OpenSim: an educator’s perspective

Peter MillerUniversity of Liverpool

Graham MillsBioZoneNWG

OpenSim is...

• Not a virtual world but a platform supporting– standalone regions (“sims”)– multi-region grids – optionally connected by Hypergrid (HG)

• Both familiar (Second Life®-like) & novel, e.g. extensible

• Open source: more affordable, more control

But...

• Less content, fewer sims and users than SL• Issues with– Voice– Physics– Lag– Client and server stability– IPR

OpenSim(ulator): a selective history• 2007

– SL Viewer open-sourced– OpenSim project starts; OSGrid founded

• 2008– New World Grid & ReactionGrid established– First avatar “jump” between OSGrid and SL

• 2009– Hypergrid, Diva Distro

• 2010– End of SL education discount; interoperability work stops– Aurora fork of OpenSim

• 2011– Kitely (OpenSim-on-demand)– Mesh and interactive web pages– Overte Foundation established

How it works

• Client/viewer, e.g. Imprudence (Kokua)• Server running OpenSim (OS) simulator + database

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Regions can be organised as grids

OS 0.6.9 OS 0.7.0.2 OS 0.7.1

73 listed grids (34 shown, 56 HG-enabled)

14K regions (SL: 31K)21K users/month* (SL: 1M Oct’10)

*inc non-HG grids Hypergrid Business: March 2011

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Edu

Map: Pam Broviak, GovGrid

KitelyVWER Grid

Clients include...

• Based on SL version 1.23– Imprudence– Astra* (OS import/export)– [Stored Inventory]

• SL Viewer 2 (web, mesh)– Kirsten’s

• Web (Unity3D on-the-fly)– BuiltBuyMe*

• NB IP issues, esp moving content from SL

* Not on SL approved TPV list, [ ] no personal experience

BuiltBuyMe web viewer

http://www.multiurl.com/l/5Ob

Low-end clients• Radegast (not Mac) – 3D object viewer,

accessibility• Mobile – No scene graphics– Future: streaming,

Unity3D, etc ?

MobileGridClient*(Android)

* commercial

OpenSim Mobile(Windows J2ME)

Pocket Metaverse*(iPhone, iPad)

OpenSim comes in many flavours• Platforms– Self-hosted (Diva Distro; HD or USB)– Hosted on public or private grid– Self-hosted, grid-attached, e.g. OSGrid

• Hosting services include– SimHost, Dreamland Metaverse, etc– Kitely (on-demand/cloud-based, Fb-

registration)• Educational grids/federations include– Immersive Education Initiative– NZVWgrid– ScienceSim

OSgrid

Ener Hax

http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RJ

The Hypergrid:Where do you want to go today?

HyperGate: walk through to access other regions/gridsCore1, ReactionGridsecondlife://71.6.165.170:9000:Core1/

NBInventory & avatar appearance

maintained

How to Hypergrid

http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RH

Sim on hgurl.com?

Chat search term & touch

Find address, e.g. Hyperica

Within 4096 regions? Chat address

Find way-station

Click link in chat history

Yes

Yes

No

No

Success?

No

Success?Sim closed?tp issues?

No

Sims HG-enabled?

Also: Map search if within 4096 regions Direct registration, e.g. if different HG versions

Yes

Try other services

No

Yes

secondlife://

Exemplar builds: History

Mount Grace PrioryNWG (shared core; suits 3-4 avatars)mainland.newworldgrid.com:60400:Mount%20Grace%20SE

Christi Maeterlinck

et al.

1939 New York World’s Fair

Trylon and Perisphere, ReactionGrid216.75.32.156:9030:TrylonandPerisphere/

Ruud LathropJoey Chernov

Science on a mountain top

Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatoryLab, NWG94.23.236.55:26000:Lab/

Aime SocratesCendres Magic

Lolly iFrogJeff Kelley

Mathematics

E8 PolytopeWizzy, ReactionGrid71.6.165.147:9000:Wizzy/

Wizard Gynoid

Population Biology

Aaron DuffyScienceSimhttp://fernseed.usu.edu/

Landscape

Green and WildjokaydiaGRID66.240.233.81:9000:Green%20and%20Wild Marmottina Taurog

Cityscape

RomennaPMgrid

Nick LassardImage CC-BY John”Pathfinder” Lester

Conclude: Prims are abundant... so use them!

Mycobacterium tuberculosisGene Regulatory NetworkBioZone, NWG

But: Lag can be an issue

Interactivity via marker overlay prims rather than scripting original prims

Intel stress test: Scaling is possible

655 avatars on ScienceSim cloud-based megaregionDistributed services (Intel Distributed Scene Graph)

Each map dot is an avatar(most are bots)

Personal small group use

• 4 GB hosted quad-core standalone, 10 Mbit/s bandwidth– Groups of 20, 10 and 1; large textures, heavily scripted– Configured to 4 regions

• Outcome– Class functional, no server crashes– A few avatars slow to rez but still operable– Lag varied; due to scripts or time of day (local bandwidth)– Future: optimise, e.g. opensim.ini to reduce rate of updating

• NWG – Events on dedicated cores with 20-25 avatars, light scripting– Shared core sim supported 3 students building, light scripting– Next version will support >100 avatars per sim

Zephyr, NWG Lolly iFrog et al.

Bonus: Native megaprims

ProteinsBioZone NWG

Alsofree texture uploads

large linksetsscript delays switchable

Hooray: Region modules in C#

Multi-body gravity simulationNew World Innovation, NWG Olish Newman

And: OSSL writes on prims and notes

PubMed searchBioZone, NWG

Version 0.7.1: Mesh format molecules

• COLLADA format• Free content: TurboSquid, etc

Kirsten’s viewer(supports mesh)

Imprudence viewer(no mesh support)

Interactive Web Pages (of course)

Shared media on prims in OpenSim 0.7.1http://join.me/ for screen sharingAlso provides voice option via Scribblar, etc

Hey, where can we get content?

• IP issues closed commercial grids, e.g. Inworldz

• Many inworld freebie stores

EmporiumScooter, jokaydiaGRID

Freebie shopsCrackou Island, NWG

NewVCENWG Austin Tate

Free web content

for import

• IAR imports to Inventory e.g. Diva Distro IAR

• Search via http://metaverseink.com/– http://bit.ly/hyperfind

OSavatarsIna Centaur

Fleep Tuque

KatijackStudio http:

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OARs• Sim + terrain• Backup/restore

CommercialElement 4Keystone Bouchard

The Far Away, AM Radiovia OpenSim Creations (some NSFW)htt

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Server access (remote desktop application)

The console: load/save/merge inventory and sim content; register avatars

save oar myregion

Avatar management

• Via console• Via grid if

hosted• Via Wifi on

Diva Distro

http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Wifi_Module

OpenSim: ready for the big time?

In my opinion, yes but would be helped by...

• Guidance on platform choice/transition• Simplified hosting plus info on scaling/stress testing• Better sim/class management tools• Mobile client with inworld graphics• Scene and object rendering options for mobile clients• Edu/subject-specific OARs, IARs, HG directory/search• Sharing/experiences

– VWER, JISCMAIL VW listserv...