opensim: an educator's perspective
DESCRIPTION
We were pleased to welcome Dr Peter Miller (University of Liverpool) to the Centre to conduct a seminar relating to virtual worlds and the open source platform OpenSim. This talk looked at the benefits and current limitations of the platform. It outlined ways in which OpenSim can be deployed and showed some of the education-oriented and more generic content already available or under development. Finally, the potential role of the Hypergrid, the system for linking OpenSim regions, was considered in terms of establishing educational communities and disseminating good practice.TRANSCRIPT
OpenSim: an educator’s perspective
Peter MillerUniversity of Liverpool
Graham MillsBioZoneNWG
OpenSim is...
• Not a virtual world but a platform supporting– standalone regions (“sims”)– multi-region grids – optionally connected by Hypergrid (HG)
• Both familiar (Second Life®-like) & novel, e.g. extensible
• Open source: more affordable, more control
But...
• Less content, fewer sims and users than SL• Issues with– Voice– Physics– Lag– Client and server stability– IPR
OpenSim(ulator): a selective history• 2007
– SL Viewer open-sourced– OpenSim project starts; OSGrid founded
• 2008– New World Grid & ReactionGrid established– First avatar “jump” between OSGrid and SL
• 2009– Hypergrid, Diva Distro
• 2010– End of SL education discount; interoperability work stops– Aurora fork of OpenSim
• 2011– Kitely (OpenSim-on-demand)– Mesh and interactive web pages– Overte Foundation established
How it works
• Client/viewer, e.g. Imprudence (Kokua)• Server running OpenSim (OS) simulator + database
http:
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Regions can be organised as grids
OS 0.6.9 OS 0.7.0.2 OS 0.7.1
73 listed grids (34 shown, 56 HG-enabled)
14K regions (SL: 31K)21K users/month* (SL: 1M Oct’10)
*inc non-HG grids Hypergrid Business: March 2011
Hyp
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id: L
ower
Mid
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http://www.multiurl.com/l/5O5
Dec 2010
Edu
Map: Pam Broviak, GovGrid
KitelyVWER Grid
Clients include...
• Based on SL version 1.23– Imprudence– Astra* (OS import/export)– [Stored Inventory]
• SL Viewer 2 (web, mesh)– Kirsten’s
• Web (Unity3D on-the-fly)– BuiltBuyMe*
• NB IP issues, esp moving content from SL
* Not on SL approved TPV list, [ ] no personal experience
BuiltBuyMe web viewer
http://www.multiurl.com/l/5Ob
Low-end clients• Radegast (not Mac) – 3D object viewer,
accessibility• Mobile – No scene graphics– Future: streaming,
Unity3D, etc ?
MobileGridClient*(Android)
* commercial
OpenSim Mobile(Windows J2ME)
Pocket Metaverse*(iPhone, iPad)
OpenSim comes in many flavours• Platforms– Self-hosted (Diva Distro; HD or USB)– Hosted on public or private grid– Self-hosted, grid-attached, e.g. OSGrid
• Hosting services include– SimHost, Dreamland Metaverse, etc– Kitely (on-demand/cloud-based, Fb-
registration)• Educational grids/federations include– Immersive Education Initiative– NZVWgrid– ScienceSim
OSgrid
Ener Hax
http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RJ
The Hypergrid:Where do you want to go today?
HyperGate: walk through to access other regions/gridsCore1, ReactionGridsecondlife://71.6.165.170:9000:Core1/
NBInventory & avatar appearance
maintained
How to Hypergrid
http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RH
Sim on hgurl.com?
Chat search term & touch
Find address, e.g. Hyperica
Within 4096 regions? Chat address
Find way-station
Click link in chat history
Yes
Yes
No
No
Success?
No
Success?Sim closed?tp issues?
No
Sims HG-enabled?
Also: Map search if within 4096 regions Direct registration, e.g. if different HG versions
Yes
Try other services
No
Yes
secondlife://
Exemplar builds: History
Mount Grace PrioryNWG (shared core; suits 3-4 avatars)mainland.newworldgrid.com:60400:Mount%20Grace%20SE
Christi Maeterlinck
et al.
