On 31st July 2017 Linden Lab’s Sansar virtual world platform was opened to any users in its “open beta” stage. This includes…
… removal of the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that was in place during preview. That means you’re now welcome (and encouraged!) to share screenshots, videos, links, and info from Sansar as broadly as you like – please help us spread the word!
- Metaverse’s Next Chapter: Sansar Opens to the Public in Creator Beta – Linden Lab Press Release 2017-07-31 00:00:00 UTC
I have been in the test stages since 22nd December 2016, including giving feedback especially on 3D mesh model upload and the social capabilities of the platform.
Sansar Experiences – AiLand
I have created several experiences and made them available via the Sansar “Atlas”. These are very simple test environments using one of the default experience bases – “Highlands”. Over time I have uploaded and tested 3D mesh models, skybox variations, some scripting, avatar sounds, etc.
My main inputs have been the following:
- The lack of a way to upload complex multi-part multi-texture models. Models have to be uploaded as single objects with specific texturing approaches. Large builds still cannot easily be uploaded in the way that is possible with Unity3D-based platforms. This makes it slow and time consuming to create large Sansar experiences and reuse models already create d in 3D packages such as 3D Studio max and in environments like Unity3D.
- The create/edit mode inventory listing system objects, purchased and created items inventory does not scale up. It needs the addition of multi-level folders to organise content, and an ability to rename and sort objects in various ways to allow for clustering, versioning, etc.
- Some (free) basic objects like moving water (large extent) to surround a scene, seats, etc. would be useful to help build basic things.
- It is still difficult to connect with other users, find users, even when you now their Sansar display name or @AvatarID. The social aspects still need significant attention.
- The is no indication when new chat or friend requests arrive. Some way to highlight the desktop mode chat icon to indicate new content arrival is needed. Chat is not available in VR mode at all. Some way to add that to the VR mode tool bar (accesible via the spacebar) is needed.
- I noted that in VR third person view, your own avatar did not lipsync, so you could not be sure your own voice was active via that mechanism.
- Avatar name indication (such as by floating labels) is needed in both desktop and VR modes in order to assist in identification of speakers and tie up between voice and @AvatarID to allow management of voice mute, friends invitation, etc. Lip motion for active speakers is not enough for this and needs viewpoint zoom to see.
- Search with partial match on experience titles and creator display names and @AvatarIDs in the client Atlas needs to be added. The ability to copy the experience URL in the web site Atlas needs to be added, thog the browser URL can be copied to obtain that important URL at present.
- There no avatar fly mode yet, walking pace is very slow and no running is available.
- Avatars, clothing and attachments are still very limited.
- Experiences can take a long time to load… “114 Harvest”, for example, took over 5 minutes on my setup with a 70Mbps internet connection. There is no progress bar to tell you how far along you are, and no cancel button to abort and return to the Atlas.
- Avatars arriving in a confined area or near a spawn point in an experience can land on top of one another and don’t jostle a little to move away. They can end up stacked one on top of another. Avatars can also end up jammed between other non-moving avatars and walls and unable to move away. A way to allow for gentle jostling and pushing away a little of other avatars, as in a crown would help.
- When in VR mode and using a teleport scripted object to move to a related experience, the desktop screen shows it loading, but the VR view remains in the previous experience and is frozen.
Sansar help for using the client viewer, the editing mode, and other modelling information is available at https://help.sansar.com/.
Sansar Experiences as at 31st July 2017
- Apollo 11 Sea of Tranquility by Loot Interactive
- Mars Outpost Alpha by Sansar Studios
- AiLand by Ai Austin, simple test experience
Launch Sansar to arrive at AiLand... sansar://sansar.com/experience/aiaustin/ailand
Is the following experience by @Draxtor entitled “114 Harvest” similar to Aech’s Basement as in Ready Player One…
Update: 31-Mar-2018 – Aech’s Basement in Sansar
On 31st March 2018 a Sansar experiemnce of Ready Player one Aech’s basement as envisaged for the Steven Spielberg movie was released…
https://atlas.sansar.com/experiences/sansar-studios/ready-player-one-aech-s-basement
Interpreted from the original Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) design for the movie Ready Player One from Warner Bros. Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures, opening on 29th March 2018.
Sansar Store