I have mentioned in my previous posts my dissatisfaction with the standards of the graphics in SL. I am not a computer nerd, so I am not enough qualified to judge, and I know that it's just my opinion, as most people I know are quite happy with things they see on their screens.
But I believe that the quality of the SL environment depends a lot on the creators, they way they imagine things and the way they build them. As for avatars, I don't think there's much they can do, I mean... a good skin is a good skin, a bad skin is a bad skin, but they look just the same to me, lol. I accepted my skin and shape for what they are, and all the times I have thought of changing it into something similar to the way I look in RL, I gave up 'cause judging by the previous results shown to me, it wasn't even worth trying. Anyway, hope is never a bad thing and, even if I am not sure yet, I think i 've just met the right guy these days. I can't call him a friend yet, but he's been the only SL builder/creator who hasn't gone mad at me for interrupting him while working on a creation.For this, I consider him one of a kind, lol, and definitely a nice guy. We chatted a bit and I forgave his one-hand typing of course, 'cause his other hand seemed to be very busy...I started to admire his skills and asked him to show me some of his previous works..which were amazing. I dared to ask for a custom job, and he basically made it in a flash ! I have a fetish for high-tech electronics in RL, and asked him to build an exact replica of my mobile phone just to see how far his skills -and SL graphics- could go. I allowed him a couple of days....It took him just 15 minutes. He said it's not perfect, and that he would make a better one in a hour time or so. I can see why it's not perfect, but just 15 minutes to see my RL phone rez in SL are well worth my appreciation. So here it is..
So I thought I could show him this picture...and ask for his opinion about it.
Hmm, he thinks he can do a better job than that. So shall I trust him and get me a new skin? Problem is, I have to take a perfect picture of my RL face, and if it's the way he described, it's going to take me hours. It's all a matter of getting the right light on my cheeks, so that every wrinkle on my face can become a pixelled line, lol. I 'll think about it, actually it's a week I am thinking about it. Once it's done, and if I like it, I guess I 'll just pay more attention to people complaining about my appearance, 'cause I won't be able to blame SL graphics anymore...or will I?
ciao:)
But I believe that the quality of the SL environment depends a lot on the creators, they way they imagine things and the way they build them. As for avatars, I don't think there's much they can do, I mean... a good skin is a good skin, a bad skin is a bad skin, but they look just the same to me, lol. I accepted my skin and shape for what they are, and all the times I have thought of changing it into something similar to the way I look in RL, I gave up 'cause judging by the previous results shown to me, it wasn't even worth trying. Anyway, hope is never a bad thing and, even if I am not sure yet, I think i 've just met the right guy these days. I can't call him a friend yet, but he's been the only SL builder/creator who hasn't gone mad at me for interrupting him while working on a creation.For this, I consider him one of a kind, lol, and definitely a nice guy. We chatted a bit and I forgave his one-hand typing of course, 'cause his other hand seemed to be very busy...I started to admire his skills and asked him to show me some of his previous works..which were amazing. I dared to ask for a custom job, and he basically made it in a flash ! I have a fetish for high-tech electronics in RL, and asked him to build an exact replica of my mobile phone just to see how far his skills -and SL graphics- could go. I allowed him a couple of days....It took him just 15 minutes. He said it's not perfect, and that he would make a better one in a hour time or so. I can see why it's not perfect, but just 15 minutes to see my RL phone rez in SL are well worth my appreciation. So here it is..
So I thought I could show him this picture...and ask for his opinion about it.
Hmm, he thinks he can do a better job than that. So shall I trust him and get me a new skin? Problem is, I have to take a perfect picture of my RL face, and if it's the way he described, it's going to take me hours. It's all a matter of getting the right light on my cheeks, so that every wrinkle on my face can become a pixelled line, lol. I 'll think about it, actually it's a week I am thinking about it. Once it's done, and if I like it, I guess I 'll just pay more attention to people complaining about my appearance, 'cause I won't be able to blame SL graphics anymore...or will I?
ciao:)
10 commenti:
Well... I would say, don't be shy just go for it;-)
hmm okay, lol.
SL graphics is highly affected by SL lighting. If you look at this blog post (no, it's not mine!), you can see the difference that lighting can make, just by changing the Windlight settings. Because of that, I almost never use the default lighting and always walk around in custom Windlight settings - I use the settings that Gogo suggested in her post above.
