Difference between revisions of "History/WindLight"

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= Introduction =
{{Archive}}
The Second Life WindLight First Look viewer offers brand-new atmospheric rendering — beautiful skies and immersive environments — for your enjoyment! See [http://blog.secondlife.com/?s=windlight our earlier WindLight blog posts] for more info.
WindLight was the code name for Second Life's "physically-accurate atmospheric rendering & lighting" project, which was [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/04/02/the-dawning-of-a-new-viewer-second-life-1191-now-available/ released with the 1.19.1 viewer].  


= See Also =
{|style="width: 100%; font-size: 100%; background: #ffbfdf; border:2px dotted white;"
* [[Render Roadmap]]
| <font size=3>'''[[WindLight_settings|Click here for 100s of ''FREE'' WindLight sky & water settings!]] '''</font>
* [[User:Torley_Linden/Project_updates|Project updates]]
|}
 
== Introduction ==
[[Image:Windlight_suns.jpg|256px|right|]]
 
'''WindLight is a revolutionary atmospheric lighting and rendering system. What does that all mean?  Gorgeous new Second Life visuals!!!''' Watch these demo videos:


= Issues =
<videoflash>h4BMmq4dono</videoflash>
As emphasized in the blog posts, you can help us make WindLight better by reporting bugs with actionable details. To do this, use our [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Issue_tracker Issue Tracker]. You can also easily see [https://jira.secondlife.com/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&requestId=10332 WindLight Issues by # of votes]. We thank you!


= Instructions =
<videoflash>Ctp1Uh-D034</videoflash>
The Sky Menu gives you a fine degree of control over Second Life's sky and atmosphere. Imagine a strange alien planet with a purple sky, or a smoggy, overcast city! This guide will help you to understand the many controls at your disposal, and set you on the path to becoming a weather-controlling mad scientist.


This article describes what each of the individual settings in the Sky Settings menu is responsible for. However, many of the settings described are closely interrelated, and may affect one another in subtle ways. The best way to truly become a sky master is to play with these settings and see how each one affects your sky. To help you get started, here are the basic facts:
This page provides information on the project, as well as useful information that will help us all make sure that WindLight is well-tested before it's integrated into the main Second Life viewer.


{| width="600" cellpadding="3"
Please read the [http://blog.secondlife.com/author/pastramilinden/ Release Notes] for the latest features and bug fixes.
|
 
[[Image:icons_parature_note.jpg]]
== Using the WindLight-powered viewer ==
| <font size="1">'''Note: '''The WindLight sky is currently a feature of the [http://www.secondlife.com/community/firstlook.php First Look] viewer. By definition, the features and controls in this article are subject to change and improvement at any time!</font>
For starters, make sure you read the [http://secondlife.com/community/support.php?folderID=161 WindLight Documentation] — a lot has changed in this new viewer, and you want to make sure you're up to speed on WindLight's usage, as well as that of the other new components, like high-end water, glow, and the new Graphics Preferences tab.
|}
 
== How can I participate in WindLight testing? ==
You can participate in WindLight testing with a few easy steps:
# <font size="3">'''[http://secondlife.com/community/downloads-optional.php Download the newest Release Candidate viewer which includes WindLight].'''</font>
# Read the '''[http://secondlife.com/community/support.php?folderID=161 Documentation]''' to get started — you'll need to login with your Second Life account info before you can read it.
# Play around with all the new features! Check out your land, other Residents' land, your favorite places — and see what's now possible. Once you find settings you like, take some screenshots and [http://youtube.com/watch?v=iFzbvZc1BX4 send them to your friends!]
# If you find any issues, login to the [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Issue_tracker public Issue Tracker] to tell us about problems you find. [VWR-960 See an example.] ''Make sure'' to set "Affects Version/s" correctly.
 
=== A note on features ===
Many of the new features can really benefit (and some can only be used!) with newer graphics hardware. Not unlike popular games on the market, '''WindLight's advanced effects require a graphics card with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader_model Shader Model 2.0 (DirectX9 shader)] support.'''
 
We strongly suggest looking at our [http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php System Recommendations] to ensure you're up-to-date!
 
=== What to test? ===
Make sure that all of your content, creation creation, and experiences work with this new viewer.  Bear in mind that WindLight is client-side only for now- that means nothing is changing on the servers or in any of the data- just what's being shown on your screen.  You will notice some aesthetic differences, especially in some of the material properties and lighting.  Some of these are intentional (like more dramatic sunsets) and some are still being worked on (like the desaturation of some textures).  Have a go at it, and tell us what you think either through the Public Issue Tracker or at our office hours (see below).
 
=== Also see ===
* '''[http://jira.secondlife.com/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&requestId=10970 Open bugs by # of votes]'''
* '''[http://jira.secondlife.com/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&requestId=10352 Fixed issues]'''
 
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
Hot stuff we keep getting asked — ''we're here to help!''
 
=== Is WindLight more laggy than the main viewer? ===
Let's be more specific to have a worthwhile answer here, since "lag" can refer to many things. In this case, since WindLight is viewer-side, we're focusing on viewer — also called "client" or "local" because it's on ''your'' side, and not our servers — performance.
 
