From the desk of...
Marianna Monentes
This "From The Desk Of" page is more than just a physical space—it is a portal to the mind and soul of its owner. It holds the promise of captivating stories, transformative ideas, and the power to transport you virtually to the worlds of the imagined. It is a sanctuary where the written word takes flight, I write about what I love. Thank you for reading.
Virtual-HG
It is truly an honor to work with such a generous man who willingly shares his time and vast knowledge to enrich the lives of others. You are a humble individual who never seeks recognition and has dedicated yourself to shaping our community with kindness, particularly for those in need. I am not sure if you realize the gift you gave to me. I was nearly defeated when you found me at Kitely , a project that I held dear to my heart wasn't allowed because Ilan doesn't acknowledge Creative Commons 4.0 Share Alike license. It devastated me because my Marine biologist friend J and I collaborated on a climate awareness blog which began in 2007, and it was important for me to share that news. Without even asking, you expressed what the law states in Ilan's forum in hopes that Ilan would understand what the license implies. You showed me what it is like to have my very own grid and realize those dreams and to continue on. You have done this for literally thousands of people. Working with you for three years I lost count of how many.
It is with great admiration and gratitude that I write this message of thanks to you. Your unwavering dedication to uplifting a community of thousands of people is truly remarkable, and your innovative tech style is unparalleled. Your brilliant mind continually conceives groundbreaking ideas and solutions, allowing you to elevate the lives of others to new heights.
What truly sets you apart, however, is your selflessness and unwavering dedication to helping those in need. Your mission to enrich the lives of those around you is truly inspiring, and your impact on the community is immeasurable.
Thank you for all that you do, Ferd. Your contributions to the community are invaluable, and I am honored to know you.
Fred found an excellent use for Yo Frankie! It is an open-source video game made by the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation, originally scheduled for release in August 2008. It is based on the universe and characters of the free film produced earlier in 2008 by the Blender Institute, Big Buck Bunny. Like the Blender Institute's previous open film projects, the game is made using free software. Yo Frankie! runs on any platform that runs Blender and Crystal Space, including Linux, macOS and Microsoft Windows.
Fred took all the parts and pieces and created a very cool interactive game at
Outworldz
called Yo Frankie!! He challenged me to a game and I have to tell you it IS challenging and FUN! It is an excellent way to spend a lazy afternoon when you just want to play! Along the adventure you have to make your way by jumping on springs that launch you to the next location, but be careful of rams about; if they ram you, they will launch you to the moon and back to the beginning of the game! The signs you see explain what to avoid and what to jump on. Make sure to collect the acorns along the way too! Fred's idea of creating an opensim game with this open-sourced Blender video game enriches opensim with a fun activity!!
Add this to your map: www.outworldz.com:9000/Yo Frankie!/205/162/30
Fred and Debbie invite you to visit this magical place.
Outworldz | News | | Exclusive Interview | About Fred
you will see the Zootopia characters here too.
The beauty of spring flowers in the meadow is truly breathtaking. As the sun begins to warm the earth, the once barren landscape transforms into a colorful tapestry of life. Delicate petals unfurl, revealing vibrant hues of pink, yellow, and purple. The air is filled with the sweet fragrance of blooming wildflowers, and the gentle hum of bees buzzing from blossom to blossom. As far as the eye can see, the meadow is alive with the beauty of spring, a reminder of the power and resilience of nature.
I
nspiration plays a crucial role in jewelry design, as it is the starting point for creating a piece that is both unique and beautiful. Whether you are an experienced jewelry designer or just starting out, finding inspiration is key to developing your creative vision and bringing your designs to life. Many of my design ideas comes from nature.
Once you have found your inspiration, the next step is to translate it into a tangible design. This often involves creating sketches or using computer-aided design (CAD) software to create a virtual model of your design.
Using CAD software can be an incredibly helpful tool for bringing your jewelry designs to life virtually. These programs allow you to create detailed 3D models of your design, which can then be viewed from any angle and modified as needed.
