Background: ModRex is an interface between the OGRE-based RealXtend viewer and OpenSimulator. Explanations of how to compile modrex under Linux and Windows can be found here.
Info: All images contained in the posts can be clicked to get the full resolution image.
Initial Hypergrid Tests: Using the hypergrid capability in opensim v. 8822 and modrex v. 99, I visited a few regions to take snapshots. This was previously not possible since modrex did not permit multiple regions–only a single one. Here is a hyperjump to The Study of Racialism sim operated by Backintyme Publishing, via the list of publicly available hypergrid nodes:
link-region 1002 1002 sim.thestudyofracialism.org:9000:racialism
The image on the left is obtained by toggling SHIFT-R inside of the rexviewer, and the image on the right is the default OGRE-based rendering. The following differences are notable:
- Tree prims, flexiprims (the flag) and llparticlesystems are not implemented. Rex has other means, often of better quality, for achieving these effects but they not carried through for pre-existing opensim worlds (which seems to be the purpose of modrex).
- The avatar in the LLviewer mode has no clothing. A rebake of the character didn’t work.
- Is it possible to texturemap the terrain in the rexviewer? Not sure if this is yet surfaced through modrex?
- texture animation (the flame) doesn’t work and is shown instead as a composite texture of the individual animation frames.
After teleporting to Cyberlandia (which is another entry in the public hypergrid list), we can compare results here:
The mountain on the left is not rendered correctly in rex, possibly because of a height-based terrain texture that is missing? Instead, the top of the mountain appears black. I like the fade-out of rendering in rex (the shale blue rendering of the tower in the distance), as opposed to the sudden, and discrete, jumps found in the LLviewer.
Rexviewer has a lot of potential for opensim, and so, the work to get it to be compatible with existing opensim content is an ongoing process. As opensim users use this viewer, they may wish to take advantage of features that are not available in the LLviewer such as:
- The ability to see shadows, at least on the terrain (I’ve not figured out how to see shadows on other geometry). The addition of a “turn on shadows” in the viewer would help existing opensim content. The way it is done now is on a per-object basis.
- The ability to produce a new range of lighting conditions and particle approaches
March 21, 2009 at 6:06 pm |
Congratulations for the initiative, Paul. To make successive tests to see how effectively it works a new development, like ModRex, and share it with interested users, is welcome, very practical and interesting.
A major limitation I see for both ModRex to RX, which is the size of Meshes to upload depends on various settings such as bandwidth, power and memory hardware. It is a pity not to exploit the full potential of converting a building free, as offered by sketchup, unless you cut the mesh into “pieces” than a certain size.
I do not know if there will be some solution, but it is a limitation.
March 22, 2009 at 10:16 am |
Don’t forget the viewer0.4 is not maintained anymore. Maybe a good surprise will popup with the new viewer
Sacha
March 23, 2009 at 2:29 am |
Sacha: This would be a shame to not maintain a viewer that does not yet have a replacement. We’ve heard of future RexNG development but until ReXNG exists and is fully tested, the existing viewer is critical for the modrex project. If we can put resources on the viewer here (student projects), we will. Possibly, as modrex continues to mature, more folks will become interested in contributing to the viewer?
March 23, 2009 at 2:14 am |
Great write up
I look forward to even more integration , today I heard it now has a basic monies system implemented in modrex now 
Look forward to your next update
March 23, 2009 at 3:30 pm |
[...] run your ModreX enabled sim in hypergrid mode see OpenSim documentation about the subject. See also Paul Fishwick’s blog entry about the [...]