Long story short, '''our goal is for the WindLight viewer to have equal or better performance than the main "release" viewer at equivalent settings'''. There's a lot of code cleanup (which we've wanted to do for ages and finally found an opportunity to!), various optimizations, ''and'' some new features to boost speed which made it into this viewer. For example, Avatar Impostors renders distant avatars more "cheaply", increasing your viewer frames-per-second (FPS) in crowd scenes — which translates to "less viewer-side lag".
 
That being said, we ''are'' aware of specific performance slowdown bugs limited to certain hardware, some of which are in [http://jira.secondlife.com/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&requestId=10970 our Issue Tracker list] — we ''highly'' recommend checking that list and reporting new issues not already on there.
 
Also, keep in mind some of the new graphical beauty, especially water reflections, may incur a significant performance hit depending on your hardware, and this is expected.
 
Of related interest and featuring WindLight and the Lag Meter, watch the "'''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/22/tip-of-the-week-12-how-to-easily-boost-viewer-performance/ How to easily boost viewer performance]'''" video tutorial.
 
=== Will WindLight make the System Requirements higher? ===
At the time of this writing (2007-12-04), no. '''We're working to support existing supported systems as much as possible while providing extra visual beauty for higher-end systems which meet our System Recommendations.''' [http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php See the System Requirements/Recommendations page] for further details. ''Do'' note that we ''did'' update that page to list an expanded range of supported cards, as well as [[Windows Vista]] compatibility.
 
If you have a lower-end system, you can set WindLight's Edit menu > Preferences > Graphics tab to "Low" or "Mid" and as emphasized above, your performance shouldn't be less, and may even be better.
 
=== What are you doing about WindLight looking "wrong"? ===
First, it's important to understand that aesthetic concerns fall into several categories, so any discussion involving them should be specific. We've also started {{jira|VWR-3463}} to track your valuable feedback.
 
Second, ''education is essential!'' Many concerns & complaints we get are a result of not knowing how to change WindLight settings to make things look the way ''you'' want! There've already been some [[Windlight#What.27s_our_community_doing_with_WindLight.3F|great Resident tips about this]], so please be sure to familiarize yourself with the powerful-yet-easy-to-use Environmental Editor (found under World menu > Environment Settings), and [http://secondlife.com/community/support.php?folderID=161 read our documentation].
 
The following isn't all-inclusive, but:
 
''[UPDATE @ 2008-02-08]'' We've continued to tweak the day cycle. We've reached a point where almost no textures (noticeably light ones like sand and snow) get washed out at midday, save for the absolute very lightest that are near-white. As for the longtime local lighting strength concerns in {{jira|VWR-3171}}, we're making them stronger, and in the next update, you'll be able to boost them back up to 100% brightness via a debug setting, RenderSunDynamicRange, if you want. This should serve the purposes of both casual and specialized usage.
 
Remember that historically, avatars were treated differently than their surroundings, hence why they tended to look "flatter" compared to WindLight. WindLight, of course, has a more unified, cohesive, and realistic (or unrealistic if you want) lighting model with an expanded dynamic range, so there's understandably inevitable change which will likely lead to creators making avatars slightly brighter over time. This isn't the first time a new feature has introduced a gradual shift, but we've certainly taken a lot into consideration and explored many possibilities in order to retain the "essence" of existing content while enabling it to be richer through WindLight.


''[UPDATE @ 2008-01-10]'' We still aren't happy with the "washed-out/too bright textures at noon" and similar situations. We understand your concerns, and we're going to keep grinding on this so things are expectedly brighter, but not harshly (e.g., obliterated detail on snowy regions) so.


{| width="600" cellpadding="3"
''[UPDATE @ 2008-01-03]'' The following have been substantially improved. '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/12/21/the-new-windlight-viewer-pondering-aesthetics-76116/ See this]''' for an indepth explanation. WindLight is nearing Release Candidate status; we welcome continued issue discussion at [[Windlight#Visit_our_inworld_Office_Hours|our Office Hours]].
|
[[Image:icons_parature_note.jpg]]
| <font size="1">'''Note: '''In order to see all of the WindLight sky effects you will need OpenGL 2.0 or higher. If you have the latest drivers for your graphics card and still can not see certain WindLight sky effects (such as clouds) try enabling Vertex Shaders (Preferences -> Graphics Detail -> Enable Vertex Shaders).</font>
|}


* '''WindLight in general may be too bright''' - ''Yes!'' This is on our list of things-to-do. Specifically, WindLight Team Leader Pastrami Linden observes, "I believe the haze and/or direct light contributions can wash out colors, but am not 100% convinced this is a problem." We'll investigate the causes further.


==Opening Sky Settings==
* '''The default day cycle is too bright''' - We're definitely going to tweak settings like gamma so the end result is more balanced. Also, remember that when WindLight goes server-side, any region owner can customize WindLight to ''their'' tastes. In addition, every Resident can still override environments locally (World menu > Environment Settings). And unlike the current way things are, WindLight on the server-side with custom day cycles means there'll be a variety of "looks" which are extensively Resident-customizable, so any fears of a single generic day cycle spoiling everything are moot.


