maanantai 6. syyskuuta 2010

Building with Naali

I have been working on build mode for Naali for some time now. We have had build functionality for a long time with the 'Object Edit' UI. At some point it became a bit too crowded and other tools like component editor started popping out. We tought that we need some central place where you have your build tools. Anyways it's nice to have your normal UI on where you communicate with others and interact with the world, and another where you build your world with nice tools. I decided to make a new scene so I could have all the screen space for myself. When you enter build mode all your normal Naali UI will hide and the build tools come out.

I think the build mode has now ported most features from python Object Edit tool and it combines your inventory and other build tools into one work space. There are still bugs but you can already do some interesting things with it. We are trying to move to using entity components to add features into world objects. I've made a video that shows you some components as light and web content on a object and also other stuff like how to use URLs from web or from your webdav inventory as your 3D models, textures and sounds.

Here is the youtube link, I recommend wathing it in HD and full screen so you can actually see what I'm doing with the UI. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifJtJreQIZg

When my mouse is out I'm copying URLs from my text editor. Most urls are from my public dropbox, that I found to be a very interesting build tool where you keep your assets. When you update your mesh there, everyone will get the latest (if they clear their Naali asset cache first for that mesh, we are looking into how to automaticly do this via timestamp or something similar). You can too build with my meshes/textures as they are public with dropbox:

Sphere:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3589544/building/meshes/geosphere4500.mesh http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3589544/building/textures/MRAMOR6X6.jpg
Penguin:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3589544/building/meshes/penguin.mesh http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3589544/building/textures/penguin.jpg

The things you see in the video will be available in the Naali 0.3.1 release that we are going to make next week. Please let me know what you think and what central things you might be missing.

P.S. Seems like youtube didn't like my music choices and has desided to block the video for Germany. Here is the direct link to download the video for our German fans and others too:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3589544/building/realXtend-Naali_world-building.x264.avi

Best Regards,
Jonne Nauha
realXtend developer

torstai 2. syyskuuta 2010

3D in the 3D Internet

If you're browsing the 3D Internet in 3D, is it a 6D or a 9D experience? What about if you're browsing the 3D Internet in 3D in a CAVE where you're surrounded from at least 3 directions with walls full of graphics, 9D or 27D?

Ok, back to business. Philosophy is best left to philosophers, I was just momentarily carried away when I saw the latest Naali development version running with anaglyphic stereoscopic rendering. If you have red/green glasses, you can check out the result from the attached screenshots.



On another note we've also been working on CAVE rendering. Tests with two screens have been pretty promising, now we're waiting for an adapter to be shipped from Germany so that we can test with three.

From the previous posts you've already seen how Naali can be run on a mobile device and I have to admit that it has been fascinating to see the development in the other end of the computer power spectrum as well. Now it's possible to pick up Naali and go if you have a high-end mobile phone and if you get your hands on a CAVE system (they're not very easy to come by), you will have a very powerful immersive experience.

The 3D rendering option will be released in the next binary (0.3.1) at the end of this month, the code is of course already available.