One of the advantages of designing jewelry virtually is the ability to experiment with different materials and techniques without the expense and time involved in creating a physical prototype. You can try out different gemstones, metals, and finishes to see how they look in your design, as well as experiment with different setting styles and other design elements.
Once you have created a virtual model of your design, you can use it to create a physical prototype using a variety of techniques, such as 3D printing or CNC milling. This allows you to see your design in physical form, make any necessary adjustments, and then create a final piece of jewelry that is both beautiful and unique.
Overall, inspiration plays a crucial role in jewelry design, guiding the creative vision of the designer and driving the process of bringing a piece to life. By using tools like CAD software and virtual prototyping, designers can experiment with new ideas and materials, and bring their jewelry designs to life in a way that is both efficient and cost-effective.
Outworldz Dreamgrid is a software developed by Fred Beckhusen that allows users to create their own virtual worlds and host them on their own servers. It is based on the open-source virtual world platform, OpenSimulator, and provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing virtual environments.
The software includes a variety of tools and features for building and customizing virtual worlds, such as terrain editors, object libraries, scripting support, and avatar customization options. Users can create their own landscapes, buildings, and objects, or import pre-made content from other sources.
One of the key features of Outworldz Dreamgrid is its ease of use. The software includes a setup wizard that guides users through the process of setting up their own virtual world, and the interface is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. This makes it accessible to users with little to no experience in virtual world creation.
In addition to its built-in tools, Outworldz Dreamgrid also supports a wide range of third-party plugins and modules that extend its functionality. This allows users to add additional features and capabilities to their virtual worlds, such as Academy Award winning bullet physics and Open Dynamic Physics.
Overall, Outworldz Dreamgrid is a powerful and flexible platform for creating and hosting virtual worlds, and is a popular choice for educators, businesses, and individuals looking to explore the potential of virtual environments.
The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as the birds began to chirp in the morning air. The Smurf farmer awoke and stretched his aching muscles, ready to start his day of work. He walked out to the barn and started to feed the animals while they were still sleepy. He watched as the roosters crowed and the chickens pecked around the barnya
rd. The cows mooed and the horses neighed in anticipation of their morning hay.
The sun was now shining brightly, and its warming rays brought life to the farm. The Smurf farmer breathed in the fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face.
He made his way to the fields, admiring the dew that had settled on the grass and the mist that still lingered in the air. He worked diligently, and as he looked up, he could see the sun setting fire to the sky with brilliant oranges, reds, and pinks. It was a sight to behold and he was grateful for the beauty of sunrise on his 2x2 farm.
This feels very much like home.
Home is a feeling that is hard to put into words. It is a feeling of comfort, safety, and warmth. Home is the place where we can be our true selves, with no fear of judgement or criticism. Home is the place where we can relax, take a break from the outside world, and just be. It is something we should treasure and cherish always. Thank you Pan and Alex Kane for the warm welcome to Kaneville.
Please add this to your map: solaria.hopto.org:7002:Kaneville https://opensimworld.com/hop/89538
Pan also has an extensive shopping mall - Pan Delights Mall that has a variety of shops that you can spend time browsing in.
It is always such a wonderful feeling to be welcomed into a new place by warm and friendly people. It can make a huge difference in how you feel about the place, and it can make a huge impact on your experience. I will be returning soon.
For those of you who have not met Ramesh Ramloll Founder/CEO/Product Lead Designer of the RezMela tool. Let me introduce you to a man who has embraced opensim and given us a tool to speed up content creation to help make our workflow easier and also help those who do not know how to create 3d content can now by using the RezMela tool, here is a brief introduction:
Ramesh started his computing career as an early teen writing code for the BBC Electron microcomputer. Many of the motivations from then have persisted over the years. He has always been intrigued by the productivity and immersive opportunities that computing provides. Ramesh followed a typical path in academia, collecting his first degree in Computer Science and Engineering, and eventually a PhD in Computer Science. By working in both academia and the industry, he was able to see the strengths and weaknesses of both environments. As a researcher and Professor, he was able to carry out research in the field, publish, win generously funded research grants, direct large teams and win academic accolades. Working in the industry made him understand the process for raising funding, assembling teams, earning patents and developing tangible products. His research papers have been cited 881 times so far according to Google scholar.Google Scholar
Ramesh has announced that he is open sourcing RezMela. The RezMela system enables the casual and rapid creation of user content in a 3D virtual space. Users can create content ranging from virtual post-it notes to 3D campuses including flora and fauna.
