Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 3.12
Screen grab of SketchUp interface showing export menu for the COLLADA .dae format. This ile for-
mat can be imported into virtual environments such as OpenSim and Unity.
COLLADA (.dae) iles here: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Tools. Also, MeshLab (http://
meshlab.sourceforge.net/) is a great program for converting iles if you need to do that for uploading.
2. Make a quick model of a small, simple house in your modeling program; Figure 3.12 has an image of
the sort of house you should build. When you have built the house and saved it as a COLLADA (.dae)
ile, get your stopwatch set up and proceed to the next step.
3. Start the clock; launch the Firestorm viewer, and log in to your previously chosen location in
OpenSim. Now upload the COLLADA (.dae) ile with the Avatar/Upload/Mesh menu. For more
information on upload procedures look in Chapter 2, Section 2.3. There are images of this Mesh
Upload menu in Chapter 13, Figures 13.15-13.17, to provide a quick guide. Once the upload fee of
the mesh has been calculated, upload the house into your inventory. When the import is complete,
rez the house on the ground in front of you as shown in Figure 3.13.
Stop the clock when you can fully see the house model in front of you on the ground.
4. Log out of OpenSim and log in to Second Life at your previously chosen location there. Start the
clock again and select the same upload settings. Time the procedure and make a note of the differ-
ences in the uploads. Does this version of the model behave in the same way as OpenSim and does
its physics shape allow you entry into the house?
5. Compare notes on how long each upload took and ask why there might be differences. How about
the effect of different servers, different loads on the regions where you were? Did the model look
different in any of the locations?
