New Blog Location for Rutgers Unviersity Virtual Worlds

The Rutgers Virtual Worlds blog is getting it's own domain name and service. You can now find all the latest news and information at http://blog.virtualworlds.rutgers.edu. There you can find out how our adventures with the latest Open Sim environment goes in the RU Danger Grid.

A quick way to jump into Open Sim

For experimenting quickly with OpenSim I've been using the Diva Distribution, http://www.metaverseink.com/blog/?p=21, of OpenSim and it's HyperGrid ready. With Hypergridding ready, you can have students move between sims. technically, installing OpenSim requires that your are able to install Mono and Mysql on the target servers. Guests, students, faculty, and staff would need to be created in the management interface Wifi, and you do need to make sure that the DNS configuration is just right so all the different sims can be found a
talked to properly.

If you plan to use groups you'll need to configure that feature separately. It's not an automatic feature of OpenSim, but can be enabled as a separate module.

Also, you need to make sure the Second Life client supports Open Sim
well, and is easily configurable. We've used Imprudence here at
Rutgers because when we started with OpenSim it rendered textures
properly. Best advice here is try out the viewer and make sure it sees
your content they way expect. I've used Imprudence with good success.

In terms of content you'll need to make sure that content you're
describing is available in OpenSim. In order to export from SL you
need to have creator permissions for the entire object. Additionally,
textures are not exportable with the object until Linden Lab
implements showing the permissions flag. One really good option for
content is to contact the content creators and buy their work in RL,
you can chose where you want it to go. or invite the builders in to
create work in your OpenSim. You can then save the sim information as
an OpenSim Archive (oar), and Inventory Archive (iar). Makes it easy
to get the rest of you sims up and running because you bring a new
grid online, and load the OAR file.

Lastly, my plug for content. OpenSim needs more content. If we can
generate content and put it under an Open Licences, like Apache 2.0,
and Creative Commons. We can create a body of content that can help
start other education worlds up.

--Rick Anderson (Rk Jinn)

Second Life not the only virtual world in town

My immediate reaction to the doubling of sim costs by Linden Lab the providers of Second Life:

I'm regularly approached for projects that can't afford to fit

into Second Life. So the projects that I do
there are sized for what we can afford. Because of budget issues I've
capped our land growth. I've already lost the sandbox dedicated to
students, and faculty. Now, I may be asked to shrink the foot print to
make the budget remain balanced. However, the big success of the
Rutgers project has been in visualizing future version of our
Livingston Campus. It's been used to help coordinate the stake
holders, and help the see the what they are working on. As the
architects plans get updated, so does this build.

It's a four sim build already, and scaled below the standard 1:1.5 for
Second Life. Keystone Bouchard, Ceera Murakami, and Dfox Spitteler all
have done excellent work there. To do the entire campus it would be 16
sims. So the plan is to build the entire campus in OpenSim, and port
to second Life the elements that represent the vision of the new
campus the best. Current status, the 4 sims in SL have been ported
Open Sim. Clean up, and expansion of project is next.

I really want to show off this amazing work to the SL community. But
we already show only a portion. I now may have to show rest in
miniature. But remember the prim count doesn't care how big or small a prim is.

--Rick Anderson (Rk Jinn)

Virtual Livingston Campus in Second Life used for planning

I was asked in an interview earlier this summer had the model of the future version of Livingston Campus had an impact on the decision process for the new campus. The answer is yes it has. The impact has occurred in several ways. The kick off event Rutgers Day allowed the Rutgers Community, and the community at large got walk through and see the first vision of the campus in context. Over the summer Upward Bound students got see many of the buildings that could be their dorms , student center, and dining hall if they choose to live on Livingston Campus.

The future version of Livingston Campus has been used in two key meetings about the business school being built on Livingston Campus. The model was used to provide context for the all of the 2D materials being discussed. The stakeholders in the process were able to see the building in context, understand the space around their building, and for instance get an idea of where the exits and entrances would be located. What are they likely to see in different vantage points. Begin to get an idea of the landscaping, and what it would be like to walk around the building and campus.

This effort also highlighted to me areas that would help expand that conversation. For instance the functional, and budgetary space requirements have changed, and the stakeholder will be making decisions that will revise the building and affect the interior of the space. Then the architects will revise their architectural plans. Once available, I'll be able to update the model of the campus and visualize the most current version of the building to help visually facilitate the conversation, planning, and impact of the new design, and eventually the interior when the plans are ready.