To begin editing the sky and atmosphere, you must first open the '''Sky Settings '''menu. You can do this by selecting '''World > Sky Settings '''or by pressing '''Ctrl+Alt+W'''.
* '''Avatars look like crap''' - Strongly arguable, and ''severely'' dependent on the specific sky settings. We've seen a variety of Resident-taken snapshots featuring avatars that look awesome. Lighting is more realistic and has a higher dynamic range now, which ''we understand'' may take time to get used to, but it's ultimately more realistic, and if you want it to be, unrealistic too. We emphasize that you have a ''lot'' more control over how ''you'' see Second Life ''AND'' how you look — to yourself, and eventually, how others will see you — so if you're basing your judgment without delving into the Advanced Sky Editor, we recommend you give it a go, and give it time. It's kind of like seeing the naked sun after living in a cave all your life. ''Also'' consider that improving some of the other things on this list will hopefully have a positive effect on avatar lighting too.
** '''''TIP:''' The primary difference between old and new lighting is the level of ambient lighting. Try going to World menu > Environment Settings > Environment Editor and click "Advanced Sky Editor" button. Then, in the Lighting tab, increase Ambient sliders uniformly towards "1.00". You may also want to lower Scene Gamma (also found in the same tab) a touch. Also see Caliah Lyon's "[http://secondsoigne.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/optimising-windlight-for-avatars-20/ Optimising Windlight for Avatars]" guide.''


[[Image:kb_sky_menu_open.png]]
Also:


==Region/Estate Sky Settings==
* '''Local lighting is too weak during the daytime ({{jira|VWR-3171}})''' - We deliberately toned this down because WindLight effectively has a ''new'', bright light: THE SUN. Local lighting is now weakest at noon, and strongest at sunset — its brightness approaches "normal" strength as the sun gets lower to the horizon, with dusk being full local light brightness. More realistic solar modeling and increased dynamic range means that it'd be too easy to wash out your surroundings, which is why we need a balance (see "The default day cycle is too bright" above). Also think of how much a flashlight would affect its surroundings in daylight. ''Remember'', we're continuing to fine-tune light levels and gamma while optimizing the default day cycle, so local lighting is still subject to change.


The Region/Estate Sky Settings window is where you will be making visual changes to sky and atmosphere "keyframes" (see the Day Cycle Editor section for more about keyframes). It contains three tabs, each with a number of sliders for manipulating the sky's appearance:
* '''Tree lighting appears uneven and harsh during certain times ({{jira|VWR-3287}})''' - AKA "Linden trees look like 2D cardboard cutouts". We thought we fixed this internally (as of 2007-11-29) so that trees have more even lighting overall but we're aware of the ugly transition between low-polygon and high-polygon trees... so this is still ongoing...


===The Atmosphere Tab===
* '''Shiny is too shiny (and other shiny stuff in {{jira|VWR-3133}})''' - The main issue was [http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/12/04/super-cool-new-windlight-first-look-viewer/ fixed in the 2007-12-04 update]. [[User:Torley_Linden/Project_updates/2007-08-20_to_2007-11-30#.5B2007-11-28.5D_Shiny_is_less_shiny|More context to our progress.]] The future holds possibilities for a more versatile "materials" system, which will retain backward compatibility yet offers a lot more options. (We might even say it'll do for object surfaces what WindLight does for skies & water!)


[[Image:kb_sky_atmosphere_menu.png]]
For more of our direct responses, '''[[Windlight#Transcripts|read our office hours transcripts]]'''.


This tab controls elements of the atmosphere itself:
=== What's already been fixed in WindLight? ===
<font size=4>'''[http://jira.secondlife.com/secure/IssueNavigator.jspa?mode=hide&requestId=10352 See this big list!]'''</font>


'''Blue Horizon: '''Use the Red/Green/Blue (RGB) sliders to adjust the color of the sky. You can use the Intensity (I) slider to move all three RGB sliders in unison. In meteorological terms, this setting affects "atmospheric scattering", which is the scientific answer to the age-old question, "[http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html Why is the sky blue]?"


'''Blue Density: '''Blue Density affects the overall color saturation of your sky. If you move the Intensity (I) slider to the right, your colors will become brighter and more vibrant. If you move it all the way to the left, your colors will become duller, eventually fading to black and white. If you'd like to fine-tune your sky's color balance, you can control individual elements of saturation by using the Red/Green/Blue (RGB) sliders.


{| width="600" cellpadding="3"
=== How do I turn off classic (old-skool) clouds? ===
| <font size="2">[[Image:icons_parature_tip.jpg]]</font>
* Go to World menu > Environment Settings.
| <font size="1">'''Tip: '''Blue Horizon and Blue Density are particularly closely related. Imagine Blue Horizon as the base color for the sky, and Blue Density as the sky's color intensity and color balance effects. Try turning Haze Density to zero and playing with these settings for yourself to get a better feel for how they interact with each other.</font>
* Click Advanced Sky button.
|}
* In the Advanced Sky Editor, click Clouds tab.
* Uncheck "Draw Classic Clouds". (This applies across ''all'' your sky settings, and isn't currently saved per-preset.)