INTUITIVE AND FAST
RezMela enables users without 3D design and programming skills to create 3D apps relevant to users’ goals within reasonable time frames.
SCALABLE
3D apps created with RezMela can accommodate teams of any size, from a small office room to an industrial complex.
COLLABORATIVE
RezMela’s wide range of tools supports collaborative working in teams. As team members shape their 3D app, they can interact with each other through speech and text.
MODULAR
Users are able to create apps from the rapid assembly of thoughtfully designed modules.
By open sourcing the tool the hope is that others will not only utilize its powerful features but also contribute to its future development.
“We will be working hard to provide comprehensive documentation that will help users become module creators and contribute to the development of the software”.
Please read his announcement here:
Good evening, everyone,
We are excited to announce that we will be open sourcing our software, RezMela, in the next quarter (1rst Quarter in the US typically starts Jan 1 and ends March 31). RezMela is a powerful tool that helps users develop content for their virtual worlds quickly and easily. We believe that open sourcing it will only make it even better. We have a large repository of code that we are currently organizing on Github so that it can be easily accessible to the community.
We are designing a software infrastructure specifically to accelerate content creation for new classes of applications that we believe will be required for what has come to be known as the Metaverse. This would not have been possible without our collective experience in designing for virtual worlds and virtual reality. We've been working on this for over a decade and the result of this work is the first batch of code that will appear on Github soon.
To help explain the foundation or driving principles behind our design paradigms, and to describe our near-term and long-term plans, we're writing an illustrated book. This book will be launched around the same time that the code for our software will be made public. We believe that this book will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in virtual worlds and the future of content creation.
There are many advantages to open sourcing software. For one, it allows for a community of users and developers to form around the software. This community can help improve the software and make it more user-friendly by providing feedback and suggestions, as well as contributing their own code and features. Additionally, open sourcing our software allows us to integrate it with other open-source tools, such as Outworldz Dream Grid, which can only enhance the user experience.
But open sourcing our software is not just about the technical benefits. It also allows us to tap into the creativity and expertise of the open-source community. With more minds working on the software, we can accelerate its development and bring new and innovative features to our users.
We are committed to making RezMela the best it can be, and we believe that open sourcing it is the best way to do that. We will be working hard to provide comprehensive documentation that will help users become module creators and contribute to the development of the software. We hope that you will join us in this exciting endeavor and help us make RezMela even better. Our goal is to help any grid deploy the infrastructure and not limit it to a few.
If you're interested in virtual worlds and their design and applications, we want to hear from you! We're starting a new effort and we need your help. We're looking for developers, users, documentation writers, and anyone else who has an interest in virtual worlds. If you want to be a part of this exciting project, all you have to do is click on the link below, or copy and paste it in your browser. You will reach a sign up page with some additional information about our project. Sign up here.
"We are working with the makers of Outworldz DreamGrid to integrate the RezMela platform into their offering. This will allow end users not only to be able to set up their own regions with the ease that DreamGrid makes possible but soon users will be able to create advanced virtual experiences as well. "Hypergrid Business.
Enter your email address, this will help us build a database of interested parties and make it easier for us to connect with you. We encourage you to share this link on your social network. The more people we can reach, the better. So, if you know someone who might be interested in virtual worlds, please share this link with them. Together, we can make a real difference and create something truly amazing. So don't hesitate – Join our mailing list to receive updates about major events!
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to seeing what the community can do with RezMela once it is open sourced. Together, we can make RezMela the go-to tool for developing content for virtual worlds.
