Of Prims and Sims, II

Written 6 February, 2007

Of Prims and Sims

Part II

Crap

Crap.

Missed another window of opportunity.

My friend Wulf Stewart told me this morning that on the mainland, property can now be linked across sims and the prims shared.

There goes my idea of a sim exchange!

:(

I wonder if one can do that in Dreamland?

Of Prims and Sims, I

Written 1 February, 2007

Of Prims and Sims

Part I

Of Sims

A Second Life simulator, or sim, consists of a server somewhere on the Linden Lab properties, running a portion of SL.

Forsaken, my sim, runs on its own processor on its own mother board in its own case, stacked amidst and sandwiched between, thousands, and maybe tens of thousands, of identical servers.

While the hardware is identical and the three-dimensional virtual arrays generated by the servers are the same, the data that fill those arrays are highly individualized, creating the wondrous complexity that is Second Life. We live, we build our homes, we position our pose balls, we walk around in those arrays.

Each simulator generates a space 255 x 255 meters in size. That’s 65,025 square meters, room enough for more than fifteen 4096 lots or more than 127 First Land-sized (512 sq m) parcels.

Pretty big, in other words— but not really. We’re talking about a space only a little more than 750 feet on a side.

The array isn’t two-dimensional, but three-dimensional, for Second Life isn’t flat. The terrain has not only length and breadth, but height, allowing Avatars to move vertically as well as along N/S and E/W lines.

Adding a third dimension to an array is a big memory eater. Consider:

255 x 255 grid = 65025

255 x 255 x 100 grid: 6,502,500

That assumes that one meter is a single unit. In actuality, there are an almost infinite number of sub-positions within each cubic meter of Second Life— as best I can figure, 1000 locations in each of the three directions, or 10,000,000 in all.

So if it would take 6.5 million units to make an SL sim with a maximum height, how many units would it take to map a grid 15,000,00 meters high?

Sit down for this one.

Oh, crap. Overflow error code on my three dollar calculator.

You mean I have to calculate it by HAND?

Carry the one, dah dah da de dum, dum, total it all...

975,375,000,000.

Nearly a billion units. No, no, I meant a trillion!

Now multiply that by the 10,000,000 sub-positions within each cubic meter, and you get.

A really big number.

9.75 x 10 ^17, if I counted my zeros correctly.

Wow.

-----

Of Prims

One of the biggest difficulties in SL—to me, at least—is the limitations on primitives.

A primitive, or prim, is a single object in SL, one of a half-dozen basic shapes. Prims can be as large as 10x10x10 meters in size, and they can be twisted, tapered, sheared and bent, textured and colored, turned phantom, temporary, or physical, and made to give off light. Best of all, they can be linked with other prims to make complex objects. Everything you see in SL is made of prims.

Prims are limited in size. This is frustrating because to make large things like walls or floors you must use multiple prims to make an object you could otherwise make with a single prim. And it’s made even more frustrating because Linden Lab has set a cap to the number of prims allowed on any particular piece of land.

It’s not, IMO, a reasonable limit.

Each 512 sq. meter plot of land is allotted 117 prims. That doesn’t go very far. With careful planning, it’s a house, a bed, a couch, and a few trees or pieces of art. With poor planning, it’s a single basket of fruit or one chaise lounge.

The sim servers must make a number of calculations for each prim, including size, location, rotation, the amount they’re twisted or otherwise warped, the material of which they’re made, their surface roughness, their color and texture, their shininess, and, if they’re part of a linked set, their relationship to other objects. And then the severs must map each of the 15,000 or so prins in each simulator and rez them within that huge to-the-seventeenth-power array—and then move them about smoothy and immediately when you grab and drag them.

That’s a lot of calculations. And a lot of memory. And that's for only one sim. There are tens of thousands of sims!

By far, or so it would seem, the biggest drain on sim resources is that ceiling, which surpasses 15,000,000 meters.

Why did Linden Lab make the grid more than 15,000,000 meters high? Why generate such a huge, memory-eating array? Why not limit the maximum height to something reasonable—750 meters, say?