'''Haze Horizon: '''This setting affects the height of haze on the horizon. At higher settings, the haze will reach up into the sky and obscure the actual horizon. Haze on the horizon can help to accentuate the sun, and create a dusty, smoggy, or humid effect. This setting will not work if Haze Density is set to zero.
=== Why are avatars so blocky? ===
If you think avatars look like 16-bit Nintendo characters, that's because Avatar Impostors, which boosts performance by rendering distant avatars like sprites, is on. You can either:


'''Haze Density: '''Haze density affects the amount of haze you can see in the atmosphere. At lower settings, this can make for some great outdoor views in dusty or tropical environments, and at higher levels it can create a thick, vision-obscuring fog. If you set Haze Density to zero, the Haze Horizon setting will have no effect.
* Go to Preferences > Graphics tab and uncheck "Avatar Impostors".


'''Density Multiplier: '''The Density Multiplier can be used to affect the overall atmospheric density. At lower settings, it creates a feeling of "thin air", and at higher settings, it creates a very heavy, smoggy effect.
OR if you want to keep it on but increase the distance at which impostors takes effect, minimizing the blockyness, then:


'''Distance Multiplier: '''This setting affects your perceived distance within the atmosphere. To make everything look hazy and distant, move the slider to the right. If you want to completely remove the Sky Settings' effects from terrain and objects, set the slider to zero.
* In Preferences > Graphics tab, move the "Avatars Mesh Detail" slider towards the right to "High".


'''Max Altitude: '''Adjusts the altitude calculations Second Life makes when it is computing atmospheric lighting. At later times of day, it can be useful for calculating how "deep" a sunset appears, while at noon it can be used to achieve proper brightness values.
You can easily find a crowd, zoom your camera, and adjust this to taste.


===The Lighting Tab===
=== How do I take awesome snapshots with WindLight? ===
You may've seen [http://flickr.com/search/?q=windlight&s=rec&ct=6&ss=2&z=t Flickr], [http://slpics.com/ Snapzilla], or another site where WindLight beauty abounds. Try leaving a gracious comment on snapshots you really enjoy in hopes of the photographer getting back to you!


[[Image:kb_sky_lighting_menu.png]]
In addition, Torley Linden's created a [[User:Torley_Linden/Snapshot_tips|Guide to High-Quality Photography]] you'll enjoy, including a [[User:Torley_Linden/Snapshot_tips#WindLight-specific_Debug_Settings|WindLight-specific Debug Settings]] section.


This tab controls the sun, ambient lighting, and the stars:
=== What's the future of WindLight? ===
WindLight is currently viewer-side only, which means, among other things, that when you change sky settings, ''only you'' will see those changes. Longer-term, WindLight will ''replace'' server-side functionality, meaning:


'''Sunlight Color:''' This setting affects the color of your sun, and the direct sunlight on the scene it produces. Keep in mind that the color of your sun's rays will affect the color of your sky! To change Sunlight Color, use the Red/Green/Blue (RGB) sliders, or use the Intensity (I) slider to move all three RGB sliders at once.
* Estate owners can take advantage of WindLight to create custom skies & water their visitors will automatically see upon visiting their regions.
* You'll be able to use skies & water as tradeable assets (similar to how you can currently share objects, clothes, etc.).
* The current day cycle (and other environmental effects) will be replaced by WindLight. (Those who prefer to have a blander atmosphere more similar to the present look can disable shaders in Preferences > Graphics tab.)


'''Time of Day: '''The Time of Day setting affects the vertical position of the sun, from sunrise (0.0) to noon (0.5) to sunset (1.0).
So, ''when'' will this happen? '''Tentatively, near-mid 2008.''' We don't have a specific date yet, as it depends on successfully fixing the bugs in the current [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/04/02/the-dawning-of-a-new-viewer-second-life-1191-now-available/ WindLight-powered main viewer] first and doing other work which preempts the server-side phase, but we promise to announce more news as it becomes available.


'''East Angle: '''The East Angle affects the horizontal position of the sun, and is similar to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azimuth azimuth]. At settings of 0.0 and 1.0, the sun will rise in the East and set in the West. The settings in between define the entire circle of the horizon; at a setting of 0.5, the sun will rise in the West and set in the East, at a setting of 0.25 the sun will rise in the South and set in the North, etc.
=== When will we get scriptable glow? ===
It's arrived! See [[PRIM_GLOW]] for usage information.


'''Sun Glow: '''There are two settings under Sun Glow: '''Size''' defines the size of the sun, and '''Focus''' adjusts how much the sun blurs over the sky. At very high settings, Focus can cause the sun to completely wash out a portion of the sky with brilliant light, and at zero, it will cause the sun (but not the light it casts) to disappear from the sky.
=== Are you ever going to add [INSERT COOL FEATURE HERE]? ===
''Re: dynamic shadows (including objects "blocking" light), non-water reflections, materials, reworking Linden trees, etc...''


'''Ambient: '''This controls the color and intensity of ambient light in the atmosphere. This is used for simulating how the light from the sun is scattered ambiently by the atmosphere and other objects one it hits the Earth.  You could theoretically have a very bright sun, and a relatively dark world (think of a sunset!) by having no ambient, but if you wanted to simulate mid-day illumination with the sun low in the sky, you would need to increase the intensity of the ambient light.
We have a lot of exciting plans for a progressively better-looking and faster-performing Second Life that depends on our present work — the first phase of integrating WindLight into the main viewer — to be done. '''Some of the most popular feature requests we've heard we hope to do ''eventually someday''.'''


