Difference between revisions of "Region Environment Settings"

From Second Life Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 31: Line 31:
{{KBnote|in the current version of this Project Viewer, the editing function for water presets are not yet complete.  You can display any existing preset, but can not modify them or create new ones.  This limitation will be removed as soon as possible.}}
{{KBnote|in the current version of this Project Viewer, the editing function for water presets are not yet complete.  You can display any existing preset, but can not modify them or create new ones.  This limitation will be removed as soon as possible.}}


Choose the menu ''World > Environment Editor > Water presets...'' and choose:
Choose '''World > Environment Editor > Water presets...''' and choose:
;New preset
;New preset
:to create a new water setting.   
:to create a new water setting.   

Revision as of 16:59, 1 June 2011

The Windlight Region Settings Project Viewer enables you to get an early look at the new region environment controls. These controls provide region managers the ability to specify special environment settings for their region that override the user's default settings. So, for example, a gothic castle might have a dark and gloomy environment or a tropical island might be always bright and sunny.

Of course, you must be using Windlight Region Settings Project Viewer to see the region-specific environment.

Region environment settings

Environment settings control how you see the water and the sky (including the air around you) in Second Life. If you are using the Windlight Region Settings Project Viewer and you enter a region that has its environment settings configured, then you see that predefined environment. In regions that don't have predefined environment settings, everyone sees their own default settings.

The environment controls provide some pre-defined settings as examples of what is possible, but each user can create their own settings and either use them as personal settings or apply them to any region for which they have estate manager privileges.

The old way

In previous Viewers, you had to use either:

  • The default environment settings

OR

  • Customized personal environment settings, which did not affect anyone else.

Thus, the only way to share distinctive environment settings was to provide complex instructions to duplicate the customized personal settings, that each person had to apply separately.

Creating Custom Settings

There are three kinds of environment settings:

  • Water Settings: the color of the water, how transparent it is, and how turbulent it is.
  • Sky Settings: the color of the sky, the color of the light, the color and behavior of clouds, and how hazy the atmosphere is.
  • Day Cycles: a sequence of (up to twenty) sky settings that control how things look at different times in the Second Life "day".

You can edit each of these settings and save them as named presets. The presets are saved on your computer along with other account preferences. If you access Second Life from multiple systems or multiple accounts, each combination of system and account will have its own collection of presets.

Creating a custom water preset

KBnote.png Note: in the current version of this Project Viewer, the editing function for water presets are not yet complete. You can display any existing preset, but can not modify them or create new ones. This limitation will be removed as soon as possible.

Choose World > Environment Editor > Water presets... and choose:

New preset
to create a new water setting.
  1. Enter a name for the preset at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust settings until you have the effect you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the new preset
Edit preset
to modify one of the existing water presets.
  1. Choose the preset you wish to modify from the menu at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust settings until you have the effect you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the new preset
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this water preset; to do that, you must return to the region and re-apply the modified preset.
Delete preset
to delete one of the existing water presets.
  1. Choose the preset you wish to delete from the menu
  2. Press the Delete button to erase the preset (there is no undo for this)
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this water preset.

Creating a Custom Sky Preset

KBnote.png Note: in the current version of this Project Viewer, the editing function for Sky presets are not yet complete. You can display any existing preset, but can not modify them or create new ones. This limitation will be removed as soon as possible, and a new version published.

Select the menu World > Environment Editor > Sky presets... and choose:

New preset
to create a new sky setting.
  1. Enter a name for the preset at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust settings until you have the effect you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the new preset
Edit preset
to modify one of the existing sky presets.
  1. Choose the preset you wish to modify from the menu at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust settings until you have the effect you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the new preset
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this sky preset either as a fixed sky or as part of a day cycle preset; to do that, you must return to the region and re-apply the modified preset.
Delete preset
to delete one of the existing sky presets.
  1. Choose the preset you wish to delete from the menu
  2. Press the Delete button to erase the preset (there is no undo for this)
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this sky preset either as a fixed sky or as part of a day cycle.

Creating a Custom Day Cycle Preset

A day cycle consists of a sequence of up to 20 Sky presets, each assigned to be displayed at a selected key time in the Second Life "day" (water settings cannot be varied in a day cycle; they are fixed throughout the day, but at most graphics levels the appearance of the water will, like real water, change depending on how the sky above it is reflected on its surface). Between the "key" times, the environment settings are gradually modified in a smooth transition between the settings for the two times (so, for example, if the sun is on the eastern horizon in one frame and overhead in the next, it will gradually rise between them). To create time periods during which the environment does not change, create key times at each end of the desired stable period and select the same sky preset for both key times.