Whirlwind of Opportunity after the SLCC event

Lot's of new news to blog about. Attended the Second Life Community Conference and made some connections across all spectrum of projects, and communities. There is opportunity to build out a Higher Education Virtual Worlds Grid. This can be done with the needs of educators first and economy second. However, there are plenty of governance issues, and the standard intellectual property problems. Will VWRAP be able to help resolve them? Until that is know it's clear that grid by grid agreements and policies would be the way to go. A framework we could follow and implement would be nice. I'm hoping we can work this out. I'll blog more about this soon.

Also, for data portability issues and owner issues, it's clear that until a clean import/export process is updated to by Second Life, our content will be developed first in OpenSim and then ported over to Second Life. Lot's more news to come on that.

Lastly, for today, with 0.70 version of OpenSim it's much easier to run your own servers. I'm expecting to run multiple world designed for their use case. If it's a grant that needs to have all data private and firewalled, that can be arranged. If it's a new downtown, or a multi-campus project that can be arranged too without have to remove the previous worlds. Finally, it's really nice to be able to have object archive files that store a world that you can reload later.

So much more to talk about. Check back in. More news soon.

--Rick (Rk Jinn)

Rutgers Day, Huge Success!

Rutgers Day was a huge success. This was possible because of the hard work that everyone involved in the project did in Second Life and Real Life. Additionally, a community of encouragement, and support is needed recognize the value of good works. The Rutgers Community, the New Jersey communty, and the Second Life community did that. For all the hard work a giant personal heartfelt thank you to all of you!

To add some perspective to the success, here is a sampling of the public recognition we received:

Star Ledger: Rutgers Day draws thousands, gives glimpses into the future and past

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/rutgers_day_draws_thousands_gi.html

The hundreds of programs, exhibits, performances and food outlets that drew 75,000 people to Rutgers Day on campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway today were meant to be seen, heard, touched and tasted, but one of the most popular demonstrations for the university’s popular day of show and tell was a virtual, futuristic experience.

A three-dimensional rendering of the future Livingston Campus in Piscataway offered visitors a virtual glimpse of the projected new buildings and grounds through the eyes of an avatar that flies to the different locations. The interactive program is part of Second Life, the largest user-created 3-D world community on the Internet.

"It’s definitely cool to see it all put together," said Joe Catalano, a senior Finance major at Rutgers. "It’s so modern looking. Now I want to see it in person."

The Daily Targum: Rutgers Day brings in thousands to campus-wide event

http://www.dailytargum.com/news/rutgers-day-brings-in-thousands-to-campus-wide-event-1.2240992

The day drew about 75,000 people into the more than 100 programs that looked into the University’s past, present and future. The program was free and open to the public. While only in its second year, this year’s Rutgers Day was differed from last year. Not only did it include Livingston campus, which was closed down for Rutgers Day last year due to construction, but it also gave visitors a sneak peek at the University’s future plans for the campus.

TEN Arquitectos design for Rutgers Business School prototyped in Second Life and OpenSim (machinima)
http://archvirtual.com/?p=2555

Rutgers Day: Visit a Virtual Rutgers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g9R7hLkbRo

Every year we have topped what was done the year before. I'm looking forward to doing that again next year. In the mean time we have generated the opportunity to reach more amazing heights.

Thank You All!

--Rick Anderson (Rk Jinn)

Count down to Rutgers Day

Rutgers Day is this Saturday. Five days an counting. People in Second Life have had the chance to watch the Livingston Campus buildings being built in the air. Land pop in and out of existence. Well, it's all snapping together for Rutgers Day. Feel free to visit us at the Livingston Student Center real life or in Second Life.

I'm very excited to announce that we've been featured at Rutgers Today. This article has gone out to all faculty and staff at the University. Here's a quick link to the interview:

The Rutgers Community will be visiting Rutgers University through our physical computing lab at the Livingston Student Center. We'll have several people on hand to help orient them to Second Life and get a chance to view the new Livingston Campus. Those visiting in SL can walk, and fly through the area and meet people from the Rutgers Community. We will have the ringing of the Rutgers Bell again in Second Life at the Old Queens building. There will be a real world installation with a touch screen where the Rutgers Community can come through and ring the bell. So the Rutgers Bell will ringing all day long for and in virtual Rutgers University.

--Rick Anderson (Rk Jinn)