FYI - Windlight beta viewer

I just wanted to say - if you get bored - download this beta viewer - it runs in real time in SL and its pretty awesome stuff. Find the sky controls and have some fun or check out the long list of defaults sky'. Its linked on the SL blog.

Should be attractive and pretty awesome. Sadly i downloaded this beta viewer two times, never really get in word with corrupt.

I love it, mostly cuz I can turn it all off an move a lot quicker, or I can turn it on an take cool piccies.

One thing I *don't* like it the 768 m ceiling. No cloudskimming, too. Also, a couple of my 'puters can't see the pretty sky at all.

Mari

I sometimes use the Windlight, but it's got some issues that really need to be addressed before I'd say it'd be close to ready for release as a main viewer. Sure it's pretty, but it's pretty laggy too.

Pretty awesome stuff... that is if you have the right equipment. The sky looks beautiful, but if I switch on the so called "beautiful clouds", I crash. The clouds are painted onto the sky ceiling top, so no clouds at 200 mts. The horizon is a salmon colored bar. All objects look as if they Full Bright at night. The water glows (as do your eyeballs). Oh... and don't try to take a picture at noon, the shadows on your face will make you look as something out of the video Thriller. I'd say this viewer is ready for release...LOL.

arf
________________________________________
/don't want pretty skies
// want decent support
/// want stable platform
//// don't care about who made a sculptie

It doesn't work for me....I get a deep blue sun and no clouds.

Windlight = No clouds, bad skies, if you don't have a screaming good video card.

Windlight is also really bad if you're not nailed to the ground, no matter WHAT video card you have. Distorted sky effects and trashed horizons and seas abound. And the higher you get, the worse the effect is.

It also currently lights terrain, avatar mesh, and prims in completely different ways, making them look really bad. It currently trashes local lighting, too.

Windlight has some promise, bit has a LONG way to go before it will ever be acceptable in the main viewer, if ever. And as far as I can tell, it's a major downgrade for anyone who ever strays from sea level.

It strikes me as a great thing for landbound photographers intent on remaining at sea level. Makes great PR pics, if you use it carefully.

But if you actually try to do anything that interacts with the environment, like climbing to high elevations, flying, or using a skybox, it's not a good thing at all.

Even vampires look Puerto Rican at certain times of day in WindLight. I hate it because it's basically wrecked the look of an avatar I've been refining for a year.

No I'm not a vampire. I was just making a point. Hopefully they'll sort out these avatar lighting issues but I'm not banking on it.

Meh, it's pretty and all...but taking pics for the clothing I make is a nightmare. The avatar no longer looks good, the coloring of the lighting is way too intense, not bright enough when set to midday, and the shadows cast by it are UGLY! No matter what angle you turn. And there's just SO many options for it. I'm not complaining, it's just something I don't have time to fiddle with at the moment. And yeah, the horizon isn't really pretty...the colors don't even flow well into each other.

I, for one, am sticking to the regular viewer for taking pics. At least there I know what I'm doing.

And I think LL should have their devs working on fixes, not on pretty things that a lot of us who have older computers can't use, or if we can, take up so much processor that it's not even enjoyable to be in that viewer at all. Hell...they should be working on fixes anyway!

But enough ranting...

I have a really good video card and I don't find the Windlight that much of an improvement and all the fiddling is a pain. And the light is very harsh IMHO. I hope they fix it up a lot more before they unleash it on the main grid.