Ramesh Ramloll has a Youtube channel that is interesting and educational, he has an interview of Fred, where Fred explains his views on the future of opensim and the endless possibilities that exist if one is open to collaboration and open sourcing their work
High Tech and Military Entrepreneur by day, OpenSim Wizard by night: Ferd Frederix
Thank you Ramesh for all that you contribute to the Opensim Community and for inspiring me to look at all the possibilities of the RezMela tool.
Concise and informative presentation featuring new updates!
Open sourced the manuals on GitHub. These are Word docs that are automatically built into a single manual to make a single PDF file.
The User Interface is now in thirty languages. DreamGrid edits over 250 different INI settings on startup.
The GPDR/TOS system lets you use the built-in HTML editor to make a nice- looking Terms of Service.
For those of you who were unable to attend I have Fred's presentation here:
Thanks for coming.
I will show the new features introduced over the last year, and some interesting stats. And talk about a few things in the works.
What is new this year? Text to Speech API and GUI modes. You now have four speech engines on Windows 10 and 11, assuming you have a sound card. It makes NPC compatible Wave and Mp3 files for streaming by Media on a Prim, parcel media, or triggered by a script. I also have interactive talking painting working in Opensim using WebGL. I have a demo of it running in Expo 3 and I will show a map to it at the end of this talk.
Since people are running hundreds of regions now, I added an effortless way to make them any grid size and spacing with just a few clicks. This example shows a one space grid set to 50 spaces wide.
There are a lot of accessories in DreamGrid such as a built-in set of IARS with a partner portal, an always-updated radio, a grid-wide event screen, a buoy for the bird module, and several different types of automatically updating signs, including this new one that holds an endless number of regions in a 64 region 4-column format. Just change the description from 0 to 1,2,3 and so on for as many regions as you want. People are running 230 regions in it, or more so this is a modern, always up to date way to get around instead of filling up regions with the old portals.
The GPDR/TOS system lets you use the built-in HTML editor to make a nice- looking Terms of Service. If you click a checkbox, then Users will be presented with this when the teleport in It works on local users or Hypergrid users. They are given a pop-up to click to read the TOS, and after they scroll through it, they get an Accept button, Users are given time to read it, can print it, and if they do not accept, are kicked from the system. This integrated with the Diva TOS system as well, and it does not use Apache or PHP, but uses DreamGrid for the HTML.
We now have auto renewing free SSL certs for Apache. All the security patches core and I can think of, including a fix for people coming in and rezzing pink floppy objects. You can end that type of griefing with a click. Also, be aware that loading an OAR can reset the rez and script permissions. But not in DreamGrid.
The User Interface is now in thirty languages. DreamGrid edits over 250 different INI settings on startup. It set everything to work first time, including the Hypergrid, routers by UPNP, firewalls, DNS, MySQL, Apache, PHP, Perl, and lots more.
All the 3rd Party Modules I can find and was able to compile are included. All the items with * were updated with bug and security fixes this year.
I bought Hyperica.com from Maria Korolov years ago to learn how her auto updating region portals worked. I have retired Hyperica and integrated it in Outworldz and it is now updated automatically. Your ad and description and link will automatically appear all over all DreamGrids if you enable the Publicity button. All grids can join it and use, even non-DreamGrid systems. There are 798 regions showing online and eight hundred unique items marked as show in search. People need to click a button in the viewer to set out items they want to sell or give away, and the goes for regions.
DYN DNS has multiple Contabo servers using MS SQL Server supporting Inworldz.net, Outworldz.net, Outworldz.com and I am adding the Dreamgrid.org domains. About 2,000 different systems used it this year so far.
Smart Boot is much like Kitely’s ability to shut off their cloud-based virtual machines. Smart Suspend is a new mode that does not require expensive cloud servers. Smart Suspend is much faster, too. The region is suspended, and it gets swapped to disk. Any region can be restored in a split second.
I’ve open sourced the manuals on GitHub. These are Word docs that are automatically built into a single manual to make a single PDF file. The files are saved as web pages and saved in DreamGrid and on the Outworldz Web site and the menus and help are synchronized to match the rev of code you are running, automatically. And they translate with a click into 134 languages.