In clear and bright lighting, the differences between a bad skin and a good skin might become more apparent. The skin also depends a lot on the shape, because the shading on the skin might not suit certain face shapes, causing the face to look different after wearing the skin.
From the pictures I've seen on your blog I also suspect that you're running the SL viewer with your graphics settings on "Low" - that affects the rendering too ;) I normally run on "High", unless I'm in a high-lag area and want to help my computer not to work so hard, so that rezzing is faster.
I find it interesting how you want to look like your RL self in SL; I never tried to make my avatar look like me, but the glasses are from my RL and give me a sort of connection between the two, lol!
yes you're right Q., my graphics is set to LOW almost all the time. that's just because I am using the basic Intel graphics card on my laptop and I need to keep it on LOW or i would crash every 5 minutes. But in almost 3 years i am in Sl, i ve tried all kinds of computers, all kinds of graphics cards and all kinds of processors...that's not the point. The best detail level you can get with the Sl viewer, with the best lighting, still looks like pre-history to me. The reason is..being SL an online game, the Lindens did have to find the right balance in data transmission, given the multiple features included in sl, as limitless inventory, building capabilities, etc. so that graphics had to make a step back anyway. the pics you posted on your "NSFW again" post, probably given your photo skills and the quality of your graphics card, represent the best and most realistic avatar rendering in SL. But the standards of 'realistic computer graphics' nowadays are capable of way better results than that, and of course, its not your fault! ;) Linden labs is planning improvements in graphics, and a new viewer too. I hope they make it right, even if i 'd be forced to buy me a new laptop :((
I understand what you're getting at and I agree, SL graphics are very limited; in fact clothing & skin designers have long been complaining about the "avatar mesh" (whatever that is :P). I'm sure that other computer games, the ones that are installed locally on the PC, have better rendering. (I don't play any, so I don't know! *blushes*)
But I assure you the skin I wore in my "NSFW again" post made a lot of difference to the realistic element, because if you look at the next skin I wore (the purple one), it was pretty "flat" without the similar subtle shadings to create definition and depth.
I would love to take credit for photo skills, but the truth is, I use the same lighting in all my pictures, and I don't photoshop them except to crop and resize, and sometimes add a frame ;) So I'll have to let my graphics card take all the credit! hehe
I am glad you understand " what i am gettin' at" ;)
but just to make it clearer, just check this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvI1l0nAd1c
Now, i am not asking LL to even get anywhere near to that graphics..all i am asking for..is ANYTHING better than a japanese cartoon from the 80's, lol
Wow, that video was pretty fantastic!
I think the problem is that in SL, everything is online and random (like, the computer cannot predict where you will want your avatar to walk) so the graphics rendering has to be done on the spot, on the spur of the moment, and if it is too... err... complex, then it will either be slow & laggy or will overload the server. That's my speculation ;)
I would think that LL needs to beef up their equipment in order to offer better graphics, because right now they can't even provide a stable asset server -- we still hear frequent complaints of inventory loss. I myself once lost all my inventory on my previous account, way back in Feb 2008. It seems to me that a stale asset server is one of the most basic things you should have/provide for such an operation... if they can't even do the basic stuff, I doubt they can move on to more complex stuff. (Then again, they did roll out the more complex Windlight lighting system anyway... lol)
I know. It's hard not to think it's an actual movie footage of the guy's head.
Now, the data transfer needed to rez a head like that in SL, would equal the megabytes needed to rez a whole sim. But SL will be like that in 5 or 6 years, when we 'll have 20 megabyte/second fast connections and 10 GIGs ram cards installed in every PC :)
As for the motion engine (thats what you refer to when you say "computer cannot predict where you'll want your avatar to walk') that's just another story, lol.
anyway, if SL is 33% graphics, 33% chat capabilities, 33% object creation and storage, I 'd like to get the graphics percentage to 40% at least, ;)
I just reread my comment; I meant stable asset server. *facepalms*
You guys might have 20mbps connections... I'm not sure what Malaysia's connection will be like, lol. What is your home connection like? Mine is supposed to be 1mbps. That's about the standard here for non-commercial packages.
here, DSL is already capable of 20 mega, but the usual speed can't get faster than 5. but i have an internet key (mobile 3.5g phone service) which i use very often, capable of 7 megas but normally runs at 2 mega. I mean, in laggy places i walk one/step a minute, lol.
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