OpenSim: an Educator's Perspective

OpenSim: an educator’s perspective:

OpenSim : an educator’s perspective Peter Miller University of Liverpool Graham Mills BioZone NWG

OpenSim is...:

OpenSim is... Not a virtual world but a platform supporting standalone regions multi-region grids optionally connected by Hypergrid Both familiar (SL®-like) and novel; extensible Open source: more affordable, more control Less content, fewer sims and users than SL Voice, physics, lag, stability, alpha, IPR issues But...

How it works:

How it works Client/viewer, e.g. Imprudence ( Kokua ) Server running OpenSim (OS) simulator + database http://www.multiurl.com/l/5O8 Client Server Region/ sim Database

Regions can be organised as grids:

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 Lower Middle Upper i6 http://www.multiurl.com/l/5O5 Dec 2010 Edu Map: Pam Broviak , GovGrid

Clients include...:

Clients include... Based on SL version 1.23 Imprudence Astra* (OS import/export) [Stored Inventory] SL Viewer 2 (web, mesh) 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

OpenSim comes in many flavours:

OpenSim comes in many flavours Platforms Self-hosted ( e.g. Diva Distro ; HD or USB) Hosted (as per SL) Self-hosted, grid-attached, e.g. OSgrid , NWG Hosting services SimHost , Dreamland Metaverse , etc Kitely (on-demand/cloud-based, Fb-reg ) More via Hypergrid Business website Educational grids/federations: “beyond Hyperica ” Immersive Education Grid (IEI) NZVWgrid UK: ViEWS , OSEG, UK Virtual Grid for Learning ( Daden ) OSgrid Ener Hax http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RJ

The Hypergrid: Where do you want to go today?:

The Hypergrid : Where do you want to go today? HyperGate : walk through to access other regions/grids Core1, ReactionGrid secondlife:// 71.6.165.170:9000:Core1 / NB Inventory & avatar appearance maintained

How to Hypergrid:

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:

Exemplar builds: History Mount Grace Priory NWG (shared core; suits 3-4 avatars) mainland.newworldgrid.com:60400:Mount%20Grace%20SE Christi Maeterlinck et al.

1939 New York World’s Fair:

1939 New York World’s Fair Trylon and Perisphere , ReactionGrid 216.75.32.156:9030:TrylonandPerisphere/ Ruud Lathrop Joey Chernov

Science on a mountain top:

Science on a mountain top Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory Lab , NWG 94.23.236.55:26000: Lab / Aime Socrates Cendres Magic Lolly iFrog Jeff Kelley

Mathematics:

Mathematics E8 Polytope Wizzy , ReactionGrid 71.6.165.147:9000:Wizzy/ Wizard Gynoid

Population Biology:

Population Biology Aaron Duffy ScienceSim http://fernseed.usu.edu/

Landscape:

Landscape Green and Wild jokaydiaGRID 66.240.233.81:9000:Green%20and%20Wild Marmottina Taurog

Cityscape:

Cityscape Romenna PMgrid Nick Lassard Image CC-BY John”Pathfinder ” Lester

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

Conclude: Prims are abundant ... so use them! Mycobacterium tuberculosis Gene Regulatory Network BioZone , NWG

But: Lag can be an issue:

But: Lag can be an issue Interactivity via marker overlay prims rather than scripting original prims

Intel stress test: Scaling is possible:

Intel stress test: Scaling is possible 655 avatars on ScienceSim cloud-based megaregion Distributed services Scale hardware On-demand, e.g. via Kitely Each map dot is an avatar (most are bots)

Personal small group use:

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 Zephyr, NWG Lolly iFrog et al .

Bonus: Native megaprims:

Bonus: Native megaprims Proteins BioZone NWG Also free texture uploads large linksets script delays switchable

Hooray: Region modules in C#:

Hooray: Region modules in C# Multi-body gravity simulation New World Innovation, NWG Olish Newman

And: OSSL writes on prims and notes:

And: OSSL writes on prims and notes PubMed search BioZone , NWG

Interactive Web Pages (of course):

Interactive Web Pages (of course) Parcel-based in OpenSim 0.6.9 with Imprudence Experimental Shared media on prims in OpenSim 0.7.1

Hey, where can we get content?:

Hey, where can we get content? IP issues  closed commercial grids, e.g. Inworldz Many inworld freebie stores Emporium Scooter, jokaydiaGRID Freebie shops Crackou Island, NWG NewVCE NWG Austin Tate

Free web content for import :

Free web content for import OSavatars Ina Centaur Fleep Tuque IAR imports to Inventory e.g. Diva Distro IAR KatijackStudio http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RE

OARs:

OARs Sim + terrain Backup/restore Commercial Element 4 Keystone Bouchard The Far Away, AM Radio via OpenSim Creations (some NSFW) http://www.multiurl.com/l/5RF

Server access (remote desktop application):

Server access (remote desktop application) The console : load/save/merge inventory and sim content; register avatars save oar myregion

Avatar management:

Avatar management Via console Via grid if hosted Via Wifi on Diva Distro http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Wifi_Module

Tools available/ported:

Tools available/ported Educational PIVOTE (?) Scratch4SL Wiki 3D Builder Personal Slide presenter Rooomz (under development) Building Prim animation Inworld sculpted prims Pipemaker Option if missing required tool Build in SL and import Observation Generally not hard to port simple SL scripts

OpenSim: ready for the big time?:

OpenSim : ready for the big time? In my opinion, just about but would be helped by ... Guidance on platform choice/transition Simplified hosting plus info on scaling/stress testing Better sim /class management tools Edu /subject-specific OARs, IARs, HG directory/search Sharing/experiences VWER, JISCMAIL VW listserv, UK (Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian, Leeds Met, Bromley College...), University System of Ohio...