There are currently 232 Free OARs, with more coming, moderated and reviewed by Marianna Monentes. These have cost tens of thousands of dollars this year alone, to get exclusive distribution rights to them. These are all free to you. You can now search for OARS and IARs in the GUI by date or name. Some are licensed exclusively for use in the DreamGrid.
8519 DreamGrid Grids tracked over all time. 527 Other Grids over all time. 124 “Others” Online as of today. 1957 DreamGrid were online last year. 6,743 regions (var + std) online today. 65,638 SL Equivalents. @ SL prices, Estate tier would be $229/mo. = $15,031,102.00. One-Time setup fees of $349 = $22,970,662.00. That is $203,80,886.00 for the other big grid for 1 year.
These are some of the things I am working on. Opensim as a service means your grid runs on boot. The GUI still controls Opensimulator but you do not need it to run it. Endless roads are a variation of Endless land and sea where the regions have connected highways. It can use a new mesh tree planter which does a better job than the Linden plants that are built in to Opensim. I may extend it to houses and other and other items by an AI. Joomla V4 is just waiting on a release from core of 0.9.2.2. And Classified ads prototype is running but needs some sugar.
There is a demo of four of the Outworldz regions at Expo Zone 6 to the top and upper right of your Map here, with interactive demos/samples of 4 Outworldz regions. This region is one of the 232 free open-source regions.
Thank you for coming.
For years I have wanted to create my very own mesh avatar. I researched and looked at all the tutorials online and understood just enough to keep myself confused. Some tutorials confused me how they worded things, no matter how hard I tried it made no sense to me.
Being a
DreamGrid
member has been so rewarding to me, I continue to learn tips and techniques from creator
Fred Beckhusen
. It is when I picked up his Wonder Woman mesh avatar when it all clicked and made sense to me. Clothes do not have to be a hassle in Opensim, wearing the right alpha to fit the clothing is now much simpler! With BOM, texturing is brilliant!! Even an alpha can be BOM-Think about it - the face of the texture on the avatar can be BOM with a transparent texture! I have the steps that I took to create my mesh avatar in hopes it will help you too to create your very own.
The first step is that you have to purchase the latest Avastar Software and have
Blender 2.93.5 installed. You can also use the earlier version 2.79. You would then add Avastar as a blender addon.
Save the Avastar .zip file and don't unzip it, place it in a folder then when you "install" it as a Blender addon zipped, you then enable it by checking the enable button. Then "save" user preferences.
Once enabled you then have to set your Avalab account details in Avastar login details. Avastar Toolbar-Maintenance Button.
Once you have the Avastar software installed you are ready to create your mesh avatar!!
Make sure you see the Avastar button in your toolbar
Click it then click " ADD" making sure you are in "object mode" then scroll down to Avastar the dropdown menu click "complete avatar" complete is bento rigged.
Once you have your avatar created it will look like this.
Now comes the magic. Just select the body parts, do not select the rigging. Then go to the Avastar button and choose the button Collada.
Then export to SL which will save to your hard drive the folder you indicate. This will be a bento rigged .dae model ready to upload into opensim.
You can first texture the model prior to export but for keeping the tutorial simple we will add the textures inworld. I am still working on Alpha HUDS that will be in another tutorial, for now what I have done is simply creating my textures in photoshop which Fred had done with Wonder Woman. You simply apply your clothing texture to your skin texture in Photoshop then when you apply the texture inworld you would "bake" it on. If you use a transparent texture you will transparent that part you selected upper or lower. This is great when you want to wear mesh jeans with boots you just transparent the whole lower part of the body, same for the top if you were wearing a long sleeved shirt or jacket.
Click Bake, then choose the baked upper, or lower that you have selected, then click apply UUID and that sets the texture on the avatar. Make sure "alpha blending" is set. What I love about this is when you teleport around the HG your clothes are on! Not naked like with mesh clothing!
