This is a blog post to support resources from the Virtual University of Edinburgh (Vue) and Open Virtual Collaboration Environment (OpenVCE) activities to make them available on http://open.ed.ac.uk. Contact – Stephanie Farley (Charlie). Downloads available are in http://vue.ed.ac.uk/resources/open.ed/
See https://open.ed.ac.uk/virtual-world-simulator-platform-resources/
Vue is a virtual educational and research institute bringing together all those interested in the use of virtual worlds for teaching, research and outreach related to the University of Edinburgh.
Even before Second Life began to be used across the University of Edinburgh in 2007, groups in Business Studies, Education and Artificial Intelligence/Informatics had been exploring virtual worlds platforms for a range of collaboration, educational and research project uses. Early Multi-User Dimensions (MUDs), platforms (now long gone) such as “There” and commercial virtual world simulators such as “Forterra” had been in use, and Second Life itself had been used even in its very earliest incarnation.
The following blog post indicates what Vue usage there has been of Virtual Worlds…
https://blog.inf.ed.ac.uk/atate/2018/04/27/virtual-worlds-technology-for-university-of-edinburgh/
The original Second Life Vue regions used from 2007 to 2019 are no longer maintained, but resources are available to use any available space in Second Life and a similar set of facilities are available on the OpenSimulator Platform and in some other experimental virtual worlds platforms…
Virtual Worlds Regions and Content
The Openvue “mini-continent” contains 12 256mx256m regions…
The lower right hand corner contains the “OpenVCE” (Open Virtual Collaboration Environment) region created by us and made available an an open educational resource that anyone can obtain and use in Second Life or OpenSim (see this blog post). It is also available as a selectable starter region on a range of OpenSim hosting platforms.
Open Educational Resources – Vue
Available via http://vue.ed.ac.uk/resources/open.ed/
- OpenSim OAR (OpenSimulator Archive File) and terrain (.png and .f32 formats) for each region in the Vue “continent” as originally mounted on Second Life.
- Extra OpenSim OARs and terrain files. Edinburgh is a variant of the Edinburgh Uplands region with “Edinburgh Castle” and “High Street” content that can stand alone. Sea-Vue is a simple region with only water and can be used for infill between other regions where useful.
- Male and Female “Bots” avatars.
- Second Life Marketplace – Ai Austin Store – resources to create temporary facilities on Second Life sandboxes or other areas where they are allowed to build.
Open Educational Resources – OpenVCE
OpenVCE content for Second Life is available via the Second Life Marketplace:
OpenVCE content for Opensim is available via http://vue.ed.ac.uk/resources/open.ed/
- OpenSim OAR of all core elements and buildings.
- OpenSim OAR of a pre-arranged collaboration region.
- Presentation screen adjustments to scripts.
- Readme and LGPL licence.
OpenVCE is also available as an OAR (1×1) that can be loaded into a region on DreamGrid, one of the largest OpenSim distributions.
You can visit an OpenVCE region on OSGrid (free avatar via http://osgrid.org) at
- hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OpenVCE/128/128/20
Update October 2022:
Openvue is also available as an OAR (4×4) that can be loaded into a 4×4 sized region on DreamGrid, one of the largest OpenSim distributions [OAR File, Readme, Thumbnail Image]. CC BY-NC.