Maybe they did.

My friend Mordecai Scaggs reports that building is difficult above 750 meters. I’m not sure what happens, but I’ve been curious to find out. Sounds like a matter for the Icarus Society to investigate.

Here’s what I suspect.

I suspect the grid only does go to 750 meters. Above that, I imagine, the simulators temporarily create and erase space on the fly for high-flying avatars. Or maybe there’s just a single space and it jumps along with the avatar as height increases or decreases.

Not being in the confidence of Linden Lab, most likely I’ll never know. But it makes sense.

-----

Of Sims and Prims

I had a further thought.

Suppose NONE of the spaces in Linden Lab actually exist in a permanent array.

That’s not a metaphorical question.

I mean, what if space is generated on as-needed basis. Perhaps space in SL, and the objects that occupy that space, are generated only when they are within the field of vision of an avatar. When no one is looking, they are derezzed, the array taken down.

Perhaps there’s no real grid at all, just pieces of it which constantly come and go.

The algorhym for this on-the-fly calculating might be difficult, but it would save a lot of processor horsepower.

I may be on the track of the answer to “If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”


Prim Exchange

All of this ties in with an idea I had a while back.

Why not start a prim exchange?

Why doesn’t Linden Lab write routines to let an overtaxed sim borrow from the prim (processor power) resources of an underused sim?

If that were to happen, one could buy and sell prims as if they were Lindens.

Just an idea.

Just foolish speculation.

Just my nerdiness manifesting itself.

Or maybe it’s brain damage caused by the thin atmosphere at 15,00,000 meters.

:)

Getting Physical

Written 8 February, 2007

Getting Physical

I’ve not hereto paid much attention to the Physical setting in the Edit menu. In fact, I’ve paid it no attention it all. In fact, I think I actively blocked it out.

But I noticed it the other day when things were slow. I turned a prim—a piece of lumber 3 x 4 x 1 meters in size— physical by checking the box.

Nothing happened until I clicked off of the edit box. Then, to my astonishment, the prim fell slowly to the ground and toppled onto its side.

Well, that’s cool, I thought, and filed the event away in my For Later Exploration folder.

Even so, the idea of physical prims began to tumble about in my mind.

The next time I had a chance to play, I made a square prim, sized it to 3 x 3 x 10 meters, cut it so it had sloping sides, and hollowed it in a circular shape. This made a nice chute down which I could roll objects—if they would indeed roll.

I linked three of the chute prims, gave them a nice oak texture—Sweetie doesn’t approve of plywood—and tilted it at an angle of twenty degrees. Then I made a polished steel ball two meters across and positioned it in the air a good half meter above the top of the chute.

Then I turned the ball physical.

The first thing it did was fall. Even though the distance was short, it struck sparks when it hit the chute.

Then it began to roll—slowly at first, then it gained momentum.

When it reached the end of the ramp, it fell to the ground.

When it hit the ground it didn’t exactly bounce, just gave a short of shudder.

And then it began to roll. I barely got out of the way in time.

It went past me, slowing, and then, with its last bit of momentum, rolled into the canal, where it promptly sank to the bottom.

Way cool!

This little experiment taught me several things about Second Life physics.

Specifically, it taught me that SL physics—those I could judge from my experiment, at least—follow the physics of the universe pretty closely. To wit:

Gravity acts upon physical objects.

Physical objects rest upon other objects in a logical manner. That is, if you set a physical glass on a table, it will stay there. If you remove the table, the glass will fall. And, I suppose (and here’s another experiment!), if you tilt the table enough, it will topple (or slide off).

Objects gain speed as they fall.

The rate of acceleration doesn’t seem to be 32 ft. per second per second, as is the case in real life; it’s considerably slower—but they definitely accelerate. (I confirmed this later, when I raced a 40 meter sphere from 500 meters to the ground. I drew ahead at first, but it soon passed me).

The physical behavior of objects depends upon their shape.

The plywood board tumbled onto its side and lay flat on the ground. The metal ball rolled.

Physical objects are slowed by friction.