So now you have an avatar with baked on clothes what else do we have to do now? Learn all about feet, alpha HUDS etc. to complete the avatar but those tutorials will come as I learn that. For now play with your avatar and learn things that I haven't so that you can teach me too. It makes personalization totally unique to you.
With Avastar the models are completely modifiable with easy modify levers like when inworld in edit, so before you export the collada play with textures and body shape!! The whole idea is to have fun and make it unique to YOU!
Second Life Knowledge Base BOM
Don't know blender? No worries Avatar Workbench has a ready made bento mesh female that you can work with.
Free Mesh Clothing by Damien please do not sell
Mesh clothing - you can purchase for your avatar. Meli Imako dae files . Please read over her TOS and use the clothing as indicated.
You can also find mesh clothing online for sale that you can rig with Avastar.
Attending this years event turned out to be a reunion of new and old friends alike! Fred Beckhusen's presentation brought out a large crowd, many are DreamGrid owners and new interested persons from across the metaverse!
Reyn Softly escorted me to the OSCC where we see , Roddie Macchi, Hairy Thor, Garry Beaumont, Joe Builder and Kayaker Magic in the crowd!!
OpenSimulator Community Conference – Dec 11-12, 2021
The OpenSimulator Community Conference is an annual conference that focuses on the developer and user community creating the OpenSimulator software. The virtual conference features presentations, workshops, keynote sessions, and social events across diverse sectors of the OpenSimulator user base.
The event is organized by the metaverse-focused nonprofit
AvaCon, Inc.
“ AvaCon, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the growth, enhancement, and development of the metaverse, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and 3D immersive and virtual spaces. We hold conventions and meetings to promote educational and scientific inquiry into these spaces, and to support organized fan activities, including performances, lectures, art, music, machinima, and much more. Our primary goal is to connect and support the diverse communities and practitioners involved in co-creating and using virtual worlds, and to educate the public and our constituents about the emerging ecosystem of technologies broadly known as the metaverse. ”
Hypergrid Address: http://cc.opensimulator.org:8002/
This year is especially interesting to me because Fred Beckhusen is a sponsor and featuring Outworldz DreamGrid software. The booth is at OSCC Expo Zone 3 at this link: hop://cc.opensimulator.org:8002/OSCC Expo Zone 3/105/113/26 and is open now to HG visitors and those who registered for the conference this Saturday.
Fred will be presenting Saturday December 11 at 10 AM SL time. 12 Noon Central time zone . Fred also has a region there for a year at this link hop://cc.opensimulator.org:8002/OSCC Expo Zone 6
This is Fred's abstract for Opensimulator Community Conference 2019 - registrations is free, so get your seat now. https://conference.opensimulator.org/register/
Anyone with Windows can run their own grid from home or at work with DreamGrid. DreamGrid automatically configures many routers for the Hypergrid with Plug and Play in Grid mode. It takes just a few clicks to launch a new Grid. The new Smart Start feature can easily create, populate, and run 160+ free regions with 10's of gigabytes of DLC even on limited memory PC's in under a few GB of RAM. Opensim region modules include Gloebit, jOpensim, Tides, Search, Birds, and Auto-Updating teleport sign system, and the new Smart Start. Smart Start includes Smart Boot on demand, which uses far less memory and CPU that standard Opensim. There is an Endless Seas and Land function, a Smart AI land generator and a Landscaping Manager. DreamGrid is preset with streaming audio and video for region-wide sounds and video. It includes an extensive searchable map system that shows exactly where people have been in each region, every minute. Web Front ends include jOpensim,Wordpress, Custom or Diva web pages.
Another interesting booth is the Mind Project! I love this! The Ageless Mind Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on providing activities and information for a healthy, engaged mind.
“We believe that brain health is mind health, and both connect with our heart (and thus, our body) to facilitate a whole-body healthy experience. Our organization encompasses both music and other activities that research shows contribute to a higher quality of life, especially as people grow older.”
Ageless Mind Project:
https://agelessmindproject.org/
You will see various grids booths too such as Osgrid! Please consider registering and visiting the conference there is much to learn here!!
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