The small downward-pointing triangle above the timeline indicates the time in the Second Life day that is currently displayed; you can drag it left and right to see how things will look at different times during the day. While the timeline is shown with a familiar 24 hour day, the actual Second Life "day" is 4 real hours long (a full day cycle repeats every 4 hours).

Key times are displayed on the yellow timeline as rounded markers, and are created by pressing the Add Key button. The new key is created at the current time in the day. The time and sky setting for the selected marker (either the most recently added key, or the one most recently chosen by clicking on the marker) are displayed below the timeline. Key times can be moved by dragging the marker, or by modifying the time value in the box below the timeline.

Select the menu World→Environment Editor→Day presets... and choose:

New preset
to create a new day cycle.
  1. Enter a name for the day cycle at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust settings until you have the sequence you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the new day cycle
Edit preset
to modify one of the existing day cycles.
  1. Choose the day cycle you wish to modify from the menu at the top of the dialog
  2. Adjust the sequence until you have the effect you want
  3. Press the Save button to store the day cycle
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this day cycle; to do that, you must return to the region and re-apply it.
Delete preset
to delete one of the existing day presets.
  1. Choose the preset you wish to delete from the menu
  2. Press the Delete button to erase the preset (there is no undo for this)
This does not modify any regions in which you have previously used this day cycle.

Choosing Which Settings You See

To select whether you see personal unshared environment or the shared environment:

  1. Select the menu World→Environment Editor→Environment Settings...
  2. Choose:
    Use Region Settings
    to see the shared settings from any region you are in (this is the default, and recommended unless you have a particular need to control the environment).
    Use Personal Settings
    to see unshared settings you choose yourself:
    1. Choose a Water setting preset
    2. Choose a Sky/Day Cycle:
      Fixed Sky
      and select a single Sky preset to be displayed regardless of the time in the Second Life day
      Day Cycle
      and select a Day preset to display an environment that changes continuously according to the time of the Second Life day
  3. Push the Ok button to confirm your choice, or Cancel to return your environment to what it was before.

In addition to the Environment Settings dialog above, the World→Environment Editor menu also has four shortcut selections that establish the original Second Life default settings: Sunrise, Midday, Sunset, and Midnight. These are each equivalent to a Fixed Sky at different times during the default Second Life day; they are not shared.

Establishing Settings For a Region

Modifying the environment settings for a region gives you great control over the ambiance experienced by visitors. To set the shared environment:

  1. Select the menu World→Place Profile→Region/Estate
  2. Select the Environment tab
  3. Choose:
    Use Second Life Defaults
    to set the region environment to the familiar default Second Life day cycle
    Use Custom Region Settings
    to establish settings you choose:
    1. Choose a Water setting preset
      this will update what you see, but the change is not yet permanent or visible to others
    2. Choose a Sky/Day Cycle, either:
      Fixed Sky
      and select a single Sky preset to be displayed regardless of the time in the Second Life day
      Day Cycle
      and select a Day preset to display an environment that changes continuously according to the time of the Second Life day
      this will also update what you see, but the change is not yet permanent or visible to others
  4. Push the Apply button
    this makes the selections above permanent and begins displaying the new settings to anyone in the region, #: Pushing Cancel or closing the dialog without pressing Apply returns the region environment to what it was before.
KBnote.png Note: at present, shortly after you Apply the settings, the names of the presets may change to the name of your region; this is due to a limitation in the simulator software - your settings have been properly applied, just renamed in the region. There is a fix being deployed that will correct this so that your original preset names are saved; how soon it will be corrected may vary from region to region.


Modifying an Existing Region Setting

  1. Select the menu World→Environment Editor→Day Presets→Edit preset...
  2. On the menu of presets, select the top choice (above the line); these are the settings as read from the region.
  3. Make your changes to those settings
  4. Press Save. If you have not changed the name to something new, you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to modify the existing saved setting.
    Doing the save above modifies your local saved copy, but has not yet actually changed the region settings.
  5. Select the menu World→Place Profile→Region/Estate
  6. Select the Environment tab
  7. Choose:
    Use Custom Region Settings
    Day Cycle
    select the saved day cycle that you saved above from the menu
  8. Press Apply

To apply the same settings to more than one region, just go to the Region/Estate Environment tab for each region and apply the same saved setting.