Linden Lab Official:Media Rendering Plugin System

Media Rendering Plugin System

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Technical Overview
• Using the Plugin Test App
• Getting Started
  • Hello World Plugin Code
• Plugin Operation and Data Flow
• Messages
  • Internal Messages

Overview

With this branch of the Second Life Viewer, Linden Lab introduces the ability for third-party developers to create media rendering plugins to display rich media content inworld. The Viewer provides this capability by loading media rendering plugins at runtime.

Creators of objects use the parcel-based media setting dialog box to reference a network-based file, and then map the media texture to an object that then displays the media. Previously, this was limited to media rendering plugins that Linden Lab created in the core of the Second Life Viewer, such as Apple QuickTime(tm).

Now, rendering engine developers can create a rendering library that loads through the media plugin API to display specific media content on textures of inworld objects, creating a richer and more vibrant set of media experiences for Second Life Residents.

This branch is a developer release, intended to provide the components necessary for building and testing media rendering plugins to be promoted and distributed for future versions of the Second Life Viewer.

Downloads

To begin development, download the appropriate software, code and documents from these sites. One of the advantages of the new media plugin system is that you are not required to build the entire Viewer from source code to create a plugin. You simply need a build of the Viewer that supports the API, and then you can code to the API and build a library (for example, a Windows DLL) to be loaded at runtime.

Binaries

These builds of the Second Life Viewer support the new media API. Second Life Viewer Installers:

• Windows
• MacOS
• (sorry, Linux build currently unavailable)

Code

Subversion repositories:

• Second Life Viewer Source Code
• Sample media rendering plugins

After checking out the Viewer branch, run develop.py normally, then build/run the "media_plugin_test" target in the SecondLife project. If you have any questions or issues related to building and testing media rendering plugins, contact sldev@lindenlab.com.