When the steel ball hit the ground, it rolled rapidly at first, and then slowed, much like a real ball does.

Physical objects interact with one another.

I learned this when I dropped a physical ball on a physical board I had balanced upon a triangular-shaped nonphysical prim, making an elementary teeter-totter. The impact of the ball caused the teeter to totter.

Physical objects interact with avatars.

I learned this when I walked along the teeter-totter and caused it to rotate on its fulcrum (the balance point). I further learned it when I dropped a steel ball on the t-t and was launched high into the air.

The interactions of physical objects occurs along x, y, and z axes.

I learned this when the ball I dropped on the teeter-totter not only caused it to totter, but knocked the board off its balance prim.

I learned a lot.

But there are things I do not yet understand.

Tell me about it.

Why did the teeter-totter board fall right through the non-physical triangle on which it was balanced?

(I have an idea about this, and that is that it did so because the triangular prim upon which the board was balanced had a very sharp point and the board suddenly had a lot of downward force because of the impact of the dropped ball. In other words, perhaps the triangle pierced the board).

-----

Some unanswered questions.

Is there a top limit to the speed at which objects fall? Do they have a terminal velocity? And if so, does it depend upon their shape? And is there wind resistance?

Will, for instance a flat board tumble if it is dropped from a great height? And will it drop more slowly than the more aerodynamic sphere?

Is there a universal coefficient of friction, or does friction vary according to the nature of a substance? Do metal and rubber objects cause the same amount of friction?

Are other forces present? (Centripetal and centrifugal forces, for instance, or magnetism). Are physical objects impacted, as are particles, by the SL sun?

----

My experiments raised more questions than they answered.

In other words, they were a success.

The Sim Really Changes

Sweetie on the Teeter-Totter

Sweetie Heads for Outer Space

Written 8 February, 2007

The Sim Really Changes

This morning I got word from Carlos that he will be selling his last plot of land on Forsaken.

I know he will be only a teleport away, but my heart is broken.

Just last night Carlos and Sweetie and I were having a little Icarus fun.

I had made a 90 meter ramp along which I was rolling a two meter aluminum ball by turning it physical. I nearly dropped the ball on Carlos' toes!

I created a teeter-totter and we experimented with making it rock by walking along it. Then I got the idea of dropping the big aluminum ball on it. It launched me to nearly 100 meters into the air!

Icarus nonsense being what it is, before long Carlos had made a teeter totter from a giant prim and I had rezzed a 40 meter ball and dropped it on one end from a height of 500 meters.

I started out even with the ball, heading down as soon as I turned it physical.

At first I outpaced it, but it was accelerating and I wasn't, so it soon zoomed past.

Sweetie had wandered up and was on the plank, and I very nearly lost her to outer space again.

What will I do when Carlos is no longer around to partake in such fun?

The Sim Changes

Written 31 January, 2007

The Sim Changes

It was Friday night when I got the first indication that something was afoot.

One of my neighbors—Carlos is his name-- was having an open house, and his partner Mendez wasn’t there. No show, no call.

At my open house on Sunday, Carlos told me Mendez had a bad case of the flu.

I didn’t believe it for a minute.

Then, when I popped in world Monday evening, there was a message from Carlos.

“Don’t freak. I just needed the prims for the house I’m building for myself.”

I rushed over to look at Carlos’ property. Sure enough, his formerly lavishly furnished property was now mostly bare.

I flew up to 600 meters, where Carlos was working on his new house. He was friendly, but wasn’t revealing anything. I knew then for sure that there was trouble in paradise.

By Tuesday evening, everything on Carlos’ property was gone. His House. His trees. His pier. Even the giant humpback whale that lived in the bayou and which could be heard from Pele Gardens (formerly Pele South). Gone.

I IMed Carlos. “Are you hurting?”

Yes, he was hurting, although he of course didn’t come right out and say so.

We were soon hanging over the river, having a heart-to-heart. Yes, he and Mendez had split—and since Mendez owned most of the property, Carlos indeed found himself short of prims.