'''Scene Gamma: '''This control functions similarly to the '''Gamma''' setting in your Adv. Graphics preferences. It adjusts your screen's distribution of light and dark output. Lower settings will cause everything to appear dim, while higher settings may make the scene look gray and "washed out".
If you're anxious and think that sounds too vague, that's because we'd rather not promise [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware vaporware], and '''we'll give you specific details of implementation when work on each project is actually underway''' — until then, we welcome the inspiration that comes from your suggestions because it helps shape our future!


'''Star Brightness: '''Star Brightness defines how visible the stars are in the sky. If play with this slider while the sun is up, you can see stars in the middle of the day!
In them meantime, we encourage you to put your feature requests on the [[Issue Tracker|public Issue Tracker]] so we can keep easier track of 'em.


===The Clouds Tab===
== How do I stay "In the loop" with WindLight? ==
=== Visit our inworld Office Hours ===
[[Image:WindLight_Office_Hour.jpg|256px|right]]


[[Image:kb_sky_clouds_menu.png]]
WindLight issues are now discussed at [[Bug triage|Bridie's Wednesday Bug Triages]].


This tab gives you control over the clouds in the sky:
==== Transcripts ====
Check these out if you're curious or if you missed out!


'''Cloud Color: '''This affects the color of your clouds, if you have any. Use the individual Red/Green/Blue sliders to change the color, or the Intensity (I) slider to drag all three at once.
* 2007-11-'''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-11-15|15]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-11-20|20]]''' / '''22''' was cancelled due to Turkey Day / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-11-27|27]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-11-29|29]]'''
* 2007-12-'''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-12-04|04]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-12-06|06]]''' / '''11''' was cancelled due to [http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/12/11/grid-service-outage-planned-for-11-december/ a service outage] / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-12-13|13]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-12-18|18]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2007-12-20|20]]''' / '''25 & 27''' were cancelled due to holidays
* 2008-01-'''01''' was cancelled due to New Year's Day / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-03|03]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-08|08]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-10|10]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-15|15]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-17|17]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-22|22]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-24|24]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-29|29]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-01-31|31]]'''
* 2008-02-'''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-05|05]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-07|07]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-12|12]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-14|14]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-19|19]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-21|21]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-26|26]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-02-28|28]]'''
* 2008-03-'''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-03-04|04]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-03-06|06]]''' / '''[[WindLight/Office_Hours/2008-03-13|13]]''' (last WL-only office hour!)


'''Cloud XY/Density: '''Use the '''X''' and '''Y''' sliders to change the horizontal position of all clouds in the sky. The '''D '''slider affects the overall density of the individual clouds; at low settings you will see thin, wispy clouds, and at higher settings you will see thicker, more solid clouds.
=== '''[[WindLight/Office Hours/2008-04-10|2008-04-10 (Super Mega Office Hours - 4 hours long - covering EVERYTHING! 100+ Resis!!)]]''' ===


''' Cloud Coverage: '''As the name implies, this control sets the amount of cloud coverage. At zero, there isn't a cloud in the sky, but at higher settings, you can get a completely overcast effect.
=== '''[http://static-secondlife-com.s3.amazonaws.com/community/transcript/WindLight_Office_Hours_2008-04-10.txt UNEDITED 2008-04-10 (Super Mega Office Hours - 4 hours long - covering EVERYTHING! 100+ Resis!!)]''' ===


'''Cloud Scale: '''This setting affects the perceived altitude of the clouds... if you slide the control to the right, it will make the clouds appear to be higher in the sky.
=== [http://blog.secondlife.com Read the Official Linden Blog] ===
We've communicated frequently! '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/author/pastramilinden/ See Team WindLight leader Pastrami Linden's posts.]'''


'''Cloud Detail (XY/Density): '''These settings affect the detailed image layer above your normal clouds. The '''X''' and '''Y''' sliders shift its horizontal position, and the '''D''' slider controls how puffy and/or fractured your clouds look.
Related, in reverse-chronological order:


'''Cloud Scroll X and Cloud Scroll Y:''' These sliders affect the direction and speed at which the clouds float in the sky. You may also check the '''Lock''' checkbox to prevent clouds from moving on the selected axis.
* 2009-05-18 - '''[http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/tnt/blog/2009/05/18/video-change-how-your-glub-glub-water-looks Change how your *glub glub* water looks]''' - The water "normal map" can be replaced with any texture, but you can optimize one to make realistic (or unrealistic) ripples.
* 2009-04-22 - '''[http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/tnt/blog/2009/04/22/video-windlight-using-the-day-cycle-editor WINDLIGHT: Using the Day Cycle Editor]''' - You can use custom WindLight settings to make your own Day Cycle, and save it so you'll see it on future logins.
* 2007-11-22 - '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/22/tip-of-the-week-12-how-to-easily-boost-viewer-performance/ Tip of the Week #12: How to easily boost viewer performance]''' (featuring the simplified Graphics Preferences and Avatar Impostors)
* 2007-11-15 - '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/15/tip-of-the-week-11-welcome-to-windlight/ Tip of the Week #11: Welcome to WindLight!]'''
* 2007-11-14 - '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/11/14/knowledge-base-article-of-the-week-windlight-fever/ Knowledge Base Article of the Week: WindLight Fever!]'''
* 2007-06-01 - '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/06/01/first-look-windlight-update-beauty-bugs/ First Look: WindLight update - beauty & bugs!]'''
* 2007-05-29 - '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/05/29/windlight-first-look-viewer-released/ WindLight First Look viewer released!]'''


