare with the tiny size of the current way of transferring object data, you'd have to be pretty dang small.



Please explain.



Please wait a bit longer (more then 1 month) before touting that you know the engine that LL uses for this game inside out. Who knows what modifications they may have made to the standard OpenGL engine. If you understand how the engine works in under a month of being here, why haven't I seen more games that allow realtime streaming of 3D objects?

Jeez what an attitude... Somebody get Catherine Omega, I really dont have the energy to go through this again.

He's not actually telling you that you cannot suggest it. He's simply informing you tht the suggestion will pretty much get you absolutely nowhere. This isn't "way down on the list." IT'S NOT ON THE LIST AT ALL!

Many of us, myself among them, have been asking for this (and negative prims, I read that post, too) for a loooooong time.

But, feel free to ignore our warnings, and beat your head against the wall all you want. Your belligerent attitude and know-it-all attitude aren't going to win you many friends here.

This comes up a lot. The reason you're being told it's pointless to suggest it, is, well... that it's pointless to suggest it. The reason is due to the streaming nature of the SL world. Arbitrary 3d meshes are data instensive. They contain information for the location of every vertex, the interconnections of vertices by edges, triangle, and surface normals for each triangle. To introduce an object like that into SL and sill have it where everyone can see what you're doing with it in real time would require SL to send the entire object description to each and every client that comes within draw distance of it.

SL works by using parametric primitive objects. Your client already knows how to make them in terms of vertices, edges, and polygons. All the SL server needs to communicate to your client is that there's a primitive of X type, with dimensions of XYZ, rotation of XYZ, and numbers for cuts, twists, and other special features. It's a tiny amount of data which is why SL can get away with streaming the entire world to you instead of making you store it locally. For this reason you will likely never see support for mesh objects imported from 3d modeling programs.

I keep hearing the same arguments, and nobody has told me something I don't "know" or haven't heard.

Again, it's doable. It would require sacrifices. The meshes would have to be static and not animated, for instance, unless they are used as a primitive shape. The downloads would take some time.

But the reality is that you seem to be mostly concerned by the bandwidth issues, but you're not going to reach overhwelming levels of static meshes even if you do support them. You see a lot of user creations with primitives in the game right now because user creations with primitives are a part of the game, whereas, using an external program to import meshes would be performed only by more advanced users.

It is also possible to "stream" static meshes, similar to LOD methods used for video cards or, more primitively, the multiple scans of a slowly downloading texture. You don't HAVE to have any information except triangle points, the rest can be dealt with by the client. Rules can be applied that limit the size and detail of meshes.

But nonetheless, it's doable.

If there is one thing the FPS mod community has taught me, its that there are no end of people out there with a copy of Max, the desire to use it, and none of the skill needed, who will never the less flood the world with crappy models.

LOL okay we'll agree to disagree on this one

Ahh, I'm not getting involved. I'm already burned out on his posts.

I'd get involved, but I'm busy scripting an auto-kicker for the Canyonlands gardens.