I hadn’t seen Mendez since the previous week. The Friends indicator had shown him to be offline, but I sent an IM anyway—and he responded. I guess he had set Busy. He was coming to his land to do some terraforming, and when he did, we had a chat. He and Xubi also had a talk. He said we made him feel better.

From talking to both guys, it sees to me the actual breakup stemmed from a minor event which led to a series of misunderstandings. Maybe there are serious underlying issues. I don’t know. I only know that I really like both guys and they’re a lot of fun and I’m heartbroken every time I see those 13,000 square meters of empty sand.

I wish them both well and I hope they both choose to stay in Forsaken.

:(

A Devious Mind

A Devious Mind at Work

My previous post resulted in this one.


Written 31 January, 2007

A Devious Mind

I have an evil mind.

Maybe devious is a better word.

I have the sort of mind that makes me, when I hear about terrorist attacks or bank robberies, think of easier and more effective ways of carrying them out.

“That’s not how I would have done it!”

My mind works like that. Maybe a lot of peoples’ minds work like that. Maybe not. But mine does.

It’s not that I want to actually do those things. I don’t. I wouldn’t. I merely think of them.

If I were a sociopath, my devious mind would make me a true Menace 2 Society—but I’m lucky enough to have a conscience that prevents me from acting on my devious thoughts.

Almost always. I can recall two or three things I did in my life that I knew were wrong, minor things, really. I did them anyway.

I can’t tell you how guilty it made me feel. I still feel guilty.

I choose not to be a bad person. When, despite my best intentions, I start to stray across the line, my finely-tuned sense of guilt stops me cold, every time.

So now that (I hope) I’ve convinced you that despite my warped mind I’m not a danger to you, let me say that having a devious mind can be a lot of fun.

Especially when a devious mind is complemented by a well-honed sense of the ridiculous.

That’s when you get things like a giant, avatar-sized mouse trap.

No, I didn’t come up with that one. I merely wish I had. A friend showed me one this morning and I went for the cheese so it would smash me.

And it did. There was blood everywhere. Until I stood up.

I did come up with the idea of the virgin sacrifice to Pele the volcano goddess. My devious mind led me to put bloodstains on the altar at the temple to Pele and build a portal into the floor of the Dragon Skybar that lets avatars choose to sacrifice themselves to Pele. (The portal is directly over Pele’s lava pit, and selecting “Sacrifice” teleports them just above the boiling lava).

So maybe I’m glad I have a devious mind.

And I’m really glad that like my Sweetie, I use my superpowers only for good.

Would you like to sacrifice yourself to Pele the volcano goddess?

Bad Chey

Good Chey

Bad Chey

Written 31 January, 2007

Bad Chey

I have some traits of which I'm not proud, and the worst is a propensity to gossip.

I usually control this tendency, but occasionally, I fail (rarely, fortunately, for I’ve gotten good at controlling my Bad Chey impulses). When I’m feeling giddy and in a zone of comfort, I’ve been known to divulge information about others, information I should have kept private.

Not often.

And it’s usually friendly and harmless.

But often enough. And sometimes it has a malicious element.

I don’t know why I do this. I only know it’s wrong.

Last night I started to tell something about someone, something had had been told to me in confidence. Perhaps I was doing it because I was irritated at him. Perhaps not. It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have done it.

I was paying no attention to my Mysti-Tool display and so I didn’t realize the object of my gossip had walked up and was only two meters away. I had already hit Return, so my first comment, which didn’t reveal his secret, but which hinted at it, was hanging in the air.

To his credit, he called me on it.

I’m glad he did, for I was most definitely being Bad Chey.

-----

There have been only a few times in my life when I have so completely and thoroughly put my foot in my mouth.

They were embarrassing and made me feel bad about myself.

This one, I think, was the worst.

-----

I apologized, of course, but that doesn’t diminish my culpability.

Thank goodness, he is still my friend.

-----

My Sweetie likes to say she uses her superpowers only for good.

I’m doing my best to do the same.

Flippa Da Land

Chey's 2048

Written 6 February, 2007

Flippa Da Land

No, that’s not a drag name.