==The Day Cycle Editor:==
Also [http://blogs.secondlife.com/search.jspa?q=windlight&resultTypes=BLOG_POST&resultTypes=DOCUMENT&resultTypes=MESSAGE&resultTypes=BLOG&resultTypes=COMMUNITY&resultTypes=COMMENT&peopleEnabled=true&dateRange=all&communityID=&username=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001 search for posts mentioning "WindLight"].


[[Image:kb_sky_day_cycle_menu.png]]
== What's our community doing with WindLight? ==
''Amazing things!'' Like:


You can bring up the Day Cycle Editor by pressing the '''Day Cycle Editor''' button on the Region/Estate Sky Settings window. The Day Cycle Editor gives you control over the sky during Second Life's day/night cycle. This is accomplished by setting keyframes (set using the Region/Estate Sky Settings window) for different hours of the day. Second Life will interpolate the difference between keyframes, giving you smooth transitions as the day progresses.
* WindLight snapshots on:
** '''[http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=windlight&s=rec&ct=6&ss=2&z=t Flickr]'''
** '''[http://www.sluniverse.com/pics/ Snapzilla]'''
** '''[http://www.koinup.com/works/tag/windlight/ Koinup]'''
** '''[[:Category:WindLight Images|A category on this wiki]]'''
* '''[http://www.vintfalken.com/windlight-comparison-project/ "WindLight Comparison Project"]''' - Resi-initiated project to compare WL aesthetics across different systems.
* '''[http://www.vintfalken.com/windlight-how-to-controlling-avatar-impostors/ "WindLight How To - Avatar Impostors Settings"]''' - Vint Falken's helpful explanation that Avatars Mesh Detail affects the distance at which avatars become impostors.
* '''[http://secondsoigne.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/optimising-windlight-for-avatars-20/ "Optimising Windlight for Avatars"]''' - By Caliah Lyon, a great educational primer for "lighting is yucky" concerns.
* '''[http://technorati.com/search/windlight?authority=a4&language=en Misc. mentions of "WindLight" in the blogosphere.]'''


[[Category:Features]]
== [[WindLight_settings|Torley's WindLight settings]] ==
[[Category:WindLight]]
<font color="red" size="4">'''^ We've moved to our own page! Click through!</font>

Latest revision as of 13:48, 2 June 2011

KBwarning.png

This article is obsolete, but kept as a historical record. Do not rely on this information in any way. However, it may be used in the future, so please do not delete or modify.

WindLight was the code name for Second Life's "physically-accurate atmospheric rendering & lighting" project, which was released with the 1.19.1 viewer.

Click here for 100s of FREE WindLight sky & water settings!

Introduction

Windlight suns.jpg

WindLight is a revolutionary atmospheric lighting and rendering system. What does that all mean? Gorgeous new Second Life visuals!!! Watch these demo videos:

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This page provides information on the project, as well as useful information that will help us all make sure that WindLight is well-tested before it's integrated into the main Second Life viewer.

Please read the Release Notes for the latest features and bug fixes.

Using the WindLight-powered viewer

For starters, make sure you read the WindLight Documentation — a lot has changed in this new viewer, and you want to make sure you're up to speed on WindLight's usage, as well as that of the other new components, like high-end water, glow, and the new Graphics Preferences tab.

How can I participate in WindLight testing?

You can participate in WindLight testing with a few easy steps:

  1. Download the newest Release Candidate viewer which includes WindLight.
  2. Read the Documentation to get started — you'll need to login with your Second Life account info before you can read it.
  3. Play around with all the new features! Check out your land, other Residents' land, your favorite places — and see what's now possible. Once you find settings you like, take some screenshots and send them to your friends!
  4. If you find any issues, login to the public Issue Tracker to tell us about problems you find. [VWR-960 See an example.] Make sure to set "Affects Version/s" correctly.

A note on features

Many of the new features can really benefit (and some can only be used!) with newer graphics hardware. Not unlike popular games on the market, WindLight's advanced effects require a graphics card with Shader Model 2.0 (DirectX9 shader) support.

We strongly suggest looking at our System Recommendations to ensure you're up-to-date!

What to test?

Make sure that all of your content, creation creation, and experiences work with this new viewer. Bear in mind that WindLight is client-side only for now- that means nothing is changing on the servers or in any of the data- just what's being shown on your screen. You will notice some aesthetic differences, especially in some of the material properties and lighting. Some of these are intentional (like more dramatic sunsets) and some are still being worked on (like the desaturation of some textures). Have a go at it, and tell us what you think either through the Public Issue Tracker or at our office hours (see below).