1939 New York World’s Fair
Trylon and Perisphere, ReactionGrid216.75.32.156:9030:TrylonandPerisphere/
Ruud LathropJoey Chernov
Science on a mountain top
Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatoryLab, NWG94.23.236.55:26000:Lab/
Aime SocratesCendres Magic
Lolly iFrogJeff Kelley
Mathematics
E8 PolytopeWizzy, ReactionGrid71.6.165.147:9000:Wizzy/
Wizard Gynoid
Population Biology
Aaron DuffyScienceSimhttp://fernseed.usu.edu/
Landscape
Green and WildjokaydiaGRID66.240.233.81:9000:Green%20and%20Wild Marmottina Taurog
Cityscape
RomennaPMgrid
Nick LassardImage CC-BY John”Pathfinder” Lester
Conclude: Prims are abundant... so use them!
Mycobacterium tuberculosisGene Regulatory NetworkBioZone, NWG
But: Lag can be an issue
Interactivity via marker overlay prims rather than scripting original prims
Intel stress test: Scaling is possible
655 avatars on ScienceSim cloud-based megaregionDistributed services (Intel Distributed Scene Graph)
Each map dot is an avatar(most are bots)
Personal small group use
• 4 GB hosted quad-core standalone, 10 Mbit/s bandwidth– Groups of 20, 10 and 1; large textures, heavily scripted– Configured to 4 regions
• Outcome– Class functional, no server crashes– A few avatars slow to rez but still operable– Lag varied; due to scripts or time of day (local bandwidth)– Future: optimise, e.g. opensim.ini to reduce rate of updating
• NWG – Events on dedicated cores with 20-25 avatars, light scripting– Shared core sim supported 3 students building, light scripting– Next version will support >100 avatars per sim
Zephyr, NWG Lolly iFrog et al.
Bonus: Native megaprims
ProteinsBioZone NWG
Alsofree texture uploads
large linksetsscript delays switchable
Hooray: Region modules in C#
Multi-body gravity simulationNew World Innovation, NWG Olish Newman
And: OSSL writes on prims and notes
PubMed searchBioZone, NWG
Version 0.7.1: Mesh format molecules
• COLLADA format• Free content: TurboSquid, etc
Kirsten’s viewer(supports mesh)
Imprudence viewer(no mesh support)
Interactive Web Pages (of course)
Shared media on prims in OpenSim 0.7.1http://join.me/ for screen sharingAlso provides voice option via Scribblar, etc
Hey, where can we get content?
• IP issues closed commercial grids, e.g. Inworldz
• Many inworld freebie stores
EmporiumScooter, jokaydiaGRID
Freebie shopsCrackou Island, NWG
NewVCENWG Austin Tate
Free web content
for import
• IAR imports to Inventory e.g. Diva Distro IAR
• Search via http://metaverseink.com/– http://bit.ly/hyperfind
OSavatarsIna Centaur
Fleep Tuque
KatijackStudio http:
//w
ww
.mul
tiurl.
com
/l/5
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OARs• Sim + terrain• Backup/restore
CommercialElement 4Keystone Bouchard
The Far Away, AM Radiovia OpenSim Creations (some NSFW)htt
p://
ww
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rl.co
m/l
/5RF
Server access (remote desktop application)
The console: load/save/merge inventory and sim content; register avatars
save oar myregion
Avatar management
• Via console• Via grid if
hosted• Via Wifi on
Diva Distro
http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Wifi_Module
OpenSim: ready for the big time?
In my opinion, yes but would be helped by...
• Guidance on platform choice/transition• Simplified hosting plus info on scaling/stress testing• Better sim/class management tools• Mobile client with inworld graphics• Scene and object rendering options for mobile clients• Edu/subject-specific OARs, IARs, HG directory/search• Sharing/experiences
– VWER, JISCMAIL VW listserv...