It’s what I just did.

-----

A little more than a week ago, my friend Wulf Stewart IMed me to ask if I would be interested in buying two adjoining 512 square meter plots on the mainland.

I went to look. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, since the lots lay with their short ends together rather than their long ends, but I figured I could find some use for it. I committed to buy one and set a time for the closing. Then, after a couple of minutes’ reflection at Xubi’s reflecting pool at the Pele Gardens, I send Wulf a message saying I wanted to buy both parcels.

We made the transaction a couple of days later.

I terraformed the land a bit, set the radio to Sky-FM Classical, and set the parcels to sell at double what I had paid for them.

Last night, I visited them again, sat out torii gates Xubi and I had designed, and lowered the price.

Shortly afterward I logged off of Second Life to have a telephone conversation with my sweet Sweetie. I love talking with my sweet Sweetie.

When I got back, I noticed my account balance had increased by $20,000 Lindens.

There were no notices, but I knew the lots had sold.

Just to check (I mean, some magnanimous soul could have dropped 20k L on me), I teleported to the land.

I landed smack in the middle of a tawdry porn shop.

And oh, could the textures have used tweaking!

I’m talking Ug-Ly.

It seemed the porn queen neighbor Wulf had told me about had wasted no time in expanding her sleazy empire.

I walked past on-the-stroll hookers and newbies in camping chairs and slot machines and curtained booths where god knows what was happening until I found a way out into the night air.

Then, hovering, I looked at properties for sale.

The results of my search was bizarre. There were parcels as small as eight square meters, and prices were all over the map. Here was a 512 for 10k, and there one for $38k.

Within seconds, however, I found a suitable-looking 1024 for sale in the next sim. I teleported there and, liking the property, a pleasant wooded hilltop, I bought it for $16k.

This weekend, I’ll move the Dragon Skybar there, freeing up any number of prims at Pele, and set up a store to sell my wares, and Xubi’s, and Sweetie’s.

If it doesn’t sell at the marked-up price I’ve fixed, that is.

Torii Gate

Written 6 February, 2007

Torii Gate

I’ve always found Shinto-period architecture of Japan beautiful and fascinating, but since my primary exposure to it was in the films of Japanese directors, I didn’t know much about it.

Second Life has put me face-to-face with Japanese (and any number of other types of) architecture. That’s a good thing.

It began when Sweetie asked me how I would feel about the use of shoji screens in the house she was building for me.

“Sounds great!” I said cheerfully.

To myself, I said, “WTF is a shoji screen?”

Oh, so THAT’s a shoji screen! Brava! Looks great!

-----

I saw my first torii gate when I was buying a jukebox from Weedy Herbst. It was next door, on another property, but it was marked for sale. I didn’t know what it was, but I bought it because even though it was plain and untextured, it spoke to me.

Last week I pulled it out in the Pele Gardens and proceeded to build my own gate.

Things went apace, for I’m learning to size, rotate, and position objects perfectly in relation to other objects.

My torii gate was derivative, but I improved on the basic design, adding a swooping brass piece as a cap.

Soon Sweeetie dropped by and, seeing what I was doing, gave me the beautiful wooden texture she had used on her stunning reflecting fountain and helped me tweak the densities. Then she improved upon my improvement of the top pieces.

And soon we had a beautiful torii gate, perhaps the most gorgeous (if not exactly authentic) o-torii in all of Second Life.

It’s a perfect companion piece to the reflecting fountain.

Soon, I had made a bridge that keyed from the torii gate, which I used to span the lava flow on the north side of Pele.

My building skills are improving.

-----

Last night I sold my (and Sweetie’s) torii gate.

A few days ago, a visitor to Pele asked me if it was for sale.

I hadn’t considered selling it, but I said I would sell it if he would give me a couple of days to finalize it.

Last night, he bought it for $400L, which I’ll split with Sweetie, as she was involved in its making.

I think Sweetie and I need to open a store.

We can put it on the 1024 lot I just acquired, directly below the Dragon Skybar.