Also see

Frequently Asked Questions

Hot stuff we keep getting asked — we're here to help!

Is WindLight more laggy than the main viewer?

Let's be more specific to have a worthwhile answer here, since "lag" can refer to many things. In this case, since WindLight is viewer-side, we're focusing on viewer — also called "client" or "local" because it's on your side, and not our servers — performance.

Long story short, our goal is for the WindLight viewer to have equal or better performance than the main "release" viewer at equivalent settings. There's a lot of code cleanup (which we've wanted to do for ages and finally found an opportunity to!), various optimizations, and some new features to boost speed which made it into this viewer. For example, Avatar Impostors renders distant avatars more "cheaply", increasing your viewer frames-per-second (FPS) in crowd scenes — which translates to "less viewer-side lag".

That being said, we are aware of specific performance slowdown bugs limited to certain hardware, some of which are in our Issue Tracker list — we highly recommend checking that list and reporting new issues not already on there.

Also, keep in mind some of the new graphical beauty, especially water reflections, may incur a significant performance hit depending on your hardware, and this is expected.

Of related interest and featuring WindLight and the Lag Meter, watch the "How to easily boost viewer performance" video tutorial.

Will WindLight make the System Requirements higher?

At the time of this writing (2007-12-04), no. We're working to support existing supported systems as much as possible while providing extra visual beauty for higher-end systems which meet our System Recommendations. See the System Requirements/Recommendations page for further details. Do note that we did update that page to list an expanded range of supported cards, as well as Windows Vista compatibility.

If you have a lower-end system, you can set WindLight's Edit menu > Preferences > Graphics tab to "Low" or "Mid" and as emphasized above, your performance shouldn't be less, and may even be better.

What are you doing about WindLight looking "wrong"?

First, it's important to understand that aesthetic concerns fall into several categories, so any discussion involving them should be specific. We've also started VWR-3463 to track your valuable feedback.

Second, education is essential! Many concerns & complaints we get are a result of not knowing how to change WindLight settings to make things look the way you want! There've already been some great Resident tips about this, so please be sure to familiarize yourself with the powerful-yet-easy-to-use Environmental Editor (found under World menu > Environment Settings), and read our documentation.

The following isn't all-inclusive, but:

[UPDATE @ 2008-02-08] We've continued to tweak the day cycle. We've reached a point where almost no textures (noticeably light ones like sand and snow) get washed out at midday, save for the absolute very lightest that are near-white. As for the longtime local lighting strength concerns in VWR-3171, we're making them stronger, and in the next update, you'll be able to boost them back up to 100% brightness via a debug setting, RenderSunDynamicRange, if you want. This should serve the purposes of both casual and specialized usage.

Remember that historically, avatars were treated differently than their surroundings, hence why they tended to look "flatter" compared to WindLight. WindLight, of course, has a more unified, cohesive, and realistic (or unrealistic if you want) lighting model with an expanded dynamic range, so there's understandably inevitable change which will likely lead to creators making avatars slightly brighter over time. This isn't the first time a new feature has introduced a gradual shift, but we've certainly taken a lot into consideration and explored many possibilities in order to retain the "essence" of existing content while enabling it to be richer through WindLight.

[UPDATE @ 2008-01-10] We still aren't happy with the "washed-out/too bright textures at noon" and similar situations. We understand your concerns, and we're going to keep grinding on this so things are expectedly brighter, but not harshly (e.g., obliterated detail on snowy regions) so.

[UPDATE @ 2008-01-03] The following have been substantially improved. See this for an indepth explanation. WindLight is nearing Release Candidate status; we welcome continued issue discussion at our Office Hours.

  • WindLight in general may be too bright - Yes! This is on our list of things-to-do. Specifically, WindLight Team Leader Pastrami Linden observes, "I believe the haze and/or direct light contributions can wash out colors, but am not 100% convinced this is a problem." We'll investigate the causes further.
  • The default day cycle is too bright - We're definitely going to tweak settings like gamma so the end result is more balanced. Also, remember that when WindLight goes server-side, any region owner can customize WindLight to their tastes. In addition, every Resident can still override environments locally (World menu > Environment Settings). And unlike the current way things are, WindLight on the server-side with custom day cycles means there'll be a variety of "looks" which are extensively Resident-customizable, so any fears of a single generic day cycle spoiling everything are moot.
  • Avatars look like crap - Strongly arguable, and severely dependent on the specific sky settings. We've seen a variety of Resident-taken snapshots featuring avatars that look awesome. Lighting is more realistic and has a higher dynamic range now, which we understand may take time to get used to, but it's ultimately more realistic, and if you want it to be, unrealistic too. We emphasize that you have a lot more control over how you see Second Life AND how you look — to yourself, and eventually, how others will see you — so if you're basing your judgment without delving into the Advanced Sky Editor, we recommend you give it a go, and give it time. It's kind of like seeing the naked sun after living in a cave all your life. Also consider that improving some of the other things on this list will hopefully have a positive effect on avatar lighting too.
    • TIP: The primary difference between old and new lighting is the level of ambient lighting. Try going to World menu > Environment Settings > Environment Editor and click "Advanced Sky Editor" button. Then, in the Lighting tab, increase Ambient sliders uniformly towards "1.00". You may also want to lower Scene Gamma (also found in the same tab) a touch. Also see Caliah Lyon's "Optimising Windlight for Avatars" guide.

