OMI Group Space on OpenSim

https://omigroup.org – Bridging virtual worlds by designing and promoting shared protocols.

This blog post is to provide details of one of several virtual world and metaverse platform meeting spaces for the OMI Group. This one is the “OMI” region on the OSGrid for the OpenSim community.

Quickstart:

1. Get an OpenSim avatar at http://osgrid.org if you don’t already have one.
2. Download and install the OpenSim compatible version of the Firestorm Viewer.
3. Login and look round, you usually arrive at an OSGrid “Plaza”. Follow the arrows on the floor to get an orientation and pick up starter avatars.
4. Open the Map (Ctrl+M), find the “OMI” region and teleport there.

A virtual world social space for OMI group use is available on the OpenSimulator-based OSGrid platform. This is to help OMI Group participants to maintain contacts and have meeting spaces to share ideas. OMI group participants without an existing OpenSim grid avatar should obtain a free one on OSGrid (the OpenSim community grid) via http://osgrid.org.

The OSGrid OMI region is open to look around since it is accessible from any Hypergrid enabled OpenSimulator grid using a map tool search for this “http://hg.osgrid.org:80 OMI” or this “hop” in viewers which support that (e.g. Firestorm):

hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/128/128/20

OpenVCE and I-Room Assets

The facility uses the OpenVCE OAR, a ready to load open source virtual collaboration environment with a range of formal and informal meeting spaces, instrumented meeting rooms, exposition facilities, etc.

The “I-Room” is a simplified version of the “Virtual Space for Intelligent Interaction” with some AI task support connected facilities not enabled.

OMIgroup

An “OMIgroup” has also been established on OSGrid and can, if necessary, be used to restrict availability of some of the facilities or be used for group voice chat independent of where an avatar is located on OSGrid. Join via one of the signs on the OMI region, by using the viewer group search for “OMIgroup”, or by pasting the link below in chat within the viewer and clicking it.

hop://login.osgrid.org/app/group/3c99005c-9ab6-4592-abcc-bf0b9cf3ba5b/about

OMI Central Plaza – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/124/128/23
OMI Map Board – Teleporters – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/150/100/23

OMI I-Room – Clickers – Virtual Space for Intelligent Interaction
                             hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/128/88/23
OMI Classroom – Clickers – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/82/128/23

OMI Expo Pavilion A – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/100/185/23
OMI Expo Pavilion B – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/156/185/23
OMI Dome – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/50/50/23
OMI Amphitheatre – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/34/222/23
OMI Breakout Rooms – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/42/214/23

OMI Project Space 1 – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/172/214/23
OMI Project Space 2 – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/235/214/23
OMI Group Suite Yellow – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/245/200/24
OMI Group Suite Blue – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/245/178/24

OMI Hilltop Viewpoint- hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/178/75/44
OMI Cavern Campfire – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/191/65/21
OMI Picnic Tables – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/46/70/22
OMI Offshore Canyon – Scuba Dive – hop://hg.osgrid.org:80/OMI/240/110/22

Media Screens and Presenters

There are a number of media and presentation screens available.

• The “Clever Zebra Presentation System” in the Amphitheatre can have multiple screens operating on separate channels and uses a laptop to control the slides sent to any screen via the selected channel. The slides are loaded into the laptop and presented in alphabetical order. A slide named “logo” is used for the “off” texture. Control is possible by any avatar that has the selected group active with the default scripts.
• The Freeview Screen can show any slide for textures added into the screen on a manual basis or loop through them. It can also be set to show a wide range of media, web pages, movies, etc. using the single “media texture” of the land plot it is on (set via the “Parcel Details”/”About Land” Media tab for those with appropriate permission). Control is possible by any avatar that has the selected group active with the default scripts.
• The OpenVCE SlideShow screen can present any texture loaded into it, with thumbnails displayed along its bottom edge. This screen is usually open to any user. Control is possible by any avatar that has the selected group active with the default scripts.
• OpenVCE Presenter is a screen which can show media set up within the screen or via URLs from web sites, such as PowerPoint presentations. It requires a web service to mperate, so may not be available in all setups.
• Media on a Prim (MOAP) screens can show the contents of a URL including embedded video, etc, useful for YouTube videos including live streams. Usually any user can set the URL though group or social arrangements may be in place to ask you to avoid changing URLs being shared. For web sites where a login is required you usually see your own view personal of the content.
• GraffitiBoard is a simple mechanism for displaying text messages.