Also:

  • Local lighting is too weak during the daytime (VWR-3171) - We deliberately toned this down because WindLight effectively has a new, bright light: THE SUN. Local lighting is now weakest at noon, and strongest at sunset — its brightness approaches "normal" strength as the sun gets lower to the horizon, with dusk being full local light brightness. More realistic solar modeling and increased dynamic range means that it'd be too easy to wash out your surroundings, which is why we need a balance (see "The default day cycle is too bright" above). Also think of how much a flashlight would affect its surroundings in daylight. Remember, we're continuing to fine-tune light levels and gamma while optimizing the default day cycle, so local lighting is still subject to change.
  • Tree lighting appears uneven and harsh during certain times (VWR-3287) - AKA "Linden trees look like 2D cardboard cutouts". We thought we fixed this internally (as of 2007-11-29) so that trees have more even lighting overall but we're aware of the ugly transition between low-polygon and high-polygon trees... so this is still ongoing...
  • Shiny is too shiny (and other shiny stuff in VWR-3133) - The main issue was fixed in the 2007-12-04 update. More context to our progress. The future holds possibilities for a more versatile "materials" system, which will retain backward compatibility yet offers a lot more options. (We might even say it'll do for object surfaces what WindLight does for skies & water!)

For more of our direct responses, read our office hours transcripts.

What's already been fixed in WindLight?

See this big list!


How do I turn off classic (old-skool) clouds?

  • Go to World menu > Environment Settings.
  • Click Advanced Sky button.
  • In the Advanced Sky Editor, click Clouds tab.
  • Uncheck "Draw Classic Clouds". (This applies across all your sky settings, and isn't currently saved per-preset.)

Why are avatars so blocky?

If you think avatars look like 16-bit Nintendo characters, that's because Avatar Impostors, which boosts performance by rendering distant avatars like sprites, is on. You can either:

  • Go to Preferences > Graphics tab and uncheck "Avatar Impostors".

OR if you want to keep it on but increase the distance at which impostors takes effect, minimizing the blockyness, then:

  • In Preferences > Graphics tab, move the "Avatars Mesh Detail" slider towards the right to "High".

You can easily find a crowd, zoom your camera, and adjust this to taste.

How do I take awesome snapshots with WindLight?

You may've seen Flickr, Snapzilla, or another site where WindLight beauty abounds. Try leaving a gracious comment on snapshots you really enjoy in hopes of the photographer getting back to you!

In addition, Torley Linden's created a Guide to High-Quality Photography you'll enjoy, including a WindLight-specific Debug Settings section.

What's the future of WindLight?

WindLight is currently viewer-side only, which means, among other things, that when you change sky settings, only you will see those changes. Longer-term, WindLight will replace server-side functionality, meaning:

  • Estate owners can take advantage of WindLight to create custom skies & water their visitors will automatically see upon visiting their regions.
  • You'll be able to use skies & water as tradeable assets (similar to how you can currently share objects, clothes, etc.).
  • The current day cycle (and other environmental effects) will be replaced by WindLight. (Those who prefer to have a blander atmosphere more similar to the present look can disable shaders in Preferences > Graphics tab.)

So, when will this happen? Tentatively, near-mid 2008. We don't have a specific date yet, as it depends on successfully fixing the bugs in the current WindLight-powered main viewer first and doing other work which preempts the server-side phase, but we promise to announce more news as it becomes available.

When will we get scriptable glow?

It's arrived! See PRIM_GLOW for usage information.

Are you ever going to add [INSERT COOL FEATURE HERE]?

Re: dynamic shadows (including objects "blocking" light), non-water reflections, materials, reworking Linden trees, etc...

We have a lot of exciting plans for a progressively better-looking and faster-performing Second Life that depends on our present work — the first phase of integrating WindLight into the main viewer — to be done. Some of the most popular feature requests we've heard we hope to do eventually someday.

If you're anxious and think that sounds too vague, that's because we'd rather not promise vaporware, and we'll give you specific details of implementation when work on each project is actually underway — until then, we welcome the inspiration that comes from your suggestions because it helps shape our future!

In them meantime, we encourage you to put your feature requests on the public Issue Tracker so we can keep easier track of 'em.

How do I stay "In the loop" with WindLight?

Visit our inworld Office Hours

WindLight Office Hour.jpg

WindLight issues are now discussed at Bridie's Wednesday Bug Triages.

Transcripts

Check these out if you're curious or if you missed out!

2008-04-10 (Super Mega Office Hours - 4 hours long - covering EVERYTHING! 100+ Resis!!)

UNEDITED 2008-04-10 (Super Mega Office Hours - 4 hours long - covering EVERYTHING! 100+ Resis!!)

Read the Official Linden Blog

We've communicated frequently! See Team WindLight leader Pastrami Linden's posts.

Related, in reverse-chronological order:

Also search for posts mentioning "WindLight".

What's our community doing with WindLight?

Amazing things! Like:

Torley's WindLight settings

^ We've moved to our own page! Click through!

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