Clickers

Voting or acknowledgement “clickers” are available in two of the meeting spaces, in the I-Room and the Classroom. A control button clears the clickers in the specific space.

Voice

All spaces are enabled for Vivox 3D positional voice, which will drop off depending on distance from avatar camera. At present, to keep things simple, the spaces are not given boundaries to separate voice channels for different meetings areas, though that can be done if it becomes useful.

Permissions and Land Zones

OpenSim allows for a wide range of permissions for building on regions, controlling objects in world, taking copies of items, etc. These can be on an individual avatar basis, or for members of groups, etc. Initially the OMI region on OSGrid may need to be adjusted to allow for “OMIgroup” members or specific roles within the group to be given access to screens, etc. Areas of land on a region can be made into separate land plots ort zones to control the propagation of voice and allow for different access and functionality.

Sources and Downloads

The OpenSimulator Archive (OAR) file that allows the entire region and its resources to be duplicated on other OpenSim grids or elsewhere is available via:

• http://openvce.net/downloads/omi/
• OSGrid-OAR-Shelves-Unstocked.oar (19MB)
• OSGrid-OMI.oar (43MB)
• Other formats such as glTF may be made available.

Core collaboration space has some shelves for additional assets which are
unstocked to keep the OAR size, and resulting inworld asset database small
for replication as necessary. Stocked version has Ruth2 and Roth2 mesh avatars and other open source assets.

OSGrid OMI Region Statistics

OSGrid OMI Region Access Statistics

OMI Inworld Items

On the OMI Region near the Central Plaza there are shelving racks with a range of avatars, OMI branded T-Shirts, attachable animated mugs, etc.

Visit in VR or 360° Degree Panoramas

Using Firestorm VR Mod (see this blog post or find latest version) you can visit and use the OSGrid OMI region collaboration and meeting facilities via a VR Head Mounted Display.

Or take and view 360° panorama snapshots with the Firestorm Viewer 6.5.3 or later which can be viewed, e.g., via Flickr… Click on thumbnails below to view 360° images on Flickr…

Alternative Formats and Platforms

The OpenSim region content is also available in alternative formats and for different platforms.

• Collada (.dae) for import to Unity3D via the OAR Converter Package.
• Via Unity3D content into a range of 3D multi-user platforms such as Sine.space.
• glTF™ (GL Transmission Format) for use on a range of platform via Robert Adams/@MisterBlue’s convoar package.

Licencing and Attribution

The OpenVCE region models, originally for Second Life and OpenSimulator, are freely available and openly licenced using the permissive Lesser GNU Licence. But an alternative licence for those that may prefer it is Creative Commons By-Attribution (CC BY 4.0).

Attribution: Clever Zebra (http://cleverzebra.com) and OpenVCE Project (http://openvce.net), AIAI, University of Edinburgh (Austin Tate, Stephen Potter).

Update 23-Feb-2022: OMI Weekly Meeting Visit to OSGrid OMI Region…

Update: 9-Oct-2022: The OMI region OAR is also now available via the OpenSim DreamGrid distribution list of free OARs.

OMI is also available as an OAR that ca be loaded onto a standard 256m x 256m region on DreamGrid, one of the largest OpenSim distributions [OAR File, Readme, Thumbnail Image]. CC BY-NC.

Also available at the Outworldz OAR Library via
https://www.outworldz.com/cgi/freesculpts.plx?q=OMI